Signature Wheel Refinishing - Clarification & Information

[50 Deep]

Gents,

It has come to my attention recently that some information regarding the refinishing/repair of our forged aluminum wheels has brought up some questions. Here is some data I feel is important to share coming directly from us, so there is no confusion. This is meant to provide you with some perspective on how we operate at Signature and general things to consider in terms of wheel refinishing.

In general the worst nightmare for any enthusiast is purchasing a set of wheels and then damaging them. One of the things we pride ourselves on is building quality wheels that can withstand the rigors of track use and pot hole riddled roads. Inevitably though if you drive your car often there will be an obstruction, rock chips, or hazards that can damage your wheel. This will be a short description of what to expect and things to consider

Wheel Preparation

All of our wheels are CNC cut from forged aluminum and come directly from machining in raw form. From there each wheel is hand cleaned, deburred, and brushed to prep it for coating.

Powder Coating

All of the wheels we offer come powder coated, and not painted. Powder coating is far more durable in terms of battling environmental contaminants, heat, and longevity. What is powder coating? Powder coating is a type of coating that is applied as a free-flowing, dry powder. Unlike conventional liquid paint which is delivered via an evaporating solvent, powder coating is typically applied electrostatically and then cured under heat or with ultraviolet light. Every wheel we powder coat is mixed with an in-house formula, and is done specifically for that wheel being built. This ensures consistency between the wheels, and these colors are not available from a catalog.

Standard finishes are solid in color and have a base coating that covers up all of the forged aluminum.

Translucent finishes are a powder color mixed with a powder clear coat that allows you to see through to the brushed aluminum below. Probably some of the coolest finishes we offer, and the hardest to match if damaged.

Can I Use Powder Coating To Touch-Up A Wheel?

The powder coating is not a paint that you can apply on your own. It would not be possible to send you pre-mixed touch-up unless it was a powder. That powder then needs to be applied by someone with powder coating equipment, and it would need to be applied to the entire wheel. The baking or electrostatic process would affect the rest of the wheel finish, and void the structural warranty. The best route to take is going with the wheel to a local paint shop to have touch-up paint mixed. Now you have the ability to create a liquid paint that will last on a shelf in the event you have an issue requiring touch up. This is assuming your goal is to repair a single spot, not coat the entire wheel.

Why Does Signature Not Send Out It's Powder Coating?

Much time and effort is put into creating colors that not only look good, but are durable. Those who have had experience with translucent/brushed wheel finishes in the past have probably seen companies have issues with colors chipping easily. In order to maintain that competitive advantage we do not send out the powder coating mixture in raw form. Once that powder mixture is sent there is no control over how it is used. Someone could use it to spray another set of wheels, and that is part of why we do not send out the in house mixes. We can also not guarantee that the mixture will be exactly the same since each coating is created at the time of use. Because we cannot guarantee a color match it is better for someone to mix the color themselves and test spray with the current wheel in front of them. It should be noted that exposure to the sun and heat can gradually cause any color to change over time.

Why Is local refinishing better?

• Time - The down time associated with having you dismount a tire from a wheel, ship the wheel, in house inspection of the wheel, have us refinish it, and then return it to you is going to leave your vehicle down for much longer than the 3-5 days it would take local wheel repair or refinishing services to complete the work. We would still then need to completely inspect each wheel to ensure it has no structural damage. At which point it may be easier and cheaper to just have us build you a new wheel should there be any concerns related to structural issues.
• Money - When sending a wheel back to be refinished there will be a decent amount of cost associated with the shipping, labor, and insurance on the wheel. Most local powder coat shops will refinish a complete set of four wheels for $500-$600. We have calculated the cost and financially it is not effective for us, or you to send the wheels back. We would not want to make profit on this service, and it would inevitably interfere with our normal wheel production. The cost and time associated makes it more beneficial for us to just build you a new wheel if you feel the damage is great enough that it cannot be repaired locally.
• Lost/Damaged Wheels - It is no secret that things get lost during shipping, and we have all experienced it during Covid-19. If a wheel were too get lost during shipping to Signature we would not want to get into the situation of you now being on the hook for having to purchase a new wheel and insurance claims with whatever service you used. The same would go for a wheel we shipped back to you. A lost used wheel would not share the same value as a new one, and leaves you on the waiting end until claims get approved with the shipper. I do not even want to think about losing a wheel in house that was sent to us.

