How to repair a rim ?

Are your gloves damaged ? Would you like to fix them ? Want to apply epoxy rim paint ? We will explain to you which product to use to repair your rims first. We will then tell you what paint to apply and how much product you will need to repair your four rims. Finally, we will address the issue of varnishing.

There are a wide variety of rim paints, with classic imitations of metal, thanks to metallic paints based on aluminum pigments. There are grades of ultra fine and shiny pigments, or coarser and glittery ALU pigments, called "COARSE".
There are matt and glossy rim paints. This can be colored polyurethane lacquers (gloss black 2C) or powder paints (powdercoating).

We will see that painting is not enough : you must first seal the defects with putty. In addition, it is important to apply a primer to standardize the support and a varnish to protect the paint.

What paint to repair a rim ?

There are manufacturer paints that are classified with color codes and there are custom paints that do not belong to any particular car brand. Rim colors are listed according to each car brand, in a “WHEELS” section.

Formulas or recipes for this type of paint are often not available. They are simply not reproduced as much as the body colors.

We will see in this article the five essential steps :
- The use of putty
- The application of the primer
- The sanding
- The application paint
- Clearcoat

If you want to repair the paint on your rims, contact our color department and provide the information you have. We will then do a color code search for your rim paints according to your brand and the year of your vehicle.

The putty to repair your rims

To repair your rim and fill in scuff marks, you need an aluminum sealant. It is important to degrease the surface beforehand, then dry and sand it. Before using the putty, it must be quickly mixed with a hardener at the rate of 3% to 5% of the weight of the putty. Please note that this mixture can only be used for 3 to 5 minutes at an ambient temperature of 20°C. Beyond that, it will no longer be usable. The putty applied is dry after 16 to 30 minutes, depending on the temperature.

Applying the primer

Once the filler has been applied, we advise you to use a filling primer, available in five colours : white, black, light grey, medium gray and dark grey. It is an aerosol that will eliminate small imperfections. The varnish and the hardener integrated in the spray will mix as soon as the product is opened and applied. The mixture can only be used during the hour following the opening of the aerosol. This primer is applied in 2 to 4 layers separated by pause times of one to five minutes.

The sanding paper

The primer is not a primer. It is only used to standardize the support before applying the paint. Therefore, it is necessary to cross-sand finely, with water, with sandpaper from 500 to 1200, or finer to give the mirror effect. Beyond that, you actually gain polish, but you lose grip quality. After sanding, we will subject the rims to an abundant rinsing, then to a complete drying before applying the paint.

The putty to repair your rims

To give a pure brushed aluminum effect, we recommend that you apply BC50 liquid metal epoxy rim paint in a few thin coats. All the instructions and advice for use are indicated in the product sheet.

Clearcoat to protect the paint

Finally, you have to clearcoat. There are two possibilities : a 2C aerosol or a mini pot kit. Attention, the clearcoat must be applied less than 30 minutes after the application of the paint. Otherwise, the clearcoat will not be able to stick.
We offer additives, to be added to varnishes, in order to improve their resistance to UVs, but also to reinforce their surface and allow them to resist stone throwing and chipping : these are flexibilizing additives.

The products to redo a rim paint