# Best paint for wheel refurb?



## BestGear

Guys

Just looking to see what is rated as the best paint for alloy wheel refurb.

Would appreciate any comments over ease of spray, resilience to stuff like wonderwheels or whatever cleaner gets used and also resistance to stone chips and scratches.

Thanks in advance!

David


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## Ninja59

if you get it done professionally definitely powder coating over paint by miles.


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## Benn

As long as the prep is done right, even rattle can paint will last.
Once there painted keep them clean and you wont need crap like wonder wheels.


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## BestGear

Thanks for the replies guys.

I have had countless wheels powder coated in the past and was just looking to paint a set I have just bought rather than spend £200 cash I dont really want to spend!

The last set I got done - the bu**ers did not even blast the wheels, they just powder coated them and there was still coppaslip on the inside hub! 

So - what kind of paint is best.... there must be some paint that is harder than just plain old panel paint?

Is the Wurth wheel paint any good?


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## Scotty B

Wurth paint if good.

Upol Primer and Upol Clear 1 are an excellent combo.

and for base I got paints4u to mix up some Ford sparkle silver which looked ace on my old Focus.

It all in the prep to get a long lasting finish.


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## Steampunk

The aerosol lacquers and enamels commonly available for refinishing wheels are not resistant to the heavily alkaline or acidic wheel cleaners most people use, nor do they offer much resistance to chipping or scratches. These inexpensive paint types are very cosmetic, and need to be babied if you want them to stay looking nice. A gentle wheel cleaner like R222 Wheel Cleaner Gel or Dodo-Juice Mellow Yellow would definitely be required for periodic upkeep, though keeping them sealed and washing them with pH neutral shampoo would be best for long-term maintenance. 

Attaining a quality finish with these paints is also not easy, and doing so requires a fairly lengthy, and intensive process. Rarely do I see it done well. It can take a classic car restorer up to 100 man hours to properly refinish a set of wheels without the aid of specialist equipment. Also, the quality of the ingredients used in these paints is not what it once was, and with proper maintenance you may be able to get only 2-3 years out of your hard graft. To me, if you are looking for durability, spending 200-pounds to have them powdercoated is a bargain. You'll save money in the long run, and you won't have to spend anything like as much time trying to get and keep them looking nice. If you look around on DW I am certain that someone can recommend a good refinisher. 

Hopefully this helps...

Steampunk


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## N4vi

Yep powder coating is the way to go. A friend of mine does wheel refurbs for a living and its a case of either acid dipping or bead blasting to strip the wheel followed by the powder coat colour of your choice followed by powder lacquer. A short while in the oven and as soon as they are cool, ready to fit tyres and drive off!


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## BestGear

Thanks for the replies guys.

As the car is not a daily driver - it does 3k miles a year max in good weather, plus...cash is tight, I will give Wurth paints a try.

I fully understand the finish is not chip/scratch resistant.... but I cant really justify £200 on poweder coating at this time.

Having said that powder coating is the way to go (and I agree) I have seen two sets done by different places and the water had got in behind the plastic coating and spread... it was not obvious but still they were corroding without any real visible signs....

David


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## TOGWT

Refinishing

Be cognizant that most European OEM wheels are powder coated, so paint won't be an exact match. Place the can in a bucket of hot water for ten minutes prior to spraying. This lowers its viscosity and it will spread more evenly without 'runs', it also raises the temperature of the air inside, which in turn increasing the pressure, enabling a much better spray 'pattern' resulting in a better finish.

•	Remove the damaged wheel from vehicle. 
•	Deflate the tyre by unscrewing cap and pushing in valve, once the tyre is flat push the tyre wall down (gently) by standing on it, and then tuck masking tape underneath the wheel rim, working your way around slowly
•	Molecular Tech Coatings Inc., EFS-2500 aircraft paint stripper is environment friendly. It can get easily decomposed and is also non-toxic as well. In terms of chemical composition, there is no methylene chloride, no carbonic acid, and no formic acid present in the paint stripper. Hence, it is perfectly safe to use.
•	Clean the damaged area with PrepSol and then sand the scratched or damaged area with Norton 3X Sandpaper (p-graded aluminium oxide grain) 60, 80 and finishing with 100 grit sand paper, sand wet or dry with a rubber sanding block. 
•	Tack clothes helps control dust by picking it up off the surface and also helps eliminate static that attracts dust. Use a tack rag and wipe the area, using a light pressure
•	Only use filler (Bondo Lightweight Filler 264 and Red Cream Hardener) if it's essential to the repair, if used incorrectly it will flake and significantly reduce the effective life-span of the repair. Fill any minor indentations with Bondo, allowing approx 30 minutes before you shape / sand 
•	Sand the wheels until you've removed the scratches, `kerbing' marks and/or smoothed the Bondo filler flush with the wheel surface. 
•	Continue the sanding process using finer and finer grades of UniGrit paper, 220 or 320 grit and finally with 500-grit paper. 
•	For small hard to reach places use a Dremel Tool and a suitable sanding bit 

_Note- If the above cleaning method don't finish to wheels to your liking have them bead blasted _

