Had a bit of an incident yesterday. On the way back from the beach, I took the scenic route and along the way had to go through some roadworks that involved some fairly heavy earthworks. I was following a petrol tanker through and was keeping well back. I caught something out of the corner of my eye and obviously the vibration of the truck passing disturbed a rather large rock that was piled up with its mates in a large bank flanking the road… it rolled down onto the road and I lost sight of it (was about the size of a housebrick ), I swerved to avoid it, but obviously misjudged it and I heard a grating sound as I went past and it’s caught my rear wheel rim. (I guess I should be thankful it didn’t roll into the bodywork!) Inspected the damage and it’s scuffed about a 6-8 inch section of the rim including a few good gouges of the aluminium, so I shall be removing the tyre and taking it in to have the alloy welded/filled.
Of course this then means that I’ll be needing to have the wheel repainted. What is the OEM wheel finish on the S1? Is it a paint or a powdercoat? Has anyone had single-wheels refurbed before or do you generally have to get the whole set of four done so that the repaired wheel matches? I know matte/satin black can be notoriously hard to match
Really pissed off as such a small thing could turn into a rather expensive repair! My wheels could almost do with a universal refurb anyway as I’ve noticed that on the back of the spokes (where you can’t see) some of the paint is flaking due to a bit of corrosion on the alloy.
Why not respray them yourself? IT is not difficult. Just deflate the tyres and loosen them (might need to go to a tyre station) then mask well and spray. Its wheels so any small imperfections will not be noticable and after 5 minutes they will be full of dust anyway.
I agree a good DIY spray job can be just the ticket.
However getting them all powder coated in satin black will give the best results by a mile, plus they will be easier to clean when powder coated as brake dust doesn’t seem to stick so well to powder coat.
I agree a good DIY spray job can be just the ticket.
However getting them all powder coated in satin black will give the best results by a mile, plus they will be easier to clean when powder coated as brake dust doesn’t seem to stick so well to powder coat.
Hi guys,
I was thinking at re-firb of my black S1 wheels too! Looking at the original photos, the OEM finish appears to be gloss black. I have had a few quotes from professional refurb guys… circa � 70 per wheel!
However, I have found a local steel fabricator who will shot blast and powder coat each wheel for just � 20.OO in a matt black… and this finish does not show the dust as much either!
Suggest having a look at fabricators out there… after all metal is metal and powder coating does no know whether it going on a girder or on a wheel!
I agree a good DIY spray job can be just the ticket.
However getting them all powder coated in satin black will give the best results by a mile, plus they will be easier to clean when powder coated as brake dust doesn’t seem to stick so well to powder coat.
Hi guys,
I was thinking at re-firb of my black S1 wheels too! Looking at the original photos, the OEM finish appears to be gloss black. I have had a few quotes from professional refurb guys… circa � 70 per wheel!
However, I have found a local steel fabricator who will shot blast and powder coat each wheel for just � 20.OO in a matt black… and this finish does not show the dust as much either!
Suggest having a look at fabricators out there… after all metal is metal and powder coating does no know whether it going on a girder or on a wheel!
Cheers mate,
Pete.
where was this pete - notice your in midalnds so not far from me.
I agree a good DIY spray job can be just the ticket.
However getting them all powder coated in satin black will give the best results by a mile, plus they will be easier to clean when powder coated as brake dust doesn’t seem to stick so well to powder coat.
Hi guys,
I was thinking at re-firb of my black S1 wheels too! Looking at the original photos, the OEM finish appears to be gloss black. I have had a few quotes from professional refurb guys… circa � 70 per wheel!
However, I have found a local steel fabricator who will shot blast and powder coat each wheel for just � 20.OO in a matt black… and this finish does not show the dust as much either!
Suggest having a look at fabricators out there… after all metal is metal and powder coating does no know whether it going on a girder or on a wheel!
Cheers mate,
Pete.
Be carefull, some people dont respect the anneal temperature of aluminium and take them too high during the curing process - this can leave the wheels without the original strength and they break - this is not a scare story … its a fact I would only use someone experienced with wheel refurbing
I agree a good DIY spray job can be just the ticket.
However getting them all powder coated in satin black will give the best results by a mile, plus they will be easier to clean when powder coated as brake dust doesn’t seem to stick so well to powder coat.
Hi guys,
I was thinking at re-firb of my black S1 wheels too! Looking at the original photos, the OEM finish appears to be gloss black. I have had a few quotes from professional refurb guys… circa � 70 per wheel!
