My M5 OEM Shadow Chrome Wheels: Quest for Refurbish Perfection

[Tiauguinho]

The quest for perfection is not an easy one.



The BMW E39 M5 is my Dream Car. I knew that since it was announced, it was engraved in me, set in stone, that one day one would be mine. That day came on the 12th of June of 2008, when I took delivery of my 2001 Le Mans Blue M5 with 106 500km. For these almost two years of ownership, my M5 sees an ungodly amount of attention to Detail. Being it my hobby, the time, cost and diminishing returns are not a concern for me. There are hundreds of hours put into my car, from the leather, to the jeweling of the paint. Even being my daily driver, coming to work with me every day, I want and have my car in perfect shape… But there are always things that need more attention.



Who should I send my wheels to?



As some of you may know, I was on a quest to find the best wheel refurbish shop for my OEM Shadow Chrome Wheels, since my set was not in a state that I was proud of (previous owner enjoyed kissing the curbs). My mains concerns during my search were:



1. Finding a shop able to reproduce the Shadow Chrome Finish

2. Same shop would be able to do QUALITY work, no flaky finish, no excessive orange peel, no wheel repair shop which spits paint on the wheel with a rattle can, etc.

3. Same shop would charge a FAIR price, not too high and not too low, just perfect. With this I mean a price in which both parties are happy with it.



I contacted countless stores here in NL (WheelTrim, Dreamworks, PietDam Velgenreparatie, etc), investigating their prices, pictures of their previous work and the service offered. Got prices ranging from 500 Euros to 1000 Euros (!!), but never felt that they were engaged in working together to reproduce the Shadow Chrome Wheels, just promises that it would be done.



Desperate, I decided to search on DetailingWorld for shops in the UK that do Refurbishments and contacted a few of them (Lepsons and The Autowerks) and I bumped into a thread of a chap that was happy with the Refurbishment done on his Porsche wheels.



This shop was called Rimfurbish and I decided to send my introduction email with the requirements needed for my wheels and a request for a quote and information about their work. After their reply, the fun started





The Company



Matt Ball, Sales Manager of Rimfurbish, is a very patient man... I say that, because since my first email, we have traded a crazy amount of emails (a total of almost 100 emails), with a in depth conversation on how to repair and refurbish these wheels and their technical abilities and expertise as a OE Manufacturer can bring into the game of doing the Shadow Chrome properly. Every technical detail was discussed, we went through tens of photos from this forum and from BMW, we needed to find out exactly which was the Shadow Chrome finish.



We agreed that my wheels would be sent to them, to be better analyzed and start working together (by this time I brought in two other m5 owners into the party) on having the BEST finish for our OEM Shadow Chrome wheels.



Our problem was: Which one is the true OEM Shadow Chrome Finish?



Sure, we know how it looks, but they are all different... And we are talking about how they come from BMW themselves.



Some are lighter:

Some are darker:

If we have a look at the OEM Wheels thread, then we will even see a wider variety of finishes. What a nightmare... After much argument, we opted to go for the darker finish, as it was on all the initial Press Photos from the M5.





My Wheels Before



Here are some pictures of the problems that my wheels had before they were sent. From paint failing, bubbling, scratches, colour differences, curb rashing, they have it all!

I do have to say that packaging these wheels with normal boxes was a challenge and actually quite good fun to put it together.

 

[Tiauguinho]

The Process



After being carried by DHL on a 3 day trip from NL to the UK, they arrived at the Rimfurbish shop to start on the refurbish and repaint.



1. Chemical Stripping



The existing finish is stripped from the surface leaving a bare un-treated raw wheel.

2. Sandblast



It is important to insure that the existing finish is removed from the substrate surface and any corrosion that may have occurred during the life of the wheel.To do this you can either shot blast or sand blast the wheel depending on the levels of corrosion found once the wheel is stripped. This process has the added advantage of providing the perfect surface on which to apply or pre-treatment, primers and paints.

3. Engraving and Preparation



Here the wheels are corrected from their curb rash.

