One of the most common ways to damage the finish of your vehicle's wheels is to brush up against a curb or some other hard and unwieldy surface, resulting in what we’ve snappily named ‘curb rash.’ This rather nasty rash scrapes the finish off the outer edge of the wheel and usually causes damage to the underlying metal as well. Damage can also result from scrapes across the spokes and damage from improper use of mounting machines or torque wrenches.
‘Touching up’ damage like this simply isn’t practical, as it will leave a visual difference in finish between the original and touch-up applications of clear coat. With time, this will also allow corrosion to start eating at the metal. As if this weren’t enough of a horror story, aluminum alloy that has been exposed to air starts to corrode almost immediately. Even this microscopic layer of corrosion is enough to prevent the most well-meaning attempt at a touch-up from sticking properly.
But all hope is not lost! The professionals at Salt City Wheels are old hands (with young hands) at restoring a rashly-curbed wheel to its former glory.
To properly refinish a wheel, the affected surfaces must be sanded down and the aluminum is reshaped to restore it to how it looked before its fistfight with the curb. This process takes skill, and a good eye for detail to restore the finish to how it should look. We do not use any fillers like Bondo, because we know from experience that these don’t last, especially the next time you try to get new tires mounted.
Now comes the speedy bit! All hands to the deck! The wheel must be immediately primed after its exfoliation treatment to prevent the corrosion layer from taking root. A further eye for detail is required to properly color match your original finish. We keep multiple OEM paints in stock, and can tailor these finishes to perfectly match your wheels. This is then followed by a clear coat to protect the finish, and provide a beautiful finished look. Our mobile shop features reverse air filtration to keep down dust and overspray and is the ideal environment for this specialist process .
If you’ve curbed your wheels somewhat rashly and need a bit of an art restoration project for them, give the Utah wheel repair experts at Salt City Wheels a call today at 801 425 3044. Our Salt Lake City-based experts will have your wheels refinished and restored to their former glory faster than you can say ‘computer numeric control lathe’!