Alloy wheel lacquer peeled off?

[hussnainh8]

Hi,

So I resprayed my BBS 18 inch pescara wheels but the heavy duty halfords lacquer I used just ruined all my efforts as after 3 - 4 weeks it started to peel off. I have now decided to respray them again but I want to know why it peeled off in the first place. Was it to do with me or was it the lacquer I used? Here is the lacquer I used...

https://www.halfords.com/motoring/paints-body-repair/specialist-decorative-paints/halfords-heavy-duty-pu-lacquer-500ml

Other customers seemed to get the same problems using this lacquer by reading the reviews so im guessing it wasn't a mistake on my behalf.

Here is what I did... Sanded everything down
Filled alloy using metal refiller
Sanding it to make it all level
Washed the alloy
1 coat of etch primer (halfords)
waited 30 minutes
1 coat of high build primer (halfords)
waited 30 minutes
then I sanded using 2000 grit wet and dry sand paper very softly as the surface was grainy so wet sanding made it very soft.
Washed the wheels and dryed
1 coat of Nissan gold rattlecan spray (halfords)
waited 30 minutes
1 coat of nissan gold rattlecan spray (halfords)
waited 1 hour
1 coat of halfords heavy duty pu lacquer
waited 30 minutes
1 coat of halfords heavy duty pu lacquer
left the wheels for 4-5 days before putting them back on the car.

Gave the car a wash with jet wash after around 3-4 weeks but the lacquer started to peel itself off?? Efforts wasted.

The primer and gold spray where perfect but the lacquer didn't work.. Was it something I did wrong or bad lacquer used? Whats a good lacquer to use on alloy wheels other than halfords crap?

Thanks.

[Dan_FR]

I read countless bad reviews about that lacquer, all saying the exact same thing and returned mine before using it. I did my wheels back in the spring of this year and so far, bar a small stonechip, the finish has held up well considering. I just used their regular lacquer, but the 'bodyshop' version with the better nozzle.

If you read the comments on the Halfords website I believe most of them say the same thing

FYI i wouldn't say your technique/method caused the issue and firmly believe its the lacquer - I did similar with mine. I'm even tempted to start doing them again but in a different colour this time 

This is the stuff I used: https://www.halfords.com/motoring/paints-body-repair/specialist-decorative-paints/halfords-bodyshop-lacquer

[mjmallia]

This happened to a set of wheels I restored a number of years ago using Halfords paint.........it is their lacquer for sure.

[Juliand]

Get a refund - not fit for purpose, and point to all of the bad reviews.....,shame you cant charge for your wasted time, huh!

[neilw]

I'm sure I just read this over on the OCUK forum lol

[hussnainh8]

Was just about to start preparing the wheels again and pressure washed the wheels to get the brake dust off and literally the old halfords heavy duty lacquer is falling off!! Could it be due to using a acid free wheel cleaner ?

This is the wheel cleaner I have been using for the last year now and it didn't ever cause any problems with the wheels when they where factory painted but since I have sprayed them myself, the lacquer just peeled itself off?
It says Acid free and it was made for alloy cleaning ????

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VALETPRO...=item3b0b0001e7:g:XagAAOSwzaJX7BoF:rk:14:pf:0

I must have given the car its first pressure wash after around 6 weeks of the spray job and I used this cleaner in a spray bottle. I let it sit on the alloys for 2 minutes and then rubbed with a cloth and washed the wheel off. Leaves it sparkling afterwards and never made an issue with the wheels with its factory spray job so didnt think this would ever cause an issue with my spray job?

[hussnainh8]

I'm sure I just read this over on the OCUK forum lol

Yes you did as I wasnt sure which site I should post it on. Didnt know this website covers spray jobs etc.

[hussnainh8]

I read countless bad reviews about that lacquer, all saying the exact same thing and returned mine before using it. I did my wheels back in the spring of this year and so far, bar a small stonechip, the finish has held up well considering. I just used their regular lacquer, but the 'bodyshop' version with the better nozzle.

If you read the comments on the Halfords website I believe most of them say the same thing

FYI i wouldn't say your technique/method caused the issue and firmly believe its the lacquer - I did similar with mine. I'm even tempted to start doing them again but in a different colour this time 

This is the stuff I used: https://www.halfords.com/motoring/paints-body-repair/specialist-decorative-paints/halfords-bodyshop-lacquer

The only other thing I could think of it being was that I gave the car its first pressure wash after about 6 weeks of doing the spray job. Maybe because I didnt wait long enough and had already put the wheels back on the car after 1 week drying time and when I was driving, the wheels where collecting brake dust and the brake dust reacted with the lacquer and then when I washed the car 6 weeks later, the lacquer peeled itself off? I was using a acid free cleaner called Bilberry wheel cleaner for the alloys unless that reacted with the lacquer? I have been using it for nearly 1 year now and it never caused an issue with the factory spray job so if it did with mine then WHY? Heres the cleaner I used.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VALETPRO-BILBERRY-WHEEL-CLEANER-5-LITRE-ACID-FREE-ALL-WHEELS-COMPLETE-KIT/253587620327?hash=item3b0b0001e7:g:XagAAOSwzaJX7BoF:rk:14:pf:0

[hussnainh8]

Here is what the lacquer I used turned out like
https://www.dropbox.com/s/89gfqpk1aqjhz69/20181030_131519.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/h78hx7ynuc2th7t/20181030_132017.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7g0m39i7yw14d4v/20181030_132029.jpg?dl=0

Will be using E tech alloy lacquer now.

[Dan_FR]

Acid cleaners are a big no-no with aftermarket painted finishes, but they do damage over time. Your issue is the PU lacquer - it's really not fit for purpose. Use another high quality lacquer and you'll be fine