Tires, Wheels, & Brakes Discussion about wheels, tires, and brakes for the new MINI.

Painting Wheels - A Question from a Novice

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Old 03-22-2013, 01:11 PM
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Painting Wheels - A Question from a Novice

Hey All,

Bought a used MCS Camden edition and it has a set of wheels that is only found on this particular model. I wanted to have the wheels painted black to get more pop out of the silver paint on the body and it turns out the dealer said it couldn't be done b/c the wheels are made of chrome metal and not another metal like alloy or steel. According to the GM at the dealership, they have wheels painted all the time, but this particular set is going to chip down the line.

Anyone have experience with something similar? I thought painting wheels was not that difficult, but I guess I was wrong.

I wanted to have them finished in a semi-gloss black, but now I'm thinking of going PlastiDip to see if I like the look of black though I don't care too much for the matte finish.
 
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Old 03-22-2013, 02:15 PM
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Chrome can be painted over but it's a more involved process, adding material and labor(basically a specific etching primer and even then some people get it wrong). Also, since the paint is adhering to the chrome instead of the steel/aluminum, if the chrome was already failing, the paint will chip along.

Why don't you just powdercoat them? Get a place to chemically remove the chrome and then get it powdercoated.. It lasts longer and is cheaper than paint.
 
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Old 03-23-2013, 11:19 AM
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Do your wheels look like this?
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/revie...#photo-3106099

You might talk to a wheel painting specialist, ask about painting over chrome or removing the chrome finish by sand blasting then painting.

see
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=46583
 
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Old 03-23-2013, 02:42 PM
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Have them powder coated.
 
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Old 03-23-2013, 05:33 PM
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Buy black wheels, sell your chrome ones.
 
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