Wheel Damage - Need Opinions!

N

NAiLs

New member
Hey guys!  I got some new meats (Continental Extreme Contact DWS... which rock) installed on my '11 SHO on Friday and low and behold, Goodyear freaking damaged all of my rims in the process.  Needless to say, I'm super pissed off about it.  The service advisor was informed prior to my departure of the lot and next day claimed to have chatted with the owner of the shop, with the owner saying they didn't damage the rims and they weren't going to do anything.  I called BS, showed them some pictures I took of before and after my visit, and even chatted with the owner in person yesterday.  The owner acknowledged that they indeed damaged 3 out of 4 rims.  I got no apologies from the shop, mind you...  In short, the service advisor was just trying to make the owner look like a hard-ass, when he was genuinely a pleasant man to speak with.  He agreed to fix 3 out of 4 right now and it seemed like he had to debate the 4th.  (It is light damage on the one wheel, but it's damage nonetheless).  I'm probably going to ask that they pay for the 4th since I will be without transportation for 3 days...  (I have my G8, but she's a garage queen and won't come out when it rains)

So, with that said, I was informed to stop by a body shop that can probably repair my wheels.  I stopped there today and the guy was semi-hesitant due to the paint on the rims being a super fine metallic paint.  He didn't think he had the right stuff to 100% match it, but he would research it.

I questioned powder coating and he said that would be a lot less labor and a better overall finish compared to just painting, but he didn't give me a quote on that just yet.  I also questioned a different color to go with the car and he liked that idea, too.

Sooo..... what would you guys suggest?  I haven't the slightest clue what to expect for an estimate on powder coating, but if it's only a few bucks more than paint and the shop owner only agrees to do the paint price, I'll pay the difference I guess.  What color would you go with on these split 5-spoke rims?  My SHO is that sexy Kona Blue that sparkles like mad in the sun!  I've not changed any of the chrome out on the car (no plans to), so I'm not 100% sure I want black rims... that might be too tacky for me?

I kinda wish I snapped a picture of my car tonight after I washed her up to play with some colors on my computer.

I've attached a picture of the damage on one of the wheels.

Thanks!

-Brian
 
Powder coat for sure ... its more durable than paint even if it is baked enamel.
Tons of powder coat finishes are available .
 
Thought I was reading bamsho (Brian's) story for a second!  You are already ahead of the game with them admitting responsibility.  I would go powdercoat or replace as a set.  Color matching is important if you like to stare at your wheels for any length of time.
 
Is powder coating quite a bit more expensive?

I saw another recent thread where another person was looking at powder coating their wheels and this was one of the finishes recommended:

http://www.prismaticpowders.com/colors/PMB-5969/

I am quite liking that one and it looks like the website has free samples.  I've got a couple weeks before I can even have this completed, since I'm 1 of 2 on-site IT guys and the other guy is on vacation.  :(  Would these rims look goofy in a gunmetal?  Are there any other color recommendations on Kona Blue?

I'm definitely aiming for them to pay for all 4 rims since all 4 have new damage.  There is no way I'd let one rim sit without being repaired... I'd cry every time I looked at my car if I didn't.
 
I was quoted roughly $400 to do my 4 20" offroad rims by my local PC guy.  That's blasting them fully and doing the entire wheel (inside lip and all).  Powder is definitely the way to go, though.  My bumpers are powdercoated and are damn near a perfect match t o the Tuxedo Black Metallic (it's so close it's not even off...).  Can't say you'll have the same luck with the factory color, but it won't really matter as long as they do all four! :P
 
I like the powder coating on my wheels. Mine are matte graphite. I paid $150 per wheel. Might be cheaper if you don't live in New Jersey....lol
Also, you might consider having them put a matching Clear coat over them. They offer matte, satin, semi and gloss to match or contrast with your color...
I say that only because of cleaning. I have heavy brake dust with my wilwood brakes(I think the pads are a metal base) which really sticks to the powder. I "think" a nice clear coat would give you a ton less headaches when it's time to clear the wheels both with ability to use harsher cleaner and ease of cleaning.
I'm switching to ceramic pads, which I hope will ease my brake issue by at least 50%. (Metal dust rusts on wheel and drives me crazy)
 
Going slightly OT.  Products like Iron-X should take care of any metallic dust anywhere on your vehicle, bmc.  You'll be amazed how much junk is hiding in your paint.  Sonax Full Effect is a pretty good wheel cleaner as well.  Plenty of videos of products like these up on YT.  Look for head to head comparisons.
 