All the wheels that received at Rimfurbish are engraved with a modification number, paint finish & sales order number (mine even came back with my name on them! Ah!). In doing this we have full traceability & visibility on all wheels and orders going through the system as we can be dealing with multiple sets of the same size/design of wheel from a number of different customers. No wheels run risk of being mixed up.

4. Pre-Treatment



All wheels are put through an 11 stage pre-treatment process. This is designed to clean and then convert the surface of the wheel from aluminum, which by nature will corrode and oxidize, to a corrosion resistance substrate. Tanks are used rather than spray systems as this technique guarantees the levels of pre-treatment are consistent and effective.

5. Powder Coat Primer



The powder primers that used are the ones currently developed for wheel manufacturers supplying OE car manufacturers throughout Europe. They are applied using the latest automated equipment employing tribo application technology. The benefit of this being that it enables powder primer to penetrate all the surface area of the wheel no matter how complex the wheel design. As the equipment is automated we are able to control the levels of the thickness of the coating to within + or – 25 microns.



Six guns at different stations are used to apply the powder to the wheels that are mounted horizontally, the wheels are bio-directionally rotated within the powder application area. Once the powder is applied the wheels are transferred by robot to a separate line where they are stoved at 200 degrees centigrade for 20 mins. This will fully cure the coating.

6. Wet Coat Application



The wheels are loaded horizontally onto a conveyer which transports the wheels directly into the wet application booth, the wheels are rotated for application within two distinct application zones. Six HVLP guns which are in pre-set positions apply the waterbourne colour coatings.



Controlling the colour of this particular finish is best achieved by the wheel being sprayed manually rather than automated process mentioned above. The above process produces a much lighter silver than shadow effect that we have achieved on the particular BMW Type 65 wheel design. To insure that each wheel in a set matches another we control the coating within a tolerance limit using master samples.



Once the paint has been applied the wheels continue along the track were they enter a short dry off oven, the wheels run through this zone to evacuate any water used to transfer the wet colour coating to the wheel surface. The wheels are then transferred by robot onto the clear finishing line.

7. Acrylic Clearcoat Application



The acrylic powder is applied applied via two Corona electrostatic powder charge tubes to the feature face of the wheels. The wheels are rotated under each charge tube, the rotation alternates between stations. The wheels leave the clear coat line and enter the transfer enclosure where they are again transferred by robot to the independent conveyer which transports the wheels through the clear powder curing oven.



We use advanced acrylic clear coat application rather than wet lacquers used by other paint operations as this will give the customer a longer lasting finish provided the wheels are looked after and regularly cleaned. Acrylic clear powder coats are fast becoming the recognised leader in the requirements of major OEM customers. The water clear clarity of these coatings, the luster and depth of gloss are visually without parallel. These all add dramatically to the finished product.

8. QC Inspection



The wheels exit the curing oven and are transported to the warehouse through a cooling down loop, this is were the wheels are 100% inspected for appearance

 

[Tiauguinho]

My Wheels Now



The anxiety of receiving these wheels has been immense. That intense feeling of anticipation, as when you are a kid, waiting to destroy the wrapping of that huge present with your name on it, has been lived since my wheels left Rimfurbish... Here is how they arrived and I will give my words at the end.



The packaging is 5 stars, absolutely amazing. My OCD personality loves the packaging!

New stickers and BMW roundels for the wheels were bought and installed.

The Overall Finish is just outstanding! Its so deep!

I did found a flaw! My first name is spelled wrong

Wheels outside in the garden with overcast weather, cant wait to see them in sunny weather!

So awesome!



The Paint levels are consistent, with around 230 microns on the rim and upwards of 380 on the face. I will still measure them tomorrow in full, to check them all properly.

I started the protection preparation, these are the weapons used:



Clayed (didn't pick up anything), Glazed with HD Cleanse and then 3 layers of Poorboys Wheel Sealant will go in each wheel (still working on it).

My Conclusions



This has been a fantastic quest and a great experience. From all the contacts with all the shops, from all the emails traded with Matt from Rimfurbish, to the discussion with Barney and Kumaran on how the Shadow Chrome should look, this has been a really cool learning experience for me as well.



