There’s no secret that there are various ways to make your tired-looking car fresh all over again. Some of you spend a fortune for repainting your car while others add costly accessories. But dear Aussies, there is a cheap way too to make your four-wheeler look like it has just arrived from the showroom. And that’s none other than refurbishing your aluminium alloy wheels.
You generally overlook the fact that revamped alloy wheels can also make your car look pretty new. Whenever it becomes dusty and old, the only thing that strikes your mind is replacing it. You spend thousands of dollars to get a new one, instead, trying to refurbish it at your home.
To help you out, we’ll be providing you the ultimate guide of revamping your aluminium alloy wheels at home. But before that, learn a few advantages of refinishing them. It will help you to read on the blog until the end (anytime you could come across vital information).
Benefits of Revamping Alloy Wheels:
- Pristine look: The method of refinishing will bring back your car wheel’s natural look, along with branding it all over again.
- Cross inspection: You may not like your car wheel to breakdown in the mid your road trip. Right? So, this operation will help you to cross-verify the status of your tire.
- Resale value: No matter your car’s condition is good or bad, you prefer to own a new car, after some years. And there comes the necessity of selling the older one. With the revamping of alloy wheels, there’s a high chance of earning a nice amount of your car’s resale value.
- Saves cash: Refurbishment includes dents, scratches, discoloration, scuffs, etc. So, if you’ll opt for revamping rather than replacing your alloy wheels, then you can save a substantial sum of cash.
Tools You Need for Revamping Your Alloy Wheels:
- Primer
- Colored paint
- Sandpaper
- Wheel removing tools
- Masking tape
- Cleaning materials
- Sanding mask
- Gloves
- Protective clothing
Steps to Revamp Your Alloy Wheels:
- Remove wheels:
Generally, people carry on the refurbishing job with the wheels attached to their car. But ideally, it’s not the correct way. It won’t give you an ideal finish.
So, to get your work started, wear gloves and protective clothing. Then, extract the wheel with the removing tools and separate them one by one. After that, place them on the ground, where you’ll get optimum sunlight. You can even remove the alloy from the tire, but it is necessary as long as you mask the wheel.
- Clean thoroughly:
One of the vital steps of revamping your car tires is to clean it thoroughly. If it is left undone, then you would create a dirty base for the paint. That would lead to wasting your time as well as not getting a shiny look.
First of all, you should keep your cleaning materials ready by your side. Then remove all the chunks of dirt from the wheels with the help of warm soapy water. You can even use a wooden chopstick for accurately pulling out all the lumps.
You can easily remove the road dust from your wheels, but you’ll face problems to remove brake dust. It might have built up over time, and you’ll need a special cleaning fluid for it. Hence, clean it as much as possible to make sure that you’ll get a finishing look after you paint.
- Mask it:
It is not the step that you should skip as its very essential before you paint your wheels. To start with this stage, you need to ensure that all tires are dirt-free. In this step, you need to place the masking tape around the wheels, so you should make sure that the tires are dry.
Hence, stick the masking tape around the wheels, making sure that alloy is visible. You can also use playing cards (bizarre!). Yes, we are talking about a deck of cards that will be beneficial in slotting it into the gap of wheel and alloy. You have to flatten the tires so that you reach all the parts easily.
While placing the masking tape or playing cards, you need to make sure that primer or paint doesn’t get onto your tire. And you get a clean finish.
- Sand down:
Though alloy seems to be in good condition, it will still need sanding. Therefore, you should make sure that you’ve selected good sandpaper in different grits. In the case of corroded wheels, you should use coarse sandpaper in the beginning to sand down the bare metal. If you sense that your wheels aren’t that bad, then use the rough sandpaper to smooth down the surface.
As you’re not a mechanic, many of you may be unsure about the type of sandpaper to be used. Hence, you can test it on a small area first. After completing this job, wipe down the wheel with a dry cloth to remove the left-out part from the sandpaper.
- Prime them:
To get a professional-looking finish, you’ll need to wash and dry your wheels again before applying primer. It’s very vital to have residue-free tires. So, before using it, shake it well, and then spray it on the wheel. To ensure a smooth finish, you should make sure that a thin coat is applied. You can apply approximately 2-3 coats.
Let the primer dry for a while and then use a thin grit piece of sandpaper to smooth out the uneven surfaces. During the whole process, keep in mind that you never use a primer so close to the wheel.
- Apply paint:
Though every step will need your attention, you need to be extra careful while painting your alloy tires. Before heading into this step, you need to decide which type of paint you would like to use. Generally, people use powder coating or rattle cans for alloy wheels. If you want to get professional-type results, then we would suggest using rattle cans.
First, you should shake the can, and then apply several coats on the alloy. Ensure that every area gets the same amount of paint, also do not spray the paint too close. After that, apply a protective layer with a wheel sealer over the color, which will protect against the environment.
- Finish:
After you’ve done with cleaning, sanding, priming, painting, and sealing, remove playing cards or masking tape from around the wheels. Put the wheels back to your car, and rejoice. It’s time to pat yourself at your back and appreciate your hard work.
