How to restore scratched alloy wheels. Diamond cutting: how to remove chips and scratches on car rims. Types of car wheel repairs
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.
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.
We wait 10 minutes and remove the paper from the tire and other protective stickers.
Such not entirely complicated manipulations will return your disk to its former appearance.
A modern car is a complex system that is very easy to damage. To restore its optimal condition, very often you have to resort to repairing various mechanisms.
All these processes are quite complex and in some cases even impossible to complete without special equipment and skills. Well, you can buy new high-quality tires and wheels. A wide range and affordable prices will not leave you indifferent!
Disk classification
Support structures of this type not only perform technical tasks, but also allow you to give the car a unique design. Car wheels can be divided into several main types:
- Stamped products. Disks of this type are steel structures that are low in cost. Such products are among the most common, as many manufacturers sell them included with every car.
One of the advantages of stamped discs is that when hit, they bend rather than splinter. This allows you to align them, giving them the same shape. The disadvantages include significant weight, which exceeds similar indicators of other models. - Cast wheels are made from aluminum or magnesium alloys. They are distinguished by their low weight and good thermal conductivity. It should be noted that the material is very fragile. Therefore, a sharp blow to the disk or getting it into a hole can lead to its splitting. It is impossible to repair such damage and the entire structure must be completely replaced.
- Forged wheels. They withstand loads perfectly and are not damaged by impacts. But at the same time, the material is very springy, which leads to the transfer of all the energy to the vehicle suspension. This leads to rapid wear of all its components.
Disk structure restoration
Many drivers have scratched the surface of this structure on hard surfaces, which in most cases are curbs. Repairing such damage is quite simple. There are several main ways to do this:
- Varnishing. This approach is used mainly for alloy wheels. A properly selected varnish can perfectly cover a scratch.
- Painting. Similar operations can be performed with any type of disc, after first leveling and sanding the surface.
A prerequisite before covering the disc with protective agents is degreasing, leveling (if necessary) and grinding the surface.
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 one 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.
With roads like those in our country, brand new wheels
your car can become damaged in just one season.
Restoring chips at a tire shop costs a lot of money, so I want you
tell us how you can return car wheels to their original appearance with your own hands.
For this you will not need anything special, and the cost of materials will be simply meager.
Read the detailed instructions below.
What we need:
1) chips on the disks
2) 2-component epoxy paste, its color is not so important.
But keep in mind that if the paste is red/green/gray, through the paint quickly
everything will enlighten you, you will need a primer (aka primer).
I have white epoxy, I did it without primer.
3) sandpaper with a grain index of 300-400. And it wouldn’t hurt to have a smaller one with an index of 600.
4) masking tape, this is provided that we do not remove the rubber from the disk.
5) actual spray paint and varnish. Einszett Silber spray, the color is very close to the factory one.
You can also use silver spray from Wurth. In this case, I have a varnish from Wurth.
But if there are any difficulties in choosing a color, then it is better to contact a colorist - they will select it.
Use sandpaper (300-400) to clean the scratches and remove the bumps.
Cover the rubber with tape
Take epoxy paste, mix A and B in equal proportions, apply to uneven areas,
Carefully remove excess paste.
We leave to dry (the longer the better) I put the wheels under the lamps for several hours.
Firstly, the epoxy will dry faster this way, and secondly, it will set better.
I was carried away by the work and missed the next stage in photography =)
In general, we sand the dried epoxy with fine sandpaper, level it, everything should be smooth,
including to the touch, without flaws.
Next we paint. I already have some experience with spray painting. I used to do car modeling.
Shake the can well, paint from a distance of 20-30cm, in thin soft layers so that there is no overflow
and transitions are noticeable. 2-3 layers are enough. Dry for about 30 minutes between each layer. Before painting, it is advisable
humidify the room so that dust does not fall on the freshly painted surface.
Once the paint dries, we varnish it. 2 layers of varnish are enough, drying for half an hour.
After this, you can also put the wheels under the lamps for a couple of hours.
After all layers have completely dried, take the finest sandpaper with water and gently go over it
in places that were varnished to smooth the surface.
You can also polish the disc so that everything is intact and beautiful :)
That's all.
