DIY- How to cheaply refinish wheels?

D

Denton

New member
Hi,



I'm a dedicated BMW geek and have a 1995 525i, and a few other older Bimmers. Anyways, I've stumbled upon a set of Borbets locally that need attention. I can get them for quite cheap, and I've always loved the 80's-riffic look of them! :cooleek:



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They're terrible pictures, I know. I'll try to get better/more revealing pics. Not sure if there is curbing (I'm sure there is).



Basically, I'm not looking to win a Concours with these wheels, just want to VERY cheaply restore them. The point is to give me a project to undertake over Christmas break. Lots of elbow grease is fine.



Is there a special way to do this? I was hoping I could just wetsand/Simple Green/Clay/Polish but is there any more to this?



Thanks!
 
Okay, I'll approach this from another angle.



Is it worth it to tackle these wheels? I'm not too sure...I'd want to resell them.
 
Well basically, if the wheels are clear coated, I would treat it like car paint. Wash, clay, and use an agressive polish on it to bring out the shine. Basically, if you like the style of the wheels and they are in good physical shape I say go for it. Another possible option if you can't revive their finish would to have them powdercoated or you could try the wheel refinishing paint by Wurth, I hear it is pretty good stuff!
 
If the clearcoat is in poor condition, you could strip it off with aircraft paint remover. Then polish them and maybe put new clearcoat on.
 
Thanks for the replies.



I'm now thinking about either redoing it like it was, or taking sandpaper and polishing the entire wheel.



Suggestions? Not sure about what to do about the center cap. Hmmm...
 
These wheels are a classic (especially in the vw scene), definitely worth refinishing. I have been searching for a set on ebay for months. Any progress on these?
 
There are people out there that will refinish the wheels for you. They do it for dealers all the time. Some places are cheap , some are expensive, you will have to search.
 
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