I am SO crushed. Can I do anything to make it look better? I'm hoping that TireRack will replace the wheel, but without knowing where the damage was done, I do not know if anyone will do anything for me. Are there any products that will help smooth this out?

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=94067

 

I have used touch-up paint on my white wheels. But never on anything that bad. If no one will own up to doing the damage, there are autobody/wheel shops that should be able to fix it.

Mark

 

wannamini- ouch! so is that some surface scratches a long with
the deep scratch that removed the base coat?

The surface scratches will probably come off with mild polish like ScratchX.
the deep scratch will need to be obviously painted.

there are wheel paint touchup service (usually mobile) that comes around
the dealers on a daily basis to 'fix' used cars which chips,etc. ive seen
some painters that wrapped a towel behind the spokes to mask off the
rotor and caliper and started painting while still on the car. This is on an
airbrush so it dries in like 5min and depending on the tech, color match is
pretty good.

try that route first, but if you don't like the turn out i recommend you keep
that wheel as a spare and get another new one with tire mounted. this
way you will always have a backup.

 

Hey Ken. They are ALL deep scratches. My fingernail gets lost in every mark you see there.

 

Sorry to hear about this. I'd guess it happened either at the shop or on the way back--but not from Tire Rack. The last wheel shop I used gouged my white wheels, and that was the last time I went to them--despite going there for years--and mostly because the owner was telling the cheap labor that was working--oh don't worry--it's not a big deal.

Of course the wheel might have falled over--maybe was leaned against a wall, or maybe we stacked on something and got pushed--hard to say really.

As far as repair goes, probably have to sand the clear and respray. Would be a repair similar to paint on your MINI. I've seen repair articles where you could sand, then fill with bondo, and repaint.

But thats why I love my flat black wheels---a sharpie works great to fix scratches. Heck my last curb rash--I can't believe--I've done it 3 times and every time was against a red curb--I sanded the area smooth with some rough sandpaper, then used a black sharpie and colored it back in. In a few days the brake dust will make everything look grey and matte and problem fixed.

Sorry I can't help on this one.

 

WOW. If OG can't help, then you know it's bad. ;-)

 

those touchup guys usually carry spot bondo to fill it and paint.

 

So sorry that happened to you - I love those rims! I hope that you get it worked out - it looks like a tool mark to me. What a bummer....

 

So here's what I am going to do. I will get another tire and wheel. Good to have a spare, eh? If I ever need a tow, just tow it to my house, and put the other tire on. Wait - is there a jack with the S?

Then I will get the damaged one fixed. Save it for when I need it or when another one gets damaged. This way, I always have a backup. I'm so very OCD when it comes to no marks on the wheels...I look at the damaged wheel each day, and I just cringe.

For anyone interested in some drama, the post to which this is linked has a few updates.

Thanks for the compliment, Matt!

 

wannamini- sounds like a great plan!

 

Yep, not only is Wanna a hottie (remember her pic from another thread??), she's also quite bright.

 

aaw, shucks