| SCUFF
REPAIR |
WHAT
YOU NEED |
Note that although this is a Porsche painted
wheel, the WURTH wheel paint (silver) is used
for ALL German painted wheels. Same techniques
apply for an S4:
Well, there I was...backing into a parking
space against a curb and I was in a hurry and
I heard it...SCRAPE! One fraction of a
second...barely moving. Got out and looked at
the rim...OOOOOOWWWWW! |
I have a can of scratch-filler primer, the
WURTH wheel paint and clear (got mine at
Performance Products), some paint thinner,
Bondo spot putty (or equivalent), sand paper
and some 240 and 400 grit sandpaper (if you
are REALLY anal...get some 600 grit). |
| STEP
1. |
STEP
2. |
Clean...clean...clean...and did I mention
CLEAN! This is one of the most important
steps. Use paint thinner to THOROUGHLY clean
the ENTIRE area around the damage...you need
to get ANY wax or polish or anything off the
wheel...I'm going to remind you EVERY step...I
probably end up wiping down these surfaces 10
or more times before painting...if you don't
do this, the rest is pointless. Also, we want
to work ONLY on the area that's
damaged...don't go nuts and try to paint half
your wheel on the car...for this technique to
succeed we want to sand and paint the area
only IMMEDIATELY around the damage. |
I like to START by masking the tire from the
wheel...get the masking tape WELL behind the
rim. Next, sand the area to a nice
"feather" with 240 grit sandpaper
and wipe some spot putty on. IMPORTANT...this
ENTIRE project will work best if the wheel is
in the sun and its a nice warm day...the
drying time of spot putty is minutes but if
it's cold or damp, this project is likely to
not work out too well. Remember...keep your
sanding to the IMMEDIATE area around the
damage. Trust me on this. |
| STEP
3. |
PUTTY
AND SANDING |
So once you've done the first round of putty,
switch to the finer of your sandpaper (400
grit in my case) and sand and putty until it
FEELS and LOOKS flush. Note that I use the
paper wrapped around a piece of wood to make a
flat sanding block. It's best to sand with a
flat block to get the smoothest finish: |
Note that up to this point...including waiting
5 to 10 minutes between coats of putty that
the whole project has taken about 40 minutes. |
| STEP
4. |
MASKING
AND PRIMER |
Okay, here's where a bit of laziness is going
to create an entire new clay-bar project. This
metallic paint will GET EVERYWHERE. I'm
talking permanently attached to the fender on
the opposite corner of the car...mask
CAREFULLY and COVER THE WHOLE CAR with a sheet
or equivalent. |
I've used the thick scratch-filler primer and
sanded it and put a bit more putty on. Note
that this is the first place where I use the
NASA technique. Immediately after I spray the
primer (or paint) I clean ALL the overspray
off the spokes of the wheel (clean rag and
paint thinner) and the area around the inside
of the rim...I do NOT want to try to get paint
to smoothly adhere to the entire wheel! We
just want to paint the REPAIR. Only the clear
coat will be sprayed without wiping off the
overspray. Wait for the primer to fully dry
and lightly sand it with 400 or 600 grit
sandpaper. |
| STEP
5. |
STEP
. |
VITAL: READ THE CAN...if you try to use this
paint in cold temperatures (or in damp
conditions) it's going to be a mess...shake
the can for a minute at LEAST and push the
spray nozzle as you sweep across and release
at the end. This is roughly the distance I
used the can from the wheel...I HIGHLY
recommend painting some scrap something to get
used to the distances and thickness this paint
sprays. |
Now we SHOULD be nearly done BUT (as always)
Pete got inpatient and sprayed the clear WAY
too soon and lifted the paint and messed it
all up. This is NO BIGGIE...take a deep
breath, get out your rag and the paint thinner
and take it all off. The thinner I used did
not eat into the primer so I simply cleaned
the wheel (again) and got to respray the
silver. |
| STEP
10. |
STEP
11. |
Okay, fast forward a few minutes...I had to
roll the car forward a bit to keep it in the
sun and I had cleaned (and let fully dry) the
wheel and RE-sprayed the silver. Now I'm using
the NASA technique on the silver paint and
CAREFULLY removing the overspray. |
Here's the nicely painted wheel. I'm going to
not be an idiot and let the paint dry
OVERNIGHT (like I knew I should) and do the
clear coat the following day... |
