Painting the Wheels

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2002 Mazda Protege5
I have 4 PR5 OEM wheels, 3 that have the chrome look (not sure if its actual chrome or just polished aluminum) and 1 that is white. I want to paint them so they're all one color; I know I can paint over the white but is it possible to paint over the chrome-finished ones? If so, what's the painting process, and will they all look the same after they've been repainted? In other words, will there be a difference between the wheels that were chrome and the wheel that was painted white? Thanks in advance.
 
They are polished aluminum, which can be painted. Actual chrome plating cannot be painted over, the paint won't stick well. The painting process is the same as any other body part. Sand with 400 to 600 grit to scuff the rims, prime, and paint. Putting down a good coat of primer will keep the final result from looking different per wheel. I'd recommend using enamel. It's a good tough paint that holds up to heat well, and doesn't scratch so easy.
 
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Just sand them all down like stated above. Then wash them good prime them and paint. Its easy and the results are awesome i have had mine painted for 3 yrs now and they have held up great threw the winter and summer months.
 
^ this

It may be more expensive, but whenever you get tired of one color you can just peel it off and plastidip them a different color.
 
plastidip is great if you want to experiment with colors...But in my experience; wheels are about the toughest part of the car to keep looking good...even factory paint can quickly chip off, get etched, fade, etc...

I'd first look at some local businesses...A lot of areas have some sort of powder coating specialists...where you can get them truly and permanently coated, whatever color you want, for around $30 a wheel...if that isn't an option, or is too expensive...and you know a color you want to be on there as long as possible...Do the wheels one at a time, and 'bake' them in your oven at 150 to 200 degrees...that will harden the paint enough to with stand a lot more abuse than just air drying will...worked well on my valve cover last week, anyway...
 
i used plastic dip on my rims. it looks very nice..and it only took 2 cans for all 4 wheels
 
I had the chrome as well, which got pretty distressed from the previous owner. They were beyond "buffing out" so I put a light sand on them and 3 coats of black Plasti-Dip. They look pretty good all flat black, with a few nicks here and there from rocks and what not. They have held up nicely this winter and I'll prob do another coat this spring. At $6 a can, you really cant go wrong. You can sand any curb rash out and the Plasti-Dip fills in small to med size scratches. I think you can paint over the Plasti-Dip with traditional enamel spray paint as well if your looking for a higher gloss finish.
 
Thanks for all the replies! I'm going to look into local businesses as suggested first, but most likely I'll end up painting them myself. About the Plasti-Dip, doesn't it scratch easily? Seems like it would, if you can peel it off later... Also, can you use Plasti-Dip directly over the polished aluminum or do you have to sand it down for that too?
 
Thanks for all the replies! I'm going to look into local businesses as suggested first, but most likely I'll end up painting them myself. About the Plasti-Dip, doesn't it scratch easily? Seems like it would, if you can peel it off later... Also, can you use Plasti-Dip directly over the polished aluminum or do you have to sand it down for that too?

I had new tires put on after painting my wheels with Plasti-Dip with no scratching from the impact wrench or the tire mounter. Ive even bumped a few curbs parking with out any scuffs. I sanded my wheels cause the "chrome plating" was far beyond any buffing could get out, but from what I have seen you dont really need to sand or scuff with Plasti-Dip.
 
Thanks again for the input. I've decided Plasti-Dip is the way to go. Now I just have to find the time to do this, and decide what color... Has anyone used the Charcoal (Dark Grey) color from the above website? It would be nice if I knew how that looked.
 
Thanks again for the input. I've decided Plasti-Dip is the way to go. Now I just have to find the time to do this, and decide what color... Has anyone used the Charcoal (Dark Grey) color from the above website? It would be nice if I knew how that looked.

That's what plasti dip is for, get a bunch if different colors and see what you like best
 
Check youtube. Some good samples of the gunmetal, charcoal, and then black with silver metalizer (to make it look hypersilver). The new one is the pearlizer. Just check the website I linked above or do a search for their vids on youtube. Watched them yesterday myself and it makes me want to do it!

And that Brakedust Pro stuff looks quite good as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2INDcL22Twk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLwSmksXGQM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPNNAC7lOro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdlUvqZdLDQ
 
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Thanks for all the info. I've decided I'll stick with a gloss black instead of the dark grey. I wanted to use the grey so it would more closely resemble the CF color, but a CF hood is not going to be in the near future. I'll just change it then.
 
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