4 Big Mistakes People Make With Wheel Painting and How YOU Can Avoid Them

Wheels are a big part of a vehicle’s style and resulting image, and you can do much to make a personal style statement or upgrade that image using wheel paint. But there are some common mistakes that many people make when painting their wheels. At Salt City Wheels, our goal is to help you bring to life the pristine, crisp image you have in your mind - while avoiding all those common pitfalls. 

Here are four scarily common mistakes people make when painting their wheels and how YOU can avoid them:

1 Lack Of Surface Preparation

This might seem quite obvious, but it’s amazing how many people are taken in by the claims on the paint can to ‘prime and coat’, or ‘no need to use a separate primer’. A wheel by its very nature is the first line of defense between your vehicle’s chassis and rough, often aggressive road conditions. If the wheel paint has not been applied to a expertly prepared and primed surface, at the first altercation between your wheel and the elements, you could quickly lose your pristine wheel finish and end up with flaky paint, chips and (worst of all) rust eating away at your wheel.

2 Leaving Wheels Unsealed

The same forces that can damage an un-primed painted wheel surface can wreak havoc on even a professionally primed surface that is left unsealed. Sealant keeps the painted surface securely under wraps and protects it from even the saltiest of salts and the rockiest of rocks. A sealant shouldn’t even be a question when you’re applying wheel paint. And it only makes sense to use the highest quality, most proven sealant you can find to keep your wheels looking their best for longer.

3 Using The Wrong Cleaning Solvents

This is a surprising one to many but using the wrong cleaning solvent on your vehicle’s painted wheels can over time cause chemical wear to the surface, gradually stripping the wheels of their protection and even finish. Use a professional wheel cleaner and make sure to rinse well or follow the directions to the letter. 

4 Leaving Surface Damage Unrepaired

This is kind of a no-brainer but let’s face it, we’re all seriously busy these days and a ding to the paint on your wheels probably fades into irrelevance in the list of Important Issues About Which To Worry. But left to its own devices (and the devices of the elements), a small chip or ding can become a serious problem if moisture and salt are allowed access to your bare naked wheel for too long. Getting wheel paint chips repaired ASAP will save you the hassle and expense of a massive wheel overhaul down the line.

Fortunately, Salt City Wheels are known in the industry and amongst its customers for priming, sealing, repairing and caring for wheels with the highest level of professionalism and skill. If you’ve inadvertently made one of the mistakes above, or if you want to avoid them all and get wheels painted properly right from the get-go, give our wheel refinishing experts a call today at 801 425 3044.