M135i Alloy Wheel Damage
Discussion
Hello all - I'm hoping someone can help me with regards to repairing a couple of damaged M135i wheels (OEM), the car is less than a month old but lost in an altercation with a curb (don't ask..)
After much googling I have found the BMW colour code for the wheels - Ferric Grey II, BMW paint code WB55 B55 MET which apparently costs £207 for half a litre (information from another forum)
I have taken the car to a recommended alloy wheel repair centre with the paint code, they advised me that prior to my visit they had completed a repair for another customer using Ferrous Grey (previous week). On closer inspection however it became very clear that the colour they had previously used was much darker than that on my M135i alloys. We compared the left over paint they had against the wheel and it did appear much darker (I appreciate paints can change in tone when applied and let to dry however the difference was very clear)
Looking closely at the wheel nut openings on the wheels themselves it can be clearly seen that the paint does not go to the full depth of the wheel nut opening (disappointing for a BMW?) however this does expose a lighter grey underneath the grey metallic painted layer, as a result the repairer could not guarantee an exact match.
I also enquired about the difference in shade potentially coming from the paint being Ferrous Grey as opposed to Ferrous Grey II, they called their paint supplier who confirmed it was the only one they did.
Is this shade of Grey too new to the market to be replicated by non BMW manufacturers yet?
Has anyone had a repair done yet specifically on M135i alloys and if so do you have any information on colour coding or whether the colour match was acceptable? If so please provide details of where you had your wheels repaired.
Many thanks
After much googling I have found the BMW colour code for the wheels - Ferric Grey II, BMW paint code WB55 B55 MET which apparently costs £207 for half a litre (information from another forum)
I have taken the car to a recommended alloy wheel repair centre with the paint code, they advised me that prior to my visit they had completed a repair for another customer using Ferrous Grey (previous week). On closer inspection however it became very clear that the colour they had previously used was much darker than that on my M135i alloys. We compared the left over paint they had against the wheel and it did appear much darker (I appreciate paints can change in tone when applied and let to dry however the difference was very clear)
Looking closely at the wheel nut openings on the wheels themselves it can be clearly seen that the paint does not go to the full depth of the wheel nut opening (disappointing for a BMW?) however this does expose a lighter grey underneath the grey metallic painted layer, as a result the repairer could not guarantee an exact match.
I also enquired about the difference in shade potentially coming from the paint being Ferrous Grey as opposed to Ferrous Grey II, they called their paint supplier who confirmed it was the only one they did.
Is this shade of Grey too new to the market to be replicated by non BMW manufacturers yet?
Has anyone had a repair done yet specifically on M135i alloys and if so do you have any information on colour coding or whether the colour match was acceptable? If so please provide details of where you had your wheels repaired.
Many thanks
I have just had a repair done at Lepsons. It may have been my wheel that you saw?
Lepsons wanted to spray my all my wheels to mask any colour deviation there may be. Oh and I had to pay an extra £20 for the paint which as you correctly mentioned is Ferric Grey.
I am very happy with the work that was undertaken by Lepsons - and as the previous poster mentioned there are at least 50 shades of grey.
All the best
Lepsons wanted to spray my all my wheels to mask any colour deviation there may be. Oh and I had to pay an extra £20 for the paint which as you correctly mentioned is Ferric Grey.
I am very happy with the work that was undertaken by Lepsons - and as the previous poster mentioned there are at least 50 shades of grey.
All the best
Nigel - thank you for the response, it wasn't Lepsons in this instance however they will be my next call.
Did you end up having all four wheels painted to ensure the colour match was acceptable and did they use Ferric Grey 2 or just Ferric Grey?
Thanks again - I cant believe I didn't see the 50 shades references coming!
Did you end up having all four wheels painted to ensure the colour match was acceptable and did they use Ferric Grey 2 or just Ferric Grey?
Thanks again - I cant believe I didn't see the 50 shades references coming!
I understand that you probably want to say as close to OEM as possible with a month old car, but if both repaired wheels are on one side of the car presumably a small colour mis-match won't be obvious versus the wheels on the other side?
I remember doing a hasty and rather poor rework to the nearside wheels on one of my wife's previous cars prior to selling and despite a very obvious mismatch in colour versus the offside not one person who viewed the car noticed
I remember doing a hasty and rather poor rework to the nearside wheels on one of my wife's previous cars prior to selling and despite a very obvious mismatch in colour versus the offside not one person who viewed the car noticed
V8 OLY said:
Hello all - I'm hoping someone can help me with regards to repairing a couple of damaged M135i wheels (OEM), the car is less than a month old but lost in an altercation with a curb (don't ask..)
That's the only bit I am interested in !Buy a new wheel/wheels or get all 4 repaired refinished in the same paint / powder coat ?
V8 OLY said:
Did you end up having all four wheels painted to ensure the colour match
Yes. Lepsons recommended this as they were re-straightening 2 buckled wheels and repairing a small amount of kerb damage on another one.The 'un-buckling' process can cause some cosmetic damage so sometimes the wheels need to be re-finished - Lepsons recommended that they paint all 4 for an even colour match.
As for whether it was Ferrous Grey 1 or 2 - I would have to ask Lepsons - they spoke to BMW to order in the paint for the wheels.
The wheels match the mirrors and the spats in the front grill anyway.
Very happy with the end result.
Not happy with the wheels made of cheese - but that is another story!!
nbetts said:
Yes. Lepsons recommended this as they were re-straightening 2 buckled wheels and repairing a small amount of kerb damage on another one.
The 'un-buckling' process can cause some cosmetic damage so sometimes the wheels need to be re-finished - Lepsons recommended that they paint all 4 for an even colour match.
As for whether it was Ferrous Grey 1 or 2 - I would have to ask Lepsons - they spoke to BMW to order in the paint for the wheels.
The wheels match the mirrors and the spats in the front grill anyway.
Very happy with the end result.
Not happy with the wheels made of cheese - but that is another story!!
Thanks for the swift responses all - I'll take this up with Lepsons.The 'un-buckling' process can cause some cosmetic damage so sometimes the wheels need to be re-finished - Lepsons recommended that they paint all 4 for an even colour match.
As for whether it was Ferrous Grey 1 or 2 - I would have to ask Lepsons - they spoke to BMW to order in the paint for the wheels.
The wheels match the mirrors and the spats in the front grill anyway.
Very happy with the end result.
Not happy with the wheels made of cheese - but that is another story!!
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