# My M5 OEM Shadow Chrome Wheels: Quest for Refurbish Perfection



## Tiauguinho

The quest for perfection is not an easy one.

The BMW E39 M5 is my Dream Car. I knew that since it was announced, it was engraved in me, set in stone, that one day one would be mine. That day came on the 12th of June of 2008, when I took delivery of my 2001 Le Mans Blue M5 with 106 500km. For these almost two years of ownership, my M5 sees an ungodly amount of attention to Detail. Being it my hobby, the time, cost and diminishing returns are not a concern for me. There are hundreds of hours put into my car, from the leather, to the jeweling of the paint. Even being my daily driver, coming to work with me every day, I want and have my car in perfect shape… But there are always things that need more attention.

*Who should I send my wheels to?*

As some of you may know, I was on a quest to find the best wheel refurbish shop for my OEM Shadow Chrome Wheels, since my set was not in a state that I was proud of (previous owner enjoyed kissing the curbs). My mains concerns during my search were:

1. Finding a shop able to reproduce the Shadow Chrome Finish
2. Same shop would be able to do QUALITY work, no flaky finish, no excessive orange peel, no wheel repair shop which spits paint on the wheel with a rattle can, etc.
3. Same shop would charge a FAIR price, not too high and not too low, just perfect. With this I mean a price in which both parties are happy with it.

I contacted countless stores here in NL (WheelTrim, Dreamworks, PietDam Velgenreparatie, etc), investigating their prices, pictures of their previous work and the service offered. Got prices ranging from 500 Euros to 1000 Euros (!!), but never felt that they were engaged in working together to reproduce the Shadow Chrome Wheels, just promises that it would be done.

Desperate, I decided to search on DetailingWorld for shops in the UK that do Refurbishments and contacted a few of them (Lepsons and The Autowerks) and I bumped into a thread of a chap that was happy with the Refurbishment done on his Porsche wheels.

This shop was called Rimfurbish and I decided to send my introduction email with the requirements needed for my wheels and a request for a quote and information about their work. After their reply, the fun started 

*The Company*

Matt Ball, Sales Manager of Rimfurbish, is a very patient man... I say that, because since my first email, we have traded a crazy amount of emails (a total of almost 100 emails), with a in depth conversation on how to repair and refurbish these wheels and their technical abilities and expertise as a OE Manufacturer can bring into the game of doing the Shadow Chrome properly. Every technical detail was discussed, we went through tens of photos from this forum and from BMW, we needed to find out exactly which was the Shadow Chrome finish.

We agreed that my wheels would be sent to them, to be better analyzed and start working together (by this time I brought in two other m5 owners into the party) on having the BEST finish for our OEM Shadow Chrome wheels.

Our problem was: Which one is the true OEM Shadow Chrome Finish?

Sure, we know how it looks, but they are all different... And we are talking about how they come from BMW themselves.

Some are lighter:










Some are darker:










If we have a look at the OEM Wheels thread, then we will even see a wider variety of finishes. What a nightmare... After much argument, we opted to go for the darker finish, as it was on all the initial Press Photos from the M5.

*My Wheels Before*

Here are some pictures of the problems that my wheels had before they were sent. From paint failing, bubbling, scratches, colour differences, curb rashing, they have it all!








































































































































I do have to say that packaging these wheels with normal boxes was a challenge and actually quite good fun to put it together.



















*The Process*

After being carried by DHL on a 3 day trip from NL to the UK, they arrived at the Rimfurbish shop to start on the refurbish and repaint.

1. Chemical Stripping

The existing finish is stripped from the surface leaving a bare un-treated raw wheel.



















2. Sandblast

It is important to insure that the existing finish is removed from the substrate surface and any corrosion that may have occurred during the life of the wheel.To do this you can either shot blast or sand blast the wheel depending on the levels of corrosion found once the wheel is stripped. This process has the added advantage of providing the perfect surface on which to apply or pre-treatment, primers and paints.










3. Engraving and Preparation

Here the wheels are corrected from their curb rash.














































All the wheels that received at Rimfurbish are engraved with a modification number, paint finish & sales order number (mine even came back with my name on them! Ah!). In doing this we have full traceability & visibility on all wheels and orders going through the system as we can be dealing with multiple sets of the same size/design of wheel from a number of different customers. No wheels run risk of being mixed up.



















4. Pre-Treatment

All wheels are put through an 11 stage pre-treatment process. This is designed to clean and then convert the surface of the wheel from aluminum, which by nature will corrode and oxidize, to a corrosion resistance substrate. Tanks are used rather than spray systems as this technique guarantees the levels of pre-treatment are consistent and effective.





































5. Powder Coat Primer

The powder primers that used are the ones currently developed for wheel manufacturers supplying OE car manufacturers throughout Europe. They are applied using the latest automated equipment employing tribo application technology. The benefit of this being that it enables powder primer to penetrate all the surface area of the wheel no matter how complex the wheel design. As the equipment is automated we are able to control the levels of the thickness of the coating to within + or - 25 microns.

