how to repair / respray alloy wheels myself ?

[mr wint]

hi guys, hope you are all well.
i am going to repair my alloy wheels this week- so- long story short i cleaned them and have ruined them, they arent kerbed at all- just the surface has been ruined.

i cannot afford to have them refurbed as money is tight at the moment so fancy having a go at them myself and learning something at the same time.

anyway- i assume i will have to sand them down , primer, paint , then lacquer them. now ,i dont know what paper to use- paint etc .... nothing at all :( as im a novice to cars ,

please help- any tips/ advice/ technical bits/ anything will be greatly appreciated.
thanks very much in advance to all answers ,
cheers guys :)

[NORMANTHEDOG]

use a very fine wet and dry paper,unless you have bad marks,then use a rougher one,make sure after sanding,they are clean,then put a very light covering of primer,then a couple of coats of alloy paint on,remember,dont try putting too much on at one time as it will run,same goes for the lacquer,take your time,as it will come out good,with a little paitience

[mr wint]

hi norman, ^^^^^^
thanks mate very helpful :)

i have a few questions though buddy-

when you say a light coat of primer is it best with these to use a metal brush on primer or spray on ?

when you say a light coat of primer do you just mean one coat ?

what kind of system should i use- i.e - one coat of primer to 3 coats of paint?

obviously i want the best finish and would like them to be shiny and not matt effect? so does this just mean i should use more paint or more lacquer ??

thanks so far matey- but if you can give me some tips with regard to the above points, itd be most helpful and il be very grateful.......
:)
thank norman

[rdv]

I have been refurbing alloys for years, usually kerb damage. How did you ruin the finish? Its possible to refurb these yourself to a good standard using spray cans but this is usually acrylic paint and it does not produce the high gloss that is achieved with 2 pack paint. Some suppliers will supply 2 pack in spray cans but this is very nasty stuff to breath as it contains cyanide. Wont kill you but you can end up with a cough that lasts for days

[mr wint]

hi rdv ^^^^ well i polished them with metal polish as they were caked in brake dust that no cleaner could remove-( i tried loads of stuff)
they looked ace at first but then after a few days decided i hated them so now they are basically chrome/ mirror finish and i cant stand them as they dont suit the car ....
they look shocking- eeeuuurgh..

if i just use cans- will more lacquer not produce the more glossy finish effect im after once ive finished painting ????

p.s what is this 2pack stuff ???
and where would i get it ??

im in birmingham by the way .
(car is a bmw - so would it be available from bmw dealers ????)
or has it got to be a paint shop ????

[rdv]

Hydrachloric acid would have sorted the brake dust, too late now. You can get a perfectly acceptable finish using acrylic. BMW alloys are finished in Titan Silver which is available in Halfords, I should think its cheaper from them, good luck

[TylerTots]

rdv is pretty spot on. im a paint sprayer and i repurbs a few set of alloys myself. the 2 pak is better but its more of a proffetional thing. rub down the wheels thouroughly with 320 grit sand paper then some 800 grit. this should rub out any uneven mess and give a good surface for the primer to stick to. this is worth spending some time on. then gif it 2-3 coats of primers evenly with dryingtime in between. the aerosols tend to be a bit thin. then once the primer has dried and is even use some 1200 grit to flat off the primer. then once u have dusted off any rubbed of primer, ur ready to colour. same again, light even coats till ur happy its covered even, id suggest 3-4 cos again the aerosols are thin paint. once dried repet with the laquer. as long as ur paitent between coats you will be just fine. did any one mention tho mask up ur tyres and bmw badge 1st. hope tis helps m8. it is just advice.

[metin]

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