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.

 

[Nick WheelerParticipant @nickwheeler]

What do you mean by refurbishing your wheels? Is it just paint, or do they need straightening and scuffs or other damage repaired? Are they pressed steel, or cast aluminium?

I’ve repainted unused steel wheels(ones that had been spares, and black wheels look terrible) and just scotchbrite on undamaged paint followed by panel wipe, base coat and clear is a lot of work. Aluminium wheels have lots of nooks and crannies that are incredibly time consuming to prepare and frustrating to actually paint. Add repairing any damage or rust, and you can easily spend several hours per wheel. Paint and the equipment to apply it isn’t cheap. Effective modern paints require proper PPE. Powder coat adds the extra problem of melting the powder into a finish. That’s doable for small parts using various DIY built ovens, but wheels aren’t small.

That all makes the £60 that the local wheel firm charges to chemically strip, deal with minor damage and repaint the whole wheel look really reasonable, and is the way I’ll go in future.

 

Powder coat works well on surfaces that don’t have lots of sharp edges. That doesn’t describe any vehicle wheel I’ve ever seen. They’re surprisingly flexible too. Powder coat is effectively plastic wrapping the part, whereas a properly applied paint will be chemically and mechanically attached to the part’s surfaces. That means any damage tends to be local, whereas a chip in powder coat quickly compromises the whole finish.

[Nick Wheeler]

On Nick Wheeler Said:

[…]  Are they pressed steel, or cast aluminium? […]

There is a good hint in the title

🙂

MichaelG.

[OldironParticipant @oldiron]

As a development engineer for a large powder coating company for 14 years I would not bother doing alloy wheels. Once there are nicks, chips or any corrosion on a wheel it is not a good idea to powder coat. As said repairing P/C is not easy and is usually done by spray paint anyway.  A good clean and repair any defects plus etching and paint is the way to go.

[Mike CrossfieldParticipant @mikecrossfield92481]

Many thanks to all who replied. I was leaning towards paint rather than powder, and I’m now pretty convinced that this is the way to go.

Mike

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Powder Coated:

.

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Need I say more ?

MichaelG.

[FulmenParticipant @fulmen]

I think you do. This isn’t a strong argument for anything other than the fact that powder coating isn’t magic.

Is your claim that no paints can produce this result? Or that all powder coats will end up like this?

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

More a case of don’t use alloy (die cast ) in this location ? Hot dip galv or stainless for this job ? Noel.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

The point [if any] was that powder-coat is an impervious skin when first applied, and is oft-touted as the answer to a Maiden’s prayer.

Once it cracks, however … moisture creeps under it by capillary action, and the rot sets in.

MichaelG.

[Author]

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