Six guns at different stations are used to apply the powder to the wheels that are mounted horizontally, the wheels are bio-directionally rotated within the powder application area. Once the powder is applied the wheels are transferred by robot to a separate line where they are stoved at 200 degrees centigrade for 20 mins. This will fully cure the coating.









































































6. Wet Coat Application

The wheels are loaded horizontally onto a conveyer which transports the wheels directly into the wet application booth, the wheels are rotated for application within two distinct application zones. Six HVLP guns which are in pre-set positions apply the waterbourne colour coatings.

Controlling the colour of this particular finish is best achieved by the wheel being sprayed manually rather than automated process mentioned above. The above process produces a much lighter silver than shadow effect that we have achieved on the particular BMW Type 65 wheel design. To insure that each wheel in a set matches another we control the coating within a tolerance limit using master samples.

Once the paint has been applied the wheels continue along the track were they enter a short dry off oven, the wheels run through this zone to evacuate any water used to transfer the wet colour coating to the wheel surface. The wheels are then transferred by robot onto the clear finishing line.




























7. Acrylic Clearcoat Application

The acrylic powder is applied applied via two Corona electrostatic powder charge tubes to the feature face of the wheels. The wheels are rotated under each charge tube, the rotation alternates between stations. The wheels leave the clear coat line and enter the transfer enclosure where they are again transferred by robot to the independent conveyer which transports the wheels through the clear powder curing oven.

We use advanced acrylic clear coat application rather than wet lacquers used by other paint operations as this will give the customer a longer lasting finish provided the wheels are looked after and regularly cleaned. Acrylic clear powder coats are fast becoming the recognised leader in the requirements of major OEM customers. The water clear clarity of these coatings, the luster and depth of gloss are visually without parallel. These all add dramatically to the finished product.














































8. QC Inspection

The wheels exit the curing oven and are transported to the warehouse through a cooling down loop, this is were the wheels are 100% inspected for appearance



















*My Wheels Now*

The anxiety of receiving these wheels has been immense. That intense feeling of anticipation, as when you are a kid, waiting to destroy the wrapping of that huge present with your name on it, has been lived since my wheels left Rimfurbish... Here is how they arrived and I will give my words at the end.

The packaging is 5 stars, absolutely amazing. My OCD personality loves the packaging!























































New stickers and BMW roundels for the wheels were bought and installed.










The Overall Finish is just outstanding! Its so deep!





































I did found a flaw! My first name is spelled wrong 










Wheels outside in the garden with overcast weather, cant wait to see them in sunny weather!























































So awesome!

The Paint levels are consistent, with around 230 microns on the rim and upwards of 380 on the face. I will still measure them tomorrow in full, to check them all properly.



















I started the protection preparation, these are the weapons used:

Clayed (didn't pick up anything), Glazed with HD Cleanse and then 3 layers of Poorboys Wheel Sealant will go in each wheel (still working on it).



















The weather here is still rainy and overcast... so still no pictures outside under the sunlight.

However, here are some pictures of a front and back wheel, for colour comparison:



















I used a playing card, to show off the reflection level from the finish and the amount (or lack) of orange peel:




























*My Conclusions*

This has been a fantastic quest and a great experience. From all the contacts with all the shops, from all the emails traded with Matt from Rimfurbish, to the discussion with Barney and Kumaran on how the Shadow Chrome should look, this has been a really cool learning experience for me as well.

1. I am absolutely gob smacked with how the wheels look now. The finish is deep, rich and wet. The Reflection is true and the orange peel is under control (although some areas have it a bit, but still not too much distortion). Also, no swirls are present (yay!).

Either from close up or from a distance, the wheels look outstanding. The Shadow Chrome looks perfect to my eyes and it was reproduced correctly for all my wheels.

Absolutely amazing and I am super happy with it 

2. Customer Service was spectacular! A true example of how to professionally communicate with your customers since the first email 

I'm very happy with the results! I sincerely thank the whole Rimfurbish team for their attention, dedication and patience to achieve this finish and to put up with my questions and changes.

Now need to continue on working on my wheels and applying some more layers of Sealant, so I can safeguard this finish for a long time (although they do have a 1 year warranty)!


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## ads2k

Fantastic read and brilliant thread to show the whole process :thumb:

They do look stunning, I hope you have a very trusted company to put tyres on them .


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## moshinho

Fantastic Tiago.
Ficaram excelentes


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## CK_pt

It was great reading your experience.
It seems there's still professional people, always wanting to achieve what the costumer desires.

Agora em Português:
Por acaso também ando à procura de uma casa que consiga pintar as minhas jantes c/ esse mesmo tom, no entanto, estou em terras lusas.

