Refurbishing alloy wheels

[Mike CrossfieldParticipant @mikecrossfield92481]

I am considering refurbishing the alloy wheels on my car, and I see two options commonly offered: Paint or powder coating. As I understand it, powder coating is generally more expensive than paint, but more robust. The downside appears to be that the surface finish is not as good as paint, and it is harder to touch up satisfactorily in the event of chips etc.

I would be very interested in hearing from anyone who has experience of the two alternatives.

Mike

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

The more likelihood of damage to an alloy wheel is more likely to be kerbing rather than chipping and if so it won’t matter if its paint or powder. Halfords clearcoat is an easy to use repair solution

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

I’ve only ever had one set done, Mike … so not really qualified to answer

BUT anyway: These people did a fantastic job on my BM a few years ago

https://prestigewheels.co.uk/

MichaelG.

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[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

Once the finish on alloy wheels starts to go, if it is corrosion it will be difficult to get rid of, or stop. only an expensive refacing and finishing will do a really good job. Clean as best one can and then a clear over base paint scheme is one plan. Alloy wheels as they age can be notorious for slowly deflating as air leaks under the lacquer and very difficult to cure. Noel.

[howardbParticipant @howardb]

My advice from experience is if it’s an alloy wheel don’t go for powder coating, get the wheels grit or beadblasted then use a decent two-pack paint system with two-pack clear coat on top.

You can buy two-pack paint and clear coat in aerosols nowadays.

EG – https://www.riolettcustomaerosols.co.uk/2k-aerosol-spray-paint/ – other suppliers are available

The reason is that inevitable chips in the powder coat from kerb rash etc will let water + salt under the powder coat which will corrode the alloy, but you won’t be able to see the damage until a lump of powder coat falls off revealing a nasty, corroded crusty mess.

 

[peak4Participant @peak4]

No idea where you live so I can’t help with specific companies/prices.
I’ve had two sets of Discovery 1 alloy wheels done locally here in Buxton.
The first set were exceedingly tatty to start with, and one even had the rim a bit dented.
They came out OK (ish) with a good overall finish to the powder coating, but visible pitting showing through.
I did half expect that, but it was for a spare set of full snow tyres.

That company no longer offers the service, so for my better wheels I used this outfit below.
The finish is good overall, and they do offer limited repairs, as well as CNC detailing.

To do the job properly at home with twopack, or anything else, you need to factor in the paint cost, as well as blasting tyre re-fitting etc.

It seems to be £60 per corner here, but that includes removing tyres, grit blasting, coating, refitting & balancing.
In my case I wanted new tyres as well, so waited until I had an eBay -20% discount token on my chosen tyres, which aren’t available locally (Maxxis Wormdrive).
The powder coat company then effectively fitted and balanced them free of charge, as it was included in the refurb price, though I had to dispose of the old casings at the local dumpit site (Free here at the time)
Previously when I had to have a tyre pulled and re-fitted for a valve leak, it was £25, so the re-paint only cost ne £35 a corner effectively.

I’ve just been having a similar conversation with a Landrovering friend, who needs some steel wheels re-painting.
Personally I think these days, I’d probably go for powder, even on steel wheels, so long as they are tubeless and in reasonable nick.

Previously I have chosen paint, as I normally changed steel rimmed Landrover tyres, and mended punctures myself using levers, often in the middle of a forest somewhere, so any paint chips could be touched up, but now I use garages with tyre machines for the Disco etc.

If you have a Facebook account, the photos are worth browsing through, showing the CNC work etc
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063740838471

p.s. re the previous comment about kerb damage; I did consider that, but my application is on Landrover or Discovery 75/80 profile tyres, so the wheels are higher than the kerb, and less susceptible to damage.

Lower profile or car tyres my skew the argument in a different direction.

Bill

[howardb]

On howardb Said:

…water + salt under the powder coat which will corrode the alloy

This can (and will) happen to all coatings sooner or later. Not all paints are the same, goes to reason that not all powder coats are alike either. Powder coats are *generally* considered superior to solvent based paints as the paint will need to be somewhat porous to allow the solvents to escape. What you’re describing sounds more like no/improper prepping and/or primer.

 

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