Restoring BMW Wheels - Need Advice

[Jimmy535i]

Can anyone offer advice on how to restore BMW Alloy Wheels?

I need info on what paint to use.

Where to buy the paint.

How to prepare the wheels before painting.

I have access to spray equipment and I am pretty good
with spray cans too.

I know that Bavarian Autosport offers: Wurth Wheel Paints - Lacquer

(1) Wheel paint - silver is $ 19.95 for 13.5 oz.
(1) Wheel paint - clear is $ 19.95 for 13.5 oz.
Buy both and save $3.00

I need enough paint to do 2 wheels.

Attached is a photo of one of the wheels I need to restore.

I am looking to make them look as good as possible without spending
crazy money.

Thanks for any advice.

[ryan roopnarine]

http://www.bmwtips.com/tipsntricks/wheel-repair/wheel-scuff-repair.htm

[Jimmy535i]

Ryan. Thanks a million for the great link. You are the best. Exactly what I was looking for.

[Bruno]

George did it on his rims.... he did a great job but spent a lot of time doing it.

[DrewZ]

Me! :) Let me know if you can stop by tonight.

Car Care Specialties (http://www.carcareonline.com)in Lodi carries Wurth wheel paint for $16/can. One can of silver and one can of clear should take care of both wheels.

Drew Zacharda
6-speed Touring
http://members.aol.com/apzjd/newavatar.jpg (http://www.bmwe34.net/ASP/DURegistry/RegDetail.asp?id=100)



Can anyone offer advice on how to restore BMW Alloy Wheels?

I need info on what paint to use.

Where to buy the paint.

How to prepare the wheels before painting.

I have access to spray equipment and I am pretty good
with spray cans too.

I know that Bavarian Autosport offers: Wurth Wheel Paints - Lacquer

(1) Wheel paint - silver is $ 19.95 for 13.5 oz.
(1) Wheel paint - clear is $ 19.95 for 13.5 oz.
Buy both and save $3.00

I need enough paint to do 2 wheels.

Attached is a photo of one of the wheels I need to restore.

I am looking to make them look as good as possible without spending
crazy money.

Thanks for any advice.

[Jimmy535i]

Drew.. Your wheels may be butt ugly...But at least they aint bent...I bought a 1990 e34 with two round wheels and 3 square ones. Yep even the spare was bent.

My plan was to pick these up tonight... is 7:30 still good. email me the directions
to my work email.

Too funny.... This world is way to small......

[DrewZ]

The E34 world is very small indeed :)


7:30 is still good. Check your mail for directions.


Drew.. Your wheels may be butt ugly...But at least they aint bent...I bought a 1990 e34 with two round wheels and 3 square ones. Yep even the spare was bent.

My plan was to pick these up tonight... is 7:30 still good. email me the directions
to my work email.

Too funny.... This world is way to small......

[Jimmy535i]

Drew.. Thanks again for the deal.. All I need to do is locate some paint.

[George M]

versus the Wurth lacquer...more durable, readily available at autoparts stores and easier to spray with less polishing to achieve the desired finish.

The paint I used:
BMW Wheel (Basketweave) & center cap Paint:

- Basecoat: Duplicolor Silver WP101
High Performance Wheel Coating

- Clearcoat: Duplicolor Clear HWP103
High Performance Wheel Coating

- Primer: Duplicolor Sandable Primer
(compatible with enamel or lacquer)

HTH,
George
90 735iL/149k

http://members.roadfly.com/georgemann/BweavePaintResize.jpg

Wheels being painted…take note of plastic wrapped around the backside to
eliminate overspray on the inside of the rim.



http://members.roadfly.com/georgemann/BweaveFinished.jpg

The finished result after too many hours .

[Hector]

but never know when something like this might become handy.

[Jimmy535i]

George, Thanks for the help. I will check it out. The Wurth Silver is scarce right now

[Jimmy535i]

Very nice restoration also.

[Tiger]

U can buy Wurth directly from Wurth for cheaper and one can of each is all you need for two wheels... 3 thin coats each

[George M]

Thanks Jim...you will like the Duplicolor paint. Virtually a dead ringer color wise, and the enamel flows much better than lacquer...much less tendency to spray dry therefore less polishing between coats and after completion to achieve that factory finish. Also the price of Duplicolor is less than half that of scarce Wurth paint. As to all painting, you know the score, prep is what it is all about. The basketweaves are quite unforgiving with all their nooks and crannies. If you want a factory look, you have to spend the time to prepare the surface. Also, JB Weld is a great aluminized filler/epoxy for filling any imperfections prior to priming.

