Refinish or buy new?

[hcbeck2689]

So my 135's are pretty beat up and it bothers me. I am also not a fan of the color and would like something more of a gunmetal. I talked to one place who quoted me for $125 a wheel. So $500 to redo them. To my knowledge there are no bends or cracks. I don't really want to take on the work myself since a few are deeper and I would rather it be done by a professional.
I would kind of like to get new wheels though so I can have a bigger set up. I'm thinking apex ps-7 18x8.5 fronts 18x9.5 rears. This would probably run about $700 more than getting my wheels redone. Maybe I could sell my 135's for a few hundred in current condition?

What do y'all think? New wheels? Refinish 135's?
Could I get some money for my rashed wheels (this is a big factor to me)?

They are stock staggered.
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04/29/7d93d2469a3dac820b33ce0ef1a002ae.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04/29/8b8e8d7a0071567d347c62b2d564e594.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04/29/de5fc5827255d5d40ddeefb0613f50ed.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04/29/0e3d1aad6a73b51798425ceec8ab5050.jpg


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[mbeckel]

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12563
Wheel Refinishing Simplified doityourself

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[hcbeck2689]

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12563
Wheel Refinishing Simplified doityourself

Sent from in the bushes

I read this awhile back. I thought you did a great job on the right up, and a great job with your wheels. I'm just not sure if I want to tackle that job, and if I trust myself.
Also, I would kind of like to go bigger so new wheels would be nice
Any idea what my wheels are worth in current shape?


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[mbeckel]

I read this awhile back. I thought you did a great job on the right up, and a great job with your wheels. I'm just not sure if I want to tackle that job, and if I trust myself.
Also, I would kind of like to go bigger so new wheels would be nice
Any idea what my wheels are worth in current shape?


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With decent tires maybe 600-700 plus shipping

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[BADCLOWN]

Your wheels are actually in pretty good shape. $125/wheel sounds steep to me, especially with what I see (or lack thereof) in regards to damage.

[hcbeck2689]

I think you might be right. One of them has only slight surface damage. 2 are in between.
This is the worst of ithttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04/30/aafb489bce9f75d4b5c0ec28744c4fad.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04/30/2d0465122eda6ddcc3d9b015fad84508.jpg


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[az3579]

Your wheels are actually in pretty good shape. $125/wheel sounds steep to me, especially with what I see (or lack thereof) in regards to damage.

That's cheap as hell, IMO. In my area, the CHEAPEST I could find is $150 a wheel. Let's not forget that one of the places that does $600 for the set ($150 a wheel) is the DEALER!

[cakM3]

or you can have Botond refinish the wheel for you for a fee..... he does a great job refinishing the style 135 wheels... I will take a pic of the wheel he refinished last season (wheel is in my garage) ;)

[az3579]

or you can have Botond refinish the wheel for you for a fee..... he does a great job refinishing the style 135 wheels... I will take a pic of the wheel he refinished last season (wheel is in my garage) ;)

Sorry Charlie, people wouldn't be able to pay me enough to do that. lol
It's is extremely time consuming and I don't have the equipment to do the job 100% properly.

[cakM3]

Sorry Charlie, people wouldn't be able to pay me enough to do that. lol
It's is extremely time consuming and I don't have the equipment to do the job 100% properly.

awwwwwww! You're being way too modest Botond! You did an awesome job on my wheel ;)

[az3579]

awwwwwww! You're being way too modest Botond! You did an awesome job on my wheel ;)
It wasn't up to my quality standards. The curb rash repair needed more work; it wasn't thorough enough. It was a test wheel so I didn't go all out, and even then it took all day to do that ONE wheel!

[cakM3]

It wasn't up to my quality standards. The curb rash repair needed more work; it wasn't thorough enough. It was a test wheel so I didn't go all out, and even then it took all day to do that ONE wheel!

We'll revisit that wheel this season Botond!!! I know you can get it perfect....then you'll be ready to provide yet another valuable service to the family!!! :thumbsup

[hcbeck2689]

[emoji123]🏻


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[hcbeck2689]

Wrong emoji haha
[emoji106]🏻


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[JB3]

Sorry Charlie, people wouldn't be able to pay me enough to do that. lol
It's is extremely time consuming and I don't have the equipment to do the job 100% properly.


We'll revisit that wheel this season Botond!!! I know you can get it perfect....then you'll be ready to provide yet another valuable service to the family!!! :thumbsup


It wasn't up to my quality standards. The curb rash repair needed more work; it wasn't thorough enough. It was a test wheel so I didn't go all out, and even then it took all day to do that ONE wheel!

