Suginami wrote:

"When you say that you got yours "professionally refinished / repainted", did you go to a shop that only does wheels, or did you go to an autobody shop?"

I paid to have them done at Rennsport.



"I wonder how much more (or less) it would be to have wheels repolished and clear-coated? Surely it would be less than stripping old paint, roughing up the metal to prepare for painting, repainting, and clear-coating."

Not according to Rennsport at the time (I had the wheels refinished in the late summer/early fall of 1999). I paid $75 per wheel to have them stripped, primed and painted. This price also included repair of "small curb damage" that was on the edge of two wheels when I purchased the car. Being curious, I inquired as to what the cost would be to have the 15-hole wheels "polished"...meaning physically rubbing all the paint/finish off and leaving the wheels looking somewhere between a painted finish and chrome. I believe I was quoted about $200 per wheel to have this done. Very labor intensive....but I really liked the idea of "the look".



"I don't have the wheels yet and haven't seen them. I'm just told they are scratched. The person who is offering to sell them to me (a member on this site) has very high standards for quality (a good thing), so they may be in good condition to the average person. Once I see them I will be able to better describe the condition. They might be good enough to just live with the problems considering the price is so good."

My business partner had an Acura Legend Coupe (1995) that had machine finsihed wheels. They were in great shape except for a few scratches right in the middle of the wheel. I think his estimate was around $250 ea. to have it repaired and clear coated! There really is no "cheap" way to do this, unless you DIY......but they could end up looking like @%$& if not done "right".



Good luck in whatever you decide!