Why Is local Refinishing Tougher?

• Hand Brushing - All of our finishes are sprayed over the hand brushed aluminum after machining. Any local powder coater will need to completely strip your wheel and then hand brush it again to get the same look. Most powder coating shops are not equipped or interested in doing this type of work. It is time consuming and difficult to match to the existing wheels.
• Color Matching - With our powder coated colors being a custom color you will need a relatively experienced, more importantly interested, person to be able to match some of the color ranges our wheels have. The flat finishes will be easier to handle, but the translucent ones are more difficult.

Is Wheel Refinishing an Industry Standard?

No, In my experience very few custom wheel manufacturers will service their own wheels in house. Feel free to do your own research on who does, and the difference in price. Extend this search to all things you purchase in your daily life or automotive needs. How many manufacturers/suppliers actually offer refinishing services themselves, or refer you to a local service location?

What Will Signature Do To Help?

• Expert Advice / Recommendations - My goal in all things is to get people back on the road as quickly as possible, with the least amount of money spent, and looking as good as possible. I have some local paint shops close to me that I can reach out to for assistance with creating close paint matches to our powder coating. I prefer to find referrals close to you by contacting other shops/enthusiasts in the area. What I see with my eyes is different than yours. Having someone local you can work with on the paint matching is best.
• Discounted Replacement Wheels - If we come to the conclusion that a replacement wheel is best considering the circumstances then we will build one at cost and rush it. This frequently happens with collisions or insurance claims. In terms of multipiece wheels we can rebuild just the wheel face, or just the barrel depending on what needs repair.

I can and will do almost anything in terms of building a set of wheels that fits all of your performance needs. Walk you through all of the data, information, and considerations prior to designing you something for your car. There is a point at which what I can do for you in house becomes what I have to guide you down a path for. Hopefully the information serves you well and helps you understand what we do. I personally will not tell anyone no, without at least giving them viable options to accomplish whatever their end goals are.

Your time and trust in us is at Signature is always appreciated.

Sponsored

 

[Tomster]

Reserved

 

[protraxduner]

Having dealt with Powdercoat for 30 years, ESPECIALLY 2 stage or transparent colors, the base material and how it is prepped can very much affect the final look of the color. So a new wheel that is coated may very well have a different look than a wheel that is stripped and then coated. Again depends on how it is done. This along with variances in powder batches of the same color can give a slightly different result and depending on the color a slight difference can be the same as a big difference.

That being said gloss black probably would match fine if done at the same place with the same powder....other colors are much more picky.

 

[50 Deep]

Having dealt with Powdercoat for 30 years, ESPECIALLY 2 stage or transparent colors, the base material and how it is prepped can very much affect the final look of the color. So a new wheel that is coated may very well have a different look than a wheel that is stripped and then coated. Again depends on how it is done. This along with variances in powder batches of the same color can give a slightly different result and depending on the color a slight difference can be the same as a big difference.

That being said gloss black probably would match fine if done at the same place with the same powder....other colors are much more picky.

Very true. Similar to automotive paint work the prep can make all the difference.

 

[edmd007]

Ty for clarifying Terrance. That was informative and helpful.

 

[Epiphany]

Gents,

It has come to my attention...

T, that was an extremely impressive post. Wow.

 

[Spacebird]

FWIW, I’m a corporate strategy consultant. I advise CXOs of Fortune 500 companies on their positioning in the market, competitive threat mitigation, customer service, operating model design, the $ to make it all work, and customer communications.

Your post is a master class.

 

[50 Deep]

T, that was an extremely impressive post. Wow.

I have been watching you..... and learning.

FWIW, I’m a corporate strategy consultant. I advise CXOs of Fortune 500 companies on their positioning in the market, competitive threat mitigation, customer service, operating model design, the $ to make it all work, and customer communications.

Your post is a master class.

Next time you host some training let me know. Always looking to optimize my time and efforts. Preferably somewhere warm with women that have accents....

Sponsored