SwampRat said:
Blue Star

http://www.prismaticpowders.com/colors/P-5142B/
Click to expand...

That's actually a really nice color, but dang would that be too much blue for me!  Need something to contrast the wheels.  I've always liked a graphite or gunmetal color, but I haven't had a chance to research and see what other folk's cars look like with these.


LowFrequencies said:
I was quoted roughly $400 to do my 4 20" offroad rims by my local PC guy.  That's blasting them fully and doing the entire wheel (inside lip and all).  Powder is definitely the way to go, though.  My bumpers are powdercoated and are damn near a perfect match t o the Tuxedo Black Metallic (it's so close it's not even off...).  Can't say you'll have the same luck with the factory color, but it won't really matter as long as they do all four! :P
Click to expand...

$400 would be super!  If painting is right in that neighborhood, I'd tell him to do powder.  Did you also have a clear put on them?  I know the guy I spoke with yesterday said powder coating is quite a bit less labor intensive due to the ease of sand blasting, and regular painting can be a hassle because of all of the sanding that needs to be done.


bigmoneycloser said:
I like the powder coating on my wheels. Mine are matte graphite. I paid $150 per wheel. Might be cheaper if you don't live in New Jersey....lol
Also, you might consider having them put a matching Clear coat over them. They offer matte, satin, semi and gloss to match or contrast with your color...
I say that only because of cleaning. I have heavy brake dust with my wilwood brakes(I think the pads are a metal base) which really sticks to the powder. I "think" a nice clear coat would give you a ton less headaches when it's time to clear the wheels both with ability to use harsher cleaner and ease of cleaning.
I'm switching to ceramic pads, which I hope will ease my brake issue by at least 50%. (Metal dust rusts on wheel and drives me crazy)
Click to expand...

Do you have any pics?  I am on a pretty crappy connection at the moment so I haven't had a chance to search.  I'd definitely want a nice clear put on top to protect the finish.  I'm hoping to keep the car for another 3-4 years or so... it just depends what kind of mechanical issues I run into when she's aged.


SHOdded said:
Going slightly OT.  Products like Iron-X should take care of any metallic dust anywhere on your vehicle, bmc.  You'll be amazed how much junk is hiding in your paint.  Sonax Full Effect is a pretty good wheel cleaner as well.  Plenty of videos of products like these up on YT.  Look for head to head comparisons.
Click to expand...

Sweet!  Thanks for the tip on the cleaner!  I'm going to be detailing my SHO and G8 soon, now that the weather in Wisconsin has gotten above freezing and is constantly in the 60's or higher.  The SHO will get clay, polish, and wax, so anything to help along the way will be great.  Man is that going to be one loooooong day.  I'm definitely waiting until the wheels are done, though.


bamsho said:
I so feel you pain.  I was just thru 3 weeks of hell with my 2012 over the same issue of damaged rims.  I ended up getting all 4 replaced thru RockAuto for $1100.  They are refurbed wheels and I'm very pleased on how they looked.  Here are pics of my new rims.

http://s1290.photobucket.com/user/bamkmm91/media/New%20SHO%20wheels/DSCF2156_zpsff31a96a.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0
Click to expand...

I know I looked on eBay for what refurb wheels are going for, and I ran into $250-300 each, so $1100 is about spot on.  That's crazy, though.  I'd be OK with a shop doing a good refinish on the wheels, because I am pretty sure the shop wouldn't bite for $1100 if a powder coating could cost them $500.





Thanks for the advise!  Any color recommendations on the Kona Blue are still very welcome!  I'm going to look at ordering some samples from the aforementioned website that I linked.
 
