Sahara_Maverick

If you will do real wheeling and offroad I recommend painting. I primed and painted mine with Rustoleum and they look like powdercoat. It's very easy to retouch and fix scratches.

If you will just do city driving and occasional offroad then go with powdercoat. Scratches require removing all paint and redoing the whole thing. No retouch. And if the powdercoat is done correctly it will be a bitch to remove.

The painting on mine has been going very well after more than two years. You just need to prepare the surface well and follow the spray paint rules.

Just my 2c.

JeeprCreepr13

I haven't done any offroading yet but I plan to. I have heard that touching up powdercoat is near impossible to do well. That seems to be the biggest difference that I've read so far. Is there a big price difference between paint and powdercoat? I can't do a DIY paint job well so I would be taking it in. Would you recommend I take off the wheels and take them in or have them do that?

petef550

Why would you pay somebody to spray paint your wheels ? Take a scotch rite scuffing pad and scuff up the paint and then clean them off with some acetone and then spray them, powder coat is a complete waste of money. Money that could be spent on more jeep mods !!!

JeeprCreepr13

You have a good point. I would do a shit job on it so I really don't want to do it myself. I'm still playing with the idea. It would save a TON of money.

ob269

It really is as easy as it sounds. Clean them well with a degreaser, hose them off and wait till they dry. Go around with a paper towel and make sure all the nooks and crannies are dry, then start spraying. The plasti-dip looks like shit when it first comes out of the can but after a few second it looks good. Just make sure you put at least 3 coats of paint on that way you can peel it of if you decide you don't like it. The more costs the easier it us to peel..

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Sahara_Maverick

If you are concermed about being able to paint them yourself stop by a body shop and ask them for a quote.

I, and virtually everyone else here who did it, spend just a few hours (maybe four) painting all of them.

I bought one can of self-etching primer and three of matte black from Rustoleum. I built a cardboard template and did not even need to remove the tires from the rims. Just took the wheels off and painted them horizontally to prevent dripping.

Painted them on a hot day so the paint dried fast. A body shop cannot charge you too much for it.

rhino1

Most shops would charge $100-150 per wheel. I love when people act like shops charge to much. Yes, there are times when shops gouge you. But as a shop owner, when I price something out, I have to pay my employee or employees to work on it, materials (not just a little paint, tape, sand paper, cleaners, primer/sealer, base coat, and clear. Usually takes 1-2 hours per wheel to get sanded, cleaned, masked then sprayed(without running clear). Not to mention the electric while the booth is running, cost of getting rid of chemical waste legally, insurance to stay safe, building/equipment payments, etc.. then try to make money as a business. Then we have do a job that will please the customer when they come to pick them up, because let's be real, if you do it in your driveway you'll live with what flaws you made. You will not live with the flaws a business makes. So 600 isn't too much, your just too cheap to pay that. Or to broke. Buts it's funny that people will pay hundreds of dollars for parts that cost pennies on the dollar to make in a building the is climate controlled while the laboring body shop employee or owner is sweating their balls off to give you a good products

rhino1

Sorry op, if you are going to pick one of the two, go with powder coating. If they are done properly they will not scratch as easily wheeling or while having new tires put on. There's nothing wrong with saving some money and doing them yourself, it depends on what your expectations are in the end.

5150cliff

Hell, for 150 bucks per wheel, I'd just buy new wheels! And yes I know that it does take a lot of prep work to do a nice job as well as the high cost of paint these days. Rattle can paint is fairly cheap but just go price a quart or gallon of good quality automotive paint along with the reducer, hardner and other additives. You'll pass out at the cost.

Kojack

From one shop owner to another...I agree 100 percent. I am lucky, I charge a little less because I do all the work myself. but yes. its all the small stuff that adds up. and yes powder coat is way more durable than a spray bomb paint job. Looks more professional too.