Repainting (cast aluminium ) Wheel Surface

OEM Factory wheel finishes are either an acrylic polymer or a polyester powder coat process, which is the most durable finish you can use. The following will result in a durable re-finished repaint colour match

•	Molecular Tech Coatings Inc., EFS-2500 aircraft paint stripper is environment friendly. It can get easily decomposed and is also non-toxic as well. In terms of chemical composition, there is no methylene chloride, no carbonic acid, and no formic acid present in the paint stripper. Hence, it is perfectly safe to use.
•	Prepare the surface by removing all sandpaper residues with a tack rag, wash surface and then dry thoroughly. . 
•	Use 3M Painters Masking Tape between the tyre and the wheel rim (or use Vaseline to mask the tyre from paint overspray) 
•	Wipe-down the wheels with DuPont Prep Sol and allow to air dry. 
•	Apply a thin coat of 1z 'Haft-Grund' Self-etching Primer to stabilize and provide an etched surface. 
•	Use at temperatures between 70 - 90.oF (.Do not use this paint in damp conditions)
•	Shake the can well for at least a full minute
•	Push the spray nozzle as you sweep across and release at the end. 
•	Spray on, spray off. Spray on, spray off; apply as a very fine / thin coat. 
•	Paint the wheels with two thin coats of silver alloy paint (Wurth German Alloy Silver Wheel) to ensure complete coverage
•	Apply your first coat of clear then allow it to dry to the touch before applying your next coats. This 'tack coat will help stop the paint from sliding into 'run' formation.
•	Allow air-drying; 1-2 hours on final coat and then lightly sand finish, then leave to cure overnight. 
•	Finish with a clear lacquer paint (Wurth European Blend Lacquers) apply two or three thin coats of clear with about 20-30 minutes of drying time between coats to seal the silver metallic paint and add depth and gloss 
•	A allow clear coat to air-dry and then cure for 4-6 ours
•	Apply a sealant for protection 
•	If your axle/ wheel centres (hats) are cast iron, you may want to consider painting the hat area with some hi-temp black engine paint

Product details

Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, VW, and most other European OEMs use a cast aluminium alloy wheels. They're usually painted silver and have a clear coated finish or have a silver powder coated finish

1.	1z 'Haft-Grund' Self-etching Primer - bare metal (steel or aluminium) wheels should be primed first with a self' -etching primer and is lead and cadmium-free Applied under a topcoat of urethane paint provides a secondary method of protecting the steel from corrosion. This primer bonds to bare metal and forms a base suitable for synthetic resin, acrylic lacquer and nitro combination paints. A single can will prime two wheels

Warning - Do not use _this primer on painted or clear-coated wheels where you are touching-up scuffs and scrapes. A self-etching Primer is for use only on wheels that have been taken down to bare metal._

2.	Wurth German Alloy Silver Wheel Paint (Aerosol) can be used as a spot touch-up or whole wheel repaints, one can is enough to coat two complete wheels. This paint is unusually user-friendly, it's a fast-drying lacquer that matches the standard wheel paint or powder coated finish used by Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, VW, Audi and most other European OEMs. One aerosol restores two complete wheels. to match the OEM gloss of new vehicles

3.	Wurth European Blend Lacquers (Aerosol) - used for all German (silver) painted wheels, to match the OEM gloss of new vehicles. This paint is unusually user-friendly, it's a fast-drying lacquer that matches the standard allow wheel paint use by Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, VW, Audi and most other European OEMs. Wurth German Alloy Silver Wheel Lacquer can be effectively used for spot repairs or full wheel restoration. One can is enough to coat two complete wheels. For the best results, use at temperatures between 70 and 90.0F

An excerpt from "Repairing / Renovation of Scratched or Curbed Wheels"

I hope the information in this article is of some help to you. If you have any further questions please let me know


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## BestGear

Thanks TOGWT... a very informative post!

I will hopefully get the wheels painted this weekend so will post the results...

David


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## Ninja59

Very few are actually powdered now most i have come across have been painted.


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## JD-Cumbria

It all depends on how you look after your wheels, my mate told me i could do my spare set with a teners worth of rattle cans from poundland. So off i went ;-










They were getting new tyres on so no I didn't tape them off for you OCD people out there 



















Had them on for about 4 months now, cleaned weekly with AS Smart Wheels, look as good as the day I finished.

~ Joe


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## xJay1337

Powedercoat is the only option for durability, I think.
If you get them wet-sprayed, for show etc it's fine but they will chip a lot more easily! 

My normal wheels are powdercoated, I wet-sprayed my winter wheels. They were OK but towards the end of winter you could see where the laquer was a bit thin.


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## cossienuts

i do all mine in dupont elite paint....rock hard within a couple of hours


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## organisys

Ninja59 said:


> if you get it done professionally definitely powder coating over paint by miles.


This man knows.


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## organisys

BestGear said:


> Thanks TOGWT... a very informative post!
> 
> I will hopefully get the wheels painted this weekend so will post the results...
> 
> David


I'd use warm water to warm the can, not hot.. You don't want the can exploding!!

:wall:


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