Wheel refurb- painted
Discussion
I got my wheels refurbed by Lepsons at the beginning of the year and they did a cracking job. However, they powder coat the wheels. When swapping them over for the winter wheels a few weeks ago I couldn't help but notice the odd small chip from general driving (always took care to never kerb them). I also managed to let one of the wheel bolts fall when removing it and it left another nice chip in the rim.
In contrast, the winter wheels, while not the prettiest, were painted before I bought them and barely have a mark on them after being used last winter. Also managed to drop a wheel bolt on them (
) but it didn't even leave a mark. Are there any reputable wheel specialists that actually paint the wheels rather than powder coat? The current ones will last a bit yet but I'm sure it'll only be a matter of time before corrosion is allowed to come into play. I did think powder coating would be stronger than it seems to have been though.
In contrast, the winter wheels, while not the prettiest, were painted before I bought them and barely have a mark on them after being used last winter. Also managed to drop a wheel bolt on them (
) but it didn't even leave a mark. Are there any reputable wheel specialists that actually paint the wheels rather than powder coat? The current ones will last a bit yet but I'm sure it'll only be a matter of time before corrosion is allowed to come into play. I did think powder coating would be stronger than it seems to have been though.I used dentfix to respray my Mazda wheels. They deflate the Tyre and paint the wheels . Unfortunately they are not local to you. http://www.dentfix.co.uk/
From my personal experience, the wheels on my 147 GTA were painted professionally prior to me purchasing it. They looked lovely at first but when I finally sold the car they were in need of a refurb mainly due to road rash and stone chips. I've had a wheel on my Z4M refurbed after I kerbed it and the powder coat finish done by a local firm called Top Marques is simply superb and looks as good as the day I had it done. I think both methods can offer good, lasting results but as with any surface finish it's the quality of the work, in particular the preparation that dictates how well it lasts.
OEM is always powder coat primer, powder top coat, and quite often a spray coat finish if talking something other than a regular 'flat' silver. The problem you describe also applies to non-OEM resprays in general - it just seems hard to match the durability of an OEM finish, no matter how much is spent!
In my experience Lepsons lay on too much coat; I can only imagine it reduces their prep time! It would be worth baking the wheels at a low temp for 48 hours prior to use.
In my experience Lepsons lay on too much coat; I can only imagine it reduces their prep time! It would be worth baking the wheels at a low temp for 48 hours prior to use.
they should be able to resist an impact like that.
I would take them back and see what they say. normally they give a 2 year warranty on work and are good with issues.
I had the GT3 wheels done by them in gloss black and great finish. a ham fisted mate managed to spin the car at Bedford and we ran across the grass/weeds and some very minor marks but it polished out with black polish
we probably hit the grass at 100 mph so it was a lot better than it could have been!!
I would take them back and see what they say. normally they give a 2 year warranty on work and are good with issues.
I had the GT3 wheels done by them in gloss black and great finish. a ham fisted mate managed to spin the car at Bedford and we ran across the grass/weeds and some very minor marks but it polished out with black polish
we probably hit the grass at 100 mph so it was a lot better than it could have been!!
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