It is generally advisable to have a professional refurbish your alloy wheels. If your alloy wheels are refurbished by a professional, the tyres are first removed from the wheels. The wheel must then be stripped of the existing finish before any work is done. Car paint chip repair is then taken care of in this process.
The stripping ensures proper adhesion of the applied new finish. It also allows for all damages to be assessed so that repairs can be performed. A special chemical that’s specifically used to strip alloy wheels is applied, which means that you don’t need to worry about the wheels being damaged.
Preparation
Once the stripping has been done, the wheel is then blasted to remove anything likely to remain on the finish. Blasting also helps get rid of any corrosion that might be present within the wheel. It is also beneficial for prepping the wheel for refurbishment.
Any damage on the wheels, such as gouges and scuffs, are inspected and identified for repair. If the wheels have just a light scuff, rubbing them down should be enough. Deeper gashes in the wheels, however, have to be filled and sanded down. It is a process incredibly similar to the bodywork performed on vehicles.
Painting
Once the wheel is smoothed in preparation for refurbishment, the base coat is applied. It is usually a silver metallic paint. The skill level required to do this is one that has to be learned and mastered. Constant practice is the only way to hone this skill.
The painter works their way around the wheel in a clockwise direction. If you were to watch a professional doing this, you will notice that they start at the 6 o’clock point and paint from the centre of the wheel to the rim. They then use this method to paint until they are back to the starting point.
The entire process of refurbishing an alloy wheel must be done fairly quickly so that when the painter gets back to the point where they started the paint will still be wet. This is key to blending the colour together such that the end point is the same colour as the starting point.
Why Use a Professional to Refurbish Your Alloy Wheels?
Besides the need to paint rather quickly, it is also a painstaking process. Wheels are not simple round, flat surfaces. Rather they are three dimensional and this may create a problem for an inexperienced individual when it comes to covering the whole wheel. One of the key problems in the refurbishment of alloy wheels is the paint running after being applied too thickly in certain areas.
As you can see, this requires a certain level of skill to ensure that the wheels end up smooth without any runs or drips. Painters will often use infrared lamps to help dry the base coat. After applying the paint, a clear coat of lacquer is then applied on the wheel to keep the paint looking amazing. It is the final step in the refurbishment of alloy wheels.
Refurbishing alloy wheels can include the use of several colours. Satin black, gold, cream, anthracite, and metallic anthracite are some of the colours that you can choose from. Obviously, as previously mentioned, their standard colours are usually the lowest priced. Refurbishing alloy wheels is not only cheaper than buying new ones, but also could be the answer to improving the appearance of your car.