Por acaso não tens conhecimento duma casa profissional que atinja bons resultados a preços, digamos razoaveis?

Cumprimentos
AC


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## Tiauguinho

CK_pt said:


> It was great reading your experience.
> It seems there's still professional people, always wanting to achieve what the costumer desires.
> 
> Agora em Português:
> Por acaso também ando à procura de uma casa que consiga pintar as minhas jantes c/ esse mesmo tom, no entanto, estou em terras lusas.
> 
> Por acaso não tens conhecimento duma casa profissional que atinja bons resultados a preços, digamos razoaveis?
> 
> Cumprimentos
> AC


AC,

You should contact them to get your wheels shipped to them and then back. It took DHL 3 days to take my 4 wheels and the total cost for that was very reasonable (£90).


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## detailer mike

absolutely fantastic work. its fantastic the finish they can deliver, couple questions

how much did the whole thing roughly cost? (apologies if that seems rude )

love that style m5 :thumb:


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## jerry318

Amazing work


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## Danno1975

Awsome.

Been messed around by the last two attempts to have my fronts done, last attempt have left them with a nice finish but the wrong type of silver. Got my money back and might looked this Rim Furbish out


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## dubnut71

I didn't think I would be blown away be a wheel refurb thread but i am, exceptional post my friend, exceptional.


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## IanG

They look fantastic:thumb: but I bet that wasn't a cheap refurb


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## jerry318

there prices on the website dont look too bad to be honest

I would rather pay a bit more and have an exceptional refurb than having them done and last no time


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## IanG

Just looked at their site and the prices are okay


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## adam87

Wow, great write up with good pictures showing the process, top marks!

They look fantastic!!


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## NickMal

Best refurb I have ever ever seen. My wheels will def be going there next week. Would be happy to see my RRS on stands for a week to get them done


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## Buck

Thanks for sharing - for a thread about wheel refurbishment that was really interesting.


The finish looks superb - I have bookmarked the Co. in case I ever need their services.


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## Danno1975

Just checked them out, its actually Rim stock the actual alloy wheel manufacturer, so your on their real production line.

They can do my M sport 17's in power silver for £57.50 a wheel inc vat, cheaper than the basic paint job done recently they even offer a slave wheel service and £40 collection/delivery.

Better than the legendary lepsons perhaps ..

I'll be calling them on Tuesday


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## FrazzleTC

The wheels look absolutely fantastic.


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## Mason

Stunning just stunning well done chap!!!!!


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## cosmo

Awesome :thumb:


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## moshinho

CK_pt said:


> It was great reading your experience.
> It seems there's still professional people, always wanting to achieve what the costumer desires.
> 
> Agora em Português:
> Por acaso também ando à procura de uma casa que consiga pintar as minhas jantes c/ esse mesmo tom, no entanto, estou em terras lusas.
> 
> Por acaso não tens conhecimento duma casa profissional que atinja bons resultados a preços, digamos razoaveis?
> 
> Cumprimentos
> AC


Talvez em Braga.
É para onde mandam as jantes.


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## giblet

Im in awe. Thats some fantastic work on those wheels there. I love your dedication as well in spending ages to find the right place at the right price. Nice one! Just hope the fitter takes care when putting the tyres on


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## GTSport

Great work. I wish we would have a company like this here in Germany.


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## Brian.

They look superb! There's a problem with 206 Vortex (GTi-180) wheels too that are in shadow chrome - the finish is SO hard to re-produce! I don't think i fancy sending my wheels over to The Netherlands to get done though! lol.


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## Tiauguinho

Thanks for all the nice comments, the wheels do look great! 



detailer mike said:


> absolutely fantastic work. its fantastic the finish they can deliver, couple questions
> 
> how much did the whole thing roughly cost? (apologies if that seems rude )
> 
> love that style m5 :thumb:


Total cost, including shipping of 50kg of wheels back and forth from NL to the UK, was £350.



dubnut71 said:


> I didn't think I would be blown away be a wheel refurb thread but i am, exceptional post my friend, exceptional.


Thank you! 



IanG said:


> They look fantastic:thumb: but I bet that wasn't a cheap refurb


This is where you are mistaken, check above! One of my original challenges was to have quality for a fair price. I can safely say that I am happy in paying what I did!



gib786 said:


> Im in awe. Thats some fantastic work on those wheels there. I love your dedication as well in spending ages to find the right place at the right price. Nice one! Just hope the fitter takes care when putting the tyres on


It was a crazy challenge to organize everything... and to try to guide them through it in the best way possible. This was extremely hard when almost all the OEM finishes are different (even when bought new they can look different in the same set).

I can only thank them so much for their attention to the challenges laid and for their patience in putting up with me and my OCD 

They have delivered!

As for tire fitter... will only be a friend of mine, no way anyone is screwing up my "new" wheels!



GTSport said:


> Great work. I wish we would have a company like this here in Germany.