Do you guys love each other or hate each other? :D

hcbeck, as someone who has had curb rash repaired, and as someone who has sold wheels in every condition, from stock to Advans to Volks, I'd like to chime in.

$125/wheel to have them repaired, it is WAY steep. The local BMW dealers here use a guy that does it in the lot, $30 per wheel, and does a fantastic job, even on tough finishes such as the e46 M3 19s, so silver painted is piece of cake. Check with your local dealer and get the guy's name that does it for them and what day he shows up. Then go by there and talk to him directly for best value.

I would probably try to sell them as-is, because I don't think you can get much more for them in perfect shape, but I could be wrong on that. OEM wheels just seem to go cheap. Around here you could not get more than $400-500 for them. One guy has had his for sale for $550 for 7 weeks. Of course, the right buyer looking for these, or selling them separately could significantly increase the sale amount.

I'm going to be in exactly the same boat when I change wheels, trying to get rid of well-used 135s, so I'll be interested to hear how it shakes out. Good luck!

[az3579]

Do you guys love each other or hate each other? :D

Huh? lol




$125/wheel to have them repaired, it is WAY steep. The local BMW dealers here use a guy that does it in the lot, $30 per wheel, and does a fantastic job...

That is a totally unheard of price for major metropolitan areas. Pricing does seem to be affected by the area you live in. NC (it shows this as your state) is a lot cheaper to live in than any of the major coastal cities, so the pricing the OP is listing probably indicates that s/he lives in one of these types of areas. $30 a wheel in our areas will get you laughed at. It most certainly won't cover curb rash repair, not even just a standard respray with no curb rash repair. Trust me, I've researched this to no end when I went to have my 135's refinished.

Now this is all based on assumptions that the OP lives in a place where everything's expensive, an assumption I made based on the price s/he was quoted. I don't know what it costs in lower-cost-of-living areas, so I can't comment on that. If s/he lives in a place where $50 a wheel is a standard price, then I agree, s/he should go shopping elsewhere.

[hcbeck2689]

I live in Wilmington, so not a major city with high cost of living.
I called the local dealership and they put me in touch with the guy that does their wheels. He gave me the same price as the import shop, $125/wheel. BUT... He said he does not do anything more than sanding. If there is any major curb damage to the metal he sends it off to be welded(more $ I'm sure). Furthermore, he charges another $25/wheel to change the color. So now I am looking at a minimum of$600 but mor likely 7-8.
At this price, i will not be paying to have them refinished.
I think I might try mbeckel's DIY

I'm Holden by the way. And glad to be a part of the family.


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[cakM3]

Do you guys love each other or hate each other? :D

naaah! Just messin' with BP this morning. Seriously.... if you don't mind the look of the Style 135's but desire something different then just have these wheels refinished in a different color...

[fredo]

Welcome, Holden. I considered to refinish my e90 wheels, but instead bought an OEM used set. I paid $450 including tires, but the rear ones were shot.

[JB3]

Huh? lol

Between the HU thread, the pedal thread, and this thread, I'm starting to wonder, lol. I'm thinking it's friendly banter... right? :rofl


That is a totally unheard of price for major metropolitan areas. Pricing does seem to be affected by the area you live in. NC (it shows this as your state) is a lot cheaper to live in than any of the major coastal cities, so the pricing the OP is listing probably indicates that s/he lives in one of these types of areas. $30 a wheel in our areas will get you laughed at. It most certainly won't cover curb rash repair, not even just a standard respray with no curb rash repair. Trust me, I've researched this to no end when I went to have my 135's refinished.

Now this is all based on assumptions that the OP lives in a place where everything's expensive, an assumption I made based on the price s/he was quoted. I don't know what it costs in lower-cost-of-living areas, so I can't comment on that. If s/he lives in a place where $50 a wheel is a standard price, then I agree, s/he should go shopping elsewhere.

Sure I agree with that. Middle of Raleigh is cheaper than DC which is cheaper than Long Island. So on, so forth. hc is in NC. If he would like, I can get him the number of my guy in Raleigh. It's been 3 years since I had anything done, but it's not gonna be $100 /wheel.

I'm basing my pricing vs. the quote off of this: If you take your wheels to the local rim/PDR/tint shop, they will quote you $100 all day, even in Raleigh. They will also laugh at you if you offer 30 /wheel. But I'm ok with getting laughed at rather than getting ripped off. They'll also offer to chrome them for you, and people happily pay that, too.

