DIY wheel refurb

[ajs_vrs]

Has anyone actually resprayed their wheels them self with good quality rattle cans etc and they have actually lasted and not weathered?

Thinking of taking my time and doing a DIY, rub down primer etc etc

[Avalon]

I've seen good results like this but personally I'd choose powder coat. It's a lot more durable and not that expensive.

[booke23]

It depends what state your alloys are in, what colour you are painting them, and how intricate they are.

If you have simple 5 spoke wheels that are in good condition, and are spraying them black, then they'll probably look ok DIY.

I had a go at a DIY refurb on alloys on my old car......but they were badly peeling and corroding, and were multi spoke complex design. This made them very difficult to rub down properly. The refurb didn't look great. They looked better than before, but really needed professionally sand blasted.

Also, although spray painting is not too hard, spraying lacquer is hard and easy to mess up. To get a good look, you really need to lacquer them.........for this reason alone I'd recommend getting them done professionally.

[PastyBoy]

It's easy and cheap (i did a full set of 4 for about £50)

See this thread or this thread both of which go into great detail on what i did, what i used, where i got it etc etc all with photos and as much blurb as i could do.

The first set of black ones chipped really easy but i stupidly used white primer underneath so any damage was instantly and highly visible, i also only used about half a coat of lacquer so they had no protection.

The gold montreals are still running strong and after the lesson i learnt i took more time and applied for lacquer so the finish and durablilty are much increased. They are still on the car and still going string now, with the only damage being from direct contact with stuff (kerbs, etc) and no chipping what-so-ever

[ajs_vrs]

Ah cheers mate

[Patrickfab]

I refurbed a set last year Used Metalic to fill in any deep scuffs sanded down filled and sanded again high build primer sand and spray they didn't weather or chip in the 3 months I had them on my car as far as I know they are still ok but as above Powder coating saves a lot of hassle and time

[SimonK24]

I refurbished a set last year, and I enjoyed doing it - great sense of satisfaction. However, I use my car on track, and one session has pretty much ruined the front wheels. It's probably my fault for not using a more substantial lacquer, it seems to have just burnt off, and the front wheels are now a matte textured finish and the brake dust has eaten into them. If you are using them on the road though, I'd give it a bash!

[Money hungry]

As long as your preparation work is done well and you go for something straight forward like a satin or mat black they will look ok or even good from a small distance. If the preparation work is poor, the finished article will look poor. I could get mine done at any time at work but im not bothering with mine until the summer kicks in. I may go for a black-chrome look a bit like some of the Range Rover and Land Rover wheels. Not sure yet though.

[ajs_vrs]

Cheers I'm going for a black or gunmetal, I've heard upol I think that's the make is hard wearing but they only do paint in a few colours. I've heard Halford spray paint etc etc is poor?

Cheers

[Kyle_vrs]

I've always used Halfords paint on every set of wheels I've done and never had a problem. If your wheels are corroded then it's hard to get them looking good but the wheels are in reasonable condition then they should look good. My vrs wheels are badly corroded and I sprayed them black yesterday, still look gash but I've been looking for wheels for a while so it's a temporary thing for me anyway

[stedee]

it all about the lacquer, unfortunately the best stuff is 2k lacquer out of a gun, goes on lovely and is really thick. the stuff out of a can tends to be really thin in my experience. ive done loads in the past but cant be arsed these days, i would just get them powdercoated

[pastie]

The DIY job on my old octy,just halfords alpine white,primer and lacquer,i think i did 3 coats of each

Edited 7 April, 2013 by pastie

[Guest BigJase88]

Did my old lupo gti wheels

Halfords rattle cans - used the anthracite wheel spray

Looked awesome and lasted

[dcoulter19]

It's all in the prep work. If you have patience you will get good results

[Gobsheene]

Yup I did in my build thread too

[pikachu24]

me and the misses (mostly her, i gave up because all i was given to do is the sanding lol) did her old St wheels with rattle cans and they turned out really good! only started going wrong when Jen chipped her paint after some aggressive cornering and curbed them.