Alloy wheel refurb
- Thread starter csmilne
- Start date
AndrewCS
Active member
A friend was recommended http://www.diamondwheelstech.co.uk/ in Dundee and has just sent his Alpina wheels there.
There is also http://www.kinghornbodyshop.co.uk/ in Aberdeen who do the OPC bodywork.
I have no personal experience of either.
There is also http://www.kinghornbodyshop.co.uk/ in Aberdeen who do the OPC bodywork.
I have no personal experience of either.
I was recommended to try "We Restore Alloys" in Kirkcaldy. Have used them twice for diamond cut alloys and can't fault the quality of their work. They do work for Porsche and Aston.
Prices are competitive.
Prices are competitive.
g944s2
Member
Autosphere in Edinburgh, they've just posted these pictures of a full 993 respray too:
https://www.facebook.com/...36184285032&type=3
https://www.facebook.com/...36184285032&type=3
Powdertech in Kinning Park have done three sets for me in the last year. Quality been good and they do OPC Glasgow work. They did a set of Maserati ones last week for my pal and they are good also. Power coating is never as good as wet paint and lacquer but that is more expensive. 18" powdercoat refurbish is about £200 to £250 depending on where you go. Wet paiting and lacquer is normally about twice that.
regards
Scott.
regards
Scott.
SidewaysSteve
New member
I'm having my split rims done just now at The Wheel Centre Glasgow. I get them back tomorrow and expect them to be excellent as I have seen their work on other cars over the last few months.
924Srr27l
New member
lauris said:
Interesting..........
Did you know all OE Wheels from all manufactures are Powder Coated and baked at 200 degs and not with Wet Paint which is used for Body panels?
Your Man in a Van, and a Bodyshop's Typically Add and put New paint on top of the Old, they often don't remove the Tyres or paint the inside tyre sealing surfaces or the back etc...
Wet Paint is also dryed with heater and Infra Red lamps etc...or in a Bodshop Oven at 80 degs.
Powdercoaters strip all the original and any on top paint back to bare metal, then recoat the entire and bake at 200 degs.
Some use one coat which often has orange peel and shows inperfections, some coat 3 times and use a Powder dry Primer, then a colour which is (wet) but not a body panel paint but a high temp 200 deg paint and then a powder clear gloss (dry) lacquer..
The reason Bodyshops charge twice is because they typically hate doing wheels because they are so much more work that a flat panel, and they have to spend more time "filling" and or priming and flatting out damage etc..as they are slapping on a new paint
on top of the old !
With Powdercoating any filler tends to drop out at 200 degs so no cheating can be done, so either aluminium welding if it's deep or
sanding the bare metal with a high abrasive with a palm sander to eradicate any gouges etc...
Many Powder coaters are also set up to do lots of quantity and sets in a day, so the costs can be cheaper than the wet bodyshop but the word "Best" is subjective and a Powder coating is much thicker than wet paint which lasts longer
and hence is why every OE wheel is powdercoated although the issue is they are done by robots to achieve the thinnest coverage to save costs!
I'll not divulge my day job (Forum rules) but i cater for the high end where a set of wheels takes me 4 days and not 1 or 2
so that every single area and spoke etc..can be perfected it's not for everyone as the general cheap wheel prices go against my
average cost of £430+ a set, but the quality and finish and longevity explains everything, also I'm further south than Bonnie Scotland so everything gets more expensive down here!
R
924Srr27l said:
not sure thats correct, every manufacturer ?, have always been told that all porsche wheels are wet painted from factory and powder coating is only and aftermarket thing, ferrari are defo wet paint and most companies wont powder coat them as aftermarket as they are generally magnesium,
scott
924Srr27l
New member
lauris said:
Yes it's correct. It's a very common analogy that goes around and lingers.
Most people are aware and have had Powdercoating done locally on various items, Suspension arms, brackets , gates, etc..
These are industrial Powdercoaters who will of course coat anything including wheels, however the confusion can be this.
Powder is Paint but as it suggests in the dry powder form, it comes in a box and a Powdergun puts an electrostatic charge
on the powder as it's pulled out a box through a tube and out the Gun Nozzle. Industrial powder coaters typically coat everything
once with one application, a bake and then job done.
The finish will often follow the materials surface, although the dry powder does "wake up" and solidify when heated so generally
comes out smooth, but on some occasions it can look like "orange peel" either due to a rough (Grit blasted) surface or because the powder used is cheap and stodgy!
From new Wheels have 3 materials put on them by manufactures
- A powder coat (Primer)
- A wet high temp colour, not to be confused with what a bodyshop use (Solvent or Water based)
- A gloss clear Powder (lacquer)
Some aftermarket wheels have 2 materials to cut costs, the firs is the thick primer, then a tinted lacquer
You can get a Silver grey Powder which will go direct on to bare metal, bake and is finished, BUT....the finish is nothing like any
OE wheel and it's often very rough and orange peel,
From an aftermarket specialist Specific Wheel Restorer point of view they will also use this 3 material system
all applied and baked at separate times and temperatures.
With old wheels that are damaged and corroded with pitting holes, the primer can be flatted before the colour is applied.
Otherwise as some companies do, he finish will show all these marks, and I know of many that have had wheels powdercoated to find the finish is not nice, this is because these companies can't be arsed or don;t want to spend the time flatting the irregularities.
Not many Ferrari wheels are Magnesium at all, Mag wheels are very hydroscopic (Moisture / Water absorbing) and hence they do not like being covered with Paint! Dymag UK (that used to be) use a solution called Chromate top coat the bare wheel first which helps seal the pores and stop the Galvanic process which repels the paint.
So to Sumarise it's the man in a van and bodyshop boys that all use Solvent or Water paint Paint New on top of old, very rarely
do any of them remove tyres and strip all the paint off.
All New genuine and Aftermarket wheels are powdercoated and baked at 200 degrees
Powder is so quick to apply, doesn't run off like wet paint and is much thicker than many applications from a paint spraygun.
It's brilliant and ideal on wheels, but not so good on body panels which would make them look too thick and stodgy.
body panels are all about a thin coat of colour, lacquer and flatted and buffed to a good shine.
R
(10 Years in the Powder coating business - specialising in wheels)
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