Cracks after wheel refurb

mjt · 29 May 2021 at 14:07

So I had the wheels refurbished over winter as they were kerbed, scratched and some weren’t even round any more.

They’ve only been on the car since April and the lacquer(?) is cracking on three of the wheels. WTF?

Obviously I’ll have to take them back but that’s a massive ball ache. What could have caused this?

OldKitMan · 29 May 2021 at 18:13

a poor quality job?

I had my alloys refurbed years ago and they still look like the day they came back.

paintguy · 29 May 2021 at 18:37

Looks like too much product too soon.

The surface layer dries hard, but the underlying layers are still soft. When they move around or shrink as they finally dry, it can cause fissures in the harder surface. Similar to the effect you'd see on a river bed as it's drying out, but obviously on a much smaller scale.

The only proper cure is to strip off the affected layers and start again I'm afraid.

mjt · 29 May 2021 at 19:01

paintguy said:
Looks like too much product too soon.

The surface layer dries hard, but the underlying layers are still soft. When they move around or shrink as they finally dry, it can cause fissures in the harder surface. Similar to the effect you'd see on a river bed as it's drying out, but obviously on a much smaller scale.

The only proper cure is to strip off the affected layers and start again I'm afraid.

Just the answer I was looking for. Cheers!

AWPC · 30 May 2021 at 06:42

Poor job ask them to redo or a full refund! Its getting harder & harder to find anyone who will do a decent job & not just take the money and run!!

pugheaven · 30 May 2021 at 10:42

Yeah that's a reaction that is between the coats. Not sure where you're based but the best guy in the North West is S1 Alloys Mickle Trafford near Chester. Not cheap but his finishes last for years and years.

Nasher · 30 May 2021 at 10:55

Very few do them to OEM quality. They will just vaguely match the colour using a single colour instead of layering it, which is how you get the depth to the colour and the correct shade.

tl45 · 30 May 2021 at 20:39

pugheaven said:
Yeah that's a reaction that is between the coats. Not sure where you're based but the best guy in the North West is S1 Alloys Mickle Trafford near Chester. Not cheap but his finishes last for years and years.

Helpful to know, pedalled past there today before turning onto the Greenway