Hi All

I managed to do a cracking job scuffing two of my alloy wheel exiting the Yellow carpark at City Hospital Nottingham.

On a previous visit I found I had to mount the curb turning right but though I had just not judged the turn.

Anyway I have a couple of patches I would like to touch up plus some bad repairs from the previous owner.

Looking on the Ford website it suggests that the wheel colour is Tarnished Dark but I can't find anything online that says it's the right colour.

I don't want to risk buying different ones until I get a match so wondered if anyone else had the same issue and found a good match?

Thanks in advance 

 

Steve

On 6/8/2024 at 12:38 PM, NewbySteve said:

Hi All

I managed to do a cracking job scuffing two of my alloy wheel exiting the Yellow carpark at City Hospital Nottingham.

On a previous visit I found I had to mount the curb turning right but though I had just not judged the turn.

Anyway I have a couple of patches I would like to touch up plus some bad repairs from the previous owner.

Looking on the Ford website it suggests that the wheel colour is Tarnished Dark but I can't find anything online that says it's the right colour.

I don't want to risk buying different ones until I get a match so wondered if anyone else had the same issue and found a good match?

Thanks in advance 

 

Steve

According to Ford's sales brochure for the 2017 Edge the ST-Line is fitted with 20" Platinum Grey alloy wheels.

When I needed to touch-up a couple of scuffs on mine I couldn't find anything called Platinum Grey, but some searching on the net led me to believe the colour "Rado Grey" would be a near match. I bought some and was very happy with the results.

You can buy it here from Protouch paints on Amazon for £10. https://www.amazon.co.uk/PROTOUCH-FORD-RADO-GREY-BOTTLE/dp/B08LCG149G

Cheers Pete

Your recommendation will save me trial and error. 

Kind regards 

Steve

Following Pete's recommendation I found this. 

https://www.rapidpaints.co.uk/products/ford-rado-grey-basecoat-car-spray-paint

They offer a 3 pot kit. Primer, colour and lacquer for £13.99 with free delivery. 

2-3 day delivery. But I'm OK with that. 

I looked but couldn't find it on Amazon. 

All I need now it a bucket load of patience as I've never been good at art. 

Regards 

Steve 

The paint arrived in the post this morning. 

Quite impressed with the size of the bottles. 

I've ordered some small paint bushes as I'm hoping to smooth the areas and fill in with paint rather than paint a large area should the colour not be an exact match. 

Not going to tackle this until the time is right as I'm currently at the coast, near sand dunes and there is a lot of dusty sand around. 

Shall update when I have done the job. 

Regards Steve 

So I have the paint. I have plenty of art brushes thanks to Amazon delivering my first order to a neighbors shed. 

But what I don't have is suitable thinners to wipe down the wheels and clean the brushes between coats! 

The place I bought the paint from said any solvent would do, but me being me believes that I need the solvent that the paint is based upon? 

I'm sure the answer is simple and also I'm sure I will end up with more than I need but I'm still to figure out what solvent to buy? 

Anyone have any suggestions? 

Thanks in advance 

Steve 

Use IPA to degrease and clean before painting.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trade-Chemicals-Isopropanol-Alcohol-99-99/dp/B08FJ74J22/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=1ZN5WV8K4TLIL&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.WvX79yy1yIXTIya-WUuyT78GyPIe3ue5yldlex8wflJVbguFcm76y-TGx5KhJhQm9XuJCz-v2BM0ZFeGYPQqKFjVJsumu3NRq56H6lHLirfjdj7tBHDboZmH53zNdvY7YFDyLY2eOIP-a3ssGHDrM64ZA7ijq0Uo9-7yMsv54tdl91JH453OzPeKMRA3nD7Ogj3Du_21Ab5EYConcF8qvjdAWfO8o33k9Y5uJzMVrEq3WGsbGjgSeOa_Cqfq34QYZpT8CyzSqZEuU4gp_-DsmTaJYIpSA6Y4Z-RRyyqCRYg.rpGBSCViYGZw-RHtYz42zzwtTWUf2jzD5L6PMLyFAxE&dib_tag=se&keywords=IPA&qid=1719093395&sprefix=ipa%2Caps%2C255&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

Hi Unofix

Thank you for info. 

Rapid Paints have also got back to me. 

They recommended Base Coat Thinners for cleaning up afterwards. 

I get both so I will have all angles covered. 

Kind regards Steve 

14 hours ago, unofix said:

Use IPA to degrease and clean before painting.

Every 'man shed' should have this item!! It's a fabulous solvent, de greases everything from wheels to sticky residue from price labels. In a pandemic, can even use it to make hand sanitiser LOL

37 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

Every 'man shed'

Yon need to move with the times Stephen. It's now an "Lqbtqia+ Shed" 🤣

Well,

The IPA arrived today along with a bottle of Shadow Black touch up paint. 

I have noticed a few stone chips and scratches that may not polish out, so my thought was being though I've got everything else I might as well cover that base as well. 

So I thought I would see if the IPA would act as a solvent for the paint. 

Took a small plastic bottle top to pour some IPA into. Got one of the artist brushes out and placed everything on a piece of kitchen roll. 