You don't need them there  I shipped my wheels to the UK since I could not find anything reliable here in NL or BE.



Brian. said:


> They look superb! There's a problem with 206 Vortex (GTi-180) wheels too that are in shadow chrome - the finish is SO hard to re-produce! I don't think i fancy sending my wheels over to The Netherlands to get done though! lol.


Rimfurbish is located in the UK


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## Saqib200

Bsolutely awesome. I've dealt with a few refurbishing companies and never truly been happy unless i've painted them myself, only then can i control the finish.

Will have to try these guys one day.


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## GlynRS2

Thanks for posting up this thread :thumb:
A great read and a fantastic finish on the wheels.
You must be very pleased.


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## Warwickshire Detailer

Thanks for sharing :thumb:

They look really good.


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## Blamm

Awesome thread! Good service of them to provide photos of the entire process too 
Greetings from Rotterdam


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## LJB

Great read that finish looks fantastic, please post pics of your car with the wheels fitted im keen to see the detail of your car from someone with an eye for perfection and a little ocd. lol


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## cleslie

WOW! Stunning wheels and great write up. I've had a couple of my TT wheels done by Lepsons in standard chrome. Perfect results from them too. Need my BMW MV2's done at some point. Might give Rimfurbish a look.


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## RandomlySet

looks stunning


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## -tom-

fantastic i am after some one to do my wheels off to look at the site


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## gaznrx8

wow amazing results,
i was going to take mine to a place called wheel clinic near me but now ive bookmarked rimfurbish website and going to use them now 

my alloys are mazda RX8 which are prone to corrode and the last owner has kissed the curb like yours.

ive just emailed them for a quote 

thanks for the write up and your time to do this.

gaz


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## Tiauguinho

gaznrx8 said:


> wow amazing results,
> i was going to take mine to a place called wheel clinic near me but now ive bookmarked rimfurbish website and going to use them now
> 
> my alloys are mazda RX8 which are prone to corrode and the last owner has kissed the curb like yours.
> 
> ive just emailed them for a quote
> 
> thanks for the write up and your time to do this.
> 
> gaz


Annoyingly, Mazda has a tendency not to take care of the inside of the wheels... My girlfriend's MX5 has the same issue with corrosion and her wheels are going to Rimfurbish soon to be taken care of 

I am still working on the layers of sealant on my M5 wheels... After that, they are going outside to the garden for a photo session!


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## ajmanby

wow that is a proper job, they look stunning


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## glendog74

Those wheels look stunning now! :thumb:

Thanks for the informative thread too - i will most probably use this company now after your great experience of them!

Would be good to see them on the car now


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## Lemongrab

That looks absolutely fantastic. I want to have my wheels refurbished in shadow chrome too, but with the "face" of the wheels machined.

My car's an Accord, though.


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## Schizophonic

Amazing

Its good to know that your alloys are in safe hands and do it in a professional mannor and not 16 year old kwick fit part timer.


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## GTSport

Did they also put the acrylic clearcoat on the inside of the wheel? Does this diffrence of the two measured paint levels come from putting the wet coat only on the front side?


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## -Kev-

amazing, not suprised the clay picked nothing up, infact i would of been suprised if it did pick something up :thumb:


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## TeaTimer

Excellent, and hopefully this sort of result will encourage other wheel refurbishers to up their game. :thumb:


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## Sveneng

Fantastic results and a great thread, really enjoyed reading through and seeing the finished product. I look forward to reading a write up on your car.


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## Tiauguinho

Thanks for all the nice comments 

As for write ups of my M5, here you go:

This is when the car was one year old and I compiled some of the things that I took pictures in Detailing Terms

This is when I restored my seats.

The M5 is my daily driver, sees 500km a week and is washed every saturday with love and care


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## Mouse

Wow, I'd have them on the wall in my living room


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## MadOnVaux!

That is extremely nice work on those wheels, and i would bet that its finish is better than BMW themselves (Or who ever makes their rims for them) put on originally, superb thread too.

I shall be looking into that company to do my Kahn wheels, as they need a re-furb.

Thanks for sharing too


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## TeaTimer

MadOnVaux! said:


> That is extremely nice work on those wheels, and i would bet that its finish is better than BMW themselves (Or who ever makes their rims for them) put on originally, superb thread too.


+1. I am really impressed at those wheels.


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## Jorge

Tiauguinho said:


> Thanks for all the nice comments
> 
> As for write ups of my M5, here you go:
> 
> This is when the car was one year old and I compiled some of the things that I took pictures in Detailing Terms
> 
> This is when I restored my seats.
> 
> The M5 is my daily driver, sees 500km a week and is washed every saturday with love and care


Lovely M5...and the work on the wells...:doublesho

:argie:


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## remonrace

Stun-ning! Love the way you treat your car, not just by detailing but looking after it every day.


