The alloy wheel is scratched, what should I do? We restore chips on alloy wheels with our own hands (9 photos)
If you are worried that chips and scratches have appeared on the rims of your car, which inappropriately spoil the appearance, and the weight of your wallet does not allow you to entrust cosmetic repairs to specialists - do not worry! You can solve this problem yourself.
You will need the following:
1) Our scratched discs
2) Two-component epoxy paste
The color doesn’t really matter, since we will be painting it over. True, if it is too bright it may show through, in which case you will have to prime it with a primer before painting. I used white paste so there was no need to prime.
3) Sanding paper with grit 300-400. And a finer 600 grit
4) Adhesive tape, if you are not going to remove the rubber from the disk
5) A can of paint and varnish. There are a lot of paints on sale that are not much different in color from the old coating. Everything is according to your taste and wallet.
Use 300-400 grit sandpaper to clean the area of the scratches so that you don’t feel any bumps to the touch.
To avoid staining the rubber during painting, cover it with tape.
Mix components A and B of the epoxy paste in a ratio of one to one. We apply it to the cleaned scratches so that it completely fills them from the inside, and there is only a thin layer on top.
Let's dry it. The longer the better. If we want to speed up the process a little, we can use heat (for example, place a regular incandescent lamp or an electric fan closer).
After the epoxy has dried, we clean it with fine sanding paper before painting. Everything should be perfectly smooth, both in appearance and to the touch.
The next step is painting. It’s very easy to do this using a can - after shaking it well, we spray the paint in thin layers of 20-30 cm. We try to avoid any noticeable transitions; to do this, we apply two or three layers in total, drying each for about half an hour. To prevent dust from getting on the fresh paint, it is best to paint in a pre-humidified room.
After the paint has dried, apply the varnish in two layers, just as in the case of paint, let it dry for about half an hour between applying layers. After the top layer, we dry it for longer (you can again reduce the time by resorting to heat sources).
When everything is completely dry, moisten the fine sanding paper itself with water and, barely touching it, smooth out the varnished area.
The disc can be polished to create the perfect factory shine.
Even experienced drivers will press the curb so hard that they will scratch their alloy wheels. The situation is very common. Of course, this is not critical, you can drive like this, but it is better to make a little effort and remove visible scratches. It's not difficult, you don't even have to remove the wheel.
Will need
- Windshield cleaner or any other detergent and degreaser.
- Sandpaper.
- Felt or wool for polishing.
- Primer.
- Silver paint.
- Protective varnish.
Removing scratches on alloy wheels yourself
As I already said, it is not necessary to remove the wheel and sort it. Although it would not be superfluous to check its balancing after mechanical impact, this is at your discretion.The first step is to clean the disc from dirt and degrease. A glass cleaner that will kill two birds with one stone is perfect for this.
Now you need to remove the scratches. We take coarse sandpaper and go through it until visible marks are completely removed.
Next, you need to smooth the surface and for this we polish with wool or felt, smoothing out the sharp edges after sanding.
Cover the tire with paper to protect it from paint.
Using a spray primer, prime the surface before applying paint. It is advisable to apply 3-4 layers. After this, you need to wait 10 minutes and, if necessary, adjust the surface with fine sandpaper.
After the primer has dried, paint with silver paint. 90% of the time, regular silver paint won't be noticeable, but sometimes it won't match the paint that's already on the disc.
Here you can choose the paint, adding black or white to the silver, choosing the desired tone.
There is an option to paint the entire wheel, but this would require painting all 4 wheels, so I am not considering this option.
So, all the aesthetics and “feature” lies precisely in the factory groove on the front side, which would be a shame to hide under a layer of paint. Therefore, owners of cars with such wheels have only two options for correcting the defect: diamond cutting of the front part of the disc or buying a new one.
The last option will cost a hefty sum, especially considering that the cost can only start from 50,000 rubles. Also, do not forget that the required model is usually difficult to find and you will have to order it from another city or even another country, and after that you will still need to pay a visit to install a new drive.
Photo alibaba.com
BUY OR REPAIR?
Of course, you can find one, but its service life and quality may disappoint you, and the purchase and installation process is no different from the original model. Considering all of the above, this method cannot be considered budget-friendly or easy to implement. Instead of buying a new disc, you can use a diamond groove. Let's figure out what it is and how much the service costs.
The essence of the procedure is that part of the metal is cut off from the disk, restoring its original appearance. Initially, the varnish is completely removed from the front of the disc, after which the disc is sent for scanning to a CNC machine, where the system determines the scratch pattern in order to reproduce it again on the spot. During the grinding process, the diamond cutter removes a minimal layer of the face of the disc (up to 0.01 mm).
BEFORE AND AFTER
Due to the fact that all work is performed by a computer with the highest precision, the finished disk is safe for further use. If necessary, the craftsmen restore the disc, and only then send it for sharpening. The process is completed by applying a layer of varnish that protects the surface of the disc ( what the discs look like before and after the procedure can be seen in the photo above).
