Powder coating OEM wheels issue

[spressomon]

OK,
Contacted one of our local powdercoaters and was told by the owner he no longer will powdercoat car/bike wheels. According to him there are several lawsuits pending in federal court...that after hearing the details sound frivolous enough (typical ambulance chasing attornies)...but he brought up another point: All the factory painted wheels are DOT approved. If we get wheels blasted and powdercoated/painted and the shop is not DOT approved (virtually all are not DOT approved) the ultimate liability falls upon the shop and the vehicle owner. And he said there is conjecture within the industry as to how the heating process of the powdercoating process may (or may not) effect the overall strength/integrity of the wheel.

Just an FYI...

 

[Imola Red]

There is a place in Carson City that does them. Just FYI.

 

[macneill]

Interesting. So what do I tell the wife? Put the stock wheels back on?

 

[hoser]

I've read they have low temperature powdercoating now. Something like 120-130 degrees compared to the more typical 350 degrees.

Would be interesting to see how hot we could get our wheels after braking down a long steep grade. Surely, hottest around the center section.

 

[spressomon]

There is a place in Carson City that does them. Just FYI.

There are a few up here that will do it...but I was a little taken back at the conversation I had with one that won't do it for the listed reasons.

Mac: No solution...just an FYI. Maybe someone here has powdercoating experience and can enlighten us.

 

[drsales]

Most wheels are already powder coated. Stripping off the old material and reheating the rim after or before coating in almost all cases should not effect the wheel performance. Most wheels are heat treated at higher temps than powder coating.

True the goal in the industry has been to lower temps. This is due to expanding markets and energy cost. However not all low temp cure coatings perform equally as well as the high temp materials. Make sure when recoating that a high uv product be used. This will insure the lack of color fade or chalking.

If you do have the wheels coated make sure that the facility has an established history on wheel coating. Each substrate may require a different application method and or cure cycle.