How Much To Powder Coat Wheels: Is It Expensive?

Car wheels are not only an exterior highlight but also affect the performance of the vehicle. Over time, the wheels are scratched, and peeled, making your car less aesthetic. At this time, powdering coat car wheels are the solution to revamp your car and increase the life of your wheel. But many drivers wonder whether it’s worth investing in powder coating for the wheel. If you have the same concern, don’t worry! Let’s find out with us how much to powder coat wheels.

Should We Powder Coating The Wheels?

With a lot of movement, the wheels are subject to many external factors, causing a less aesthetic appearance. This is the reason why powder coating the wheels is preferred by many car owners to “refinish” the wheels, and at the same time save costs. Powder coating is a process in which the powder consists of very finely ground particles of pigment and resin that are electrically charged and sprayed onto your wheel. It’s far more resistant to weather damage and wear and tear compared to traditional painting. There are some outstanding advantages of the wheel coating method:

• As we know, wheels are obviously low to the ground, so it’s going to be seeing a lot of physical abuse chemicals that stick or impact the wheel. Compared to other parts, the wheel surface is easy to scratch so when exposed to air it causes corrosion, making rust spread to other areas. Therefore, car wheel coating is an effective solution to cover scratches and prevent the invasion of harmful corrosive layers. A powder-coated wheel is more chemically resistant physically and is a lot better than when it comes to painting a wheel UV resistant.
• Quality of the finish: The powder is electrictrostacially charged when it comes out of the gun on a grounded object. The powder will adhere to all the little nooks and crannies in between the spokes and the lug holes so you will get a more uniform finish as opposed to a painted wheel. 
• The surface of the original metal car wheels should be cleaned with non-acidic and non-abrasive solvents. However, many detergents on the market do not meet this criterion. In addition, improper maintenance and cleaning also cause rust, loss of aesthetics, and damage. Accordingly, the wheels will be protected after painting, making it easier for the driver to clean.

Powder-coating wheels could be a viable method to give your wheels a new look. But of course, it also has some minor disadvantages when applying the method. Sometimes you’re not gonna get powder-coating, it’s obviously a very thick finish due to durability purposes. So the disadvantage of this method would be that it can’t produce the thin finish that the traditional painting can. And compared to paint, it can be a little expensive if you’re looking to do it by yourself. So how much does it cost to powder coat wheels?

>> Related post: What Are The Differences Between Alloy And Steel Wheels?

How Much To Powder Coat Wheels (Answered)

There’s no exact cost but you can still expect to pay from $350 to $700 to powder coat 4 wheels. The price completely depends on the aspect of the rims such as their depth sizes, suppliers, labor costs, etc. Let’s dig into detailed prices corresponding to rim types:

Thus, we can see that the price of powder coating for wheels will be affected by a number of factors such as:

The size and types of the rims: Almost every repair center based on the size and complexity of the details on the rims to determine the price of the car coating. Depending on the large or small size of the wheels, the car model, and the price will also change.

Customer needs: Some special powder coating needs such as chrome lazing plating, carbon paint for rims, powder coating, etc. will of course have a slightly higher price than other types of wheel color-changing paint services traditionally due to certain complexity of the implementation process.

If you are concerned about the price of powder-coating wheels, you can manually do the car lazang coating job at home to be able to calculate the average cost that you may have to pay to complete powder-coating your wheels. However, powder-coated rims by yourself at home are not easy. You may experience a situation of “shortage of equipment” which will even cause you to incur more unnecessary costs to bring the car to repair the surface, chipping, and peeling due to improper technique. If you want to know how to powder coat at home? You can refer to the guideline from the manufacturers or watch some useful videos to make the right process.

How Long Does Powder Coating Last?

Compared to other painting methods, powder-coating wheels are more durable and longer lasting. Due to the power of the electrostatic bond between the substrate and the paint. Proper pre-treatment prior to coating and subsequent care can help ensure the lifespan of coatings which makes it have the longest life. Generally, the power coating can last from 15 to 20 years. This number is approximately 3 times longer than the traditional painting wheel method. The life of the powder-coating method will depend on many factors such as the type of coating, the treatment process, and the material…Powder-coated wheels have a very hard finish once dry. This allows protection against moisture, scratches, UV rays, and external factors during driving.

However, the powder-coating wheels are also impacted by other factors make that shorten their lifespan and still have damage: 

• Abrasion: Abrasion is one of the most common forms of impact on the life of powder coatings. The use of cleaners and solvents or certain items such as scouring pads or wire brushes can affect the life of the powder coating, it usually appears as scratches or chips.
• Environmental factors: In the driving process, your wheel will easily be exposed to other factors like salt water, and the element of harsh weather which will make your powder coating wheel wear and tear. In addition, when wheels are exposed to chemicals and industrial compounds such as gasoline, xylene can directly affect the durability of the electrostatic coating.

Things To Note When Powder-Coating Wheels

In order to powder-coating the wheels in the most convenient way, besides considering the color and method of coating, drivers also need to note some of the following points:

• Coating color: Car owners should carefully find the color they intend to powder coat. To check the most accurate color, drivers should look at the color in sunlight before coating the car’s wheels.
• Follow the professional car wheel coating: Powder coating wheels involves a process with many steps. Wheels will be removed and cleaned carefully. After that, the car will make powder-coating wheels. Finally, the mechanic will reassemble the wheel.
• Find a reputable mechanic: Drivers should not powder coat their car’s wheels themselves but should go to a trusted mechanic.

>> Read more: Glass Coat Vs Ceramic Coat: The Key Differences

Closing Thoughts

Thus, powder-coating wheels are an effective solution to help drivers renew the appearance of their vehicles. Knowing information about methods as well as the wheel powder coating price can help you avoid “losing money”.