How much of a problem is it? Presumably they’re more vulnerable to corrosion without paint, but in the real world how long would it be before it is an actual practical problem?
- How difficult is it to have them repainted with a job that will last. The dealer said that if they had them repainted, the paint would soon come off again.
Steel wheels must be painted to keep rust at bay (I won't say to protect them).which is one reason for the popularity of alloys, which are lacquered and generally show corrosion much less. The problem is that a paint coat is thinnest at points of high curvature (edges, corners etc) which is usually where rust starts, especially at rims, where tyre fitters do their work.
As regards a 'job that will last', that may depend on how careful the owner is, and how concerned with appearance. My 1991 Pug 205 has all its original steels which have never been repainted (and TBH, without their plastic trims they look pretty tatty), but they are harder to damage than alloys, and are completely serviceable. I also think alloys are more prone to develop slow leaks at the bead, which I have never experienced with steels.
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I would do it myself, as less trouble than getting the dealer to do it, but then I'm fairly indifferent to appearance, have never had a new car (company cars dont count), and tend to dislike dealers (seems to be mutual)
For this kind of thing .I would use aluminium and sunflower oil, since its effective, and essentially free. If its only light rusting, I'd just use foil by hand, otherwise I'd make abrading disks etc with beercan, for use with a power drill.
bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/coke-can-for-bra.../
It often happens with light rusting (or corrosion on aluminium) that the remaing original paint is abraded and redistributed in the binder so you end up with a slightly greyish version of the original.
Penetrol as a binder would probably set quicker so less likely to attract dust, but it wont be free, and I cant AFAIK get it in Taiwan anyway, so I havn't tried it
If I had some I might overpaint with black bitumen paint, if I wanted them black, though I doubt I'd consider it worth buying specially.
Steel wheels are robust and I much prefer them to alloys
Edited by edlithgow on 14/03/2025 at 02:52
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While you could do it yourself and to be honest it would be quite satisfying to do so it's really down to the dealer to get them sorted.
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Many thanks for the replies. Lots of food for thought.
A quick update:
The dealer has now offered to get the wheels painted. I pressed them as to how (and whether it would be powder coated), and they said it would be a “two pack paint”. He also said the firm who would do it recommend black as it has a built in lacquer and so is more hard-wearing (silver apparently is just a thin coat).
I know nothing about such things so wondered if anyone could comment please on whether that sounds like it will be a good or bad job?
Thanks again for the help
Edited by peanutstew on 14/03/2025 at 16:04
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I know nothing about such things so wondered if anyone could comment please on whether that sounds like it will be a good or bad job?
I doubt whether anyone here would risk answering that question - it depends mostly on the skill and commitment of the operator !
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It's all down to the prep.
The guys who re-furb alloys for the second hand trade will often not even remove the wheel from the car. Clean, rub down, mask, primer, colour, lacquer. Job done.
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I doubt if I'm the only one here who's done a satisfactory job with hammerite.
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I know nothing about such things so wondered if anyone could comment please on whether that sounds like it will be a good or bad job?
I doubt whether anyone here would risk answering that question - it depends mostly on the skill and commitment of the operator !
But fortunately it doesnt really need answering, because it doesn't much matter. Get the dealer to do it. IF it lasts, OK. If not, next time around, when you probably no longer have dealer cover DIY.
Hammerite is OK but over the top for this application. I've used it on a boat trailer, and it lastred for a while but then rust, which it probably encouraged, proceeded underneath it,
This seems to be a general failing of thick, impervious coatings, including the POR-15 epoxy that Americans are such fans of, though it might not happen to car wheels.
In general, I prefer a thinner coating that can be re-touched more easily
Edited by edlithgow on 15/03/2025 at 04:49
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I'd take up the offer from the dealer re 2 pack paint.
Hammerite is fine on an older car but once applied you are stuck with it as it's difficult to spray over - other paints react with it.
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Choose the colour you want, not what suits the dealer, black wheels might be 'in' for certain types of cars and owners but they don't always suit the car, or its colour.
You'll see the car every day so make sure you can live with the wheels.
