I have minor curbing on some rims and I want to refinish the wheels my self. I have read several great threads on the process. I plan on fixing the deeper gouges with red fiberglass body filler as I have seen in several other threads. The wheels are currently dismounted with no tires.

Anyway, I think I read that the Wurth silver paint is a dead match for OEM. However I am not sure if I can get it locally and I would rather not have to order cans of spray paint.

Does anybody know what type of stores would carry the Wurth paint?

What about the color match of Dupont silver wheel paint? If I lightly sanding the entire wheel and priming/painting the entire wheel on all for corners of the car would the color be close enough?

Lastly, should I finish it off with clearcoat?

Thanks,
K

 

khd- im not sure about the MINI paint, but i will be testing out the Duplicolor wheel paint "SILVER" some time in June to fix my Legacy's wheels.

i'll put it next to my x-lites and see how close it is to MINI's OE silver.

i believe Griot's wheel repair kit (silver paint and clear) is a close match
to euro 'silver' wheel paint.

 

I was thinking of using the Dupli color as I think Pepboys carries that. Do you have the duplicolor already? Do you want to spray a little on a swash and see how it matches S-lites?

Also, do you think its best to take the wheels down to the bare metal or keep the factory paint on and just sand it smooth?

This document says to strip the paint by having a shop blast them with walnut seeds or glass beeds (not sand blast as that will put micro pits in the metal).

http://www.griotsgarage.com/pdfs/11570.pdf

Kenny

 

not really. i'll let you know when im done with it.

You first remove all waxes and silicones. Im going to use griot's
PaintPrep.

Then you use a 350-400 grit sand paper and sand the clearcoat
so there is something the paint can grab onto. unless you're using
spot bondo like me to do repair, no need to use primer.

wipe off the dust using a damp paper towel.

then do another wipe using a tack towel.

paint. let it dry 10min between coats, and do 2 light coats, one rich
coat.

for these wheel paints, you can clearcoat within the hour if you'd like.
i appears the shrink ratio is the same between the silver and the clear
as the silver contains some gloss in it.

 

Just wondering if you tackled this project yet...if so, what were the results? Comments?

Also, do you know if the V-spokes & S-lites use the same silver color?

 

already did like a month ago. turned out real nice.

the silver is a little yellower and sparklier than the OE silver. probably
want to check out einszett silver wheel paint for german OE paint color.

spot bondo is great. easy to work with.

 

Kenchan,

I backed into a curb this week and have scratched my 2006 S-Lites. Is the Duplicolor a close match? Can I buy it (and the clearcoat) from an auto supply store, order it, or buy from the dealer?

Sissy

 

the duplicolor is a yellow-ish hue vs the stock silver. I would try this
instead:

http://www.properautocare.com/wheelpaint.html

 

Kenchan,

Thanks so much. I'll order their Touch-Up kit. Couple of questions. I have some very fine, emery type paper that I used in silver jewelry construction. Should I lightly sand the scuffs with this first? And, will their clear laquer subsitute adequately for a clear coat?

Sissy

 

if it's a light scuff i would use 400-600grit sand paper to give the
fresh paint something to grab onto. just don't press down too
hard on the sandpaper. You don't want grooves.

make sure you degrease it with alcohol/paintprep etc. and possibly
use a tack towel if you have one to remove all dust before spraying.

the laquer should do the trick. I remember reading some people used
Griot's old laquer top coat and was happy with it. I believe the duplicolor
i use is enamel based.

remember, rich coats needed for the final coat. otherwise the finish
turns powderly-like texture and not smooth. you can use some
compound at the very end (wait a week) such as ScratchX to polish
it to a very smooth shine. take your time.

 

Kenchan,
It's a light scuff except for a small spot about the size of the head of a pin where the paint appears to have "popped" off leaving a perfect circle of bare metal. I'll gather supplies and take time repairing it. I couldn't order the einszette bundle online because it appears to be on backorder, but I'm off work tomorrow and will call to place an order.

This really sucks. I've driven cars with cheap-a$$ wheel covers for 50 years and have never rubbed a wheel on a curb till now. Guess I'll just hafta get over it. Thanks for mentoring all of us on NAM.

Sissy

 

^^ yah, these scuffs happen, unfortunately. your dealer might have
a repair guy coming around that could do a spot fix for you for a small
fee. if the store is on backorder, it might not hurt to check with them too.

i've had my share of painful gauging... hehe..thanks to the wifey.

 

Ha! That's funny. We're just the opposite here. My hubby is the one who scrapes posts/curbs. I've given him so much grief over the years that I'll be getting payback if he sees my wheel. Naturally, I'm not saying a word. I'll get it fixed before he sees it.

 

ooo~ blackmail material i see.

 

Is it possible to sand these out with a Dremel?

 

Kenchan,

I called ProperAutoCare this morning and was able to place an order for their Wheel Touch Up Kit. They told me that the product came in yesterday. Thanks for the recommendation.

Sissy

 

^^ sounds good! please keep us posted.

 

you can, but it's better to have a flat surface...ie, sand paper.

 

screwed up with a Dremel tool than anything else in the toolbox (except for maybe vice-grips). I'm not saying I don't use them...just that in this application, wet & dry sandpaper with a sanding block formed to the correct contour will probably yield a superior result.