Looking after refurb wheels

[mrscalex]

We're just about to get a set of Style 42 split rims back from an expensive refurb. So I want to make sure I look after them.

Could I ask for recommendations on brake dust blocking coatings please? I was looking at a DIY ceramic coating that I would also use to stop fading on my red 3.0 - https://www.hydrosilex.com/

But any tried and trusted products or general care regime tips appreciated. We want to keep them minty fresh as all in these are £1000+ worth of wheels.

 

[Stevo7682]

First thing is to keep them clean ( especially on the inside)
Most degradation of wheels comes from the rear out.
When you wash your wheels they may look clean an shiny on outside but the rear of the spokes especially is where there the contamination builds up on and where the wheels are always in the worst condition.

You'll just need to get really OCD on them and remove them regularly to properly clean both sides of the rims
Obviously coating them with something will help as well ( but again when people polish rims tends to be the bits you see which doesn't help the bits you can't)

Stephen.

 

[mrscalex]

First thing is to keep them clean ( especially on the inside)
Most degradation of wheels comes from the rear out.
When you wash your wheels they may look clean an shiny on outside but the rear of the spokes especially is where there the contamination builds up on and where the wheels are always in the worst condition.

You'll just need to get really OCD on them and remove them regularly to properly clean both sides of the rims
Obviously coating them with something will help as well ( but again when people polish rims tends to be the bits you see which doesn't help the bits you can't)

Stephen.

Sounds like sensible advice thanks. No magic fixes.

 

[abh29]

Can i ask who did the refurb. Mine need doing again. Had them done 4 years ago but not a good job Am considering having two slightly different colour finish.

 

[mrscalex]

Can i ask who did the refurb. Mine need doing again. Had them done 4 years ago but not a good job Am considering having two slightly different colour finish.

I pondered who to get to do them and indeed if I wanted to do them myself for a very long time. The big issue is getting the bolts out without breaking a few. Otherwise I'd have taken them to the local blasters, have them coat the inners which usually don't need any fettling and filled/sprayed the outers myself. But after @Sean d had a nightmare with his bolts on the same wheel type I decided against splitting them myself.

Now I'm usually the sort of person who wants the best quality for the lowest price and I'll go to great lengths to track that down. But I concluded in this instance it wasn't going to happen. So I went with Platinum Alloys in Swindon who have done a diamond cut wheel for my other half's Peugeot before. I probably rated the job an 8.5 out of 10, there was a couple of specs of dust trapped in the paint. But they are a known commodity and to be fair I think £500 for a set of 4 including splitting and tyre removal/replacement is decent value. I seem to remember Sean saying if he was charging himself he'd want more than that. They charge £25 per broken bolt to remove and that's sub-con'd which I think is reasonable too. Yet to find out how many bolts broke. I'm guessing up to 3 or 4 which seems to be the average. So could be a £600 job by the time I'm finished.

Chased them this morning for an update so can post some pics up soon.

 

[t-tony]

Personally I would split the rims myself (I did on my 108s) because if you break a couple you haven’t lost anything. I broke 1 out of all 4 wheels, I simply did a few each lunch hour at work until I had loosened (and re tightened) them all. Splitting the rim only required a decent block of wood and lump hammer. This would save on the cost overall if you supply y
The wheels already split. It certainly did for me.

Tony.

ps. I removed the broken bolt myself as well, took about 5 minutes. I also purchased a thread tap which I cleaned all the threads with.