Hi Suginami,

Great looking rims on your car!

I also have a set of machined eight hole rims that I consider to refinish. There're curb rashes and minor corrosion around the lip, plus scratches on the clear coat (some of these scratches deep enough to 'disturb' the groove marks). But the clear coat is overall in good shape, as the rims look very shiney after washing.

Did your wheels had much curb damage & corrison before? They certainly look excellent in the pictures, but how would you describe the refinishing results - 80%, 90%, or even higher of new? Did the refinishing 'rewrite' all the groove marks?

Also, how did the refinishing hold up after a couple of years now?

Sorry to ask you so many questions, and thanking you in advance for sharing your experience.

bump... and Happy New Year !

Sorry for taking so long to reply. I don't know how I missed your post.

The wheels had a small amount of curb rash. No corrosion, but the clear coat had completely failed, and had flaked off in areas. What was left of the finish was cloudy, white-ish, and scratched.

The results were 100% like new, with a few small exceptions. Yes, the refinishing "re-writes" the vinyl-record-like grooves.

The only flaw present on maybe two of my rims are a few tiny, bubbles. The wheel refinisher said they are caused by porosity in the allow. He gave me the option of redoing the rims for free, but couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't happen again.

__________________
Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

Thanks for the fast response... sounds very positive as a few tiny bubbles probably aren't noticeable from a few feet. Also, the shop must have used a great precision mill to rewrite those grooves (they are so closely space -- 1mm or even closer?).

You didn't mention, but I gather the refinishing has held up well after 2 years... would make it a very worthwhile project.

Yeah, since the finish is baked on (powder coated), it is proving to be extraordinarily durable. The finish on the wheels is still the same as arrived from the refinisher.

The place uses a large CNC machine to mill the wheels, so it's not a DIY project. Unless, that is, you are a machinist and have access to a large CNC.

The place I used, btw, was referred to me by Brabus or Lorinser. I don't remember which. It is one of the shops they refer their customers to who need their wheels refinished.

__________________
Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

Sorry, guess I used the wrong word there... did not mean to do this as DIY project. What I meant to say is that based on your feedback, refinishing machined 8-hole rims is a worthwhile upgrade.

The shop I'm considering was referred by several local MB dealers. I tried them once with a set of AMG mono-blocks, and they turned out fine. But those were painted wheels, and so this time before handing over machined 8-holes to them, I asked to learn from your experience.

Thanks again.