However, I have found a local steel fabricator who will shot blast and powder coat each wheel for just � 20.OO in a matt black… and this finish does not show the dust as much either!
Suggest having a look at fabricators out there… after all metal is metal and powder coating does no know whether it going on a girder or on a wheel!
Cheers mate,
Pete.
Be carefull, some people dont respect the anneal temperature of aluminium and take them too high during the curing process - this can leave the wheels without the original strength and they break - this is not a scare story … its a fact I would only use someone experienced with wheel refurbing
Good advice Andy… I will check out the exact experience of these guys and their knowledge of ally etc…
Does anyone have a photo/paint code of the original Gloss black wheel… mine are all matt now… age and brake dust!
Complaint
RM Coatings Ltd objected to a national press ad for a wheel refurbishment company. Text stated " … POWDER COATING ALLOYS We do not powder coat alloy wheels as this can cause serious stress damage to the alloys, which can result in cracks and buckles to the alloy as they become very brittle, therefore we do not recommend this type of refurbishment for your wheels. We apply manufacturers finish through all our refurbishment process … N.B. For safety reasons do not have your wheels powder coated". The complainants challenged whether the ad was misleading, because they believed it exaggerated the likelihood of alloy wheels being damaged by powder coating processes.
Codes section: 3.1, 7.1, 20.1
Adjudication
Complaint upheld
Wheel Services said the powder coating process took approximately 60 minutes and, during that time, wheels were subjected to temperatures of 200 to 210 degrees Celsius; they said the process caused alloy wheels to expand and contract and therefore subjected the wheel to structural damage. Wheel Services submitted photographs that they believed showed damage to an alloy wheel at temperatures of 149 degrees Celsius. They asserted that powder coating damaged alloy wheels and disagreed that the ad would mislead in the way the complainants suggested.
The ASA noted the complainant’s assertion that the powder coating of alloy wheels could be carried out at temperatures lower than 200 degrees Celsius and, because this was below the ductile region for aluminium alloys, no structural damage would result to the wheel.
The ASA took independent expert advice. We understood from the expert that the powder coating process typically involved temperatures ranging from 175 to 210 degrees Celsius, although some powder coating could also be done at 145 degrees Celsius. We noted the aluminium alloy wheels in question were likely to be made of alloy 6061, which contained elements such as magnesium and silicon to help improve strength and resistance to hot cracking, and that a typical 6061-T6 aluminium alloy wheel would not be expected to suffer a significant decrease in its strength following powder coating that involved temperatures of up to 210 degrees Celsius and for up to 30 minutes. We understood, however, some different alloys could suffer and the thermal history of a previously-used wheel could also mean it had already experienced damage before powder coating. We also noted repeated powder coating of the same wheel could eventually lead to a decrease in strength.
We noted structural damage could occur to a wheel following the powder coating process, depending on the type of aluminium alloy used. Although we considered it reasonable to alert potential customers to this and for Wheel Services to express their opinion on the matter, we considered that the claim “N.B. For safety reasons do not have your wheels powder coated” exaggerated the possible damage that could result to alloy wheels following powder coating and was likely to mislead. We told Wheel Services to remove the claim and advised them to avoid implying that powder coating would definitely result in structural damage to all alloy wheels. We advised Wheel Services to consult the CAP Copy Advice team for help with amending the ad.
George as you are a track day participant and will be up against Mr G and possibly Huskydog You might think it best to do a DIY job with Filler and Satin black which should see you OK until you need a full set refurbed at end of season.
George as you are a track day participant and will be up against Mr G and possibly Huskydog You might think it best to do a DIY job with Filler and Satin black which should see you OK until you need a full set refurbed at end of season.
Running with them, I’d better get a couple of clams on back-order too eh?
Pulled the wheel off the rim, damage is very minor now that I’ve buffed it up. Will re-coat all the rims I think as they could do with a freshen, and at least in future I’ll be able to re-coat them individually as my local powdercoaters will have the correct colour… quite surprised how cheap the powdercoating was, and it should be better than the factory finish
When are you coming down Clive? Will be great to see you again!
NSPCC wouldn’t like what I called Diddy - after he put water in the two stroke oil tank of his brand new scooter - 5 days old and in for an engine rebuild!!!
NSPCC wouldn’t like what I called Diddy - after he put water in the two stroke oil tank of his brand new scooter - 5 days old and in for an engine rebuild!!!