Speaking of valued board members M.I.A....here is a procedure I distilled from a series of e-mails corresponding with one of the real good guys...Jr...as of '91 M///5 fame:
If anybody has talked to Jr lately, let me know.
George
This should help as you take this job on:

Jr’s Wheel Refinishing Procedure:

Cleaning the wheels:
Go to your local auto store and buy some Armour All wheel cleaner, you will also need a large soft bristle brush a toothbrush and rubber gloves if you so desire. Spray the cleaner on and let it sit, scrub the large areas with the big brush and use the tooth brush in the smaller areas. It could take repeated treatments, and you might even have to use wheel cleaner with a scotchbrite pad in order to remove the dust, mine was the same way on the insides, it was thick! I ended up using the scotchbrite with the wheel cleaner to finally get it all off.Just don't get carried away and sand through the paint on the backside. Spray cleaner on the area, scrub like hell, flush with water.....repeat until it is clean. Cutting the scotchbrite pads into smaller squares will give you more control over what gets removed. It requires strong hands and fingers to do the complete set. A good final cleaning with alcohol is all that is needed. You want to make sure you have removed all wax and silicones or your finish will get tiny spots or "fish-eyes" where the paint will try to avoid that area. The scrubbing with the wheel cleaner and scotch pads will remove it. The alcohol will remove any dust and kill any wax or silicones that it touches. Clean is the key.


Painting:
I did not use Wurth products, instead, I went to my local paint supply house and purchased a very high silver metallic lacquer spray with the fan trigger specially made for automobiles. I took in one of my center caps and had them match it.
The scotchbright pads were red and green, I used both kinds, but never use them dry, always keep a trickle of water running and use a toothbrush end wrapped in the scotchbrite to get into every nook and cranny that those wheels have. You really have to be in a detail mood for this part of the project, do not get in a hurry and use the valve stem for orientation so you will know where you've been. Just remember that anywhere it isn't scuffed up, the paint won't stick. Two cans of color and one can of clear will do. Just be sure to use Lacquer on both color and clear, no matter what anybody tells you!

The finish on my wheels was so badly worn that primer was showing through in quite a few places, wheel cleaner with the scotchbrite will remove just about anything, but it takes a hell of a lot of rubbing. Just be patient and don't get in a hurry! The preparation is the key. If the old clearcoat is good but patchy, feather sand the area back to the good adhesion area.

Wash the wheels thoroughly, air and towel dry them and let them continue to dry overnight.

Mask off the wheels the next morning carefully, do not paint the hub area where the lug nuts are, cut a circle of cardboard to keep the factory finish intact. Also mask off the back of the wheel, as you do not want to paint the inside of the wheel, if you haven't bought new roundels this is the time, if you have, mask off the centers and spray them separate.

Wipe the wheels with a wet alcohol lint free cloth, they must be perfectly clean. If you plan to spray in a garage, mist the floor to control dust.

When you are finally ready to spray, shake that can of paint for at least 10 minutes, this will give you something to do in between coats also. Test spray each can before you use it, to establish pattern and remove any overbuilt pressure in the can.

Spray the wheels from the outside toward the inner center part first, (do the hard parts first) then do the outsides of the center part while working around the wheel using the valve stem for orientation point. Lastly spray the rims, follow the directions on the can and check that against your test spray area to check flow and consistency.

[Jimmy535i]

George: Thanks again for the advice and sharing your expertise.

[George M]

your welcome Jimmy...just sharing what I learned from other forum members along the way. I am sure you will do the same to help others.
George

[Jimmy535i]

Thanks to all for the Advice

See 4 attached pictures show wheels at various stages.

All the credit for the actual wheel restoration (2 wheels) goes to my brother
George in Flanders, NJ. I think he did a great job as these wheels
look great. He speant a good deal of time in preparation and the result was a great looking wheel. Now my 1990 535i has 5 all new Continental tires on it and beautiful <straight> basket weave rims. Drew thanks for the deal on the two rims.

Here is the procedure he used:

I had sanded down the wheel surface first, to make it smooth. I then
used caustic soda to remove any grease from the surface. I washed them
with soap and water to remove the soda, then rinsed them with water to
remove the car soap. Dried them in the completely in the hot sun. Just
before second prime I lightly sanded with 800 paper, rinsed with water
to remove the dust. Let primer dry completely. I went over the surface
with a lint free cloth, to remove any primer dust, just before painting.
Painting was simply two passes and allowed to dry. The clear was added
right on top with no further surface prep.


Here are the materials:

The primer and the silver paint were purchased from Pelican Parts
http://www.pelicanparts.com

IZ-970310 Einszett Primer (Haft-grund) 400 ml $12.00

IZ-970330 Einszett Silver (Silber) Spray Paint 400 ml,
matches Wurth Metallic Silver $15.00

The clear coat was purchased from Car Care Specialties Inc.
Lodi, NJ. I live in No.NJ so I walked into the store. They
do have a website also.

http://www.carcareonline.com

Product ID: 11323 Wurth Clear Coat Wheel Paint - 400 ml $16.20

Note: Wurth Silber paint is almost impossible get.
The Einszett Silver is a perfect match.

If you are in No NJ you must stop in this Car Care Specialties Shop.
Please leave your spouse at home because I speant a few dollars in this place and got some great detail products and cleaners.

Good luck to all and thank you.

[George M]

Einszett products are excellent. Their detailing products such as polishes are regarded as some of the best in the world. If you want a factory finish however, be prepared to polish the clearcoat to remove orange peel...just like rubbing out a car body after it has been clear coated to make a mirror like surface.
George