If you go to the guy that has a mobile trailer, and is going to be at the dealership anyway, then sometimes you can get the same rate that the dealer gets, and it's basically internal pricing. You can't *always* find a deal... but considering the low resale value of 135s in my area, the ROI on paying anywhere near 100/wheel is such that hc would be better off scrapping these suckers. This falls into the $3000 vinyl wrap category. I mean, why not just paint the car. People will happily take your money if you feel like paying more...

I'm thinking that in my case, I'm thinking about selling them individually and going to try to get 160/ea rear and 140/ea front as long as none are cracked.

I did forget something important though... hc likes the wheels and wants gunmetal, so honestly I'd sand out the curb damage and DIY them gunmetal. I don't use filler/epoxy, I just smooth them out, they work fine, look fine, and balance fine.

[az3579]

Between the HU thread, the pedal thread, and this thread, I'm starting to wonder, lol. I'm thinking it's friendly banter... right? :rofl


Charlie and I are good friends. We're always poking at each other. ;)

So you think that it would be a good idea to try to find the mobile guys that repair wheels for the dealers? I don't know what the dealer pays for the wheels, but my BBS CH wheels were in terrible shape when I bought them and would like to get them refinished. The amount of rash on them is appalling, and need to rectify the situation.

[cakM3]

Between the HU thread, the pedal thread, and this thread, I'm starting to wonder, lol. I'm thinking it's friendly banter... right? :rofl

yeah just friendly banter....

[hcbeck2689]

I think I will refinish them myself, and paint them gunmetal. I can always get new wheels later once my money trees starts yielding fruit.
The rash is too deep IMO though to just sand out. At least in the one wheel is is. I have a friend with a small sand blaster that a wheel will easily fit into. He uses aluminum media so that should work good.
I just need to find a friendly local member or buddy who will loan me a spare set of wheels and tires so I can take my sweet time on the 135's


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[az3579]

I think I will refinish them myself, and paint them gunmetal. I can always get new wheels later once my money trees starts yielding fruit.
The rash is too deep IMO though to just sand out. At least in the one wheel is is. I have a friend with a small sand blaster that a wheel will easily fit into. He uses aluminum media so that should work good.
I just need to find a friendly local member or buddy who will loan me a spare set of wheels and tires so I can take my sweet time on the 135's


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I don't know how the aluminum media affects it, but I know sand will pit the crap out of the wheels, making the finish come out rough.

[JB3]

I live in Wilmington, so not a major city with high cost of living.
I called the local dealership and they put me in touch with the guy that does their wheels. He gave me the same price as the import shop, $125/wheel. BUT... He said he does not do anything more than sanding. If there is any major curb damage to the metal he sends it off to be welded(more $ I'm sure). Furthermore, he charges another $25/wheel to change the color. So now I am looking at a minimum of$600 but mor likely 7-8.
At this price, i will not be paying to have them refinished.
I think I might try mbeckel's DIY

I'm Holden by the way. And glad to be a part of the family.


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Yeah, I got the same locally. Wheel shop, $100+, Prince wheel refinishing, ~$100, Tim (mobile wheel guy) dropping them off at Leith, $30. Note: I did not color change. I'm sure that will add to the price, so you may want to consider just getting them to sand/smooth, and then finish them yourself. But if you are going to do that, I'd personally just DIY. (But really I'd buy the Apex if you like them, I'm buying the C2 I think)


Welcome, Holden. I considered to refinish my e90 wheels, but instead bought an OEM used set. I paid $450 including tires, but the rear ones were shot.

Yeah, not worth paying to refinish OEM wheels. Especially heavy ones. :)


Charlie and I are good friends. We're always poking at each other. ;)

So you think that it would be a good idea to try to find the mobile guys that repair wheels for the dealers? I don't know what the dealer pays for the wheels, but my BBS CH wheels were in terrible shape when I bought them and would like to get them refinished. The amount of rash on them is appalling, and need to rectify the situation.

It can't hurt. You will have to find the honest guy who is willing to charge a fair price, but if you can find a guy like that the savings are worth it. Our local dealership has 3 wheel people that come on different days, and only one was willing to help me. He also did my Advan after it had track damage from a flat. It was forged barrel, hard as hell and he went through 3 bits on that one wheel. I felt bad and wanted to buy the bits for him, but he told me "nah" he was "sticking to his quote". Good guy.


yeah just friendly banter....

:rofl

[bshovers]

I'm in the same boat I either want to refinish or buy new. I kinda of want to buy new wheels just because the stock 135s are on the heavier side. But at the same time like the savings associated with refinishing. Just don't know if I have the patience.


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