Hi, I have just purchased some nice new Michelin XWX's for my 400i & would like to get my poor old wheels refinished before fitting the new tyres. They have a few layers of paint & some corrosion. Has anyone had wheels restored? Can anyone recommend any wheel restorers that will do a professional job? Cheers Al
Alice Springs NT. Has anyone had any experiences with - Extensive Wheel Services 307 South Road Mile End SA 5031 Cheers Al
I haven't used or heard of those guys before Al, but I have sent a few sets of wheels to these guys on the Gold Coast and they do excellent work. They come back looking like new. Mag-It Wheels. Shop 4, 52 Siganto Drive Helensvale QLD 4212 (07) 5573 0555 Mag-IT Wheels
Al, if your wheels have corrosion started, don't send them to a generic wheel refinisher, unless they have specific experience with old Italian wheels. They will need to be bead blasted (carefully to avoid losing detail) then follow a slow process of baking (for as long as possible) priming with chromate primer (only available at aircraft repair facilities) then bake again, then normal primer, then paint, which is base colour plus satin clear coat. Not cheap, but if you don't do it properly the corrosion will reappear within a year. Ian
Thanks for the replies. Ian, Can you recommend anyone? This is the worst of them. They all look to still have the raised lettering intact (some a bit hidden under layers of paint) & I would like to preserve this as best as possible. So I want to find someone that won't just hit them with a sandblaster & squirt some paint on. Cheers Al Image Unavailable, Please Login
Mark from Oldtimer in Brisbane just had a set of wheels done for a C4, looked like a nice job. Contact details on his website Oldtimer Australia, classic cars, racing cars, sports cars Last year I used this stuff as the primer on my (high magnesium) race car wheels: Pantheon PreKote 065-1002 Surface Pretreatment They have stayed corrosion free ever since. You apply it by hand with a scourer pad. Order online from a US supplier SkyGeek.com - Aviation Tools, Aircraft Oil, Parts, Sealants, Grease, Ground Support, Headsets & More! Trick is to have the wheels plastic bead blasted to remove paint, not metal. Then wrap them in clingfilm immediately, then into a painter's oven for 24 hours to remove any moisture absorbed in the metal, then apply the PreKote. After that, fill the corrosion dimples, prime and paint as normal. Hope that helps.
Ian is spot on. Don't expect to pay $100 a wheel, it's very expensive to do this properly. Ken Ward did a few sets for me over the years. The oldest set were done 20yrs ago and they are still perfect. Expect to pay something like $500 a wheel if you don't plan to get your hands dirty yourself.
Oh come on it's at least 1000km's !! In any case that has little to do with the reaction that causes the paint to bubble without the correct prep prior to painting.
