Hi everyone,

 

I wonder if any of you have good experience of alloy repair in East Sussex, and if so, with who? - I lightly kerbed a wheel on my mk7 facelift ST Line Fiesta, rock metallic grey alloy I believe it's called, and have not stopped kicking myself since.  The integrity of the wheel does not appear damaged, though wheel balancing & alignment has definitely been on my to do list since buying it 2 months ago, but it's scuffed!

I have had a very quick YouTube search and might not be impossible I fix it myself (do you apply clear lacquer on top of the paint?) but I'd like to know my repair options.

Any help appreciated!  Still CANNOT believe I did it...

 

4 hours ago, srpocd25 said:

(do you apply clear lacquer on top of the paint?)

I think by the fact you're asking the question means you're not quite ready to attempt a repair yourself just yet lol.

Metallic paint is hard to spray and get it to blend/match to the other wheels at the best of times, nevermind using rattle cans and on your first spray job. Before you go ruining your nice alloys, have a practice on something less valuable and see if you're happy with the results first.

You also need 2k lacquer (mixed with hardener), 1k just isn't durable enough. It's possible to get 2 pack in a can, but it's no where near as good as a spray gun.

Can't recommend anyone in your area obviously (though I see there are several in Sussex offering full wheel refurbishment or "smart" repairs. (We don't know how bad your damage is without a pic).

I've had "smart" repairs done by the likes of the local Chips Away guy in the past and been quite satisfied with the results. 

I really would get your wheel balance and alignment sorted asap to prevent tyre wear/damage and satisfy yourself that the wheel itself is not distorted before deciding what to do about the cosmetics. 

On 7/22/2021 at 10:53 AM, Luke4efc said:

I think by the fact you're asking the question means you're not quite ready to attempt a repair yourself just yet lol.

Metallic paint is hard to spray and get it to blend/match to the other wheels at the best of times, nevermind using rattle cans and on your first spray job. Before you go ruining your nice alloys, have a practice on something less valuable and see if you're happy with the results first.

You also need 2k lacquer (mixed with hardener), 1k just isn't durable enough. It's possible to get 2 pack in a can, but it's no where near as good as a spray gun.

Thank you Luke4efc, you are quite right, I am still getting to know my car and making it mine - sorry for late reply too, busy busy etc

I have still not finished full detail yet - car looked great when I got it but closer inspection reveal L**kers don't detail used cars very well so before I go polishing waxing etc I've taken 4 years worth of embedded grime between panels, in small folds on seals etc.

This takes a long time! My last car was a runabout so never any point trying to detail to the degree I am aiming for.

So the plan is, back to basics, correct paint as much as I'm able to, protect with wax then think about correcting kerb damage.

Luckily it has been a one off and is not the worst it could have been.  Good reminder to self not to rush.  Also, the wheels look so much better after a couple of doses of korrosol, you would not believe!

Eric Bloodaxe, you are also right that wheel alignment & balancing is priority, and something planned since I bought the car due to small vibrations at 70mph.  My kerbing the front wheel just emphasised it.

I've so many plans for the car, it's getting the time!but no mad rush I guess, and I'm pleased I bought it.

Ta for responses, I'll see if I can set notifications to alert me to forum replies

On 7/23/2021 at 7:38 PM, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Can't recommend anyone in your area obviously (though I see there are several in Sussex offering full wheel refurbishment or "smart" repairs. (We don't know how bad your damage is without a pic).

I've had "smart" repairs done by the likes of the local Chips Away guy in the past and been quite satisfied with the results. 

I really would get your wheel balance and alignment sorted asap to prevent tyre wear/damage and satisfy yourself that the wheel itself is not distorted before deciding what to do about the cosmetics. 

Thank you Luke4efc, you are quite right, I am still getting to know my car and making it mine - sorry for late reply too, busy busy etc

I have still not finished full detail yet - car looked great when I got it but closer inspection reveal L**kers don't detail used cars very well so before I go polishing waxing etc I've taken 4 years worth of embedded grime between panels, in small folds on seals etc.

This takes a long time! My last car was a runabout so never any point trying to detail to the degree I am aiming for.

So the plan is, back to basics, correct paint as much as I'm able to, protect with wax then think about correcting kerb damage.

Luckily it has been a one off and is not the worst it could have been.  Good reminder to self not to rush.  Also, the wheels look so much better after a couple of doses of korrosol, you would not believe!

Eric Bloodaxe, you are also right that wheel alignment & balancing is priority, and something planned since I bought the car due to small vibrations at 70mph.  My kerbing the front wheel just emphasised it.

I've so many plans for the car, it's getting the time!but no mad rush I guess, and I'm pleased I bought it.

Ta for responses, I'll see if I can set notifications to alert me to forum replies