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## magpieV6

excellent finish on them, great read!


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## Fin2982

damn them wheels look the dog danglies.

awesome write up with excellent results


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## Fat Audi 80

Thanks for this great thread. I WILL be getting Rimfurbish to do my BBS rims shortly!

Your wheels look amazing!

Cheers,

Steve.


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## littlejack

WOW they look amazing what great job :thumb: Dont know if this has been asked already and you dont mind but how much did it cost too have done?
steve


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## Overlord

Hi Tiago,

Wow what a nice pictorial of the refurbishing of your rims.
I'm godsmacked:doublesho :doublesho :doublesho :doublesho

When do we meet again? because I have to see those rims in real!

Paul


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## Tiauguinho

Overlord said:


> Hi Tiago,
> 
> Wow what a nice pictorial of the refurbishing of your rims.
> I'm godsmacked:doublesho :doublesho :doublesho :doublesho
> 
> When do we meet again? because I have to see those rims in real!
> 
> Paul


Hi Paul!

We do have to meet soon for sure! The wheels look stunning, now the MX5 wheels need to go on a box to the UK for the same attention and treatment (but in the original Mazda finish of course).

Lets keep in touch


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## CupraRcleanR

wow. Great write-up thanks for sharing.


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## Balddee2

:doublesho:doublesho:doublesho:doublesho:doublesho:doublesho amazing:doublesho


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## Grizzle

I do hope you will be emailing them and send the link to this post it is OUTSTANDING!!!! and all that for £350 from The Netherlands guess were i will be going with my 172 alloys off the BM 

Thanks for the post this puts "The wheel specialist" to shame BIG time!.

Graham.


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## Tiauguinho

Grizzle said:


> I do hope you will be emailing them and send the link to this post it is OUTSTANDING!!!! and all that for £350 from The Netherlands guess were i will be going with my 172 alloys off the BM
> 
> Thanks for the post this puts "The wheel specialist" to shame BIG time!.
> 
> Graham.


I did notify Matt (Sales Manager) of this, since I genuinely believe that they deserve the praise and recognition for their dedication and work quality.

The customer service is 5 stars, the quality of the work is 5 stars and the price is fair. All my pre-defined points are checked.

They have exceeded my expectations... This may sound rather empty on a public forum, but believe me, for my Obsessive Compulsive Disorder personality, that means so much


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## jerry318

Grizzle said:


> I do hope you will be emailing them and send the link to this post it is OUTSTANDING!!!! and all that for £350 from The Netherlands guess were i will be going with my 172 alloys off the BM
> 
> Thanks for the post this puts "The wheel specialist" to shame BIG time!.
> 
> Graham.


My M Paras will be going there aswell asap:thumb:


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## Overlord

Did you see that we have a Detailing workshop with the Owners on april 24th?


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## Tiauguinho

The weather here is still rainy and overcast... so still no pictures outside under the sunlight.

However, here are some pictures of a front and back wheel, for colour comparison:



















I used a playing card, to show off the reflection level from the finish and the amount (or lack) of orange peel:


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## GTSport

Did they also put the acrylic clearcoat on the inside of the wheel? Does this diffrence of the two measured paint levels come from putting the wet coat only on the front side?


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## steven

wow, they did a great job. very nice indeed


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## Overlord

Yup, it's OCD time, like the way I got to know you (in the good sense of the word) :thumb: :thumb:


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## dsms

Just wow, quality all the way!!!!!


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## MadOnVaux!

Damn, Rimfurbish dont seem to straighten-out bent rims, bugger!


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## cleancar

gaznrx8 said:


> wow amazing results,
> i was going to take mine to a place called wheel clinic near me but now ive bookmarked rimfurbish website and going to use them now
> 
> my alloys are mazda RX8 which are prone to corrode and the last owner has kissed the curb like yours.
> 
> ive just emailed them for a quote
> 
> thanks for the write up and your time to do this.
> 
> gaz


gaz are you the chap that pm me on the RX club ?!


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## cleancar

epic thread !


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## Russ_C

What a great write up and the work done by Rimfurbish is outstanding. I think/hope they get plenty of work from this thread.. well done for highlighting this company to all!


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## Tiauguinho

Russ_C said:


> What a great write up and the work done by Rimfurbish is outstanding. I think/hope they get plenty of work from this thread.. well done for highlighting this company to all!


I think credit needs to be given where credit is due 

They deserve it and I'm happy to have my wheels to the standards of perfection that I wanted.


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## MattOz

MadOnVaux! said:


> Damn, Rimfurbish dont seem to straighten-out bent rims, bugger!


They don't. That's why I got mine done at Lepsons as one of mine had a very small flat in it from a pothole.


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## ziou

WOW very good !


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## MadOnVaux!

MattOz said:


> They don't. That's why I got mine done at Lepsons as one of mine had a very small flat in it from a pothole.


