How to Fix VW Alloy Wheels (Golf Mk6)

[cktsi]

CREDITS
First of all, I read this excellent write up & full credit goes to this fine individual.
BMWTips wheel-scuff repair

I’m posting this as a useful “how to guide” to give back to the VW community & anyone else out there who is frustrated that they’ve kerbed their alloys.

TIPS
Read the BMW tips carefully. Definitely do this on a hot summer day. Check the weather forecast to ensure there's no late rain/cool change. That can ruin the finish.

Drying times are so quick and the faster curing allows for a stronger, lasting finish in hot weather. Slow drying times can cause problems and a lumpy / damage prone finish.

I am an IT manager by trade and not a handyman by any means. I can fix taps, change an oil leak and install a light fitting... But i classify myself as an amateur. So this shows how straight forawrdish this type of project can be.

As BMW tips said... Clean clean.... And lots of patience.

EQUIPMENT
Please ensure you have all these before your start your project. Or you will be like me & waste time driving around on a spare tyre. Australian prices as at 2013 shown
Consumables:
1. Wheel cleaner $8
2. Putty $12
3. Primer paint $17
4. Silver BMW Paint code 354 (more on this in a moment) $29
5. Clear Coat $17
6. Sandpaper: 180 grit ($1.75). I also had 320 grit ($1.75) and 60 grit ($1.75) for the really lumpy dings.

I have posted a separate pic so you can see what these look like.

Tools:
1. Masking tape
2. Putty knife (I used a non-serated plastic knife)
3. P1 dust mask or better
4. Goggles
5. Old newspaper
6. Old rags

This looks like a scary list. The other guy didn’t quite list all these – so please don’t feel overwhelmed. I just want you to be prepared and not waste time while you’re waiting for things to cure.

PAINT
A few forums mentioned using Wurth paint. Another mentioned BMW Paint Code 354. Admittedly the lack of retail availability of Wurth paint was the reason I kept procrastinating.

So I bit the bullet and went to SuperCheap Auto. There I learned that Autobarn can mix aerosol paints!! I asked for BMW Paint Code 354 and they mixed it for me in 5 mins including gassing the can. Good news for us Aussie veedubbers. Good value for only $29.

Is it worth getting Wurth? i suspect the metallic "grain" or flecks will be closer to VW spec than the paint I used. I feel the colour from Autobarn was right but the grain a touch too coarse.

STEPS

Here are the steps without the pics. Scroll down to see the pics & commentary.


Step 1: Clean the wheels. This is where the wheel cleaner comes in. I used Armorall Wheel Cleaner.
Step 2: Use putty knife and trowel on the putty perpendicular to the scratch. Leave the wheel on the car for now.
Step 3: Sand down putty. Use a cork sanding block if possible. Again, do this with the wheel on the car.
Step 4: Remove the wheel from the vehicle. The BMWtips guy said to cover the vehicle in case of loose spray... I say remove the wheel & continue the project in another location. Position the wheel so the work area is at the bottom.
Step 5: Mask all exposed areas of the wheel and use newspaper to cover items such as valve, VW emblem, tyre.
Step 6: Spray on primer. This is iterative & you may need to sand again if you find defects not seen in the original sanding.
Step 7: Spray on paint. I recommend overspraying a little to blend in with the rest of the wheel. Even the pros do this.
Step 8: Spray on clear coat. I recommend overspraying just so that you seal in all exposed paint.

STEPS WITH PICS

Step 1: Clean the wheels. This is where the wheel cleaner comes in. I used Armorall Wheel Cleaner.
This is the scratch I am going to repair on my project.



Step 2: Use putty knife and trowel on the putty perpendicular to the scratch.
When you sand down the putty, a lot of dust is generated that goes everywhere. As BMWtips says, constantly wipe down the area. This will become important later on when it comes to spray time

This is how the putty looks like


This is the putty applied to the wheel



Do all of the puttying while the wheel is still on the vehicle.

Step 3: Sand down putty. Use a cork sanding block if possible. Also sand perpendicular to the scratch



This is the end result



Do all of the sanding while the wheel is still on the vehicle.

Step 4: Remove the wheel from the vehicle. The BMWtips guy said to cover the vehicle in case of loose spray... I say remove the wheel & continue the project in another location.

Step 5: Mask all exposed areas and use newspaper

Use masking tape and newspaper to cover items such as valve, VW emblem, tyre.

Tip: put the affected areas on the bottom so that after you have sanded, there is less cleaning (since the grit falls downwards).

You can see at this point i have done a lot more sanding with the fine grit and it is smoother. Hoever, i was to discover after applying the primer that it wasnt quite as smooth as one would like.



Step 6: Spray on primer
While you're waiting for the primer to dry, update vwwatercooled.

In this photo, the right most spoke under the newspaper has a defect.... use the fine grit to sand down, then respray the primer. Patience here is a virtue. Repeat as much as your patience will allow :p



This is the result after sanding again with the fine grit.