Regarding Hammerite, in the past i persuaded my then boss to paint the chassis and wheels of my tractor unit in Hammerite (which may well have been different to what is sold today), the truck chassis were shot blasted and painted every 2 years in standard chassis black which just didn't last, the wheels in silver.
Sure enough the truck chassis was painted in hammered black and the wheels in hammered silver, never needed painting again and the bonus dirt didn't stick unlike standard paints, a blast with the steam cleaner and it was spotless again.
Edited by gordonbennet on 16/03/2025 at 07:07
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Thought they were originally silver or white on a Duster? Not sure black would suit it, they really need to be refurbished in the original colour imho..
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Thanks for all the replies.
Just to update and for the benefit of any future readers... The dealer agreed in the end to knock the money off (£200) instead of having the work done. My concern was that whoever was going to do it would do a quick cheap job, maybe not even removing the existing paint first. From years of home decorating, I know well that a coat of paint is only as good as what is beneath it!
I'm not too bothered about looks. It's mostly tractors, quad bikes, mud, and other brown squidgy stuff on the roads around here. Perhaps I'll leave them for now and let nature and time strip a bit more of the paint off. When the time comes, I can get them done properly or have a stab at it myself. I don't imagine it will be that often that the wheels will be clean enough to see what colour they are anyway!
Thanks again, you've all been a great help
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Thought I'd follow up with some close up photos now we have the car.
One of the back wheels is showing a little bit of rust on the outside, alongside the peeling paint. Both back wheels are rustier still on the inside.
Does it all look par for the course given the car's age and its "built to a price" ethos? It's a 3 year old Duster with 18k miles.
Also, does anyone know... When you get wheels repainted / powder coated, do they tend do the whole wheel or just the outside visible part?
Cheers
Link to photos:
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MDttwuumrlU2NbzYNA...g
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That's definitely the result of pressure washing, if you get wheels powder coated they will be done all over.
Think I'd give them a go myself....
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Thanks for the reply. That's good to hear that they'll do the whole wheel.
I might have a go at it myself. Depends how much free time I can get. And how much the quotes come in at for having them done professionally!
Cheers
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If you do try it yourself, DON'T get any paint under where the nuts meet the wheel, or where the wheel meets the hub. It's alleged the paint gets compressed under the torque of the wheel nuts, resulting in them loosening.
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If you do try it yourself, DON'T get any paint under where the nuts meet the wheel, or where the wheel meets the hub. It's alleged the paint gets compressed under the torque of the wheel nuts, resulting in them loosening.
Yeh. I've heard that.
Makes me wonder how anyone survived when nearly all car wheels came painted from the factory, but then we didn't use torque wrenches anyway
Life were cheap in them days
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If you do try it yourself, DON'T get any paint under where the nuts meet the wheel, or where the wheel meets the hub. It's alleged the paint gets compressed under the torque of the wheel nuts, resulting in them loosening.
Yeh. I've heard that.
Makes me wonder how anyone survived when nearly all car wheels came painted from the factory, but then we didn't use torque wrenches anyway
Life were cheap in them days
Image then how dangerous my standard Skywing practice of tightening the wheel nuts down on thin polythene sheet (from my morning manto bag, forms like a shed snake skin) must be,
Dosnt bear thinking about, yet the wheels seemed to stay on the corners
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Thanks for the reply. That's good to hear that they'll do the whole wheel.
I might have a go at it myself. Depends how much free time I can get. And how much the quotes come in at for having them done professionally!
Cheers
OP, dont be put off by all the "Its all in the preparation" jive.
This for sure applies to a good cosmetic paint job, such as one might apply to a boat, but if you just want your wheels to stop rusting (especially on the inside) a quick rub down with aluminium and sunflower or linseed oil will do the job very quickly, no brushes or toxins involved.
Try a test on a rusty railing or something
Or alkyd resin (eg Penetrol) if you want to spend a bit
BUT I dunno how easy these treatments are to remove, never having tried, so if you plan a full on cosmetic job, maybe do it sooner rather than later
A wipe over with motor oil, which can be removed with solvent, should slow it down meantime,
Edited by edlithgow on 28/03/2025 at 01:44
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