Alloys peeling

gobo99

Hi all,
just looking for some advice on alloys on my 03 Focus. Its a two tone alloy similar to photo linked. Problem is on the silver part the lacquer seems to be peeling and generally looking sh!t. The black/charcoal part is still in pretty good shape.
anyway just looking for some advice on what can be done with them? who? how much? etc...
Thanks in advance.

challengemaster

That's not the laquer that's the actual paint peeling due to corrosion it looks like.

If you want to sort them cheaply and you have plenty of time on your hands, get some sand paper, sand back all the silver paint, mask up the darker paint, and spray it yourself with rattle cans.

Etch primer, normal primer, silver paint and laquer is what's needed. Ideally you'd want a few days where you could have the wheels of the car to get it done.

If you could find a correct colour match to the silver already there, you could try a localised repair to just that area which wouldn't be as big of a job

gobo99

thanks challengemaster, Bearing in mind iv no experience with this kind of thing how much time are we talking here. I wouldn't mind giving it a go myself but would hate to have to bring it in to the professionals after doing one wheel or after making a balls of all four.:o

challengemaster

You don't really need experience just a bit of cop on and the ability to read instructions on the cans really goes a long way.

The good news about the alloys is the part that has started to flake off is very easy to sand back because the area all looks very flat. It's not a very complicated design that would make it difficult to get old paint off.

The main thing to remember is that preparation is key here, any imperfections will show through when it's painted.

The best thing you could do is buy some nitromors which should strip back most if not all of the paint. Then take at it with sandpaper moving from harsh grade up to quite fine grades to get a nice smooth finish with no imperfections. It's also a great time to repair any kerbing marks as metal filler easy to pick up and use. Once that's all done, go over the area again with some scotch pads just to scuff up the area and give the paint a surface to stick to.

Make sure to tape up your darker painted areas!!

Then onto the actual painting - Etch primer first, it's primer that contains a bit of acid to actually eat into the metal and give a long lasting durable bond. Essential if you want a good finish that will last. Usually 1 light enough coat is enough but you do want to make sure it's all covered.

Then use normal primer. Again, you're going to be doing light coats and building them up, following the instructions on the cans for time between coats and drying etc. 2-3 coats should do fine. Always do light coats to ensure you have no runs.

Then your top coat or actual colour. By the look of it, yours are actually a chrome colour at the minute rather than silver, and a nice silver colour might look a bit better, but you won't really be stuck for choice anyway. Again, follow the instructions on the can and give it 2-3 coats. The most important thing is to make sure the entire surface you're painting is covered with paint.

Then onto laquer, again, follow the instructions on the cans.

If you really want, look up alloy wheel repair / refurb on google and you'll have thousands of DIY guides with step by step in the process.

The longest amount of time is waiting for the primer / paint / laquer to dry and cure properly. The best option is to do all the wheels at the same time to try ensure they're all somewhat similar, but if you really can't be without the car, if you had a spare wheel you could put on and do one wheel at a time, it's also an option. Do your homework on it and see if it's something that would suit you

cram1971

Excellent advice by challangemaster there. I would just like to add to this a couple of draw backs as I have done all this work and yes they look great but don't underestimate the time required to do the work you would be lucky to get it done in a weekend .

Doing one wheel at a time is a reall pain if you go that way try to even do two at a time.

However the biggest drawback is going to be the durability of the finish using rattle cans the paint will not last anywhere near as long as a factory finish or 2 pack finish.

Also stay well clear of acid based cleaners as they will strip the new paint in a heartbeat

I bit the bullet last week and got me wheels powder coated andi delighted with the results wheels look better than new!

gobo99

great advice there lads, plenty to think about. Thanks