# My Diy Alloy Wheel Refub's



## bizzyfingers

Hi to all at detailing world. I have finally decided to actually add something to the community. Here is a few pictures of my wheels that ive refurbished over the years owning my BMW e46 320d. I won't ever buy new wheels as I like to breath new life into older tired looking wheels and cars. Enjoy...

Curb finders









Another bad wheel, all four were like this.









Badly curbed 









More curbage









During prep









After repair a coat of primer









First coat of Audi Silver









Second Coat of Audi Silver









After clear coat









Finished and on the car.









Here is another set I bought, not curbed but badly corroded.









Close up









Another close up









During prep.









Few licks of Ford Moondust Silver









Final product









Another beauty shot


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## DonB

Fair play for taking the time to do them yourself! Look great!


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## Claireeyy

Woo great work, both sets look mint. Wish I could re-furb my own wheels.


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## bizzyfingers

Claireeyy said:


> Woo great work, both sets look mint. Wish I could re-furb my own wheels.


Get some old wheels, an orbital sander, wet n dry, some primer, paint and clear coat. It ain't hard mate just take your time, clean the area before paint (vital) and spray away.

Here is a little tip, if ever using rattle cans fill a container with hot (not boiling) and dip the cans inside. Let them warm up, shake them and dunk again. When your ready to spray make sure there is no water residue on the can... bingo... no spitting paint.


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## e32chris

looks really smart i have a set of bmw style 32's to sort out, must get out and finish them!:thumb:


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## bizzyfingers

Plus I got 2 sets of wheels 8 tyres for £200. Another £50 on materials... can't go wrong really


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## lincslad

nice work there mate, proper curbed they were:doublesho


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## bizzyfingers

Can't understand how people do it! We have all done a small one for whatever reason but dayum!


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## cleaningfreak

how did you corrected places where was kerbed ? what kind of material u using to make smooth ? You just sanding or filling with special fillers? if yes, what kind of fillers did u using ?
Cheers !


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## bizzyfingers

cyanoacrylate (its basically superglue) and an activator mate. what you do is flat the area so there is no raised edges, clean the area with isopropanol cleaner, spray activator onto the area and use a little cyanoacrylate in thin layers, spray the activator over the top and it goes "off" in about 20-30 seconds, you should be ready to sand back. 

People may say use a chemical metal filler but when I was doing smart repairs we had to do them quick and this was they way I was taught. Cheap, quick and goo results... it will never drop out too if you do it right. 

Any more questions, just ask.


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## Andy Bailey

They look great mate ! My BMW wheels need doing really, but the mrs drives it every day so i might not bother :wall:


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## bizzyfingers

Andy Bailey said:


> They look great mate ! My BMW wheels need doing really, but the mrs drives it every day so i might not bother :wall:


oh dear. haha


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## geoff.mac

wheres the best place to get this cyanoacrylate from and is it pricey 
cheers
Geoff


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## bizzyfingers

homebase, bnq, tesco, sainsbury's, corner shops etc. as said, its superglue. the difficult bit is the activator, a quick google or ebay search will throw something up. make sure the area is clean, activate the area, put the glue on, activate the glue... as simple as that matey


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## geoff.mac

yeah I'd googled it, plenty of places do the activator :thumb:


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## bizzyfingers

funny enough geoff, i was taught how to do this not far from you i believe, in middlewich, cheshire.


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## Mirror Finish Details

Good thread, my wife parks by aim and have had them done twice in 3 years. I may have a go my self this time.
What rattle can silver is closest to BMW alloy wheel silver??


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## craigblues

Looking good. Nice job.

I did a set of Golf Mk5 GTI Alloys once, kerbing repaired and gave me an excuse to spray them black.


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## bizzyfingers

Mirror Finish Details said:


> Good thread, my wife parks by aim and have had them done twice in 3 years. I may have a go my self this time.
> What rattle can silver is closest to BMW alloy wheel silver??


its basically done on brightness and metallic coarseness. here is a link to the possible colour match. do some research on the paint and wheel types first.

http://www.alloypaints.com/bmw-ferric-grey-wheel-paint-250ml-500ml-or-1-ltr-204-p.asp


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## robtech

great stuff and some great tips..i always would say make sure the wheels are warm or in a warm room when painting ...helps to avoid runs etc..great work and nice to see you used audi silver really nice on the wheels.