“The cost of such a service varies depending on the model and pricing policy of the service station,” specialists from Kras and Co. explained the price of the issue. - But on average, you will pay 5-6 times less for diamond cutting of one disc than for buying a new one. And your labor costs will only consist of driving and picking up the car from the auto center... True, diamond disc cutting is still a rare service that is not provided in all
Even experienced drivers will press the curb so hard that they will scratch their alloy wheels. The situation is very common. Of course, this is not critical, you can drive like this, but it is better to make a little effort and remove visible scratches. It's not difficult, you don't even have to remove the wheel.
Will need
- Windshield cleaner or any other detergent and degreaser.
- Sandpaper.
- Felt or wool for polishing.
- Primer.
- Silver paint.
- Protective varnish.
Removing scratches on alloy wheels yourself
As I already said, it is not necessary to remove the wheel and sort it. Although it would not be superfluous to check its balancing after mechanical impact, this is at your discretion.
The first step is to clean the disc from dirt and degrease. A glass cleaner that will kill two birds with one stone is perfect for this.
Now you need to remove the scratches. We take coarse sandpaper and go through it until visible marks are completely removed.
Cover the tire with paper to protect it from paint.
Using a spray primer, prime the surface before applying paint. It is advisable to apply 3-4 layers. After this, you need to wait 10 minutes and, if necessary, adjust the surface with fine sandpaper.
After the primer has dried, paint with silver paint. 90% of the time, regular silver paint won't be noticeable, but sometimes it won't match the paint that's already on the disc.
Here you can choose the paint, adding black or white to the silver, choosing the desired tone.
There is an option to paint the entire wheel, but this would require painting all 4 wheels, so I am not considering this option.
Apply protective varnish in 2 layers.
Modern rims for car wheels come in several types. And if stamped steel wheels can withstand damage, even dents, and are covered with caps, then cast light-alloy wheels with a paint coating after seasonal changes in weather and road surfaces have all their flaws visible. And the most common defect is numerous scratches and chips.
Restoring the appearance of such discs in auto repair shops is not cheap, and these procedures can take a lot of time. In fact, it is possible to bring the wheels into proper condition, close to the factory one, even in a garage. Today we will look at one of the simple technologies for such “home” restorations.
Preparatory work
First, we need to completely dismantle the wheel by lifting the car on a jack and unscrewing the mounting nuts. It is not necessary to disassemble the wheel unless there is a doubt that the tire tread will interfere with our work. In our case, the tire will remain in place throughout the entire restoration process.Since we are talking about finishing with paint and varnish coatings, it is necessary to thoroughly clean the workshop or area of the work from dust, which can spoil the entire result. Ventilation is also important, otherwise all the chemicals in a closed room will settle in your lungs.
Technology and material base
The entire restoration procedure consists of several stages:- Primary cleaning.
- Elimination of defects.
- Polishing with G3 paste.
- Varnishing.
- Automotive waterproof sandpaper of different grains with Velcro (180, 240, 400, 800, 2000).
- Sandpaper attachment for drill with Velcro.
- Two-component water-based aerosol varnish.
- Polishing paste G3.
- Round sponges with a Velcro attachment for polish.
- Polymer masking tape.
The process of restoring alloy wheels step by step
The damage zone of the wheel rim is mainly external, and less affects the side parts of their slotted shape. Having cleaned and washed the rim of the disc from dirt, we proceed to sanding the scratches. But before that, we glue the edge of the rubber tire tread adjacent to the metal with masking tape so as not to rub it with an emery wheel.
We start sanding with the coarsest abrasive disc, grit size 180. A screwdriver is quite suitable for a velcro attachment. This should be done without much pressure to avoid making dents and sanding. On soft metal such as aluminum or magnesium alloy, this sandpaper will easily remove most chips and scratches.
Sometimes surface damage can be so deep that sanding is not enough. In this case, automotive putties or epoxy pastes designed specifically for such work are used.
Monitoring the results, we gradually change the discs to a higher abrasive grit rating. Up to No. 1000, the treatment is done dry, and only the final number is washed with ordinary water. Before processing, craftsmen advise moistening the sandpaper itself by placing it in a container of water.
Upon completion of grinding, the effect becomes visually noticeable. Now it's the turn of the polishing sponge and Farecla G3 paste. Its professionals know it as a universal polishing paste that eliminates minor defects and is applied to surfaces such as metal, industrial varnishes, plastics, acrylic and even.
We apply it to a sponge and go through the surface using a screwdriver with an attachment. Having cleaned the surface of the disc from traces of polish and abrasive, we prepare it for varnishing.
We remove the removable branding, seal the nipple with masking tape, and protect the protector. For this, for example, a regular deck of cards laid out around the entire circumference of the wheel is suitable.