Painting plastic wheel trims

WLM21

What is the best way to smarten up plastic wheel trims ?

I don't really have the money to have the existing trims professionally resprayed, so I thought I would try it with aerosol cans.

What is the best type of paint to use .. I want silver

I have a campervan and the trims are actually off this. They are original, with the word Volkswagen on, so I don't want to replace them.

thank you for any replies provided. :beer:

BargainGalore

I did mine last year if they are repairable what I did was lightly rub the rough areas and then sprayed with trims off with silver metallic spray paint (acrylic) which is made for the job, it dries very quickly

mikey72

I used hammerite smoothrite silver on mine.
If you brush in the right directions, (along the spokes,and round the circumference) if gives a decent finish, that copes with most abuse.

SteveJW

Don't know where you are, but here in Yorkshire the Wilkinsons DIY chain stock a spray paint for plastic. Around £2 a tin, enough to do four wheels

Strider590

Head off to ebay and buy a set of nice used wheel trims from someone who's just upgraded to alloys, won't cost much more than £25 for a set.

£25 versus the cost of paint, the mess, the smell and the Isopropanol (or other rubbing alcohol) you'll really need to remove grease and clean the trims prior to painting if you don't want the paint to flake off within a few months.

WLM21

Thank you for all the replies. :T

I'll give them a go with the aerosol, but if the worst comes to the worst, I could try the ebay route, or indeed just buy a totally new 'normal' set without the VW writing on, then at a later date, I might get them blasted and sprayed.

Regards to all !

BargainGalore

£4 ish for a aerosol of paint, 20p for wet n dry paper okay you need to clean the trims I just cleaned it with hot soapy water and let dry or use a degreaser. Mine have lasted well over a year and no issues, paint adhered well. Okay my trims weren't all that dirty to start with as I clean car regularly

The smell, did the wheels outside and it really isnt that bigger deal if its nice outside and not cold. I didnt need to rub wheels down other than smooth where trims had been scuffed and then painted two coats and I could probably do 8 trims in all

Strider590 wrote: »

Head off to ebay and buy a set of nice used wheel trims from someone who's just upgraded to alloys, won't cost much more than £25 for a set.

£25 versus the cost of paint, the mess, the smell and the Isopropanol (or other rubbing alcohol) you'll really need to remove grease and clean the trims prior to painting if you don't want the paint to flake off within a few months.

Strider590

^^ OK, let me put it this way..... I'm ALL for doing stuff myself to save money, but in this instance I'd go the Ebay route. As the old Chinese proverb says, "the poor man pays twice".

red_eye

remove trim and put in the bin and leave them off who need plastic immataion alloy wheels?

you dont look at your self in shop windows at traffic lights and say in a female voice "my my thats one hot dude in a hot campervan with the sexest hottest plastic wheel trims" and then " them sexy wheel trims are mine" in your own voice do you?