Umski

Weather's been so nice this week I had to do it! Wiped the water off the h/t and took it off this morning which was okay - doubt I can get it back on myself though with all the sharp spikey bits. Chucked it on the Spitfire in the garage and drove to work with the roof down

Popped to the pub for lunch and guess what was parked when we left - Z4 to the left and Cayman to the right...there's a song that goes with this

Anyway, just leaving the pub (no beer by the way!) and I clipped the front left on the kerb - just a slight scrape but am really miffed as it the first one Can anyone advise on alloy repairs in Bristol and how much it might be? It's very light about 4 inches long on the very edge - would it polish out with a bit of emery cloth?

Thanks for any advice (first alloys I've had!)

Nezil

Post up some pics, we can't really advise without that.

Even camera pics would be ok if you get up close and it's a decent phone.

GrittyShaker

Camera pics are usually the best ones. Did you mean phone pics?

Boab01

I've done this twice, it's really bloody irritating, it's because I'm going from a car with a shorter bonnet and tighter circle to one where I don't know exactly where that wheel is.

Most annoying and my sympathies, I know how frustrating it is.

Umski

Thanks guys, I've taken some pics on a camera phone (with A/F) but can't upload them for some reason - may be something to do with our firewall at work so will try and do it from home later...there's more fun to be had on the way (hopefully without incident though!)

Nick Graves

That song runs through my head every day, practically!

I'd get some silver paint & wet & dry & DIY, quite frankly.

Re-furbed alloys are a PIA - you just knock/clean the paint off.

Unless you get it stripped & powder-coated, which is tougher.

Umski

Ok, I've managed to upload some pics now - think it looks worse than it actually is in these

Driving home I had the s/top up as it was getting dark and I realised how much better the rear visibility is with the h/top on and even more so when I tried to park backwards...must be extra careful to avoid the front wall

CiderBoy

Hi Umesh,

Posting during work hours. Tut tut!

Sorry your new steed has it's first scuff.

It does not look bad and I'm sure a little bit of work will get some good results.

And also...when your blasting around no one will be able to see it anyway!

Have a good weekend

Nick

Shopman

I have done this successfully a few times (only once on the S!)
The problem with these wheels is the diamond cut finish.

1. Dremel with a fine drum type sanding attachment.
Go lightly backwards and forwards over the area in an arc being careful not to spread the area more than necessary. Smoothing it in to the area just in front and behind the damage to blend in. Better to take off too little than too much.

2. Fold over a very small piece of very fine wet+dry.
Keeping it wet all the time, rub the area down again in an arc so that it blends in.
Try not to spread the area or touch the w+d against the undamaged laquer.

3. Polish with a cotton pad and metal polish ( I like Meguiar's) until it merges in. If there are any marks that won't polish out go back to stage 2, then re-polish.

4. I found after polishing it looks too shiny compared to the diamond cut finish so I just wiped over the new polished area with dry w+d to take the shine off.

5. Re-lacquer the area. To do this mask the tyre with tape. Take a piece of thin card and tear a small hole in the middle about 1/4 inch wide by 1 inch long. Hold this about an inch away from the wheel while you spray the clear lacquer with the spray about 6 inches away from the card, moving both along the area you are spraying in short bursts. Do not overspray, you do not want runs. Better to do a number of light sprays than one heavy one.
When it has dried completely and you are happy you have covered the bare alloy, polish the lacquer to blend it in with some glaze polish.

Hope this helps and I'm not teaching you how to do suck eggs!

Umski

Thanks for the tips Shopman - I had a bash at it this afternoon with mixed results. I can see what you mean about the diamond cut finish - 'tis very difficult to match, if at all.

I started from the off with some w+d and then rubbed it back. However, some of the nicks were quite deep so I had to keep going which gave the edge more of a curve.



I didn't have any metal polish apart from brasso which cleaned it up ok:



I then masked it off and sprayed directly on to the area which has given a decent result but then I don't think I let it dry long enough before I rubbed back to blend in:





Final result: (can't see it with it closest to the ground )



I guess I'm kind of happier now that it's not completely obvious but I don't think rubbing away any more material will help, although maybe some more laquer might.

Anyway, hope this helps anyone else in the same boat