Chipped clear coat help!

A

almosthere

New member
Hey everyone! I'm kinda new to the forums..

I got a couple questions about chipped clear coats on rims.



Below there are pictures of what's currently on my rims. At first I thought it was oxidation but later found out that the clear coat is chipped. I was told the restoration process goes as follows:



1.) Paint thinner

2.) 1000 grit sand paper

3.) Apply aerosol clear coat





Has anyone had any experience with this?

Do I use regular paint thinner or the special Aircraft one?

Do I apply the thinner on just the lip or the whole thing?

Can I wax them instead of clear coating?

Do I really use regular aerosol clear coat?

How long does the aerosolized clear coat last?

Any tips / tricks?



Any help is greatly appreciated!



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the best thing would be to take the rims apart (they appear to be 2/3 piece wheels) and refinish the lips. other options would be to remove the clear on the lip (regular paint thinner won't cut) at which point you can polish if you want. at this point you can choose to re clear coat them or leave them alone and periodically polish the lips. you could always send them out to a wheel refinisher or maybe a local body shop would redo them as well. for the average diy repair the wurth clear aersol is probably your best bet. you could always get some automotive clear coat but they are usually a two part that need mixing and you'll need spray equipment to use them.
 
almosthere said:
1.) Paint thinner

2.) 1000 grit sand paper

3.) Apply aerosol clear coat
Click to expand...



I think it would more closely go like 2-1-3 but with quite a few steps in between. This really isn't a painting forum, you'll probably get more advice elsewhere. The key to good results when painting is all in the prep.
 
almosthere- Welcome to Autopia!



I'd have them professionally refinished by a good shop (and not all "wheel repair" places are good, even some of the big names do crappy work).



Refinishing them yourself will probably not result in the quality of finish that *I* would want, but some people are happy with the results they get. Your call there...



BUT, I absolutely would *NOT* DIU a disassembly/reassembly of multi-piece wheels. People I respect say that's something one should leave to the experts and I sure wouldn't want to risk a catasrophic rim failure.
 
I had this same thing happen on very similar wheels. My MINI Cooper S wheels got pretty damaged from brake dust from race track brake pad dust eating into them. I am still looking for a before picture but here is an after picture.



Skip the stripper. It's messy, slow and gets everywhere. I sanded using wet/dry sandpaper starting at 250 grit until I thought I was close to the metal and then went to 400. Eventually I got it to 600 and simple lightened my pressure as I got it closer to being done. In the end just make sure your motions create a constant, even pattern in the metal. It will look lightly brushed but it will gloss up when sprayed with clear. Just make sure you go as fine as you can. I used Wurth Wheel clearcoat Spray. I am sure other brands would suffice.



It was a pain. I spent a weekend on a single wheel but was way cheaper than $500+ for repairs. And it ended up looking pretty good. I no longer have the car but as of 2.5 years later the owner says they look great still.



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Brad B.- No surprise that those turned out so nice :bow



almosthere- I won't go so far as "don't try that at home, kids!", but note that Brad B. has, uhm... a pretty good skill-set ;) and was also able to airbrush in an incredibly good repair on his Carrera C4S :eek:



I *will* say that the Wurth Wheel Paint is very user-friendly stuff if you do want to DIY it. Really *really* good for something out of a rattle-can.
 
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