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Hey guys! When my Z arrives in Jan or sooner the second day of ownership I am having my stock 18in wheels dipped in chrome. Just to see what i was getting into I contaced a wheel place and they quoted me 800 bucks for the whole job. To be honest I think thats very expensive. On average what should i pay to have the 18inch 6 spoke wheels dipped. Sparkling Daytona Blue on shiny chrome, DAMN !
$800 is probably about right for the set. Chrome plating doesn't just involve throwing your wheels in a vat of chrome.
THey first have to remove the tires from the rims, then remove any paint from the rim. Then they polish the visibile surfaces so you get a good mirror look. THen they'll usually dip the rims in brass or nickel plate which they polish again. THEN they dip it in chrome and polish it a third time.
All the polishing is necessary to get that perfect mirror finish you expect with chrome. If you don't polish any minor pits, scratches or imperfections are actually amplified by the chrome and it looks pretty nasty.
THe reason wheels manufacturer in chrome aren't $800 more than the same wheel in paint is their high volume makes them more efficient than a job shop. Plus they don't have to remove the paint first.
You can prep the rim yourself before you give it to them(i.e. bare aluminum rim with no tire). Then the price should drop dramatically. We did this back in High School when chrome rims were "da Shiznet". They would charge us about $70/rim for the dip if we prepped them before hand. Keep in mind that this was like 10 years ago so it might cost more now.
i get my supra wheels done every spring. they do an exchange usually. it works like this. you call them.... they send you the wheels at full price..... you send them you wheels back.... if there in good condition they credit you back..... it usually runs about 650.
the place i use is AAArims they have a website. there in hollond michigan. ive used them 3 times. plus i had my factory wheels painted silver also. perfect job. shipping is about 40 for ground.
keep in mind no tax on out of state orders. so kinda works out better. they do great work.
Whats avg price to dip wheels?
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