1. I am absolutely gob smacked with how the wheels look now. The finish is deep, rich and wet. The Reflection is true and the orange peel is under control (although some areas have it a bit, but still not too much distortion). Also, no swirls are present (yay!).



Either from close up or from a distance, the wheels look outstanding. The Shadow Chrome looks perfect to my eyes and it was reproduced correctly for all my wheels.



Absolutely amazing and I am super happy with it



2. Customer Service was spectacular! A true example of how to professionally communicate with your customers since the first email





I'm very happy with the results! I sincerely thank the whole Rimfurbish team for their attention, dedication and patience to achieve this finish and to put up with my questions and changes.



Now need to continue on working on my wheels and applying some more layers of Sealant, so I can safeguard this finish for a long time (although they do have a 1 year warranty)!

 

[pmcjr]

What a saga! Congratulations on the M5. I admire you for taking a truly special automobile and giving it the love it deserves.

 

[Tiauguinho]

What a saga! Congratulations on the M5. I admire you for taking a truly special automobile and giving it the love it deserves.

Thank you!



The M5 is my Dream Car and I love it! It is also my daily driver, doing 500km a week with no issues. Best car that I ever owned.



I never posted the detail I did on it here... I actually took a year to do the car... every available weekend I would focus on a panel, taking it to absolute perfection.



You can see the detail here, on the first anniversary that the car had with me: Happy Birthday M5! - 105 pictures of detailing crazyness



Also, pictures of the leather work: Restoring My Leather



Hope you enjoy the fascination I have with this car and the associated OCD

 

[jaynick808]

wow i was looking for a refinishing writeup like this, too bad its in the UK. that shop looks real quality. i wonder what US shops have this level of service.

 

[Tiauguinho]

The weather here is still rainy and overcast... so still no pictures outside under the sunlight.



However, here are some pictures of a front and back wheel, for colour comparison:

I used a playing card, to show off the reflection level from the finish and the amount (or lack) of orange peel:

 

[David Fermani]

Now that Ladies & Gentleman is how you correctly Recondition wheels and why a mobile Rim "Fixer" can't reproduce these results. I'm bookmarking this thread and will link it any time people require it. Thanks so much for this professional & accurate portrayal of a true wheel reconditioning process.

 

[Tiauguinho]

Now that Ladies & Gentleman is how you correctly Recondition wheels and why a mobile Rim "Fixer" can't reproduce these results. I'm bookmarking this thread and will link it any time people require it. Thanks so much for this professional & accurate portrayal of a true wheel reconditioning process.

Thanks for the nice comment

 

[JJ_]

Amazing finish I will keep this in mind for my GTi wheels, as I need them refurbed due to some kerb rashes I could send them when I am on holiday and have nice new wheels for my return.



Excellent!!



How much ££ was it to refurb them ?

 

[MrCLRider]

And my wife thought I was "mad"

 

[POPPAJ]

WOW! Exactly what I've been looking for without much luck here in the states. The closest I've come is Wheel Collision Center in Bath, Pa. Their black chrome powder coat looks similar with a bit more gloss. Anyone have any leads on a US company that can do work like this?

 

[David Fermani]

Anyone have any leads on a US company that can do work like this?

Wheels America

 

[imported_Todd]

Wheels America

Do you have personal experience that Wheels America can duplicate the BMW shadow chrome finish?



In the BMW forum community, none of the well known US wheel finishing companies has reliably replicated the OEM finish.



If you have info otherwise, please share.

 

[David Fermani]

Yes. I've had them recreate many alternative original finishes (excluding chrome). Cost = $109 per wheel.

 

[POPPAJ]

Wheels America

Thanks Super Dave! I've found that franchise quality varies with location, anyone have any specific info on the Chicago location of Wheels America?

 

[E300Diesel]

Thanks to the OP for posting this thread. I thought I was watching an episode of Modern Marvels, as the pictures told the whole story. :goodjob