Let me add that I was going to get my wheels highly polished after the re-machining, but they advised me against it.
In their experience, the clear coat doesn't stick too well to a highly polished finish. Machining leaves small grooves, like a vinyl record, and apparently this gives something the clear coat can stick to.
I would also make sure that a sprayed on clear coat will be durable enough. I just assumed that my wheels would be clear-coated in the normal spray-on fashion, but the clear coat was powder-coated, so I'm assuming it's a more durable finish. After all, motorcycle rims are clear-coated.
Feel free to take away from my experience what makes sense to you. The best thing about my advice is that it's all free!
