I'm wondering if anyone has had wheels refurbished to look like new. I'm a little confused on where to go. I see a seller on Ebay selling them for $184, and he pays back $30 for the old wheel. Then I contacted a local shop and he quoted me $1200 for the four. Any thoughts? Thanks.

 

From my limited experience, I had a damaged wheel from my Acura TL refurbished by my local Acura Dealership. It turned out amazing and stood the test of time.

I recently had a damaged wheel from my Acura TSX refurbished by a local wheel specialty shop. The paint was close but not a perfect match to the other three wheels (only I would notice) .. however less than 1 year later the clear coat has started to peel and there is visible oxidization.

Next time I have some wheels refurbished will be at a powder coating specialty shop. I was quoted $1200 +/- CAD. Apparently some powders are more expensive than others depending on the level of gloss, finish type, powder type, and whether a clear coat is required.

You should get some more details from your local shop to explain the differences in price and quality and service.

 

I'm completely across the country so this may be no help at all, but I had my wheels refinished by a place called Wheel Techniques in San Jose, Ca. I had some curb rash, plus I wanted a different color for the wheels. They turned out great, but it cost me almost 200 bucks a wheel.
I can post a pic if you want, but just imagine a set of gunmetal CCW classics with a polished lip that look new. That's what I got back.

I'd 100% do it over again. Yes, it's expensive, but no, it's not that bad when considering the wheels can look new again for about the price of one new wheel.

 

I did mine myself.....a lot of cleaning, sanding....but they came out great....plus...the satisfaction of doing the work myself.....

 

Are those done two different ways? I like the last one, very nice!

 

The last one is the final result......

 

Wow, great work!

 

If these are OEM Mazda wheels from S2-S3 the have a machined surface. If you want this, you need a place that diamond cuts wheels. There was a Wheeler Dealers episode with a GSLSE that highlighted this. Anyways, not every refinisher has this capacity. The place most local to me only repairs and powder coats.

 

Thanks.....a lot of work but totally worth it at the end......

 

Thanks for the info! Turns out that the place that quoted $1200 wants to paint them. I think they would look better if they were diamond cut. So now I've sent out inquiries to some shops that do that. The closest one to Buffalo looks to be in Syracuse.

 

I don't think that the factory 13s can be machined resurfaced because the way the face is...is not flat like the GSL-SE wheels.....

It'll be interesting if it can be done..... good luck....

 

GSLSE wheels are not flat. There is a convex curve to them. Any shop capable of this would have a CNC that controls the cut. I believe there is a locater probe that reports the profile. So I believe the 12a Crossbuns can be restored. It's just a really hard sell when the 13" tire options are what they are.

 

Bingo, I found a shop in Rochester that can do this. They have done them before. $200 per wheel. I'm not really worried about great tires, I'm already driving around on Kumhos unfortunately.

 

Get waffles, they look cooler!

 

Nope....they don't....the factory 13s on the FB look better than the waffles and even the GSL-SE wheels.....

 

I have a single brand new never mounted 13 inch wheel for sale if anyone wants to make an offer.