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## Lazy-Moose

very impressive, especially if it was from spray cans! Good work!


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## The_Bouncer

Good thread & nice outcome - Cheers :thumb:


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## bizzyfingers

Thank you for all the nice comments. The one secret to good finish is patience. if you find the urge to dab your finger on the paint to see if its dry, as you paint the wheel, paint a piece of lamented card... dab the card, not the wheel

also if you have a dirty garage. wet the floor a few hours before hand... all the dust will cling to it


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## DMH-01

Great work there mate :thumb:


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## bizzyfingers

DMH-01 said:


> Great work there mate :thumb:


Thank you.


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## thedonji

Good tips


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## waqasr

Awesome job there..ive refured a few wheels in the past and got decent results but always used a metal metal for deep gashes. Super glue is easy to get but im stuck on the activator part..any brand i should get, do you have a link?


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## Nanoman

I'd love to see a more in depth methods and materials guide from the OP. I could probably do with both cars being refurbed but can't justify the expense.


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## bizzyfingers

Nanoman said:


> I'd love to see a more in depth methods and materials guide from the OP. I could probably do with both cars being refurbed but can't justify the expense.


Next time I do a set I will do a full breakdown of what is done.


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## bigslippy

Bravo my good man , very impressive and thanks for sharing with us , where did you get the materials for the filling repairs?:thumb:


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## PugIain

Nice job.I fancy doing mine but mine are quite shiney and metal flakey and Im not sure I could replicate the finish.


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## bizzyfingers

bigslippy said:


> Bravo my good man , very impressive and thanks for sharing with us , where did you get the materials for the filling repairs?:thumb:


i will take a pic later. dealing with a colicy baby


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## bizzyfingers

Here is a photo of a selection of glue. The Adesco glue is too runny though so don't use it as it is hard to fill anything as it runs too quick. You want a nice gloopy consistency. If it is a clear bottle it must stick to the edge of the bottle, if it is watery it is too runny. The other glues are as mentioned, you can buy them at corner stores, tescos and best deal is from poundland where you will get around 8 of them... not much in them but they seam to be quite gloopy as they are cheap. The activator whether loctite or adesco will work fine, don't believe the BS about adesco only works with adesco... cyanoacrylate activator is cyanoacrylate activator whatever they tell ya.


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## Derekh929

Great job you have done yourself


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## bizzyfingers

Derekh929 said:


> Great job you have done yourself


thank you very much. if anyone wanted to learn have a go on some old wheels from a scrappers. just have fun testing and trying... it aint hard if sausage fingers like me can do it


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## lundysx

Top work mate .. 

Looking at doing Mine over the Christmas break ,I'll post up what results I get.


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## kempe

Nice job nothing better then doing them your self :thumb:


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## weejp

Mirror Finish Details said:


> Good thread, my wife parks by aim and have had them done twice in 3 years. I may have a go my self this time.
> What rattle can silver is closest to BMW alloy wheel silver??


Wurth is the paint you need. Used it on a refurb myself - this is the stuff used on all the German manufacturers alloy wheels supposedly.


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## Millo777

Bizzyfingers, great thread! good tip on the keeping the rattle cans warm as well. Nothing worse than a great blob of can propellant spoiling a paint job.

What clear coat/lacquer are you using for wheels? quite a few places sell "Alloy wheel clear lacquer" that claim to be more durable and tougher, but with no details of what makes them specifically wheel lacquer (Polyurethane maybe?). It got me wondering whether regular clear coat is actually tough enough to use on wheels? 

I thought about getting an aerosol of 2k clear but thought it may react to the basecoat paint as most aerosols are either acrylic or celly.

Grateful if you could off your experience on what yoy use on how it holds up and what you've used and know works.

btw, Ford moondust silver looks awesome, much nicer than the Audi silver, or the Mercedes brilliant silver I've already bought.


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## 4937Liam

Very nice work. Ive just started doing this myself but have been laying down the base coat and laquar via a spray gun - This can be quite challenging especially if the gun is not set-up right. Lots of variables to consider.

Liam.


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## Derekh929

Great work on the wheels


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## Keir

Fantastic job.

I'll be giving this a go myself when funds allow.


