Wheel refurb. Powdercoat or paint?

StuBeeDoo · Post by **StuBeeDoo** » Sat Apr 10, 2021 4:10 pm

sapphireblack wrote: ↑Sat Nov 21, 2020 11:23 ammaking enquiries about a BMW blue finish

StuBeeDoo wrote: ↑Mon Nov 23, 2020 11:41 amYour blue wheels idea intrigues me. I think I posted before, somewhere, that I could be tempted to do it on one or other of my sets.

I think this wouldn't be too far off. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PlastiDip-Pl ... 3934004276 Less than £45 to give it a go. There are YouTubers who claim one coating lasts over 2 years. Or if you don't like it, just peel it off and the original finish is undamaged. Far cheaper than a refurb you might not be able to live with. There are a couple of shades of blue.

Now I've got myself in a quandry again.

Do the other three in clear, or all four in blue?

sapphireblack wrote: ↑Sat Apr 10, 2021 2:59 pmBTW, its good to know there's another OCD member here

Oh yes! That's me alright.

sapphireblack · Post by **sapphireblack** » Sat Apr 10, 2021 5:22 pm

It could be worth investing in a can of blue to experiment on one wheel as you suggest. Better weather needed for such outdoor activity though

The donor set i have are scabby around the centres so any paint i may apply would be purely experimental.

StuBeeDoo · Post by **StuBeeDoo** » Mon Apr 12, 2021 9:06 pm

StuBeeDoo wrote: ↑Sat Apr 10, 2021 1:20 pmI've sprayed the face of one wheel with clear PlastiDip, as an experiment............ I can't get at the other wheels to take a comparison pic for a couple of days, but when I do I'll post again.

OK, here are the pics. The high-gloss finish of the powdercoat doesn't seem to get picked-up that well by my camera.

The PlastiDipped wheel is the one on the left.

: IMG_0001.JPG (194.86 KiB) Viewed 3193 times

: IMG_0002.JPG (177.76 KiB) Viewed 3193 times

: IMG_0003.JPG (213.15 KiB) Viewed 3193 times

If you're viewing this on a 'phone or tablet, you might struggle to see any difference at all. On a laptop or desktop, the difference is more noticeable - although still not as noticeable as it is to my naked eyes.

The less-shine-more-colour effect the PlastiDip gives is definitely more to my liking - it just doesn't scream "BLING" at me like the gloss coating does. I think I may even be able to live with these when I finally wear-out my current summer tyres. I still won't risk risk having the summer wheels powdered, though.

sapphireblack · Post by **sapphireblack** » Mon Apr 12, 2021 9:34 pm

I can see the difference in your first picture

However, without knowing you, i am confident you will end up with another full refurb. No matter what you do you'll always be living with a compromise, it will gnaw away at you.

Its a pity you are so negative with powder coating too, its vastly better than paint. Just specify satin or matt top coat over your chosen colour, easy.

StuBeeDoo · Post by **StuBeeDoo** » Tue Apr 13, 2021 7:23 am

sapphireblack wrote: ↑Mon Apr 12, 2021 9:34 pmIts a pity you are so negative with powder coating

I have to be honest, I'm not as negative as I was. By the time the summer set get tatty enough to be refinished, I just might go for powdercoat.

StuBeeDoo · Post by **StuBeeDoo** » Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:36 am

Minor update:- I've now ordered enough PlastiDip clear to do the remaining grey wheels.

Let's see if I feel any better about these wheels after they've been on the car all next winter.

StuBeeDoo · Post by **StuBeeDoo** » Fri Sep 03, 2021 5:07 pm

Like so many of my other skills, my use of PlastiDip left a lot to be desired.

So much so that it started to lift while the wheels were in storage.

I've taken the wheels to my preferred painter, and after a twenty minute discussion/debate he's convinced me to have them done reflex silver again. The long and short of it is that unless or until I see the same style wheels in the exact colour I want and find-out who did them, and what colour they used from which paint manufacturer, I'm on a hiding to nothing. What looks right to me on a certain wheel may well be totally wrong on mine. ........Which, if I'm honest, I already knew.

Also, he said he could do satin finish if I really wanted, but he showed me a set he did for someone which are waiting to be re-done in gloss because they're such a b17ch to clean.

sapphireblack · Post by **sapphireblack** » Fri Sep 03, 2021 7:06 pm

Your wheels "obsession" is very similar to mine

. I still have my second set of type 300 wheels in storage and i have literally agonised what to do with them, when in reality i don't have to agonise at all

StuBeeDoo · Post by **StuBeeDoo** » Thu Sep 16, 2021 4:40 pm

StuBeeDoo wrote: ↑Fri Sep 03, 2021 5:07 pmI've taken the wheels to my preferred painter, and after a twenty minute discussion/debate he's convinced me to have them done reflex silver again.

I picked them up today.

I'm sure having them done silver was the right thing to do. Plus, the finish is so much better in paint.

sapphireblack · Post by **sapphireblack** » Fri Sep 17, 2021 9:54 am

No images of these lovely wheels

StuBeeDoo · Post by **StuBeeDoo** » Fri Sep 17, 2021 9:56 am

sapphireblack wrote: ↑Fri Sep 17, 2021 9:54 amNo images of these lovely wheels

To follow........... When I get time.

StuBeeDoo · Post by **StuBeeDoo** » Sun Sep 19, 2021 11:25 am

StuBeeDoo wrote: ↑Fri Sep 17, 2021 9:56 amTo follow........... When I get time.

: Refurbed 305 09 2021.jpg (218.45 KiB) Viewed 2361 times

Wayfarer · Post by **Wayfarer** » Sun Sep 19, 2021 2:19 pm

Looking good

sapphireblack · Post by **sapphireblack** » Sun Sep 19, 2021 6:15 pm

As much as i like anthracite, gunmetal, black, that does look sharp. Still not a believer that paint is better than powder coat, but if you're happy that's what matters

StuBeeDoo · Post by **StuBeeDoo** » Mon Dec 13, 2021 9:48 am

Sorry for dragging this up yet again.

But as sapphireblack posted above, it's become an obsession.

I was talking to a neighbour the other day about the wheels he's recently had refinished on his Merc. He had them done in satin finish anthracite, and they look really nice - although a little dark for my taste. It started me thinking about gunmetal again. I asked him where he had them done and what do you know........... It was the place I had my last gunmetal powdercoat done at. Asking a few more questions - including had he experienced any wheel balance issues - he couldn't find anything negative about the service he had.

When I put the Style 305s on my car for the winter, a couple of months ago, I had been thinking about leaving them on next summer because the Style 304s with the Avons on are now in need of a refurb, and the CrossClimates on the 305s are so much quieter on the road. But the Avons are still over 5mm and I'd rather not have them sitting about with that much life left - they should last another 2 summers.

The middle and both ends of all this is that in spite of everything I've posted here, I'm going back to the same powdercoater with the 304s to have them done in satin gunmetal.

The design isn't as easy as the 305 to keep clean (which was another reason not to put them back on the car for long periods), but hey-ho!

I'll be making it plain that I want satin finish. Maybe I wasn't specific enough last time, although I thought I was. .....And before I take them I'll be making a note of how much weight they have on. I'll be specifying that I want the weights on the inside of the wheel - as they are now - not behind the spokes. Much more than a few extra and he'll be doing the balance again before I bring them home. ......Or he can leave the balancing for me to get done at my preferred tyre place.

Watch this space................

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