This is really interesting because I had some damage on my rims and was contemplating how to touch them up. I also just got PVD chromed take-offs to replace my rims. I was thinking of plasticoat for mine to see how I liked the dark look. I was also thinking of putting snows on the old rims too.

 
I'm still waiting on getting mine done yet.  I'll be getting them powder coated for sure, but haven't fully decided on a color.  I know the shop was looking to do an exchange, but these rims are expensive as heck, so they've opted to stick with a powder coat.  I'm for sure going to be doing a metallic finish, but what color I'm not certain of yet.  I haven't had an opportunity to snap a picture of my car from the side and just play around with colors on my computer.  Goodyear admitted to damaging 3 or 4 rims for sure, but I see some new damage on the 4th and am going to push to get them all covered by Goodyear.... especially for the inconvenience this is causing me.
 
Oh I know! I'm waiting on the shop to let me know when the sand blaster guy can do them. They were exploring other options as well, for whatever reason. Hopefully next week. I want to spend a lot of time cleaning up my baby!
 
So it's now July 10th and I last posted on this thread on June 1st.  Well, I am annoyed to say that this job still is NOT complete.

I spent a month dicking around with Kettle Moraine Coatings in Jackson, WI to get a color chosen and get everything squared away.  They did not want to clear coat the finish, even though they said they ABSOLUTELY would, but I insisted that I wanted it cleared, as that's what I've always read should be done, plus our wheels come cleared from the factory.  I want to protect the finish for myself and the next owner of this car, not for just a couple years.

Sand blasting was supposed to have been done "in-house" this time around, but apparently they have a neighboring shop do it.  I had asked for a quote on sand blasting, powder coating, and clearing at this point so I knew what to relay Goodyear.  I was told that guy wouldn't quote a sand blasting price until he was done with the work, which is super duper shady, IMO.  Then Kettle Moraine Coatings has the audacity to say they don't want to do my wheels the next day.  So I spent all this time with them and am back to square one.

I got in contact with another shop a little farther west than Kettle Moraine Coatings and they're happy to do it for $520, including stripping, powder coating, and clearing, which to me sounds like a spot on price.  Would everyone agree?  Also, instead of sand blasting, they're going to use an aluminum stripper to strip the paint off; They said this is a much safer method and is far less harsh compared to blasting.

FYI, to repair the paint job by sanding and painting (with zero guarantee on matching), it was going to cost $125 each wheel... so $500 for all four.  Plus it would be some time out for this job to be complete.  Powder is a 2-3 day job strictly because of the stripping.  This is why I'm going the powder route.

I'm just waiting for another shop to call me back with an estimate so I know how to compare, but the aforementioned shop has a much larger shop (170,000 sq ft vs 45,000 sq ft) and reputation than this second shop, so part of me is leaning towards them just for the quality standpoint.

Needless to say, Kettle Moraine Coatings will be getting highly negative online feedback from me in the near future.

I'm still looking to do a light gunmetal color, sort of like the TWS Nurburgrings, so I need to find a color similar.  My understanding is the clear coating will lighten up the color, correct?
 
Jeez, 2 months already!  Seems like smaller shops that do coatings & paint are not proving out lately.  I do know of a couple of painters out your way-ish that do an excellent job painting cars (saw it on shoforum, username quickSHOsilver), but I don't think they deal with powdercoating or wheels.  I have PM'd him, and will let you know what I hear back.
 
Yep!  2 freaking months messing around with this.  I made sure to let the Goodyear guy know that I've been jerked around for quite some time, and he just said he figured I was taken care of and would see a bill any day now.  NOPE!

I may have officially chosen Hartford Finishing in Hartford, WI.  They seemed pretty nice, but the guy did make one snotty comment to me.  Goodyear wanted a quote in writing so they don't get screwed, and the guy at Hartford Finishing said that's bullshit.  I kept my cool because I just want this done by a reputable company.  I understand both sides of the fence, but I have to stick with Goodyear's standpoint on that one.  What's 3 minutes to write something up and email it to them, right?  ::)

I'll still take any closer recommendations down, just in-case this one falls though like the first one.  I also never did hear back from the second powder coating place, so I guess they don't want my business.
 
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