Anodized wheel experts..please chime in..
 

The following proceedure was posted by Dan in Pasedena for refinishing a wheel in the archives. Will this work for my "anodized" Turbo S Club Sport wheels? Two of them were etched by the previous owner. I am not sure what "anodization" is. How do you take it off? Do you need to strip it somehow or can you just paint over it? Yes, I realize that I said I want to paint over it. It costs too much to refinish and anodize ($250 ea.) and I would rather spend that on 17"s. Thanks in advance for your insights.

Proceedure:
1. Wash the wheel and tire assy with Castrol degreaser purple stuff.

2. Wet sand w/ 240 grit wet/dry, thoroughly washed them with clean water, then used compressed air to blow out all remaining air and dry the surface. If you don't have a compressor, just wipe them down and let them dry in the full sun for an hour or two. Allow them to cool to ambient before spraying though.

2. THEN, as Peckster said, let the air out of the tire (remove the stem - hell of a lot faster).

3. Mask with tape and masking paper or newspaper. Slide tape just under the edge of the rim.

4. Spray with Rustoleum. Remember, use the bright mettallic stuff. The one whose lid SEEMS too glittery - it isn't. Allow to dry a few minutes and spray with clear. I used "Decorator" something-or-other brand. Look closely, it's made by Rustoleum. Mostly blue can with white lid.

5. Strip tape/paper BEFORE it dries (CAREFULLY!!!) so you down't peel anything off when dry. I later waxed mine and thry look awesome. Look at the wheel from every angle while spraying. It's too easy to miss or lightly coat certain hard to reach areas. You'll be VERY pleased with the results.

Not an expext….

I just had a 2 sets of 17 rims anodized. It cost $160 to do 4 centers and outer halves. I did not have the inner halves done. I also had these pieces polished prior to ensure a consistent finish.
The anodize can be stripped off with solvents.
I'd get another anodize quote.

Careful with Rustoleum products, they are not compatible with all products. I once used a Rustoleum primer on a trailer and then painted over it with a basic car enamel. The enamel did not stick to the primer well. The reason told to me was that Rustoleum has some kind of oil?? in it to combat rust??

I'd consider getting a powder coated finish before settling for a spray can finish. They may look the same except the P/C should not flake or chip as easily. They would most likely sandblast the rims first to ensure superior paint adhesion.

Thanks Ted, sounds like you got a great deal on your anodization. For that kind of price, I would anodize and get my 17" too. I will look around locally but I am not encouraged. The cheapest refinish I found was $90 each for painting and $100 for polishing.

Peace

"2. Wet sand w/ 240 grit wet/dry,..."

Not sure if this is hand sanded or at speed with the wheel rotated. Either way will produce a different finish. Are you sure about the grit size? I haven't done this to the Fuchs, but the grit size seems coarser than I would imagine using.

Sherwood Lee
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YIkes! I think 240 grit is way too coarse. If you paint over that, you will see the scratches thru the paint. Get a scrap of aluminum and see what it looks like before you tear into your wheels. If you only want to scuff the surface for paint grip, try 600, maybe 400 max. I wouldn't get anywhere near wheels with 240.