Looks like Lepsons it is then.....if they ever get back to me


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## cleancar

any pics with the wheels on the car ? would be very interested in seeing this !

looking to get my RX8 wheels done in this colour , already had a price

just want to see some pics on a car outside !


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## Tiauguinho

I will put the wheels on the car in two weeks  When they go in, I will take some pictures and post them up!


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## Baker21

Tiauguinho said:


> I will put the wheels on the car in two weeks  When they go in, I will take some pictures and post them up!


Thanks for posting this thread up, awesome and the results are stunning.........:thumb:

Look forward to seeing the finished article on the car.........:car:


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## yamaha

WOW fantastic work


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## PMC

Excelente :thumb:


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## ChrisJD

The wheels looks superb.

Great thread, nice to see the process in detail.

My dad recently had his Impreza wheels re-furbed, had a change of colour too.

Chris.


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## SuperchargedLlama

Awesome work there, is it me or is that actually very reasonable prices for such good work?


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## cleancar

yeah not bad considering the job you get, i got quoted £391 for return courier, tyres refit and this shadow chrome finish on an a set of 18 " rims


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## gaznrx8

cleancar said:


> gaz are you the chap that pm me on the RX club ?!


yes mate :thumb:

gaz


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## AlexHF

Hi tiago just a little question: do you know if your color is the same used by bmw for 18" wheels of m3 e46?
Anyway fantastic job...matt is number one! I'm going to send him my alloys but i'm a bit afraid for the color!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## clcollins

They are _exceptional_, you must be very very happy.

What tyres are you going to fit, how are you going to make sure they don't damage them, and will we get to see them fitted on your car?

I have a had a few sets of wheels refurbished in the past, everytime I have been very disapointed, next time I know who will be the first company I talk to.

Thanks for sharing :thumb:


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## 20vKarlos

i have only had time to read the first page.

forgive me if the question has been asked, but how much does this sort of thing cost?

and did you go there and take the pics or did they send them to you?

Karlos


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## Tiauguinho

AlexHF said:


> Hi tiago just a little question: do you know if your color is the same used by bmw for 18" wheels of m3 e46?
> Anyway fantastic job...matt is number one! I'm going to send him my alloys but i'm a bit afraid for the color!!!!!!!!!!!!


To be honest I am not sure if it is the same finish or not. Aren't the E46 M3 wheels diamond cut? Maybe I'm confused, but if they are the same finish as the E39 M5, Shadow Chrome, then you won't have a problem 



clcollins said:


> They are _exceptional_, you must be very very happy.
> 
> What tyres are you going to fit, how are you going to make sure they don't damage them, and will we get to see them fitted on your car?
> 
> I have a had a few sets of wheels refurbished in the past, everytime I have been very disapointed, next time I know who will be the first company I talk to.
> 
> Thanks for sharing :thumb:


Thanks, I am very happy with the work done 

The tires will be Michelin PS2s (which were already on the wheels before sending them to the UK) and they are going to be installed on the car in 2 weeks!

I will post pictures when its all done!


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## Tiauguinho

Pictures are up on its own thread now!

Click here to see the wheels on my Le Mans Blue M5


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## paulr

Thanks for the write up.

On your original wheels there was some curbing. How did they deal with that. Did they machine it off. If so does that mean if you had some wheels with very bad curbing to the lips, when they refurbed the wheels they would come back with a reduced lip.


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## najed

:thumb:


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## MadOnVaux!

paulr said:


> Thanks for the write up.
> 
> On your original wheels there was some curbing. How did they deal with that. Did they machine it off. If so does that mean if you had some wheels with very bad curbing to the lips, when they refurbed the wheels they would come back with a reduced lip.


'Usually' from what i've seen with re-furbs, any deep scuffing and/or kerbing is filled with weld etc and flatted back.


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## Max M4X WW

jerry318 said:


> My M Paras will be going there aswell asap:thumb:


I was thinking the same for mine 

Can you let me know when they are done so I can see some photos please, on here or bmw5!


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## Driver

Outstanding work!! I have a soft spot for the M5's


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## ahaydock

Excellent stuff - thanks for sharing :thumb:


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## butterbean

love the finish


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## Smudge

so has anyone esle had there rims refurbed by them?? opinions??


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## Tiauguinho

Smudge said:


> so has anyone esle had there rims refurbed by them?? opinions??


A lot of other members from the M5board community did and until now, its all a happy bunch!


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## WHIZZER

do you have any pics on the car now ?


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## DF1

Excellent work.


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## Tiauguinho

WHIZZER said:


> do you have any pics on the car now ?


Yes I do, you can see them here:

My Le Mans Blue M5 + OEM Shadow Chrome Wheels

Nonetheless, here are some examples


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## WHIZZER

they look great on the M


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## Dunkwho

WOW - a truely mouth opening thread ... I went through the 2nd half of your picks looking like a fish!

