Dupli-Color paint compared to OEM Hypersilver on M35

[jgrafe]

Thought I'd post a pic of the Dupli-Color painted wheel versus the stock silver wheel. The Dupli-Color wheel is a bit more matte, or dull. The wheel on the rear of the car is stock. I painted the wheel on the front of the car. I followed the directions and applied two light coats of silver, then a medium coat, then the same number of coats with the clear.

Dupli-Color
High Performance Wheel Coating
HWP101 Silver
HWP103 High Performance Wheel Clear

[pedsemdoc]

did you not paint the center cap on the wheel you did? it looks a little less matte or am I seeing things?
I like the matte look--I think you did a real nice job.
did you have to do any repairs to the rim before the painting, and if so, what did you use?
got any close up shots?

[jgrafe]

No. I didn't paint the center cap. So far, I've painted two of my five wheels. The one in the OP I painted before mounting the tire. It has both the silver and the clear coats. The wheel on the right below I painted with the tire mounted but did not put clear coat on it. If you click to enlarge the image, you can probably see a little scuffing at the top right of the wheel on the right. The masking tape covered this area. I'll try to do a better job next time.

The paint instructions say to put on the two light coats and the medium coat about 10 minutes apart and all within an hour. I did this but didn't sand the silver before applying the clear coats. I suppose I'd get slightly different results.

I prefer the sheen of the OEM wheels, but I'll just have to get used to the more matte finish.

The wheels were scuffed and scratched a bit but no real damage. I used a regular sanding block to sand the scratches.

[jgrafe]

In December I had Glenn and his team at Wheel Doctor powder coat my five OEM wheels. They look fantastic. I'm very pleased. The color is called Solarus. It's a tad darker and richer than the original color. They removed the Infiniti insignia and painted the center caps. Well worth $100 per wheel that I paid. I replaced the TPMS sensors at the same time. I may go back to Wheel Doctor when it's time to rotate, balance or replace tires. I know for a FACT that the last thing they'd do is scratch a wheel!

Wheel Doctor
4407 Sycamore Road
Cincinnati, OH 45236
513.886.2020

[jgrafe]

Here's an attempt at closeup photos.