Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My 2010 Ford Focus came with gun metal colored wheels but over time the clear coat has chipped off and the dirty metal has been exposed. I'm thinking about selling it now, but would like to repaint the wheels. So far I have bought some wheel paint by Rustoleum and some between coat finishing pads. Does anyone have any experience doing this with successful results? Please share your process.
Depends; do you want to pretty them up for a quick sell, then yes Rustoleum will work, but if you want to make them last it's going to involve some work to get the back to the factory look, and protection especially when the bare metal has been exposed
Even a quick job using spray paint will last longer if you also spray a clear coat over the colour. Be sure to use the same rustoleum brand in clear, krylon or another manufacturer might have a reaction.
Depends; do you want to pretty them up for a quick sell, then yes Rustoleum will work, but if you want to make them last it's going to involve some work to get the back to the factory look, and protection especially when the bare metal has been exposed
Yeah I would like to make them last a while. I'm a little under on the car so I'm not entirely sure it will sell right away at my asking price. You don't think Rustoleum will hold for a while with a few good primer coats and an epoxy clear coat?
I have known a lot of people who "rattle can" their wheels. They make a template of cardboard to go over the rubber, then spray 'em. They use standard flat black Rust Oleum or Krylon. Many last for many years, some last as long as it takes to slam into a large boulder. Just make sure they are really clean before spraying.
And if you look close, you can see it is not a professional job; but for off-road purposes, most don't care.
Preparation is key as it is with any painting you are doing. If you want to go through the trouble of doing it right prep them with at least some steel wool or something. Scratching the surface lightly gives you better adhesion. I'd go with primer coat first but whatever. When you are applying the paint you want to apply subsequent coats when it's still a little tacky which gives you better adhesion. The clear can be tricky because if you apply it too quick you'll get a splotchy mess after it dries becsue of the solvents in the paint. Too late and you won't get good adhesion to the paint.
I've done it several times on cars that were a lot older than 2010 and the wheels were likely more beat up from scraping curbs etc. File bad spots and a lot of sanding, its considerable work, then mask off the tire also consumes some time and paint and also spray a clear coat for longer lasting paint job.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