*Looks at 4 scuffed wheels in the shed* ... cough.

Duncan.


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## Squarepusher

What a super thread and thank you for bringing this company to the attention of the forum.
I have an Impreza RB5 and have been looking for someone to refurbish my wheels, particularly as you can't buy the spare wheels anymore.

I am going to contact them next week to get a quote etc.

Cheers

Jon


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## L.J.

Apologies for bringing this thread back from the dead, but I was wondering if the pictures can be fixed? 

This thread deserves to have the pictures up and running imo


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## davethefish

L.J. said:


> Apologies for bringing this thread back from the dead, but I was wondering if the pictures can be fixed?
> 
> This thread deserves to have the pictures up and running imo


better late than never...

i've only got a couple of pics from the original thread. 
but saved them as i was so in awe of the quality...:thumb:


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## TopSport+

very nice mate


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## Tiauguinho

Wow, thanks for the interest on the pictures 

The original hosting where all my pictures were closed down. I have been working on organizing all my pictures and post them again, hopefully a mod will then be able to edit the main post for me.


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## fethead

Found this thread and no pics
Update:
Reacted to this and when posted found the images there. Sorry my bad!


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## Jono Sutcliffe

Pictures arent there for me either


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## AaronGTi

Stunning


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## Moggytom

Look awesome mate !


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## bazz

they look great and looks like the company you gave them to done a fntastic job on them


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## joker666

Tiauguinho said:


