Has Anyone Here Painted Their Alloy Wheels Gloss Black?

I'm talking spray cans and wondering which brand you used. Was the paint durable? Lots of videos on YouTube buts lots of conflicting advice too 🤔

Comments

  • +5

    It's all about the prep.

    The more time and effort you spend preparing the better the result.

    The shape and design of the wheel will make a big difference as well. If you can see through the wheel you need to paint the inside as well. That's takes a shit load of prep effort if years of dirt and brake dust needs to be removed.

    I've done it as a father son project and the results were pretty good. I'll go to the shed soon to let you know which paint we used. We used a primer, paint then clear coat.

    We used the deck of cards trick to get clean edges.

    Edit: dupli-color from SCA

    • Thanks, I'm actually interested in this too.
      Did you have to remove the tires off the car to do the prep and paint?
      Also I have some scuff marks on the alloy, did this cause any issues for you? (assuming you also had let your wife drive the car)

      • +2

        Didn't remove tyres. Used the deck of cards trick for a clean line between alloy edge and tyre. Wheels were removed from car though. You want to paint from above then left to right to left in long sweeping strokes to avoid runs in the paint.

        This was a budget project so to remove and reinstall tyres would have added $100 easily.

        No scuff marks or gutter rash as wheels were 15" with 65 profile tyres which protected the alloys from gutters.

        Gutter rash and gouges would need to be sanded/filled/sanded for the best finish.

        • Thanks for the tips, may give this a try

    • +1

      @ MS Paint
      Awesome, thanks for your detailed reply 😊

    • -1

      Username checks out

  • +1

    Plenty of YouTube how tos. Pick up some auto grade paint from parts shop. Can be done without removing a tyre using ‘cards’. Best to remove the wheel from the car.

  • I don't understand the trend of black wheel rims (unless it's a cost-cutting measure by manufacturers on their OEM rims). You sink so much R&D and effort into designing fancy wheel rim geometry and spoke patterns and then render all of that detail impossible to see at any normal distance or in any typical lighting conditions (especially at night). Plus black wheel rims just blur into the wheel rubber and clash with most car colours, especially brighter ones.

    • +6

      it's personal preference. i like them, i think it makes the car look a bit meaner, and i disagree about it clashing with the colours. most car rims are impossible to see unless they are parked and you are close to them, if the car is moving, it just looks like a blur of silver or black unless it''s moving very slowly. they look just as good, if not better, than the same rims in silver or chrome.

      • -1

        Okay, I seem to have triggered quite a few snowflakes with black rims judging by the negs; I didn't realise this was a life-or-death issue for OzBargainers.

        i think it makes the car look a bit meaner

        IF the car is black or a very dark colour and IF the car itself actually looks f**king mean, like an all-black, full-sized 4WD with black rims (i.e. a black Mercedes G Wagon sitting on 22" black rims does look good).

        If the car is most shades of white, red, yellow, blue, green or any common colour, they look completely out of place.
        If the car is a Kia Cerato, Mitsubishi ASX or any mundane econobox, no amount of rims, black or otherwise will make it look mean.

        I can even get behind black rims with some body colour accents on the edges and on the wheel centre caps, like you see on a lot of AMG Mercs, but completely black rims? No.

        most car rims are impossible to see unless they are parked and you are close to them,

        What are you on about? Chrome or polished aluminium rims stand out from a mile away, especially in sunny weather when they glisten in the light. At night they catch ambient light quite easily (especially 20" rims) and contrast nicely against darker body colours. If they're spinning fast it creates an aesthetically pleasing, shiny silver blur in the wheel arches.

        Black wheel rims are basically invisible at night and during the day just look like a car is riding on space saver tyres at a distance.

        The only possible upside I can see with all-black rims is that brake dust build-up takes a longer time to become noticeably visible compared to chrome/aluminium rims but that's offset by the fact that scratches/scuffs/dents are a lot more visible.

    • Current OE trend is, black painted wheel then certain areas shaved on the CNC mill then clear coated. It's all about contrast.

      • Yeah I know what you mean, you see those on a lot of Japanese and Korean cars now like the Corolla or Hyundai i30.

        That looks marginally better than all-black wheels but I still maintain the most interesting implementation of black as a wheel rim colour is when you have body colour accents on the rim edges and wheel centre caps, like you see on some AMG Mercs. That actually looks quite good and far better than just an all-black rim.

        • Dude, it’s personal preference.

  • +1

    I have a car with painted rims (I bought it that way). Have had to have 2 wheels resprayed for ~$200 each due to gutter rash (blaming wife!). While it looks dope af, they get dirty easily so need to be cleaned and the smallest scratch shows up quite a bit. I would get them professionally done if I were you.

    • Blaming wife? But you are not married! :p

  • +1

    Get a good quality spray paint like VHT gloss black.

    Remove wheels from car (no need to remove tyres from rims), place them flat, put cardboard or newspapers underneath the centre of the wheel to not get a black circle on the ground below. Get painting cards around the sides to minimise over-spray.

    Prep the rims with a paint/panel prep/isopropyl solution.

    Scuff the rims with scotchbrite.

    Apply coats and follow directions. Be liberal. You'll need 3ish cans to do 5 rims.

    I didn't use primer and mine are fine following the above method.

    • +1

      Preferably completely cover the tyre with newspaper etc so you don’t get paint on the tyre.

    • @WallybR
      Thanks, were your wheels alloy or steel?
      I thought primer was essential on alloy 🤔

      • +1

        Primer helps the top coat stick. It’s probably a good idea.

      • +1

        Alloys from a L322 Range Rover Vogue.

        I also let them sit for the full (i think) 7 day curing, and then coated them in Artdeshine's Nano Graphene Coating which is a nano ceramic coating…mainly for the purpose that they'll clean easier, but also for the UV protection and added durability it will add to the paint. I then let them cure a further 2 days with the coating before attaching them to the vehicle.

        That was in Jan 2021. Still going strong.

        EDIT: re primer, I believe it does help as mentioned above, but it was going to cost more and take more time so I opted to not use it.

        • Worried about extra time for primer, yet opted for 7 day cure plus 2 days for special protective coating?

  • +1

    i had my wheels professionally resprayed piano black gloss, its been 5 years and its still perfect.

    • Vince this is Ozbargain, we like DIY to save money 💰😊

      • +1

        I found out I had a fully size spare wheel after my 4 wheel got painted.
        I DIY it, black gloss it looks nothing like the ones professional done hahaha oh well just a spare wheel if I get a flat tyre

  • +1

    You can get spray on plasti dip type products that will allow you to peel it off if you get sick of it or sell the car etc. Cost is about the same as a good high temp paint and prep is the same.

    • +1

      I’ve found it looks good initially, but if scratched looks worse than paint as it peels. It also seems harder to keep clean with dust and dirt sticking to it more than it does to paint.

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