rpg51

I have a set of JDM BBS ap1 wheels that I would like to refinish (strip, paint and clearcoat). All of the wheel refinishers I have found tell me that will refinish only the face of the wheel and they cannot repaint the center caps. I would like to have the entire wheel repainted and I definitely need to have the center caps repainted. Do any of you have a suggest of how I can go about finding somewone to do this work in a professional way?

Vanishing Point

I would do the repainting myself, you can scotchbrite the wheels, prime and paint far cheaper than a shop would charge. The center caps you may have to replace if they are in bad shape, and i believe the OEM one's are still available. Use a dedicated wheel cleaner (Sonax Plus) to remove the brake dust/etc.before using the scotchbrite pads to scuff the original finish. Then use a tack cloth prior to priming and painting the wheels. Once dry, apply several coats of clear. Here's a site that can supply the paint and supplies for the job.

Honda S2000 Touch Up Paint - for S2000 Paint Repairs - PaintScratch.com

rpg51

That is a great link you gave. I will use it for other paint issues for sure. Thanks for posting it.
I am not inclined to repaint these wheels myself. I know it would be much cheaper, but I don't have a lot of confidence in my ability to do a first class job. I'm going to keep searching for a professional to do it. But, this is certainly an option if I come up dry.

Vanishing Point

Having the wheels powder coated might be an option if you have someone that can do a close color match.

rpg51

I'm not sure about the wisdom of powder coat for these super light weight forged alloy wheels. I'm going to stick with paint.

Vanishing Point

No problem. Just a FYI there is low heat (sub-300 degree) curing for aluminum wheels. The process takes longer to cure and prevents annealing.

rpg51

Are you referring to curing powder coat? Or paint?

There is a school of thought that powder coating exposes alloy wheels to excessive heat and that it reduces the structural integrity of the wheel. I am frankly skeptical about this - but some definitely believe it and there is stuff all over this forum and elsewhere on it.

Vanishing Point

Powered coating, the low heat baking process is done at reduced heat over an extended period of time. The problem may be finding a good match color wise in powder coating so for your particular case I would stay with a OEM paint.

rpg51

Interesting. I had not heard of that slow bake process for powder coat.

sam_spider

You may find yourself very limited if you try to stick with paint instead of powder coating. I looked for ages to find someone (company) who would paint my Volks, and ended up going with powder. I went to a place in Columbus OH that only does wheels, they use glass beads to remove the original finish, and then use the low temp powder.

You may want to check with dealerships that have a wheel company come out and fix wheels, as I know they do paint repairs, but they are typically limited in colors.