Arghh - scratched wheels!

[Msteeley]

SXP - Ebony Black. Seems that wheels stick out farther than tire rubber. Seems Ceramic Coat didn't help! (whoaa folks, just kidding - nothing would have helped on this one!) Grinded two wheels on curb (yes, 100% my fault, playing with LKA). Options:

1) Grab some Glossy Black paint and touch them up (two wheels have several spots). Won't be perfect, but..
2) Buy two new wheels (dealer only I assume - have not checked prices).
3) Beg and plead with someone in dFW area that replaced their black wheels to sell me two
4) Place that repairs wheels?? Not sure they are repairable.

Ideas? I like the wheels, so not looking to replace all with after market.

Thanks!

 

[TxAggie]

Seems Ceramic Coat didn't help!

Contrary to popular belief, ceramic coating won't help against scratches to paint. The ceramic fills the voids in the painted surface making it smoother so that dirt, water, etc. won't stick as easily making it easier to clean. Also protects the paint against UV, acid rain, bird poop, etc.

In any case, sorry for your damage. Did you have pictures? I'd probably touch them up with some paint in the short term while looking for some take-offs that someone is trying to sell. I think the wheels would be pretty expensive from the dealer.

 

[jw_tx21]

SXP - Ebony Black. Seems that wheels stick out farther than tire rubber. Seems Ceramic Coat didn't help! (whoaa folks, just kidding - nothing would have helped on this one!) Grinded two wheels on curb (yes, 100% my fault, playing with LKA). Options:

1) Grab some Glossy Black paint and touch them up (two wheels have several spots). Won't be perfect, but..
2) Buy two new wheels (dealer only I assume - have not checked prices).
3) Beg and plead with someone in dFW area that replaced their black wheels to sell me two
4) Place that repairs wheels?? Not sure they are repairable.

Ideas? I like the wheels, so not looking to replace all with after market.

Thanks!

I have scratched one a bit. I haven't had it fixed yet - just forgot about it for now. But, I did get a card from my dealership service department of a tire / wheel repair place. I would investigate that option before slapping on any paint. It isn't usually very expensive for a wheel place to fix them up.

 

[Tellmeride]

No need to fix. Doesn't matter how careful you are with these 20" rims, curb rash is UNAVOIDABLE, and you will get another very soon after. From my personal experience.

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[jdaake07]

From what I’ve seen online, repairing curb rash is actually relatively affordable. I’ve seen prices between $100-200 wheel which should be way cheaper than replacing them.

 

[515EX]

If you want it done right, take it to a wheel repair shop. They’ll sand down the rash and then paint it so that it’s hardly noticeable, if at all. I had this happen to an aftermarket wheel and they charged me $50 for the repair.

 

[westcoastTelly]

easy and cheap fix , you can sand it down from 80 grit to 200 to 500 then repaint yourself OR 50-100 per wheel to have them fixed professionally .

 

[Msteeley]

Contrary to popular belief, ceramic coating won't help against scratches to paint. The ceramic fills the voids in the painted surface making it smoother so that dirt, water, etc. won't stick as easily making it easier to clean. Also protects the paint against UV, acid rain, bird poop, etc.

In any case, sorry for your damage. Did you have pictures? I'd probably touch them up with some paint in the short term while looking for some take-offs that someone is trying to sell. I think the wheels would be pretty expensive from the dealer.

Was just joking about Ceramic Coating ;-) (many folks think it will save you from everything).

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[mrmac]

easy and cheap fix , you can sand it down from 80 grit to 200 to 500 then repaint yourself OR 50-100 per wheel to have them fixed professionally .

There are several videos online to show you how to sand and repaint yourself. I've done several. These gloss black wheels will be super easy compared to other painted or machined aluminum wheels. Or, in El Paso it is $75.00 each wheel to repair. I am cheap and handy.

 

[SC300ES]

Should be about $150 per rim. Only problem with getting it fixed is sometimes the clear coat they put on will end up flaking off in the long run especially if you live in areas with snow/salt issues.

At least they are black wheels. Sometimes on other colors you could have non-matching wheels due to new paint vs old paint on wheels that don't get repaired.

Ed

 

[TONYK11]

Is the silver wheel touch up paint available? Need to fix a minor curb rash.

 

[PittPa]

Do not overreact!! First off, a picture helps. I have fixed my share of wheels with all aspects of damage. Fortunately with black wheels, you will only notice from about 3 feet in with touch ups. This is the good and bad with black wheels. Even when clean, they just kind of disappear with details. Filling in the damage with black paint with several layers will fix them immensely. If the damage is deeper, some carefully applied body filler, light sanding, and paint again will fix that. Does this first and see how you feel about it. Chances are you will forget about it an move on. You just don't see these very well on these cars.

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[TONYK11]

Do not overreact!! First off, a picture helps. I have fixed my share of wheels with all aspects of damage. Fortunately with black wheels, you will only notice from about 3 feet in with touch ups. This is the good and bad with black wheels. Even when clean, they just kind of disappear with details. Filling in the damage with black paint with several layers will fix them immensely. If the damage is deeper, some carefully applied body filler, light sanding, and paint again will fix that. Does this first and see how you feel about it. Chances are you will forget about it an move on. You just don't see these very well on these cars.

So, doctor, whats the best way to treat this curb rash? Most of the DIY 'fix kits' seem to require prepping and respraying the entire wheel, probably because blending the fixed area might be tough. Extra tough since there's no sure color match to the Kia stock wheel paint. I want to get this fixed but don't trust my miserable color match chops.

 

[NDBlackEX]

So, doctor, whats the best way to treat this curb rash? Most of the DIY 'fix kits' seem to require prepping and respraying the entire wheel, probably because blending the fixed area might be tough. Extra tough since there's no sure color match to the Kia stock wheel paint. I want to get this fixed but don't trust my miserable color match chops.

Have you cruised YouTube looking for answers yet?

That part is just brushed aluminum so you shouldn't have to worry about paint. Looks like you hit a painted curb? There could be a way to get that color off and then you just live with it.

 

[PittPa]

So, doctor, whats the best way to treat this curb rash? Most of the DIY 'fix kits' seem to require prepping and respraying the entire wheel, probably because blending the fixed area might be tough. Extra tough since there's no sure color match to the Kia stock wheel paint. I want to get this fixed but don't trust my miserable color match chops.

Ok, sooooo those aren't black obviously. When it gets to finished metals and not painted, things change. First try your best to get any unwanted paint off to see how it looks. If not any better I would find a wheel refinisher. Call some of you local higher end dealers and find who they use.

 

[TONYK11]

The wheels appear to be clear coated, at least. What's the best way to remove the transferred paint?

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[PittPa]

a fine scratch removing compound would work. I would go with a very fine one that might take a little more time but not leave any area's that are dull afterwards.