tegwin
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| posted on 6/4/08 at 01:27 PM |
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Refurbishing split rims
I have a 2001 polo GTI with the standard BBS RXII split rims on it....
As with all of these wheels, the laquer has lifted causing the wheels to start corroding....Mainly on the rims, but the centers are pretty minging as
well!
Origionally the rims would have had an almost chrome like polishy shine and the centers would have been gloss silver...
Now, I can get the centers blasted and re-powdercoated, but im not sure what to have done to the rims to return them to standard...
I know a lot of people recomend having them "diamond cut", but im not convinced that this finish will be durable in the UK climate....
Does anyone know what the standard finish of the rims would have been? Or perhaps recomend a finish that would do the job better?
I dont supose anyone knows of any companies who could take on such a specialised job in the Herefordshire, Worcestershire, B-Ham area??
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viatron
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| posted on 6/4/08 at 01:32 PM |
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try:
http://www.motorbase.com/contact/by-id/1252/
used them a couple of times and was happy with the job they did, reasonably priced as well
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Mark Allanson
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| posted on 6/4/08 at 02:14 PM |
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Don't try to remove the rim set screws, they just shatter
If you can keep you head, whilst all others around you are losing theirs, you are not fully aware of the situation
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Hadders
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| posted on 6/4/08 at 03:57 PM |
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What you are describing is the orginal finish. The centres are primed and painted just like your bodywork and the rims are diamond cut (effectively
turned down on a lathe back to bright metal) then the whole lot is lacquered straight over the top.
This is your problem and we see it all the time when asked to refurbish wheels. We repair the painted parts, but don't touch diamond cut areas.
Paints need a surface to be keyed before they will adhere properly and diamond cut area is too smooth. Get a pin-prick hole in the lacquer coat and
water gets underneath along with a pretty strong chemical cocktail from grime and brake dust etc and your lacquer blooms and flakes off.
If you want the same finish then there are companies who you can send your wheels to who will do a good job, but this will happen again sometime.
Sorry I haven't used any myself so can't recommend any one company. The only way to avoid it is to paint or powder coat the whole wheel,
but of course this won't look original. Or if you don't mind polishing them evey weekend, just leave the rim as plain metal. They'll
look great but needs loads of TLC.
HTH
Cheers
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tegwin
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| posted on 6/4/08 at 04:58 PM |
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Hmmm...Thats a pain...
I can live with scruffy wheels, im just worried that the corosion on the rim is going to weaken the wheels?!?!
How long should a diamond cut and laquered rim last?
And Mark....What makes you think they will shatter? They must come out somehow otherwise you would never be able to repaint the centers!
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Would the last person who leaves the country please switch off the lights and close the door!
www.verticalhorizonsmedia.tv
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Hadders
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| posted on 6/4/08 at 07:27 PM |
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I doubt surface corrosion will weaken the wheels that much, but i'm no engineer. People use 30 year old Capri and RS wheels to race on for
example.
More important i would guess are shock and bending loads transmitted through the rim from heavy kerbing. I've seen stress fractures on wheels
that were so bad that I refused to work on them as I felt they should be replaced.
Regarding how long they will last, could last a couple of years, could last one winter. Depends on usage. I've seen wheels from a couple of year
old Mondeo in much worse condition than a number of old BMW's so there's no particular lifespan as such. When we repair painted wheels, we
tend to put a more coats of lacquer on them than required in order to help prolong their life.
Think Mark maybe refering to corrosion between rim and bolts mean they can snap off?
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Hellfire
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| posted on 7/4/08 at 05:54 PM |
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Hadders, you have U2U
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