After respraying the primer, the patience has paid off and it's smoother.



Step 7: Spray on paint

So I found that taking photos of the job was useful. This is after 2 sprays. I couldn't actually recall where the damage was !



So I've had a bit of a side-track. That defect on the right most spoke wasn't gone after all. When I sprayed the silver it actually showed up again! So I sanded it all back and have re-applied it.

Good news... success!!! This is more like it.



Now just need to wait for it to cure, then onto the clear coat. Unfortunately the weather has become cooler, so drying times are extended and the paint layers don't feel as "stuck".

Step 8: Spray on clear coat

Sorry for the dodgy pic, but the weather took a turn for the worse and thunder clouds rolled in. I will see if I can get a better photo in the coming days of the finished product, but it looked decent to me and a darn sight better than the gutter rash everywhere!

[cktsi]

First Project

This was my first alloy project. Total time took 2.5 hrs. That includes cleaning the wheel, removing the tyre etc.

The short duration was greatly facilitated by the hot 30 degree summer weather.

Step 1: Putty



Step 2: Sand down



Step 3: Primer


Step 4: Spray on paint


Step 5: Spray on clear coat. Here's the finished product this morning after curing overnight

[Dutch77]

Interested in your outcome here.. although with a machined finish there is no paint to cover up my (luckily minor) gutter rash on one wheel.

re: embed, on the photobucket page on the right there is an "img" code.. click and paste and voila.

Update: great result, looks waaaaay better than the before.

[cktsi]

Interested in your outcome here.. although with a machined finish there is no paint to cover up my (luckily minor) gutter rash on one wheel.

re: embed, on the photobucket page on the right there is an "img" code.. click and paste and voila.

Thanks! I'll upload my first project which is kinda reasonable

[cktsi]

Here are the products I used for the job.

[VW VR6]

Well done - very nice write up.
I am looking to do same in the future.

[Ryan_R]

Great job, and thanks for taking pics

[kahle81]

Thanks for posting cktsi,

I used this and the BMWTips guide to refinish one of the wheels on my MK5 GTI. I wasn't too sure how I would go but I gave it a crack and I am very pleased with the result.

The wheel I used only had some small gutter rash and some fine scratches. I ended up respraying the whole wheel and it looks perfect, just like the others.

I used a couple of variations on your method though.
- I used a big halogen light over the wheel in between coats of primer, paint and clear and this really helped speed up the process.
- I wasn't totally happy with the texture and shine after the clear coat had dried (it felt a bit rough) so I polished the wheel with some Menzerna FG500 (pretty abrasive). I did this around 8 hours after i applied the last coat of clear and it was pretty hard.

The only problem that I had was the guy on the phone at Autobarn was telling me that BMW paint code 354 didn't exist. I went into the store, found someone that knew what they were doing and got what I wanted. It reminded me of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFWeoxrhbE8

[tonymy01]

Haha, love Ron Swanson from parks and rec.

[cktsi]

Thanks for posting cktsi,

I used this and the BMWTips guide to refinish one of the wheels on my MK5 GTI. I wasn't too sure how I would go but I gave it a crack and I am very pleased with the result.

The wheel I used only had some small gutter rash and some fine scratches. I ended up respraying the whole wheel and it looks perfect, just like the others.

I used a couple of variations on your method though.
- I used a big halogen light over the wheel in between coats of primer, paint and clear and this really helped speed up the process.
- I wasn't totally happy with the texture and shine after the clear coat had dried (it felt a bit rough) so I polished the wheel with some Menzerna FG500 (pretty abrasive). I did this around 8 hours after i applied the last coat of clear and it was pretty hard.

The only problem that I had was the guy on the phone at Autobarn was telling me that BMW paint code 354 didn't exist. I went into the store, found someone that knew what they were doing and got what I wanted. It reminded me of this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFWeoxrhbE8

Sorry didnt see this till now.... Glad to know someone has made use of my thread!

Good on you for adding your own tips. Yes you are correct!! The clearcoat finishes a bit rough. How did you apply the menzerna? Never heard of it, but after a quick search looks interesting.

[kahle81]

The Menz products are usually used with a rotary polisher on paint surfaces but I just applied it to the wheels with a microfiber cloth. It took a while and required a bit of pressure. I'm sure you could use a whole bunch of different products though (even metal polish - which I did try).

If I was doing the job frequently I would get one of these:

Mother's Power Cone Polisher - Supercheap Auto Australia

[cktsi]

The Menz products are usually used with a rotary polisher on paint surfaces but I just applied it to the wheels with a microfiber cloth. It took a while and required a bit of pressure. I'm sure you could use a whole bunch of different products though (even metal polish - which I did try).

If I was doing the job frequently I would get one of these:

Mother's Power Cone Polisher - Supercheap Auto Australia

I actually had kerbed all 4 wheels. I kind of "stored up" all the scratches before i decided to do something about it. Fingers crossed there is no next time, but if there is and i find a few scratches stored up, might be worth getting this buffer to get through the work.