guys, i struggled with replacing my OEM R83 silver 5 spokes with aftermarket rims but, i need to slow down on the MINI mods and spending . and i really like the R83's and most OEM rims for some weird reason .

i looked into purchasing 2nd hand or new R83's from MINI but, still, the prices of $400-$700+ put me off.

the previous owner had done some REAL nice rashing on all 4 rims. especially the rear driver's side which was rashed ALL the way around. weird. most rash is on the passenger side (blind side) due to hitting the curb while parking. wonder how they got the drivers side so bad?

anyway, i found a guy on craigslist named Ethan and he charged me $125 to refinish all 4 wheels. the results are amazing and he came to me. the rims look totally new and the color match is perfect. perfect job and he even let me know what the color of the interior (silver) downtubes are and where to get paint to redo them! he also told me he can restore and do wheels in different colors. i stuck with the OEM silver though.

so i just thought anyone looking for getting their rim rash repaired might be searching for someone decent. if so let me know and i can give you his info. i have no affiliation with the guy but, figured someone else around here needed their rims redone. and he was a good guy too.

 

Did you take any before and after pictures?

 

i took some befores. i haven't take any afters but i can. give me a few!

 

ok. here are some before and afters. not the best and definitely not the worst . rims look great IMO. in the afters there is a little black dot on the bottom of the rim, it's a little piece of dirt (EDIT- it's a BUG) or something not a missed spot by the rim guy. you can also see the nubs on my tires too- those aren't missed spots- just my tire nubs .

this is my passenger front rim. it wasn't the worst rim but you can see the difference. but, you can see in the befores the rash is pretty good- some good chunks missing from the rim and some rash around a lot of the edges. this was the easiest wheel for me to take pics of.

before:




after

 

So is the paint for the downtubes readily available? I've got some minor scuff marks on mine that need a new coat of paint. Glad to hear you got your wheels fixed. My factory white S-lites (S-heavies lol) have some minor curb rash that I'd like to have fixed.

 

paint info he gave me was - dupont chroma base 435-23k. he also said i could swing by ray's auto paint and supplies on lankershim in north hollywood and he would double check the color vs. the downtubes and mix a batch for a spray can. probably about $20 a can.

haven't done it yet but, that's my next thing. also going to clearcoat them so they match the dash better and are more durable. don't know why they didn't clear coat the door bars and downtubes. stupid...

 

oh well you're in alaska . any body paint supply can mix it for you. he just recommended having them double check because the color on the interior is a match to the silver wheels but has a smaller "flake" to it. but, thats the color code. looking online you can get the dupont chroma base in cans. google= dupont chromabase.

 

Those look great! Thanks for posting the pictures!

 

thanks! i'm very happy with the job he did and the price was great. most of all he save my beloved R83's .

his name is ethan rogowski and his company name is accurate alloy. his number is: 323-422-3336. i told him i would pass his name onto other MINI owners so give the guy a call if you need work done. he'll come out the next day.

he's a good guy and was polite and honest and cleaned up after himself. again no affiliation to the man whatsoever. i found him on craigslist and gave it a shot.

 

sweet....my BMW needs some loving too!
I love it when I hear good stories from craigslist!!! =)

 

yeah he seems like a good, honest guy. he was on his way after he left me to paint some BMW's rims black so he does custom colors, etc. said he could do any color wanted. not sure what the fee is on that though. imagine it would be reasonable.

NOW i'm really noticing that gap there in the wheel wells. jeez i don't need to spend any more money on a suspension drop do i?

 

Yes! Drop it!!!

 

another $300 or so... maybe in a few months.

 

The previous owner went through too many McDonald's drive-thrus.

 

guess so. wow McD's kills your car too!

 

i wonder if he can do 2pc rims...i want to get my R90's worked on

 

give him a call he said he did it all except for straightening and welding.

 

as far as downtube paint, i contacted pete over at minspeed (great guy) and he is mixing a test batch for me to try out as a beta.

i'm way too busy at work to get over to the body supply. but, after i paint the tubes and if it is a good match- he will begin stocking the silver interior paint! so we have hope for restoring our down and door bar tubes.

 

Just spoke to Ethan. He can do all types of wheels, even 2pc wheels. His shop is in Alhambra CA, however he can pretty much do everything via mobile service (assuming its curb rash vs driving into the curb going 25mph). He prefers to do the smaller jobs without taking the tire off the rim (which should help in keeping costs down and simplifying the process). His prices seem reasonable . . . . I'm trying to make appt with him. I'll let everyone know how things turn out. 02Doooce.

 

For more serious repair, such as cracked rim, etc. I highly recommend Wheel Collesion Center in Bath, PA. 800-292-7467. They repaired two cracked wheels from my E55 AMG -- I could not find the repairs when the wheels were returned to me. Not cheap, but heck of a lot less expensive than new OEM wheel at $800+ each. Have run the repaired wheels for over 25,000 miles now with no problems whatsoever.

 

awesome. did you let him know i recommended him? just let him know the guy w/ the blue MINI he did last week. let us know how it turns out.

 

I'm trying to set an appointment with him. I will be sure to remind him who referred me. 02Doooce.

 

Hmm... I wonder how he repairs the curb rash with the tire still on the rim? Liquid metal, sand to a smooth finish, and repaint?

-B

 

Hi All,

Ethan came over to my house today to repair my Mini's Wheel and 4 of my BMW wheels. He did an awesome job, and is soo nice too. He usually doesn't work on Sunday's but it was the only day that I could do it for months, so he did me a huge favor by coming to my house on his day off.

He did 4 of 5 of my BMW wheels, and suggested that I wait to do the Mini because it wasn't that bad.

3 of the wheels were really bad, and were gouged pretty deep from when I got a flat tire and the yahoo that changed it slipped the with the tire iron.

I did say that someone from NAM recommended him, and he remembered that he had just done a Blue Mini

Oh yeah, he basically smooths out the rash, sands it down all the way around the rim, to blend it, paints it, then clear coats it. 3 out of 4 wheels I can't even tell he fixed them. 1 of them, was pretty bad, and you can only tell if you look really really close and know where the gouge was in the first place.

Here's some pictures of the worst tire. You can barely tell that it was fixed all.

Before



Joanne

After:

 

thanks for sharing...those are the same wheels i have on my BMW, i'm looking to get some work done. What was the cost? Thanks!!