Introduction: How to Refurbish Car Rims

My wheels were looking dull and used and one of them had made contact with corrosive chemicals, I decided it was time to refurbish them and make them look like new again.

Things you will need:

  • a car
  • primer
  • colored paint
  • clear coat
  • sandpape
  • ralloy repair (optional)
  • jack stand

Time: 4 hours per wheel

Ok now that you have a list of everything needed lets get started!

Step 1: Wheel Removal

The first thing you will need to do is get the wheel off your car, to do this you use the jack supplied with your car to raise the car off the ground and remove the bolts. I chose to put the spare tire on while I was working so that I wouldn’t worry about the jack holding it up.

Step 2: Wheel Protection

You may decide to take your tire off to avoid damaging it or prevent overspray but your local garage may charge you for this, If you decide not to remove it, it’s best to protect the tire with painting tape but not until you finish step 4.

Step 3: Sanding

The sanding begins, start by using a thicker grain of sandpaper to take off the paint, once you get the paint off you need to use a finer grain of sandpaper to minimise any scratch marks and smooth the surface. Anything that you can see at this point will show through your paint job so make sure it looks good.

This step will take the longest!

Step 4: Cleaning

Clean the rim very well and make sure it’s dry before you go on to the next step, If you decided to keep your tire on you will need to protect it with tape before moving on to the next step.

Step 5: Primer

Using the primer, evenly spray the rim starting on the inside and then flip it over and do the front. Wait till dry to move on to the next step, you may want to do 2 layers of primer.

Step 6: Colour Painting

Using the colour you have chosen to paint your rims, start spraying on top of the primer in even coats on the inside and the front and wait for it to dry.

Step 7: Clear Coat

Using the clear coat, spray even coats on the inside and front and wait to dry.

Step 8:

Once you have finished painting you can now remove the painting tape if used or have your tire refitted.

Step 9: Finishing Up

Doing the reverse of step 1 you can put the wheel back on your car and appreciate all of that hard work.

If you took off your wheel weights, it is best to take it to your local garage and have new weights put on to keep your car stable.

Step 10: Final Touches

Once finished you can polish the rim and badge just to give it that extra shine!

Wheels Contest

Runner Up in the
Wheels Contest