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Looking to refinish my E39 M5 stock rim

7K views 22 replies 12 participants last post by  cory58 
#1 ·
Gentlemen,
I am looking to refinish my rims to stock color. Is anyone could suggest a good place in southern california?
Thanks,
 
#6 ·
That is simply not the case. There are many places that know how to re-finish these wheels. I just had my set refinished locally (DFW area) and the wheels are virtually identical to factory finish (I have other wheels with original factory finish to compare).
 
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#10 ·
Lead paint has nothing to do with it. Back in the day, lead paint allowed for much finer grind (making finer metallic "grain"), decreased the amount of time that the paint takes to dry, made the paint more durable, and caused the paint to be more moisture resistant. None of this is an advantage any longer due to modern paints being as good or better than lead paint. Not to mention modern re-finishing technologies. The key here is gloss black backing and very fine metallic silver paint. Whether its lead, acrylic, lacquer, or something else, doesn't really matter.

Plus, I'm sure Prince is not the ONLY place that uses lead paints. And in the end, if it looks THE SAME, I don't really care of the process is the same. I'm after the look, not the chemical composition of my wheel paint. Don't get me wrong, they do outstanding job - but they are not the only place capable of same result.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Another posting for Prince Wheels in Monroe NC

Plus 1 for Prince Wheels in Monroe NC. I was able to visit their shop a few weeks ago when two of us dropped off 18 wheels for refinishing and a set of cam covers off a X5 4.6is. The wheels look GREAT! factory look and shine. The guys do a great job.
Prince Wheel Services
1398 Walkup Ave Monroe NC 28110 US
Phone: 704-289-3600 Toll Free 877-7WHEELS
E-mail: princewheel@gmail.com

Now regarding having someone else refinish your wheels, It takes more than a spray gun to do these wheels properly. Most shops have NO CLUE what your are seeking and will do a down and dirty power coat color coat which as most of us know is not correct. While visiting at their shop they mentioned they had just finished a set from someone in Japan, so distance is not an issue (shipping might be a show stopper).
Can other shops duplicate they process and finish? Sure. Just make sure you are not their first attempt at the task and bring along a sample wheel for them to match. Most shops will not be able to meet your expectations as it is way too complicated and requires someone who knows what they are doing. Short cut results are posted all over the forum.

Those on the east coast should only choose Prince Wheels, others are left with the options of time and $$ to seek alternatives or ship your wheels. Your car, your $$, your expectations. Of course there is always a paint rattle can of some kind out there waiting for your fingers.
:devil:devil:devil:devil:devil:devil:devil:eek:eek:eek:eek

Images are from one of the installed sets on a buddy's M5. Just an IPhone shot in the garage after a buff and wax. Prince installed and balanced the new Michelin Super Sports tires as well
 

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#12 ·
When refinishing wheels and trying to compare to "factory", don't forget that there was a wide variation from BMW back in the day. It was like a binary variation -- you either got what most consider "normal" or a much darker version. Back in 2004 I ordered eight rear wheels from my local dealer (after negotiating down to the best online price I could find), and seven of them were "normal" or bright while one of them was much darker and stood out immediately upon inspection. It took two more rounds of ordering a rear wheel to get another "bright" version from BMW. The two pictures above reminded of me that difference.
 
#13 · (Edited)
These two wheels look exactly the same when laying side by side. The difference here in these images is color balance from the overhead lights and the reflection of the car cover next to these wheels that is tan. The front wheel is getting sunlight from a window while the rear is only seeing shop lights. I did NOT color balance the images before posting so ignore any variance in these shots.
 

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#14 · (Edited)
I just had my wheels refinished locally (DFW) by all star wheel repair through local bmw dealer, and they look identical to my other, factory chrome shadow wheels.
So it’s definitely possible, but you need to know where to take them:

Untitled by Alex Kustov, on Flickr

Untitled by Alex Kustov, on Flickr

Untitled by Alex Kustov, on Flickr

Untitled by Alex Kustov, on Flickr
 
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#20 ·
I paid $140 per wheel, which included taking tires off, refinishing the wheels, new M-emblems, mounting tires back on, and re-balancing the wheels. Probably cheaper if you have tires off.
 
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#18 · (Edited)
I also had mine done by Prince wheels, about 3 years ago, and they've held up beautifully. No complaints at all, but I did have over $200 wrapped up in transportation fees back and forth. I contacted several shops here in OKC and DFW at the time and none left me with a warm and fuzzy feeling that the wheels were going to be correct. So, I sucked it up and shipped them to Prince. Now that ZexaZ3 has confirmed that a shop in DFW can do it correctly, I'll probably use them in the future.

It's my understanding that Prince does not use the same paint that the factory used. The paint the factory used has a tendency to peel off, so I don't think that's what any of us want. The factory process was a black powder-coat, followed up by the translucent silver paint, then clear coat paint. Prince does all 3 layers as powder coat, if I recall correctly. They were one of the first to perfect the formula and technique for recreating the OE finish.

I suspect there are multiple shops out there that *can* do this and probably countless who *could* do it. It all boils down to whether or not you want to be the guinea pig for your particular shop. Prince is just the one shop who made a point to contact the M5/M3 enthusiast community years ago and market their service. They've done great work over the years and no other shop has attempted to really attract the community, so Prince has been the go-to for years.
 
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