So made a major dumb mistake of buying wheels that were plasti-dipped. Yeah I know I’m stupid. Basically wanted ap2 v1 wheels for my ap1 and found some on FB marketplace meet up with the guy and bought them. Few days later started peeling off the plasti dip and revealed the damage underneath. 1 out of the 4 was very bad, 2 were damaged but not as bad as 1st one and 4th wheel was in pretty decent condition. I wanted to know what steps would I have to take to get this fixed? I’m thrown off by the surface texture of these wheels, in the areas that are clean they feel glossy/smooth unlike metal idk if that’s normal. And in some damaged areas I can see some sort of layer flaking off. Idk what to do first I know I can sand them down and bondo it like you would with any wheel but thought I’d hear some advice first. Thanks.

Worst

Bad but not awful

 

Would Just paint like a normal wheel,most have done that way, including mine

 

like straight up paint without sanding it or filler?

 

No, rub them down,maybe get a pro !

 

Is redipping/coating them in silver an option?

There are several YouTube videos on wheel refinishing and probably some here. Lots of hand labor. Gotta remove the tires first too. If I was doing this it would take me weeks .

Professional wheel refinisher can do this job easily with your only labor being to get the wheels over there. Alloy Wheel Repair Specialists seems to be a franchise with locations "everywhere" and various company names. I found the Seattle shop via the Richmond shop's webpage. Ain't cheap. I recall paying $170 or so for one wheel here in Richmond. In my case they matched the color to my other wheels as the Honda paint code was just a little off after 13 years in the elements. Shop also made sure the wheel was straight and true something I doubt can be done in the driveway at home.

-- Chuck

 

It depends on how you use your car. If it's just for street driving, a refinishing service is fine. If you're using it for Autox or track days with aggressive brake pads, the brake dust is hot enough to soften and embed into the clear coat. In that case I'd recommend taking them to a powdercoating service. They'll sandblast the wheels and bake on a coating with a much higher melting point that the brake dust can't touch. The finish is also much tougher than paint. I'd also recommend getting quotes from both to compare the cost.

 

+1 for AWRS. They did all 4 of the AP2v1 wheels for my AP1 and they are beautiful. Sure it was damn near $500 for all 4 wheels, but they look brand new (note that was to remove the old tires, refurbish the wheels, mount new tires I supplied and and balance them). A few weeks after putting them on the car I was getting gas and the woman on the next pump over mentioned she worked for Honda and said how impressed she was with my car. Then she looked down and commented how nice my wheels were. I thanked her and told her they were my latest restoration "project"!

 

+1 professional powder coating. I ordered a set of the same wheels from a guy in Florida that were way worse than he let on or showed in the pictures. I loved the wheels and knew I would have them a while so it was worth it for me to pay the money. Superior finish to even OEM and it’s very impressive having the barrel of the wheel as glossy as the exterior.

 

those look beautiful man, in the process of fixing up mine and gonna paint them white. dont care too much about having them looking super good just place holders till i can afford some wheels