Hi all,

I've got an X-Type, real nice looking, but the wheels unfortunately have not been looked after by the previous owner. I have honestly never seen alloy wheel so scratched before, there a massive chunks of metal missing from all 4 wheels and even the spare has some scrapes on it!

So I embarked on a mission to fix these wheels DIY. I got the wheel scratches sanded down making them nice and smooth ridges. Then I put in some primer filler to make it nice and smooth inline with the rest of the wheel. From here I sprayed on some silver wheel paint, and to my horror, the wheel paint is a completely different silver to the one on the alloy wheel. Couldn't believe my dissapointment, I was looking forward to this project for months!!

So instead of doing the painting myself, I thought I might as well get it professionally done.

I've called around a few places in the ACT, Australia region and to my further dissapointment these places that did powder coating would not take my wheels in, mainly because with powder coating the wheel is left in a 200 degree celcius oven which would melt all my filling and priming, loosing all that hard elbow work

So now I am at the point where I have to bring my wheel into a automotive paint supplier and hopefully they can match up the paint as close as humanly possible to the wheel in 2pac.

Just wondering if anyone knows the paint code for the wheels (if wheels even have a paint code)

I'll post up pics soon!!

Cheers!

 

Many of us have had scuffed wheels refinished professionally and a few members have done the work themselves to a high standard.

Another type of repair, particularly on 20 inch rims as a result of potholes, is to have a ding removed and the wheel trued up.

Your comment 'there's massive chunks of metal missing from all 4 wheels.......' is worrying. This sounds as if the structure of the wheel may have been compromised to the point of being unsafe.

You should post pics so those familiar with repairs can give advice.

Graham

 

Okay here are some pictures,

The first two are of the existing damage to the wheels, not as bad as I made them out to be I guess but still.

Last photo is from the silver paint which is a completely different colour

Gonna go out today and see if anyone can match up the colour.

 

Hi Lancer, Graham makes a goods point but from the pics you post I'd say they'll be fine.

As bad as they are its only mild kerbing I'd guess.

Why not do all 4 yourself??

Its pretty unlikely you're going to get a good match unless you go to the dealer I think to be honest.
Love the wheels btw , same as I had on my X type.

I refurbed 2 sets for mine and used Wurth products.
I tried the cheaper alternatives from Halfords and the like but the finish just wasn't the same.

As long as you prepare correctly and fill in all the blemishes and sand smooth you'll get a great result.

Sand, sand and sand again, few coats of primer grey, 2-3 coats of silver followed by 2-3 coats of lacquer and they'll sparkle like new.

 

That's bad scuffing but still only scuffing and not pieces of aluminium missing as I was expecting.

Definitely can be refurbished to good as new as Jim advises from his personal experience.

The paint colour needs to be a grayish silver to match the original. Any paint shop supplies depot should have colour chips to help you match it or even a reader that allows them to scan the original and mix an identical paint batch.

Graham

 

Okay so some good news to post, went to a paint shop and they were able to very closely match the paint colour, the metallic flakes are a little smaller than on the wheel though but the colour is the same. Unfortunately they couldnt fit the reader over the wheel so they had to give me a pallet of colours to choose from.

I've finished sanding, priming, sanding and painting the wheel, now I just need to add the lacquer and hopefully it all turns out well.

I might have a problem that all the coats of paint will make some areas of the wheel thick and rise up in relation to the rest of the wheel. Any ideas on how to smooth the new area with the original?

 

As long as you've properly prepared and sanded smooth as silk you'll be fine.

I found the best way was to spray from about at least 4 different angles of the wheel to ensure good coverage.

Don't be tempted to rush it and build maybe 3 coats or so of thin layers to get good full and even coverage.
Thats for the paint only and the lacquer application holds true as well.

The biggest problem I forsee is that when you finish you'll want to / ned to do the rest as it'll look so good.

Personally, I'd recommend doing all of them for a great look.
Get the spare out and fit it and do one at a time until they're all done......you won't regret it

 

Howdy,
I think you will do just fine with your Alloy Wheel refurbishment project.

If you want a step by step guide (to assist with your query) then have a look at this guys work;

How to: Refurbish Alloy Wheels (detail and picture heavy) - MG-Rover.org Forums

Take it easy..... do not rush the Job(s)

 

As of yesterday, please welcome me to the pothole club. I have a dent in my rim about the size of my little fingerpast the knuckle joint. I have the 9 spoke 20" BBS 3 piece wheels that came with the car. Can one purchase just the rim part, or what would you suggest?

 

Just put my winter tires on my XKR. The stock rims had been curbed before I bought the car so I gave them a re & re. Being a 3 piece I dismantled them and gave the spokes to my buddy that refinished them with a flat black linear polyurethane paint and then a satin clear coat to give them depth. I cleaned the rims up and because the chrome rings were scraped from the curbing, I brushed the chrome until I had flattened the stock chrome finish on them. I then reassembled them and could not wait to get them on the cat. HERE THEY ARE................

 

Looks like my wheels if I let my wife, any ex-girlfriend of mine or my mother drive my car. (all listed have killed 1-4 wheels of mine within the span of a day or trip).

You'll be able to fill and refinish all of that. You may not be able to keep the machine-look bits, but a good silver paint (I prefer 1Z Silber Spray in a can... really) will look great.

 

Looks great, nice work!

 

is there some way to fix bend alloy wheels? I have no idea how it is possible but the wheels which came originally with my car are so badly wounded that it is even with naked eye visible. Two of them have on one side are just flat instead curved. If you draw a circle around it, it is about 1cm smaller.

 

@Sandy,

Many times wheels can be straightened, but not all shops take the same care. When I asked several shops in Houston, Tx, some were going to beat the wheels with a hammer and then machine them in a lathe for the final rounding. Not good. I don't want any metal removed, as this will only weaken them and make balance bad. The better shops will use only hydraulic pressure, and perhaps some heat and will tell you if the wheels are too badly damaged to be safely repaired. Good luck with it.

 

thank you, will try to look for somebody able to do it here. They are original 17" which i like a lot, would hate to lose them.

 

LCGI, that guide you have linked is perfect. I used it step by step (almost) for the refurbishment on my wheels. If anyone is planning on doing their wheels, that guide is definitely the way to go.

I tried just doing some simple touch ups on the wheels but unfortunately the silver I bought was a completely different colour, so I decided on doing the entire wheel....all five.

It was a very very long process taking up around 4 full days and another few days for painting and drying but i have the finished results....

Well worth the effort in the end! I also decided that whilst all the wheels on the car were off I would paint the calipers too.

 

Great job - good as new.
Graham

 

I have the muli-piecewheels on a 2007 XKR. The chrome rims are badly damaged. Can I get replacements?