General ALLOY NICKS

[Motorcyclist Colin]

After five years of keeping them pristine, I have put two nicks in my Panda alloys. Oh +#><*.! Front and rear nearside wheels. Both nicks/grazes are on the rims, quite small and appear to be surface only.
Any ideas please how to repair/disguise/paint.
It's a 2018 TA 4x4 in Active Grey with standard wheels
Thanks
Colin

 

[The Panda Nut]

I replaced affected wheel to get a spare and had the damage repaired by a wheel specialist. £65 each. They would not gurantee a perfect match and suggested doing two to be fitted on one side....

New wheels are / were c £135each from Fiat. I did get some touch up paint from our local paint specialist but it was not quite a perfect match. (small bottle with cap brush about 100cc was about £7. The paint needed over laquer which I did froma clear pot of a redundant paint stick. As I gave this to another local Panda man I dont remember the code I am afraid.

Wheel specialists carefully sand away minor scuffs and then repaint the wheel. Time and skill are needed.

My thoughts on home repair would be very careful application of platic padding or knifing stopper, sanding and a repaint of the affected area with a can of paint from a good local paint factor, (£15) colour matched to the wheel. Good places can scan the paint and get a computer to formulate the right colour.
If the paint is £15 and primer say £10 and the filler and materials, I thought paying for a refurb seemed the ebst way to go... If wheels are badly damaged and lumps gouged out the cost is more but not excessively so. I paid £85 for a Bravo diamond cut wheel to be repaired and refurbed. It had a big chunk missing after I caught a bit of concrete sticking out of a grass verge. They built the the missing bit up with weld an recut the rim. It was a perfect repair. Those wheels were £320 each.

To avoid this colour issue I had the wheels on my new Panda painted in a colour of my choice so I can get paint to match when required. Fiat paid for three wheels and refurbed my scuffed spare and the three new ones so they are the same colour. Mine a re a very high glitter silver akin to the Panda 100HP wheel colour.

Final option a breakers to get a good extra wheel so you can spend time on the damaged ones. Generally so expensive (c£85) that a new wheel is the better option. (imo)

 

[Motorcyclist Colin]

Thanks P N for a very comprehensive answer
Cheers Colin

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

You'd best not look at mine then. Plenty of off-road use means the rims are quite chewed (Appreciate this doesn't answer the question).

 

[WitleyPanda]

You'd best not look at mine then. Plenty of off-road use means the rims are quite chewed (Appreciate this doesn't answer the question).

Have you considered rim protectors? Assume your off-road a quarry or similar to have such hard surface to do that damage rather that just unmade or forestry type tracks?

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

Have you considered rim protectors? Assume your off-road a quarry or similar to have such hard surface to do that damage rather that just unmade or forestry type tracks?

The odd Hertfordshire byway, or collecting logs from the woods. I’m not too fussed - it’s a tool to be used.