Evening All - these are the alloys off the Wife's Mini Hampton (R55) which we bought last year. Three of them had general scabbiness similar to the first photo. One was much worse. However, none of it had extended past the diamond cut into the centres.
Quotes for full refurb were £120+ (at least - can't remember exactly) per wheel with no guarantee. I've got an A6 where the diamond cut has been done and its crap and there's no alloy left to do it anymore. I figured I'd have a go myself and if I balls it up they can still go to a pro anyway.
I've sanded off the clear just on the diamond cut and run through the grades to 1000 and got a pretty good finish on all four wheels, and left the centre intact. They now look great but I need to get some clear back on them.
Originally I was going to flat the whole wheel back and clear the whole lot, but frankly I can't be arsed and it's too cold at the moment and the car isn't worth that much. So I'm looking at other options - either mask them up and spray just the sanded bits - again, can't really be arsed and its too cold.
Can't leave them bare - they look great and have a very good satin alloy/mirror finish, but it won't take much to get salt etc. into the new join between the bare alloy and the original clear coat on the centres.
I've bought some diamond cut specific etch clear 2k - as I say I could spray it, but I'm thinking of brush painting it on. Mix it 2:1, leave out the thinner. Bring them into the house to warm them up and doing one at a time carefully brushing/dabbing it on. When I've sprayed clear before its been pretty easy to use and I think I could put it on thick and let it flow out a bit so it just seals at the inner edges.
Bonkers or not?
Quotes for full refurb were £120+ (at least - can't remember exactly) per wheel with no guarantee. I've got an A6 where the diamond cut has been done and its crap and there's no alloy left to do it anymore. I figured I'd have a go myself and if I balls it up they can still go to a pro anyway.
I've sanded off the clear just on the diamond cut and run through the grades to 1000 and got a pretty good finish on all four wheels, and left the centre intact. They now look great but I need to get some clear back on them.
Originally I was going to flat the whole wheel back and clear the whole lot, but frankly I can't be arsed and it's too cold at the moment and the car isn't worth that much. So I'm looking at other options - either mask them up and spray just the sanded bits - again, can't really be arsed and its too cold.
Can't leave them bare - they look great and have a very good satin alloy/mirror finish, but it won't take much to get salt etc. into the new join between the bare alloy and the original clear coat on the centres.
I've bought some diamond cut specific etch clear 2k - as I say I could spray it, but I'm thinking of brush painting it on. Mix it 2:1, leave out the thinner. Bring them into the house to warm them up and doing one at a time carefully brushing/dabbing it on. When I've sprayed clear before its been pretty easy to use and I think I could put it on thick and let it flow out a bit so it just seals at the inner edges.
Bonkers or not?
