powercoating BMW Wheels

Is it safe to powdercoat BMW forged wheels?

You can powdercoat any wheels

If you are going to put the money out to powder coat them, why not try to paint them first? If you don't like how it turns out you are out all of a couple bucks for paint and were planning to powder coat anyway.

I'm using my old rims as winter wheels...



Clean the rim of all brake dust and debris really well.

I used a super heavy duty cleaner. I used a 400 grit sandpaper all over the rims, then 600, 800, 1000, 1500. The sanding is what seemed to suck most for me. You need to get all of your clear coat off and keep it as smooth as possible.

Clean the rims again and let them dry.

Tape up the rims.

Spray a light coat of paint on the rims. I started with the backs of my rims so that I wasn't flipping the good side down when moving to the fronts.

Let the tire sit to dry tacky. Add another coat. Wait and do another. I put down 3 coats of flat black (didn't like the look) and then added 3 coats of glossy black.

Let dry, untape and mount. The entire process took me around 4 hours.



Finished product...

i know a few local shops that can do it for you with flawless results

Originally Posted by qtr2six

If you are going to put the money out to powder coat them, why not try to paint them first? If you don't like how it turns out you are out all of a couple bucks for paint and were planning to powder coat anyway.

I'm using my old rims as winter wheels...



Clean the rim of all brake dust and debris really well.

I used a super heavy duty cleaner. I used a 400 grit sandpaper all over the rims, then 600, 800, 1000, 1500. The sanding is what seemed to suck most for me. You need to get all of your clear coat off and keep it as smooth as possible.

Clean the rims again and let them dry.

Tape up the rims.

Spray a light coat of paint on the rims. I started with the backs of my rims so that I wasn't flipping the good side down when moving to the fronts.

Let the tire sit to dry tacky. Add another coat. Wait and do another. I put down 3 coats of flat black (didn't like the look) and then added 3 coats of glossy black.

Let dry, untape and mount. The entire process took me around 4 hours.



Finished product...

Nice write upWheels came out good. I picked up some 124's for the winter, and I'm thinking about spraying them flat black.

Originally Posted by qtr2six

If you are going to put the money out to powder coat them, why not try to paint them first? If you don't like how it turns out you are out all of a couple bucks for paint and were planning to powder coat anyway.

I'm using my old rims as winter wheels...



Clean the rim of all brake dust and debris really well.

I used a super heavy duty cleaner. I used a 400 grit sandpaper all over the rims, then 600, 800, 1000, 1500. The sanding is what seemed to suck most for me. You need to get all of your clear coat off and keep it as smooth as possible.

Clean the rims again and let them dry.

Tape up the rims.

Spray a light coat of paint on the rims. I started with the backs of my rims so that I wasn't flipping the good side down when moving to the fronts.

Let the tire sit to dry tacky. Add another coat. Wait and do another. I put down 3 coats of flat black (didn't like the look) and then added 3 coats of glossy black.

Let dry, untape and mount. The entire process took me around 4 hours.



Finished product...

I'm thinking of performing the same procedure. A few questions...

1) What if I skip the sand papering? Do you think the results will be all that different?

2) Did you use just a garden variety spray paint from a can?

3) I have run flats, so my 335i didn't come with a jack (I think). How'd you get the wheels off? If I do a really good tape job, couldn't I just spray them while they're still on the car?

Originally Posted by taukappa

I'm thinking of performing the same procedure. A few questions...

1) What if I skip the sand papering? Do you think the results will be all that different?

2) Did you use just a garden variety spray paint from a can?

3) I have run flats, so my 335i didn't come with a jack (I think). How'd you get the wheels off? If I do a really good tape job, couldn't I just spray them while they're still on the car?

1) You need to get the clear coat off the wheels to make it have good adhesion.

2) yes, you can get good results from a "rattle can", if you take the proper pre-finish steps (see above)

3) he had another set of wheels for daily use. These were for Winter. You can't paint the barrels, or prep and clean the wheels properly, with them on the car.

Originally Posted by taukappa

I'm thinking of performing the same procedure. A few questions...

1) What if I skip the sand papering? Do you think the results will be all that different?

2) Did you use just a garden variety spray paint from a can?

3) I have run flats, so my 335i didn't come with a jack (I think). How'd you get the wheels off? If I do a really good tape job, couldn't I just spray them while they're still on the car?

I know its been a few days on this thread but just wanted to warn you if you haven't already attempted. Be carfull painting wheels on or even near your car. Overspray can be a pain and it can travel pretty far. It would benifit you greaty to buy or barrow a jack if you really don't have one.

Do BMW's with run flats really not come with a jack?

Thanks for the replies...

No, no jack, spare tire or lug wrench. That's why they give you heavy run-flats. I guess without the extra gear it keeps the vehicles weight down.

Originally Posted by taukappa

No, no jack, spare tire or lug wrench. That's why they give you heavy run-flats. I guess without the extra gear it keeps the vehicles weight down.

Very interesting... what is in that location... storage?

Thanks for the info

Yeah, exactly.