The Alloy Wheel Refurbishment Process
It is best for a professional to do alloy wheel refurbishment and car damage repair. When your alloy wheels are refurbished by a professional, they will take the tyres off of the wheels. Before any work can be done, the wheel must first be stripped of its existing finish. That allows the new finish to adhere effectively. Damages can also be assessed that may need to be repaired. A chemical that has been approved to strip alloy wheels will be used so you don’t need to worry that the wheels will be damaged during the process.
Preparation – Alloy Wheel Refurbishment
Once the stripping process is complete, the wheels are blasted to remove any remaining finish. It is also useful to remove any corrosion inside the wheel and to get the wheel prepared for the alloy wheel refurbishment process. The wheels will be inspected for damage such as gouges and scuffs and potential repairs will be noted. If the wheels just have a slight scuff, it should be sufficient to just rub them down. If the wheels have deeper gashes, they will have to be filled and then sanded. It is similar to the bodywork process done on cars.
Painting – Alloy Wheel Refurbishment
Once the whole wheel has been smoothed to prepare it for the alloy wheel refurbishment process, usually a base coat is applied. Normally, silver metallic paint is used. The skill level that is necessary to do it must be learned. The best way that this skill can be learned is by practising.
The individual who is doing the painting works clockwise around the wheel. A professional will start the process in the 6 o’clock position and then paint from the middle of the wheel over to the rim. They will continue to use the method and continue painting until they reach the starting point once again.
The entire alloy wheel refurbishment process needs to be done quickly so the paint is still wet cone the painter makes it back to the starting point. This is key for blending together the colour so that the beginning and ending points are the same colour.
Why A Professional Should Be Used – Alloy Wheel Refurbishment
The painting not only needs to be done fairly quickly, but it is also a painstaking process. Wheels are just flat, simple round surfaces. Instead, they are three-dimensional. This can cause a problem for an inexperienced person in terms of covering the whole wheel. A major problem with alloy wheel refurbishment is running paint due to being too thickly applied in certain spots.
It takes a certain level of skill to ensure that the wheels contain no runs or drips and end up being completely smooth. Infra-red lamps will often be used by painters to help dry out the base coat. After the paint is applied, there will be a clear lacquer coat applied on the wheel so that the paint continues to look great. That is the final alloy wheel refurbishment step.
Using several colours can be included in the wheel refurbishment process. A few of the colours that you can choose from include metallic anthracite, anthracite, metallic black, satin black, gold, and cream. Standard colours are of course the least expensive. Alloy wheel refurbishment can definitely improve your car’s appearance and definitely costs less than buying new wheels.
Learn more about the alloy wheel refurbishment process.