Wheel Clear Coat
 

Anyone know the best way to get the clear coat off wheels from a W126? I want to buff them out with Jewlers rouge, but not sure how to get off the clear coat.

Media blasting is the best way.

What is that?

The new term for "sand blasting" but since they don't use sand anymore (crushed nut shells, glass/plastic beads) it's called media blasting now.

Please don't tell me that is a politically correct term!

Why wouldn't paint remover work? Clear coat is just paint.

I assume you're planning on removing the paint and repainting yourself. I've heard from a couple folks that have done this and they swore they would never do it again - major PITA. :( My clear coat has finally seen better days on the 126 after 18+ years and I'm debating what to do. Right now, my top option is to have them chromed at a cost of $1k. Interested to learn what others have done.

Chris,

I bought a second set on e-bay for very little money. I thorougly cleaned them with a wire brush to remove all the dirt and then had a shop that does my spray painting on my tooling bead blast them.

Then I painted them with "Z1" paint which is supposedly the same as the Wurth. The color is a perfect match. I finished them up with a clear lacquer.
Let them dry for a couple of weeks and rubbed out the finish.

I will tell you that the finish from a spray can is not as good as the original factory finish. However, from 1 foot away, you cannot tell the difference.
My third and fourth wheels came out especially good because I did not use too much paint.

The total cost is about $60. for the paint. The bead blasting was free for me but should not be more than $100. The wheels that came off the SDL will be refinished to go onto the SD.

You might consider a powder coat of the wheels if you want a real professional finish.

Thanks, Brian; great input. Boy, you get around these forums.

;)

I had a couple of sets of chromed wheels over the years. I decided that chromed wheels were getting too expensive. Chroming, when done correctly, will only last 6 or 7 years at best. Done poorly, 2 or 3 years.

I picked up a 2nd set of bundt cake wheels at a "recycler" and had them polished.

The polishing cost me $65 per wheel and they looked chromed after the polishing. I will have to say that keeping the brake dust off chromed or polished wheels is a big PIA, if you want to keep the wheels looking nice. I think brake dust comes off chromed wheels easier than polished wheels.

The upside to polished wheels is that they'll never need to be rechromed, a big $ saver.

How much do MB alloy wheels cost? I guess we can buy four MB wheels at less than $1k.

A lot less than $1k here: http://www.santaanaplating.com/site/
$95/wheel

Of course, I didn't have shipping, since I'm close by (relatively). Two-way shipping isn't cheap. Hopefully you have someone like them close.

I notice those platers only offer a 1 year warranty.

My MB shop tells me that chrome plating wheels is a bad
idea. When the plating wears, they start leaking. Major
PITA.

I want to have mine bead-blasted and repainted but think
I'm going to buy a 2nd set on eBay rather than take my car
off the road for a couple weeks.

I can always turn around and sell the old set on Ebay.

Bill

Some of them are praying for the entire year, as well. :mad: