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Refurbishing corroded alloy wheels


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At least 2 of the winter wheels on the Civic have really bad corrosion so I'd like to sort them out. The tyres are still ok so I'll be leaving them on while I do this but how can I do this myself using the quickest/easiest method? I'm not too fussed about the overall finish just want to tidy them up.

 

I can get a set of rims on ebay with kerbing but no corrosion for between £40-£70 but that means having to get the tyres swapped over. It would be easier to replace the rims when the tyres needs doing as well to save any mucking about.

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It wouldn't cost much to have the tyres changed over mate.

 

If you pay the going rate it would, mates rate maybe not but the tyres are half worn now so won't be on for much longer. I found 4 wheels with no tyres in Essex for £35 but they have alot more kerbing compared to ours so I'd just be replacing one defect for another.

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Self refurb if you're not worried about the ultimate finish isn't actually that difficult. Bit like painting anything, just prep the area, primer and paint. Then some clear lacquer on top.

 

I was in the middle of having a go at polishing the edges on my old IS wheels - sold them before I finished but even that wasn't impossible, just a little time consuming.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Got these off the car today and cleaned them. Two of them have bad corrosion, two have bubbling but it's not flaked off yet.

 

If I use a knife to scrap all the flaky paint off then use some wet and dry to rub it down could I just use hammerite on those areas or would the colour difference be very noticeable?

 

I don't want to spend ages sorting them, just a quick tidy up so they don't look so bad until I've found some replacements.

 

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Thanks I'll have a look then, I take it I'd need lacquer on top of that as well? I have a can already but it's a few years old, do they go off if not used?

 

I can't believe how badly corroded these are, they were the wheels that came with the car. The other set that have the summer tyres on have no corrosion at all. I don't really want to buy another set and have the hassle of swapping tyres until they actually need replacing.

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Thanks I'll have a look then, I take it I'd need lacquer on top of that as well? I have a can already but it's a few years old, do they go off if not used?

 

I can't believe how badly corroded these are, they were the wheels that came with the car. The other set that have the summer tyres on have no corrosion at all. I don't really want to buy another set and have the hassle of swapping tyres until they actually need replacing.

 

The lacquer would make the surface harder, but I doubt it'll be vital if you're not going for a perfect finish. In some ways leaving it off would make it easy for you to retreat them in a few years if the same happens again! Not sure if it goes off, I have a can of lacquer that I've used on my calipers 5 years apart and it worked fine the second time as well.

 

I'm actually more surprised that your other set has no corrosion on! The wheels on our Lexus and Merc are both quite corroded now, need to get them refurbed at some point.

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I'll get some of this then and give it a go, I can't make it look any worse!

 

The Civic wheels I bought for the Accord also have no corrosion, just a little kerbing so I guess it might depend on how clean they're kept? Or is it kerbing that leads to corrosion once water has got in under the paint?

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That paint should work, and yes anything will make that look better. Maintenance is crucial, the wheels on our cars looked a lot better when I used to clean them more often!

 

I don't think kerbing is necessarily a big problem, the Merc for example has some kerbing but the faces of the wheels still look fine. It's the back of the wheels that have corroded really badly, most of the paint has come off!

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I admit I have been slacking when it comes to cleaning the cars but the wheels had abit of corrosion when we bought it so it's probably just got worse over time.

 

The insides are also flaking so I'll have to do those as well to stop it getting worse.

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Y'know, for the state they are and the amount of work that needs dong to them to make them even half decent, I'd be looking for a cheap powder coating company to do a deal on them. There's a company not far from me who do basic refurbs at £1 an inch (plus vat) so a set of 4 x 16" wheel would cost you £77. Haggle a cash job and lose the vat makes it £65. If I was looking for a tidying up job rather than a proper refurb, then £65 for 4 wheels is a great deal.

 

As for that Halfords silver wheel paint, a few years ago I thought the same as you and decided to give my steel wheels a refinish. Stripped all the flaking paint off with a drill & wire brush & sandpaper, primered, 4 or 5 coats of said paint, and next year they were as bad as before. Complete waste of three days, my finger ends, and about £20 worth of paint and equipment. Never again.

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Can't believe that price, it would be cheaper to courier them there and back than get it done down here! Do they refurb them as well or just sandblast and powdercoat with kerbing?

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  • 5 months later...

Guess what! I put these in the shed so I could do them over the summer and forgot! The missus is gonna kill me! :lol:

 

Have I left it too late to be spraying them as it's quite damp out there now?

 

I have also read some people have used paint stripper to take alloys back to bare metal. It seems expensive though so probably won't bother with that.

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  • 1 year later...

Well I obviously didn't do these as the car was sold but I have bought a set of rims for the Lexus. They don't have corrosion but do have kerbing around the edge of the rim, most of the spokes are ok.

 

Could I smooth the kerbing with my dremel and a grinder to make it look a bit better or would I be risking them corroding or cause more damage doing this? I'll get some photos when I can.

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