Okay to make long story short. Tire shop put some scratchs on one of my GT-C's trying to mount the tire. They agreed to refinish the lip. I recommened Wheels America. Stupid me! I got the rim back today and it appears that they only used a PC and polished out the scratches without putting back on the clear coat after polishing. So now the lip looks more dull then the rest and if I look at different angles, I can see millions of hairline scratches!

Now...My question is... Is there any wheel repair companies that can polish my lip back to a MIRROR finish as if it was new or is there no such thing? Is that the best refinishing they can do to a polished lip?

 

i sent my wheels to some other company like wheels america...polished lip also came back pretty sucky...chances are they did put a clearcoat..otherwise you will be able to polish it yourself to a mirror finish

 

post pics of it im curious to see if its the same as mine

 

I just tried to take some pics. But even with a 5.0 mega pixel camera, will not show up. It looks good from 2 feet away but once you get closer you see millions of hairline scratches! It's like I took a brillo pad to the lip.

 

It's not the whole lip they refinished, it's the 1" of polish lip that you see when viewing your car from sideways. I'm definately sure they didn't clear the part they polished. I'm not sure what to do now. The owner of the wheel shop told me he will not give me the cost of the wheel back but will pay what it takes to refinish it like new. But where can I send this wheel to make it look brand new? Nobody can make polished lips look like new?

I will call Wheels America tom and see what they say about the lip. Chances are that who ever refinished my wheel, slacked off and just took only 5 mins on this job.

 

I heard USA WHEELS in FAIRFIELD NJ is really good, im gonna take my wheels to them to get repolished, but I heard there kinda pricey

 

This is what Mackin Industies (Importer of Volks/ Rays) told me reguarding their clear coat.

"The problem is that Rays Enginnering clear coating process cannot be duplicated here in the US (enviromental standards).

If the wheels are recleared here they will be duller then the other wheels.

The best way to make the look new is to take all the clear off and polished them all the time or have them all clear coated the same with a duller finish."

This is same thing a friend told me when his LE-37T got dented.

I saw the LE-37T that got repaired and indeed it was duller then the others.

 

i had stock wheels from a different car repaired by some wheel repair company. the finish was when the tire was put back on the paint came on. i called them and they said the oven was out of order and they didn't cook them. what kinda bs is that!! i sent them back and they re-did them. they color and finish was still way off. i just sort of said f that. i'll never deal with any of them. i'll either replace the wheel or just live with it.

 

I would say unless it is a rare 4+ month wait wheel, don't settle for getting it fixed, force them to get you a new wheel.

 

Wheel Techniques in California is 1 of the best places in the country to erpair wheel finishes

give them a call .... here's the number
408-496-6363

 

Okay, I just spoke with a Wheels America representative and he told me that "some times customers are fine with the finish and some just don't like the finish, just send back the rim and we will get it done the way you wanted. We can get it polished to a mirror finish but it will take a little longer(2-3 days)."

Apparently, they just cut corners and hope the customer is satisfied with it. I specifically wrote down on a sheet of paper reguarding the finish needs to be mirror and the clear needs to match. Guess they didn't even read it.

 

Maybe you should send them a good wheel too so they can make sure they match.

 

dont send them any more wheels that you have to...they should be able to do what you want

i hate people that do half/*** jobs

let us know how it works out

 

Okay, :: Deep Breath::... Wheels America cannot do any better. Maybe I'm just a little **** about it. But, it doesn't look as bad when I put it near the car to see if it will look "duller". The only way you can see that the lip was refinished is when you look at the wheel closer than 1 feet away and if the sun is hitting it directly.

Good news: I got the Wheel shop to level with me after hours of arguing. They agreed to pay for half of the rim. That was the best I could do.

I'll get some pics of the rims on the car as soon as I get it back from Wheels America.

Conclusion: Inform or make the Shop to sign an agreement that if they scratched the rim, they must replace!!!

I wish somebody has a Gold Gt-C 10.5 24+ in stock. Anybody?

Ohh well...Lesson learned

 

Please be sure to check the message I sent you. I had a several month-long debacle with Wheels America that ultimately ended strongly in my favor. I'd be glad to help you if necessary.

 

Unfortunately, I got back my rim from Wheels America today and as I predicted!! More hairline scratches on the lip!! I'll get pics tom when its sunny. Rims still look good though, scratches are unnoticable to the "untrained" eyes. :: Just trying to make myself feel better::

Oh yea, atleast I squeezed $350 from the wheel shop. :: Just trying to make myself feel better...again::