Refinish or replace wheels?

A

Atrus

Forum Member
Looking for advice/real world experience. My Grand Cherokee is a daily driver, I live on a dirt road, and it certainly doesn't get pampered. I don't let it stay too disgusting but I don't wash it weekly either.
I replaced the stock wheels with refurb'd Jeep Commander wheels (off PartsGeek) and new tires in December 2018. Last winter, I already saw them pitting and peeling, and now it's to the point that there's a not-so-slow leak in multiple wheels. I assume it's due to the same corrosion/peeling I see on the face happening in the bead. Every couple of days I have to refill them.

Is this just a cheap/poor clearcoat process on the refurbs? Will getting the Commander wheels stripped and properly powder coated be durable? Do I really just need to get new (better) wheels again - and, are aftermarket wheels robust or will they just do the same thing? Would steel wheels hold up better?

Example pics:
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Initially, the refinished wheels are usually just as nice as OE (at least when I worked in the wheel/tire shop in the early 2000s (2001-2007). We used the Hollander catalogue for part numbers and often were supplied by JRE in Madison Heights with reconditioned wheels. I would see them come into the shop years later and not look anywhere close to the wheel you have pictured. My experience is well out of date at this point so the quality may have changed since then but In my opinion, nothing really beats the OE coatings.

As for your specific issue, its possible that the wheels started peeling at the bead of the tire and worked their way to the face, or possibly started under a wheel weight. The problem is, once the aluminum is exposed to the elements, its only a matter of time before all the clearcoat peels off and the aluminum corrodes.
 
Thanks for the info - these never had weights on them (always the tape weights) to avoid this issue - sounds like these were maybe just a really shitty refurb.

So, I guess I have to decide...do I get these cleaned up and powdercoated, or just go for a set of aftermarket wheels (Quadratech, etc). Not sure how each option comes in at cost vs durability.
 
I’d probably just replace them.

If you buy something from quadratec, they usually have a nice Black Friday deal.
 
Does the Grand Cherokee use the same bolt pattern as a 2014 Ram?

I'll sell you this set of 4 as new Goodyear Wranglers 265-70-17's
on excellent rims with center caps (no TPMS) for $485.





# Ram Tires 1 .jpg


# Ram Tires 2 .jpg


# Ram Tires 3 .jpg


# Ram Tires 4 .jpg


# Ram Tires 8 .jpg
 
4Gas$ said:
Does the Grand Cherokee use the same bolt pattern as a 2014 Ram?

I'll sell you this set of 4 as new Goodyear Wranglers 265-70-17's
on excellent rims with center caps (no TPMS) for $485.
Click to expand...

Thanks - I don't think they'd fit. I believe they'd interfere with the upper ball joint at that width.

FWIW, I contacted QC and currently am planning to go that route. Their pricing on powdercoating 4 wheels was very reasonable, and frankly, cheaper than buying anything new.

Hoping it works well, as I have 2 other vehicles with gnarly looking wheels (but they actually hold air) that I will have powdercoated as well if I am happy with these.
 
^^^ Good to hear, please report back on how the QC coatings
work out for you. This sounds like a nice option.
 
Will do - for reference, he quoted me $75/wheel for 17" wheels. I want a gunmetal color - similar to what's on the wheels currently. He told me he has several shades in that range at $75/wheel, a few others that require a clearcoat which would run $20 more.

$75/wheel seems like a good deal to me. Discount tire will dismount and later remount & balance for $86.
 
QC are fantastic. They are at a new building once again. Does that include blasting the old ones? i might do mine as well.
 
The Man said:
QC are fantastic. They are at a new building once again. Does that include blasting the old ones? i might do mine as well.
Click to expand...

Good question, I assumed it would as I told him they are peeling like mad. I've got vacation time next week, so I plan on dropping by on Monday and can report back with the specifics.
 
Curious about this too, I've got a few sets of good wheels that just don't match the car.
If they're able to refinish them for a decent price, and they'll actually hold up in the nicer months, I may go this route.
Car doesn't get driven in the snow and salt, so that helps.
 
Think theres a powdercoating place in highland that dismounts the tires and remounts them also for when the wheels get coated.
 
Incredibly cool guys - dropped the wheels off last Monday, they said they are about 3 weeks out. Any of the colors I was interested in (I chose Anthracite) required the clearcoat, so $95/wheel including media blasting.

The bead of these were absolutely terrible and points to a cheap refinish job - so, I am much more comfortable that this will take care of the problem.

Will update once I receive them back, but so far it's looking promising.
 
For anyone that needs some powder coating done but doesn’t live out on the east side check out Salenbiens in Dundee south of Ann Arbor. John does killer work at extremely reasonable prices. It may not happen every time but I’ve dropped parts off for coating in the morning and picked it up the same day.
 
Q.C. does excellent work. I had them do some engine compartment tin for my old Volkswagen back in 2003. It still looks great.
Lately for chassis parts, I have been using Federal Industrial Services (8 Mile & Hoover) for sandblasting and powercoating. They are fast and good enough work for underbody components. I've literally dropped controls arms off and had them back within days. My buddy had them blast and powdercoat the frame on his 1970 Chevrolet C10: they charged $400. I know they do wheels as well but have not had them do a set.
 
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