• Registered users are encouraged to enable MFA/2FA to add an aditional layer of security to their account. More information can be found here: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/top-tips-for-staying-secure-online/activate-2-step-verification-on-your-email

Powder coating Vs Respray

davemagoo

davemagoo

Messages
40
All 4 wheels on my ep3 need attention due to some slight kerbing (by previous owner!) corrosion and general poor condition. I want to keep them the original gun metal grey but unsure what would be best painting or powder coating?
 
Spraying will give you the correct colour - and is more often than not cheaper. However, depending on how proficient the refurbisher is, spraying could result in runs.

Powdercoating is harder-wearing and the application process means no runs/chances for imperfections. One is limited in the colours they can choose from as the RAL chart is used - whilst there is variety, it's a case of best match rather than custom choosing/mixing (like spraying) - unless you have the powder made up, which costs alot especially in small amounts, like for a set of wheels.
 
Thanks for all the info i guess i will have to go and see the powder coaters and see what colours they have and get an idea on price. Just don't fancy black as it has been done to death, imo.
 
Most people tend to have their wheels sprayed TBH...

Powdercoating is normally used when having wheels coloured white, because sprayed white wheels tends to go pale/p1ss-stained when placed in the oven to cure. Most refurbishers will spray wheels TBH.
 
I had my wheels sprayed by one of the mobile guys (wheel wizard i think)? It lasted a year.

Im going to try powder coating next
 
I was always under the impression powder coating was a little more durable which is why i was going to go for that. But if its twice the price of painting i could get them sprayed and if it only lasts a year i could get them done again next year a different colour! :)
 
powder coating is harder wearing but as said before you may not get the exact colour, imperfections are deffinately possible so dont think youll get a flawless finish just from powder, i get a better finish when i paint them but the time it takes and what i have to cahrge for my time just out weighs the cost of powder. also when you have them powdered they will be dipped so get rid of the corrosion ten times better that what you could get if you preped them by hand. if you piccy about your finish the get talking to the powder coaters and ask them if they cold coat there wheels or hot coat them, most companys cold coat as its cheaper because they only use there oven once, however, cold coating means you loose gloss and the finish i more prone to being brittal and cracking, they may look good at first but the gloss will drop from them, (this is FACT so dont go believeing any bull they might feed you to get your money), for the best finish from powder the wheels need to be baked before the powder is applyed then re baked to cure them, it means companys useing there ovens twice and they use gas like its going out of fashion so its easy to see why most places cold coat. we use a company in castleford and he only ever hot coats and weve never had a bad job in the 9yrs weve been using them, hope this helps
 
The only draw back I have had with powder coating is that now I am searching high and low for paint to match for the centre caps :( but I cannot complain about the quality of the powder coating, loads better than I expected!
 
davemagoo said:
How much did it cost if you dont mind me asking and what colour did you go for?
Click to expand...

Not at all mate, they cost me £150 (incl. VAT) and went for the Get Metal Metalic... Really nice finish...

As you can see my only issue is the centre caps don't know what to do exactly... Leave them, try and find a match or get a set of RAGE centre caps as they fit and are sort of polished finish I believe!

The first three pictures are more true to the actual colour!
 

Attachments

  • ImageUploadedByTapatalk1332426575.251349.jpg
    ImageUploadedByTapatalk1332426575.251349.jpg
    170 KB · Views: 67
  • ImageUploadedByTapatalk1332426584.465248.jpg
    ImageUploadedByTapatalk1332426584.465248.jpg
    157.4 KB · Views: 51
  • ImageUploadedByTapatalk1332426603.817031.jpg
    ImageUploadedByTapatalk1332426603.817031.jpg
    145.4 KB · Views: 53
  • ImageUploadedByTapatalk1332426622.212265.jpg
    ImageUploadedByTapatalk1332426622.212265.jpg
    173.3 KB · Views: 56
just wondering is their a colour code for the OEM wheels? As i've seen a few that after a refurb, are not quite a match but a little darker.
 
sadly that is a problem when having your wheels powdered, we've had a fair few sets done for customers and all we do is look through colour chips to find a good match, it will never match 100% as the powder laquer doesnt have the same gloss as what we use, luckely most of our customers either go for a gunmetal grey or satin silver so we tend to use the same colour alot, yours looks a little darker to what we do but vauxhall and alfa romeo colours both seem to be good matches. try a local bodyshop and see if they can match the colour for you
 
eurorob said:
sadly that is a problem when having your wheels powdered, we've had a fair few sets done for customers and all we do is look through colour chips to find a good match, it will never match 100% as the powder laquer doesnt have the same gloss as what we use, luckely most of our customers either go for a gunmetal grey or satin silver so we tend to use the same colour alot, yours looks a little darker to what we do but vauxhall and alfa romeo colours both seem to be good matches. try a local bodyshop and see if they can match the colour for you
Click to expand...

^ thanks mate, will go and have a look at HAULFRAUDS tomorrow!
 
Do any of you guys watch wheeler dealers? They had a set of wheels powder coated then sprayed all for £60 per wheel. Surely thats got to be the best of both worlds, the durability of the powder coating and the choice of any colour you wish?
 
powder coat is only as durable as good as the job is done right, but if the wheels are preped right then painting can be just as durable, i would see no point in having them powdered then painted, unless you were using a powder coaters to strip them in an acid bath and then etch them then paint? the only downside to painting is the fact it takes twice as long to prep so the lablour costs are usualy more, if someones painting a set of wheels cheaper than you can have them powdered then its more than likely because there not preping them correctly. another down side is being able to get into every bit of the wheel, my standard ctr wheels were a pain to do and took ages in the oven so again, things like this bulk up the costs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top