payneinthe

I borrowed a buddy's wheels for an autocross. When I borrowed the wheels, they were covered in brake dust. When I returned them, I cleaned them up for him and found the wheels had some minor scratches in the clear coat. Since the scratches were discovered after the autocross, I am now on the hook to fix them.

I took the wheels to one wheel shop that said the damage was too minor for him to be able to deal with. He felt they should be wet-sanded. So, I took the wheels to a body shop. According to the body shop manager, the wheels have a "powder-coat clear finish" and would have to be redone via powder coating at $180 per wheel.

What's the truth? Can the damage be fixed by wet sanding? Or will it require powder coating to get them back to new? How much do brand new wheels from the dealer cost again?

payneinthe

Bump. I need to get these wheels fixed. It's taken me WAY long already. Anyone have any input?

Gloffer

Take the wheels to a few local tire shops. Tire shops use wheel refinishers for the few wheels that they might damage in the thousands of tires they mount over the course of a year.

One of them is bound to have a line on a good wheel refinisher. Some of the refinishers actually work out of a truck and will go to the tire shop as requested. If the damaged wheels are stock, they aren't powder-coated, but AFAIK they are clear coated.

My understanding is that wheel refinishers will strip the old clear coat and maybe the paint underneath if necessary. And then completly redo the wheels. I have been quoted a price of $100/wheel to this. I have also heard a price as low as $50/wheel. The $100/wheel guy told me you get what you pay for, go figure. Last time I checked HandA.com had a price for new wheels around $350 per wheel.

payneinthe

Great idea on contacting a tire shop. I'll give Tireguy a call in the morning

I am pretty sure the body shop manager is full of it when he says the clearcoat is powder-coated on, but I need to be absolutely sure I'm fixing them the right way.

Voodoo_S2K

The stock S2000 wheels are infact powercoated. I've personally sandblaster the finish off before and was getting shocked to hell. This only happens if the finish is powercoated, not painted.

payneinthe

Jeez... $400 for a bunch of scratches I'm not even sure if I created