[Josh49]

Originally Posted by ska

josh...good work on the wheels

how much you paid for the pedals....I'm thinking about aftermarket ones

Is warm now, dont need to wait till summer...hurry and put them bring lights on & post pics asap

Pedals I got for about 130-140. I've been wanting them from before I got the car. They're pricey. But damn. They match black/alum interior so well..

Just put the third coat of silver on the wheels. It looks incredible. I don't even know where I fixed the rim. I don't know where to paint anymore...

I'll probably let this coat dry for a good hour, and then do one last smooth money coat. Let that dry overnight, and clearcoat tomorrow..

Then when clearcoat is dry, I am going to wax these and slap them on. Fog lights will go on at the same time. I'm thinking it will be easier to do the fogs while the wheel is off..

That's all for now. Wheels are looking incredible..

[Chi-town330]

Damn, those pedals look GREAT with the aluminum interior. I have the same pedals, but in a black/burl walnut interior, and although I love my interior overall, your pedals really look great with that trim.

I had the BMW dealership put them on. They outsourced it to a slightly lower cost shop a few blocks away to save me a few bucks (has lower hourly rate than the $139 per hour at the dealer). So I think the installation cost me right at $100. I was too much of a lazy pansy to do it myself, and liked having the dealership responsible for it. I had this and the iPod integration done before picking up the car for the first time.

looks great!

[KL2DC]

Install looks great Josh Do mine next...

Great work on the curb rash repairs and clean up. Hurry and put those god bulbs on....

[Jay_328]

Looks great Josh. You're turning into the "mod guy" afterall.

[Josh49]

Thanks for all of the comments guys.. Just went to the store and came back to do the last final silver touches.. Here's some pictures. I don't know where the damage was at all. I'm not bs'ing either. Any shadows/light areas are reflections. I can't believe how good this is coming out..

Going to let it dry for the night with the space heater on low... Tomorrow I'll put on a few coats of clear coat and they should like like brand new... :rocks:

[Paul330d]

Great job on the wheels. Told you it was easy

[teknochild]

wow awsome indeed, but hows the paint match with the rest of the wheel?

[a burrito]

Originally Posted by teknochild

wow awsome indeed, but hows the paint match with the rest of the wheel?

ditto..was wondering this as well..

[Paul330d]

You can buy 'German alloy wheel silver' quite easily, at least here in Europe. All OEM wheels use the same colour.

[SteveMD]

Originally Posted by teknochild

wow awsome indeed, but hows the paint match with the rest of the wheel?

Looks like Josh used Duplicolor. I use WURTH paint. It is made in Germany, costs a bit but is a perfect match supposedly for all european 'silver' wheels. It certainly matches BMW wheels perfectly.

Someone told me that all WURTH paint was currently 'on hold' and you couldn't buy it.

[Paul330d]

Yes, OEM paint is supplied by Wurth.

[Josh49]

The duplicolor wheel paint looked about right. I got it, and the paint match is absolutely perfect. 110%. Look at the pictures.. You cannot see where I have painted and not painted. I did not paint those entire areas. Clearcoat today, and then I'll take some final pictures.

FYI, I painted a scrap piece of metal with same paints and processes I was using on the wheels beforehand to ensure it was identical. It was. Beyond belief..

That was my biggest concern about the whole project by the way.. But this paint is perfect. And it's not really paint. It's all metalic shiny speckle flakes exactly like stock...

[Josh49]

Originally Posted by SteveMD

Someone told me that all WURTH paint was currently 'on hold' and you couldn't buy it.

That's what I found as well.. I found the duplicolor and thought I'd paint a scrap to see how close it was. It was an exact match.. :rocks:

[Josh49]

Paul - Thanks for the DIY..

I am painting these under extremely bright flourescent lighting. I cannot tell where the damage was at all. And I can't tell where I painted either. I have looked at them under all sorts of lighting from varying angles as well. They are perfect.. I really didn't believe I could get the results I am getting..

[canucklion]

Josh, you can start a wheel repair/refinish business on the side, seriously

[Josh49]

Originally Posted by canucklion

Josh, you can start a wheel repair/refinish business on the side, seriously

There's a place Rim Pro in Tewksbury that I've heard tons of good things about. I gave them a call and they want $160 to do this. And then another $20 to put the tire back on the wheel and re-high speed balance it!! So it would have cost me $360. That's why I tried the DIY first. I figured worst case scenario I'd bring them in and have them done right..

Man am I glad I did this though..

[BK]

Josh - maybe I'll bring my 162s up to Boston for the repair.

Seriously, it looks great. I think I'll go out and look for the Duplicolor paint now. I'd been waiting for the Wurth to get back in stock, but I have been told that Wurth has made no promises about when it will be back in stock. Apparently, it was recalled due to faulty spray nozzles back in October 2005, and they still have not been able to fix the problem(!).

BTW - Einszett (1Z) supposedly has a match for the Wurth, but I've read elsewhere that it is a shade darker. I'm encouraged by your results with the Duplicolor.

A couple of questions for those in the know -- I plan to use the Bondo spot filler (the kind in a tube). Is there any drawback to using that versus the stuff in the can that you mix together? Also, what primer/filler and clear coat are you using? Did you wet sand or just dry sand?

[Josh49]

Originally Posted by BK

Josh - maybe I'll bring my 162s up to Boston for the repair.

Seriously, it looks great. I think I'll go out and look for the Duplicolor paint now. I'd been waiting for the Wurth to get back in stock, but I have been told that Wurth has made no promises about when it will be back in stock. Apparently, it was recalled due to faulty spray nozzles back in October 2005, and they still have not been able to fix the problem(!).

BTW - Einszett (1Z) supposedly has a match for the Wurth, but I've read elsewhere that it is a shade darker. I'm encouraged by your results with the Duplicolor.

A couple of questions for those in the know -- I plan to use the Bondo spot filler (the kind in a tube). Is there any drawback to using that versus the stuff in the can that you mix together? Also, what primer/filler and clear coat are you using? Did you wet sand or just dry sand?

Duplicolor FTW.. It's an exact match. Like I said I am a perfectionist, if it didn't match 110% I wouldn't have done this project..

Spot filler sounds good.. I picked up the smallest can I could find. It hardens real fast so make sure you are ready to use it right away. Use the smallest amount possible to fill what you are doing.

Primer I used a primer that is good for bare aluminum. It etches itself into the aluminum. It sanded nicely as well. I'll look at the exact name when I get home from work. Clearcoat I am using the Duplicolor clearcoat for clearcoating wheels. All of my sanding was dry. Went from 320 down to 2000...

[KL2DC]

This thread is worthless without VIDEO ...

[Josh49]

Originally Posted by KL2DC

This thread is worthless without VIDEO ...

[BK]

Okay, one last and very basic question. Can you give more detail on the steps you took to clean in advance of Bondo and painting? I know this stuff is 99% prep work. I am thinking of a Dawn wash followed by generous slathering of mineral spirits on the area, but how do I know when I've cleaned enough?

[Brunotheboxer]

Josh, now i feel confident that if a f*ck up my wheels i can pay you to do a top notch job.