Durability of powder coated wheels?

$50 a wheel is a great price. I'm getting quoted more than double that price in San Diego.

 

quoted $720 here in the bay area. includes removal/installation/mounting and balancing..

 

I guess $100 per wheel doesn't sound to bad then.

 

I had my TRD wheels powder coated locally in matte black. $275 for the four and I painted the center caps. Time will tell how well they hold up. Full disclaimer; I was hoping to find the new TRD Pro wheels, but too $$$.

 

Turned out real nice! What paint did you use for the center cap?

 

I lightly sanded with 1200 wet paper, then primed with the adhesive. Three coats of the matte black. These paints dry fast and only need about 20 minutes between coats.

 

I REALLY like the look of the powder coated stock wheels in this thread! Who does powder coating? A body shop?

 

I had the option of two shops in my town. One business that does specialty wheel repair and restoration. The other that does powder coating of everything from artwork, patio tables, auto frames, signs, etc. I chose the latter because I had worked with them on other projects and knew their work. Plus, I had them powder coat my chrome bumpers at the same time. I'll bet if you google wheel powder coating, you will find some local resources.

 

I did some checking locally. Two very reputable wheel places told me the same thing, that most post manufacture powder coat jobs are not nearly as good as powder coats done during manufacture. The results are that if a piece of the powder coat get damaged, a whole chunk of the powder coat comes off. They both claim that their paint process looks as good as, and is more durable than post-manufacture powder coat jobs. The examples of their work on their websites are impressive, and they both said that they are asked frequently by local dealerships to repair oem powder-coated wheels with their paint process.

Thoughts?

 

You have to trust the word of a company that offers both options. I had a set of wheels painted on a '73 Celica and they stayed in great shape for years. I hope my current powder coated hoops do the same.

 

Did you do the entire wheel or just the area that wasn’t black?