Hi Everyone- I purchased a 2001 Boxter S about 18 months ago. This is my first Porsche. The wheels have a paint problem as shown in the attached photos. The most recent paint on the wheels is peeling off..

The car has an option code for the wheels of 414: "18" 993 Turbo-look high gloss wheels". My first question is what does "high gloss" mean in the Porsche world? Does it translate to Chrome?

If the wheels were chrome to begin with did someone put a primer over the chrome (burgundy color showing on wheels now) and then do a lousy silver colored spray paint job on the wheels? It kinda looks like it as there appears to be silver over spray on the red brake calipers. I removed a chip of the silver paint and the underside of the chip looks like chrome.

I took the car to a shop in the Seattle area that paints wheels and the owner told me that if the wheels were originally chrome then the chrome might not come all the way off. If so, then any new paint I apply may not adhere to the wheels.

Has anyone seen this problem before? Should I take a chance that the chrome, primer and new paint will come off or just sell the wheels at a discount and get new ones without a paint issue?

Thanks for your help-



Doug

 

That looks like the standard OE silver paint. As long as there is no damage or corrosion they can be stripped and repainted.

 

Thanks for your reply, Matt. I think the color may be the OEM wheel color but it's hard for me to believe that the silver paint is original. It's coming off on many areas of the pictured wheel as well as areas on the other three wheels.

What is under the burgundy color? Is the burgundy a primer that was put over a chrome finish so that a previous owner could apply silver paint on the wheels?

Has anyone had luck removing chrome paint from wheels. I've heard that it can be difficult and can only be done by specialized shops that have the right equipment. Disposing of chrome may be an issue...

 

It's not chrome paint, just a standard silver metallic. The burgundy color underneath is likely oxidation of the raw aluminum. If it was me I would have them powder coated. A reputable body shop or powder coating business will know how to properly strip and prep the wheels and can match the factory color if that's what you're looking for.

 

definitely strip and powder coat, regular paint will chip off immediately

 

Thanks for your replies. My thought was that the wheels were originally done in chrome, per the option code (if "high-gloss" equals chrome in Porsche language). If so, could the burgundy color have been painted over the chrome to hide it? Then, someone did a lousy job of painting the wheels in silver, as they are now?

Thanks

 

Looks like someone tried to paint them burgundy and then silver over top I'd get them stripped and painted again with a high quality powder coat

 

I do not believe Porsche ever produced Chrome plated wheels. My understanding is that all Porsche wheels that are chromed were done by dealers or individuals.