[STI Sibb]

So my BBS wheels picked up a scratch around the inside rim. The scratch does a complete 360 and I have no idea how it got there. It exposed the bare metal.

It filled up with brake dust / rust which no cleaner could get rid of.

So, I took the wheel off, cleaned it, and wet sanded (1500 grit) the scratch back down to the bare metal to get rid of the brake dust/rust.

I taped off a strip about 3" wide inside the rim where I had wet sanded. I have about 3" worth of tape on either side of the strip I am painting to protect the existing paint. I put primer on the scratch and sanded it. I am using Auto Spray (Dupli-Color) gold paint with a (Dupli-Color) Clear Acrylic Enamel spray.

I can fix it later if I have to, but am I doing anything that could destroy my wheels by using these materials or method?

[Cr8zyJAP07]

idk if ur doing anything wrong but heres a thread about painting wheels. they look good to me stock wheels painted..

[STI Sibb]

Originally Posted by Cr8zyJAP07

idk if ur doing anything wrong but heres a thread about painting wheels. they look good to me stock wheels painted..

Yeah, I've read that post. It was very good. My problem was more localized, though, and I did not want to paint the whole wheel, just the area that had experienced the paint damage. I used a gold spray paint from the automotive store (followed by a clear coat) and it matches fairly well for the interior rim and is not really visible. *Wear a mask*

Having done it once, I feel pretty confident about it now and will sand more of the wheel's clear coat off (prep) if I can get a hold of the OEM paint. Some of the original brake dust will not come off at all. It is permanently bonded into the clear coat.

The only real tip I have at this point (hindsight) is to use a plastic card or straight edge to make sure the primer is laying flat before painting. Sanding it after the fact is a royal pain.

[rexsti06]

oven cleaner works the best

[STiProsDoc]

Originally Posted by STI Sibb

The only real tip I have at this point (hindsight) is to use a plastic card or straight edge to make sure the primer is laying flat before painting. Sanding it after the fact is a royal pain.

Is primer really necessary after you sand the clearcoat off? I'll be prepping my wheels for a paint job using the Duplicolor wheel paint and clear coat but I was under the impression that sanding and washing was adequate prep

[blackdemonsti]

I painted my stock rims about a month after i got my car... here is the pics and some advice...

Center cap sticker was created by Graphic STI...


Well really all you need to do is scuff it down... Scuff is a different type of sanding... Since the stock rims are already painted, you would need to scuff them instead of sanding it down. Another thing is make sure you buy Good Quality paint or esle after 3-6 months, the paint will start to chip off... Other then that, make sure the weather is nice. Good luck...

[STinsane]

Those look pretty sick man!

[STI Sibb]

Originally Posted by STiProsDoc

Is primer really necessary after you sand the clearcoat off? I'll be prepping my wheels for a paint job using the Duplicolor wheel paint and clear coat but I was under the impression that sanding and washing was adequate prep

Primer was only necessary on the bare metal as the damage my wheel had received exposed the bare metal. I applied the primer with a small 2 in 1 Scratch brush (found at most auto stores). In hindsight, I would have liked a slower drying primer and I should have spread it more evenly with a card or equivalent to make it look nice under the paint coat.

I only scuffed the surrounding clear coat that I had taped off for painting.

Once I finished painting, it was obvious that my sand job on the primer was not sufficient enough as you could see the slight bulge under the paint where the primer sat. I plan to go back later once I have the OEM paint.

I like those wheels Black. It tempts me to paint mine electric blue.