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## David.A

Millo777 said:


> Bizzyfingers, great thread! good tip on the keeping the rattle cans warm as well. Nothing worse than a great blob of can propellant spoiling a paint job.
> 
> What clear coat/lacquer are you using for wheels? quite a few places sell "Alloy wheel clear lacquer" that claim to be more durable and tougher, but with no details of what makes them specifically wheel lacquer (Polyurethane maybe?). It got me wondering whether regular clear coat is actually tough enough to use on wheels?
> 
> I thought about getting an aerosol of 2k clear but thought it may react to the basecoat paint as most aerosols are either acrylic or celly.
> 
> Grateful if you could off your experience on what yoy use on how it holds up and what you've used and know works.
> 
> btw, Ford moondust silver looks awesome, much nicer than the Audi silver, or the Mercedes brilliant silver I've already bought.


2k is a 2 pac clear - meaning it needs to parts ie a clearcoat and a hardener mixed together. You could buy a 1k aerosol though. A cellulose basecoat shouldnt need a clearcoat over the top as it already has the gloss element in it.


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## Chicane

bizzyfingers said:


> Here is a photo of a selection of glue. The Adesco glue is too runny though so don't use it as it is hard to fill anything as it runs too quick. You want a nice gloopy consistency. If it is a clear bottle it must stick to the edge of the bottle, if it is watery it is too runny. The other glues are as mentioned, you can buy them at corner stores, tescos and best deal is from poundland where you will get around 8 of them... not much in them but they seam to be quite gloopy as they are cheap. The activator whether loctite or adesco will work fine, don't believe the BS about adesco only works with adesco... *cyanoacrylate* activator is *cyanoacrylate* activator whatever they tell ya.


*If like me, anyone is have trouble with that word when asking for it in shops, go here and hit the speaker icon to hear the wife speak it :lol:*


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## Millo777

David.A said:


> 2k is a 2 pac clear - meaning it needs to parts ie a clearcoat and a hardener mixed together. You could buy a 1k aerosol though. A cellulose basecoat shouldnt need a clearcoat over the top as it already has the gloss element in it.


2K is available in aerosols these days, they have a tab on the base that when pulled releases the hardner into the main can.

I agree that a clear coat isn't necessary on cellulose most of the time, on wheels however it seems like a bit of extra protection wouldn't go amiss. Also, the OP did use a clear on the wheels in the photos, and I'm curious which one. Normally I'd stick to the U-POL refinish stuff as it goes on nice and even and is a good quality product, but I haven't painted wheels before, and the specific wheel lacquer products might be worth trying.


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## David.A

Millo777 said:


> 2K is available in aerosols these days, they have a tab on the base that when pulled releases the hardner into the main can.
> 
> I agree that a clear coat isn't necessary on cellulose most of the time, on wheels however it seems like a bit of extra protection wouldn't go amiss. Also, the OP did use a clear on the wheels in the photos, and I'm curious which one. Normally I'd stick to the U-POL refinish stuff as it goes on nice and even and is a good quality product, but I haven't painted wheels before, and the specific wheel lacquer products might be worth trying.


Definatly no harm in extra protection! 
Also try alloypaints.com for sourcing paints and lacquers, its a great little website I order my paints from for my business


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## craigblues

Which sander do you have?


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## fraz101

I did my clio 172 wheels myself last year, had never done it before and here are some things i would do differently as they didn't turn out as i'd like.

When preparing the wheels i rubbed them down with 600 grit which left heavy scoring on the alloy (i rubbed them all by hand) i'd use a grade less abrasive to get a good "key" on them. before wet sanding them down finishing with 1500grit ready for primer.

I wouldn't paint them myself again(i did it with spray cans in my garage) the finish i was able to get was nowhere near as good as someone with a compressor gun and spray booth is able to produce....also curing the paint/lacquer i found to be a problem as i had no real heat source in my garage to do this.

It's all a learning curve i guess and the OP is obviously quite experienced doing them in this environment as the finish he is able to produce looks really excellent. 

I spent roughly 50-60 quid on sandpaper,primer,paint,lacquer etc and whilst the finish i have is much improved on the condition they were in before hand, it's by far a perfect finish i am left with. 

Hope this helps anyone who is attempting to do their wheels for the first time!

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