Carefully unscrewing the paint, withdrew the brush and promptly managed to get a drip fall onto my tee-shirt and a smaller drip on the front of the washing machine. 

So no worries I've got the kitchen roll to wipe up. The blob on the tee-shirt came off ok as it landed on a transfer and hasn't left a noticeable stain. 

However the bit on the washer needed a little help, but I've the IPA so I could give it wipe off with that, what could go wrong? So I dipped the kitchen roll in the IPA and tried that. It certainly took it off along with some of the silver finish on the front of the washer. 

I think I will get away with it as the machine is old and has other battle scars from years of use. 

At least I now now three things. 

1. The paint can be a bit runny. 

2. IPA does act as a solvent for cleaning the brushes between coats. So no other chemicals required. 

3. Care needed not to spill either the paint or the IPA onto anything precious. 

I wouldn't have expected to have taken the silver finish off the plastic washer! 

Every day's a school day, I init, lol. 

Slight update. 
With signs of good weather I’m thinking of making the time to have a go at the wheels, only to find out that there is a generic fault with Ford wheel nuts!

What’s that all about?

No don’t answer as I now know about the corrosion issue between the nut and covers making them slightly bigger than they should be. 
 

Anyhow I would like to know what others have done with their nuts after finding the same issue?

Have you removed the covers to reveal the plain nut?

Do you just live with slightly knackered nuts?

Have you swapped them out for something better?

My wheels are Shadow Black in colour and the nuts are chrome-ish.

If I change or cover I shall have to do something with the locking wheel nut?

 

Many thanks Steve 

13 hours ago, NewbySteve said:

Have you removed the covers to reveal the plain nut?

Punch a hole with an old screwdriver through the centre of the cap and just leaver the cover off.

You can then use an 18.5mm socket to remove the nuts. A full new set from eBay or Amazon costs about £25 choice of chrome or black. Don't bother with locking wheel nuts, no one steals wheels these days. They just steal the whole car.

Hi Unofix

I haven't removed them yet but I have a socket that will do the job. 

Would be my luck to get the wheels nicked but I could always paint the cap off the locking wheel nuts when I touch up the wheels.

When I found my 21mm wheel socket was a tight fit I looked at few videos on YouTube. Great way to see true craftsmen at work. 

Hammering standard Cr-V sockets onto the nuts, followed by using an impact wrench to unscrew then getting the hammer out again with diagonal blows to remove the socket whilst still on the thread.

Along with the guys using screwdrivers as chisels to chip away at the covers whilst trying not to damage the alloy. 

Many thanks Steve 

New update. 
 

Found time to take a look at the first wheel. 
upon cleaning I found a few areas that needed attention. 
Unfortunately the Radio Grey isn’t a great colour match for my wheels 😞

The other downside is that because I’ve started to prep the area I have a bigger patch to sort. 
As I bought a three bottle kit, I thought maybe the lacquer may have helped but unfortunately it didn’t!

The only plus is that all the bits within my control, sockets, brushes and sanding bits worked well. 
When I get more paint I shall try again and shall be a little more fastidious in my finishing. 
 

shall update again when I have more paint. 

Regards Steve

On 7/21/2024 at 4:33 PM, NewbySteve said:

New update. 
 

Found time to take a look at the first wheel. 
upon cleaning I found a few areas that needed attention. 
Unfortunately the Radio Grey isn’t a great colour match for my wheels 😞

The other downside is that because I’ve started to prep the area I have a bigger patch to sort. 
As I bought a three bottle kit, I thought maybe the lacquer may have helped but unfortunately it didn’t!

The only plus is that all the bits within my control, sockets, brushes and sanding bits worked well. 
When I get more paint I shall try again and shall be a little more fastidious in my finishing. 
 

shall update again when I have more paint. 

Regards Steve

That's a shame. It doesn't look as close a match as the Rado Grey I used on my wheel. 

I’ve heard back from Rapid Paints. 
They are unable to offer a colour matching service and suggest that I try someone local. 
That’s a shame as there isn’t anywhere on the web offering a solution for Ford Tarnished Dark wheels other than it being suggested that they come in two shades. 
 

I’m thinking I have a few options. Either find a closer match by visiting a motor factors who have a good selection of touch up paint. 
Or I get the wheels refurbished with a known colour should I need to do any minor touch up work. 
A friend has told me he’s had his BMW wheels done recently for around £350. That was for a full tyre off and powder coat service x 4.
shall probably look at both options eventually getting the wheels done should I have any more mishaps.

More so when the tyres need changing?

If I find a paint I shall add it to this post.  

I visited Halfords last week to see what selection of paints they had to try if they had anything close. 
I asked one of the assistants if they had a colour swatch only to be told “we sell T-Cut”.

That was a no then!

So I picked something I thought looked similar but it was too dark.

Anyway just tried a mix of the Radio Grey and a touch of the Halfords to darken it up. The end result is liveable.

When I have more time I shall have a proper stab at it.

So I suppose the answer to my question is.

You can’t get a touch up paint to match Ford Tarnished Dark. You have to make your own.

 

Be easier to get a custom can mixed and spray the full wheel/s, lacquer will be needed.

Hi Ian

I thought about doing that but as I can get all 4 refurbished at a reasonable cost, I shall get them done when needed.

 

Regards

Steve