Can I Refurbish My Alloy Wheels Myself?

[mboasty]

HI, Brought some 15" tigra alloys for me nova, but they've got quite alot of scraches on them where they've been droped on there face a few times & general kerb scraches, so ive looked into getting them refurbished, tryed wicked wheels & they want 65+vat per corner, not bad i spose for a pro service but i just can't justify it, not since they cost me £150 with 2 good goodyear tyres, only to find out now that one of them is flat, & on closer inspection has a nail in it! if it's as bad as it looks then ive got to buy 4 new tyres + refurbishment.
so has anyone ever refurbished alloys themselves it must be posible to do this does anyone know the process?
any ideas would be most appricated

cheers

matt

[angryman]

Yes you can!

[biggup1234]

easy job just sand it smooth so u cant feel any scratches anymore then apply acid etch primer then some normal primer then some kind of silver paint or wateva finish you would like

simple job done

[biggup1234]

you may have to fill any deep scratches and sand it smooth

[mboasty]

would chemical metal be alright to use as filler? Got any tip on spraying lacquer, as when ive used it before it just goes misty?

cheers

[biggup1234]

just make sure when you spray lacquer you spray it in thin coats and build it up and make sure its not too hot or too cold when your spraying. after spraying polish it quite abit to create the nice shine.

[angryman]

would chemical metal be alright to use as filler? Got any tip on spraying lacquer, as when ive used it before it just goes misty?

cheers

Chemical metal will be fine

[richie00boy]

Just used Chemical Metal myself. Seems fine.

[mboasty]

Take it that u just rub the whole wheel down with wet & dry, & not nothing to abbrasive like 80 grit?

[triple8]

i used chemical metal after i rubbed the wheels down - used etch 1k primer - then sprayed with halfords paint - 2 years on there still looking good

[angryman]

Take it that u just rub the whole wheel down with wet & dry, & not nothing to abbrasive like 80 grit?

If the filler is raised quite a bit then start of with 80 grit locally carefully to get the filller near level with the surface. I then used 120 grit on the filler and wet 400 grit over the whole wheel(s)
I then had a good look over the wheels to see if there were any funny bits. I filled these with normal P38 filler and went through the same process to the 400 grit.
I then used warm water, tad of washing up liquid and 1200 grit (keep it wet) to get a smooth finish.
I haven't rushed mine as I want as good as finish as possible, and as they are a spare set don't need them back on the car. Others doing this may be less impatient so skimp on the process a bit

[Colonel K]

i used chemical metal after i rubbed the wheels down - used etch 1k primer - then sprayed with halfords paint - 2 years on there still looking good

where'd ya get the etch primer from?

[mboasty]

thanks for the advice most helpful cheers, i wont be rushing them as i dont need them on just yet & ive got alot of patience with things like that! thanks for the help mate

matt

[angryman]

thanks for the advice most helpful cheers, i wont be rushing them as i dont need them on just yet & ive got alot of patience with things like that! thanks for the help mate

matt

If that's for me then keep an eye on my thread in the link earlier

[triple8]

[QUOTE]where'd ya get the etch primer from

HALFRAUDS