Wheel Q's: Refinish my oem 17's or Aftermarket

[Pilotmatt]

I am coming up on needing tires, and my oem 17's are flaking badly also, so I'm going to fix both at the same time.

My options are to either refinish my existing wheels or sell them as is with the tires still usable and buy inexpensive wheels like the Pro Comp 7098.

If I refinish them the cost is looking like about $500 for hand sanding, prep etc, pick a color, lifetime finish warranty on the wheels. I'm going with gunmetal.

...or powdercoat them which seems like a little less expensive but I've heard about fading issues (gunmetal again). I think if they sandblast them the labor will go down quite a bit...around $300 to refinish wheels.

If I buy new I can sell the existing wheels with bad finish and servicable tires for $250 or so to offset the cost. So I'm looking at $550 for new wheels minus $250 is $300 my cost for inexpensive replacements.

Is the finish on wheels like Pro Comp 7098 bad? Is the wheel way inferior to factory? I'm clueless about wheels, and just doing this for appearance, but I will be owning the truck for another 3-5 years.

Any advice is helpful...paint, powdercoat, or sell for cheap replacements?

Thanks!

 

[SmoknGunz]

Sell your rims to me and buy aftermarket!!

 

[Bossman]

Hey Pilotmatt,

I had the same concern with my flaking/corroding oem 17" Limited rims.

I am the second owner of my T4R, so not sure what the first owner did to have the wheels deteriorate the way they did. Like you, I want them to look good.

I decided to get a set of used oem 17" Limited wheels from a fellow T4R.org member - his wheels were in way better condition than mine.

Once I got them, I cleaned off all the dirt and brake dust build up, then coated them with wax. Look great!

I am currently trying to sell my old rims locally to offset the cost of buying these new-to-me rims. If they don't sell, I'll hang on to them and may powdercoat them in the future.

Not a big fan of aftermarket wheels - I am an oem kind of guy.

 

[Pilotmatt]

You have first dibs on my wheels and tires if I replace them at $250 for the set. I can't make up my mind on what to do, but I know that I shouldn't be pushing the limit of the tread which I am, especially in Minneapolis with winter coming up.

Sell your rims to me and buy aftermarket!!

 

[Pilotmatt]

The place that will paint them for $500 offers a lifetime warranty on the finish. It's expensive though. Wondering if powdercoat is just as durable or if I can get the same type of guarantee for about $300.