> The quest for perfection is not an easy one.
> 
> The BMW E39 M5 is my Dream Car. I knew that since it was announced, it was engraved in me, set in stone, that one day one would be mine. That day came on the 12th of June of 2008, when I took delivery of my 2001 Le Mans Blue M5 with 106 500km. For these almost two years of ownership, my M5 sees an ungodly amount of attention to Detail. Being it my hobby, the time, cost and diminishing returns are not a concern for me. There are hundreds of hours put into my car, from the leather, to the jeweling of the paint. Even being my daily driver, coming to work with me every day, I want and have my car in perfect shape… But there are always things that need more attention.
> 
> *Who should I send my wheels to?*
> 
> As some of you may know, I was on a quest to find the best wheel refurbish shop for my OEM Shadow Chrome Wheels, since my set was not in a state that I was proud of (previous owner enjoyed kissing the curbs). My mains concerns during my search were:
> 
> 1. Finding a shop able to reproduce the Shadow Chrome Finish
> 2. Same shop would be able to do QUALITY work, no flaky finish, no excessive orange peel, no wheel repair shop which spits paint on the wheel with a rattle can, etc.
> 3. Same shop would charge a FAIR price, not too high and not too low, just perfect. With this I mean a price in which both parties are happy with it.
> 
> I contacted countless stores here in NL (WheelTrim, Dreamworks, PietDam Velgenreparatie, etc), investigating their prices, pictures of their previous work and the service offered. Got prices ranging from 500 Euros to 1000 Euros (!!), but never felt that they were engaged in working together to reproduce the Shadow Chrome Wheels, just promises that it would be done.
> 
> Desperate, I decided to search on DetailingWorld for shops in the UK that do Refurbishments and contacted a few of them (Lepsons and The Autowerks) and I bumped into a thread of a chap that was happy with the Refurbishment done on his Porsche wheels.
> 
> This shop was called Rimfurbish and I decided to send my introduction email with the requirements needed for my wheels and a request for a quote and information about their work. After their reply, the fun started
> 
> *The Company*
> 
> Matt Ball, Sales Manager of Rimfurbish, is a very patient man... I say that, because since my first email, we have traded a crazy amount of emails (a total of almost 100 emails), with a in depth conversation on how to repair and refurbish these wheels and their technical abilities and expertise as a OE Manufacturer can bring into the game of doing the Shadow Chrome properly. Every technical detail was discussed, we went through tens of photos from this forum and from BMW, we needed to find out exactly which was the Shadow Chrome finish.
> 
> We agreed that my wheels would be sent to them, to be better analyzed and start working together (by this time I brought in two other m5 owners into the party) on having the BEST finish for our OEM Shadow Chrome wheels.
> 
> Our problem was: Which one is the true OEM Shadow Chrome Finish?
> 
> Sure, we know how it looks, but they are all different... And we are talking about how they come from BMW themselves.
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> Some are lighter:
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> If we have a look at the OEM Wheels thread, then we will even see a wider variety of finishes. What a nightmare... After much argument, we opted to go for the darker finish, as it was on all the initial Press Photos from the M5.
> 
> *My Wheels Before*
> 
> Here are some pictures of the problems that my wheels had before they were sent. From paint failing, bubbling, scratches, colour differences, curb rashing, they have it all!
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> *The Process*
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> After being carried by DHL on a 3 day trip from NL to the UK, they arrived at the Rimfurbish shop to start on the refurbish and repaint.
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> 1. Chemical Stripping
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> The existing finish is stripped from the surface leaving a bare un-treated raw wheel.
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> All the wheels that received at Rimfurbish are engraved with a modification number, paint finish & sales order number (mine even came back with my name on them! Ah!). In doing this we have full traceability & visibility on all wheels and orders going through the system as we can be dealing with multiple sets of the same size/design of wheel from a number of different customers. No wheels run risk of being mixed up.
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> 4. Pre-Treatment
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> All wheels are put through an 11 stage pre-treatment process. This is designed to clean and then convert the surface of the wheel from aluminum, which by nature will corrode and oxidize, to a corrosion resistance substrate. Tanks are used rather than spray systems as this technique guarantees the levels of pre-treatment are consistent and effective.
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> 5. Powder Coat Primer
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> The powder primers that used are the ones currently developed for wheel manufacturers supplying OE car manufacturers throughout Europe. They are applied using the latest automated equipment employing tribo application technology. The benefit of this being that it enables powder primer to penetrate all the surface area of the wheel no matter how complex the wheel design. As the equipment is automated we are able to control the levels of the thickness of the coating to within + or - 25 microns.
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> Six guns at different stations are used to apply the powder to the wheels that are mounted horizontally, the wheels are bio-directionally rotated within the powder application area. Once the powder is applied the wheels are transferred by robot to a separate line where they are stoved at 200 degrees centigrade for 20 mins. This will fully cure the coating.
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> The wheels are loaded horizontally onto a conveyer which transports the wheels directly into the wet application booth, the wheels are rotated for application within two distinct application zones. Six HVLP guns which are in pre-set positions apply the waterbourne colour coatings.
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> Controlling the colour of this particular finish is best achieved by the wheel being sprayed manually rather than automated process mentioned above. The above process produces a much lighter silver than shadow effect that we have achieved on the particular BMW Type 65 wheel design. To insure that each wheel in a set matches another we control the coating within a tolerance limit using master samples.
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> The acrylic powder is applied applied via two Corona electrostatic powder charge tubes to the feature face of the wheels. The wheels are rotated under each charge tube, the rotation alternates between stations. The wheels leave the clear coat line and enter the transfer enclosure where they are again transferred by robot to the independent conveyer which transports the wheels through the clear powder curing oven.
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> We use advanced acrylic clear coat application rather than wet lacquers used by other paint operations as this will give the customer a longer lasting finish provided the wheels are looked after and regularly cleaned. Acrylic clear powder coats are fast becoming the recognised leader in the requirements of major OEM customers. The water clear clarity of these coatings, the luster and depth of gloss are visually without parallel. These all add dramatically to the finished product.
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> The wheels exit the curing oven and are transported to the warehouse through a cooling down loop, this is were the wheels are 100% inspected for appearance
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> *My Wheels Now*
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> The anxiety of receiving these wheels has been immense. That intense feeling of anticipation, as when you are a kid, waiting to destroy the wrapping of that huge present with your name on it, has been lived since my wheels left Rimfurbish... Here is how they arrived and I will give my words at the end.
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> The packaging is 5 stars, absolutely amazing. My OCD personality loves the packaging!
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> The Overall Finish is just outstanding! Its so deep!
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> So awesome!
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> The Paint levels are consistent, with around 230 microns on the rim and upwards of 380 on the face. I will still measure them tomorrow in full, to check them all properly.
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> I started the protection preparation, these are the weapons used:
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> Clayed (didn't pick up anything), Glazed with HD Cleanse and then 3 layers of Poorboys Wheel Sealant will go in each wheel (still working on it).
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> The weather here is still rainy and overcast... so still no pictures outside under the sunlight.
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> *My Conclusions*
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> This has been a fantastic quest and a great experience. From all the contacts with all the shops, from all the emails traded with Matt from Rimfurbish, to the discussion with Barney and Kumaran on how the Shadow Chrome should look, this has been a really cool learning experience for me as well.
> 
> 1. I am absolutely gob smacked with how the wheels look now. The finish is deep, rich and wet. The Reflection is true and the orange peel is under control (although some areas have it a bit, but still not too much distortion). Also, no swirls are present (yay!).
> 
> Either from close up or from a distance, the wheels look outstanding. The Shadow Chrome looks perfect to my eyes and it was reproduced correctly for all my wheels.
> 
> Absolutely amazing and I am super happy with it
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> 2. Customer Service was spectacular! A true example of how to professionally communicate with your customers since the first email
> 
> I'm very happy with the results! I sincerely thank the whole Rimfurbish team for their attention, dedication and patience to achieve this finish and to put up with my questions and changes.
> 
> Now need to continue on working on my wheels and applying some more layers of Sealant, so I can safeguard this finish for a long time (although they do have a 1 year warranty)!


Hi,
Can you put back pics of all process, and pics how was before wheels and after.

Thanks.


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