I finally got around to getting my BBS RC Rims refurbed this week. I decided to write a review, as although many people on this forum know about Aerocoat, and their Aeromax finish, no one appears to have any pics to show the final result.
After owning my Anni for just under 2yrs I could no longer leave my original RC’s as they were.
Admittedly they were a little corroded and only had slight curbing which is probably why I never went for a refurb straight away…. Opting for other mods by priority - remap, xenons etc.
A bit of back ground for the BBS RC anniversary rim. VW produced the Anniversary 25th edition in 2002 that had BBS RC rims finished with a distinctive burnished/polished face (and so did BMW on their M3’s). Unfortunately as we all know they are prone to corrosion due to poor weather resistance although they are still very desirable. The nature of the finish meant that if the lacquer lifted or peeled the polished face would then be open to corrode… it is only a matter of time. Many of them were replaced via VW whilst others remain corroded and are seeking refurbishment. Some of which looked like this (found from here - http://uk-mkivs.net/forums/p/202586/1319581.aspx#1319581)
Initially I was looking into either a completely new style or a refurbed set.
After much consideration I decided not to opt for a new style of rim mainly as I felt that it wouldn’t be in keeping with the anni theme and potentially devalue the car.
The next option was for a refurbed set of BBS RC’s offered on this forum. Although they are very nice finishes I wanted to try and keep the Anni as near to OEM as I could. Fair enough if you don’t have an anniversary though. Personally I felt that as they are being sold to everyone it would get to the point where many of us would eventually have the same non-standard finish… it wouldn’t be unique.
In apart the finishes would be taking the car away from the OEM look / finish and it almost makes the rims look aftermarket to the VW spec in my opinion. I then decided to try and get the rims back to their former glory – A restoration project as it were.
After much research via the forum and web I came across a company called Aerocoat - In particular their Aeromax powdercoat finish – (http://www.aerocoat.net/Aeromaxtm.htm).
Their process- wheels are chemical stripped, shotblasted, sanded, zinc powder coated, primed, sanded, aeromaxed + powdercoat lacquered.
Compared to other refurbishers the finish was very attractive due to an excellent mirror final finish, quicker turn around and cost effectiveness. In short you could have a polished look rim refurbed sooner and cost less due to the manufacturing process of powdercoating against machining.
The powercoat finish looked very similar to the original machine polished/burnished rim on my anniversary. The benefit here was that the rims would be powdercoated and will offer better corrosion resistance. I didn’t even realise that you could have a powdercoat finish like this…. Its very unique.
I found that the alternatives (other refurbishers) to Aeromax were a paint sprayed finish, powdercoat finish (non-mirror finish), machined/polished finish or a chrome finish. All of which would then be sealed in with a top Lacquer. The latter two options being more expensive and the inherent problem still being corrosion - in theory id be back to square one at some point.
I called Aerocoat a few times asking questions and to get a quote. I found them very friendly and helpful. They also confirmed that they had previously refurbed countless M3 rims and 2 other sets of Anniversary rims.
Luckily they are only 8miles away for me, so I made a visit on my day off to see the Aeromax finish first hand. This is their demo rim:
I must say I was very impressed when I saw it, so much so I booked a slot for a refurb the following week. I used the demo rim to compare against my original rim on my car. Although mine weren’t particularly clean they did look very similar.
I also posted the pics on this thread at the time - http://uk-mkivs.net/forums/t/230174.aspx
I dropped the rims off (including the caps that I had dismantled) on Tuesday morning and picked them up on Thursday eve. They have a 3-day turnaround for rims and are happy to set them as priority pending you request to and their work load.
Im very happy with the finish and they bring the car back to life. Very smooth with no blemishes and the reflectiveness of the finish is impressive considering it’s a powdercoat. The finish looks more like polished than chrome.
One thing to note is that they do appear to be "slightly" darker than the OEM finish in some light. They are the same in brightness when light catches them fully but when there it doesn’t they do appear to be darker (almost like a shadow - not like Sem’s shadow chrome finish). Kinda brings a nice depth to the rim.
Comparison:
Aeromax cap vs OEM cap
Rims
Im sure I would have done these ages ago had there been a review for me to refer to. I hope this thread is helpful to you all.
Admittedly I haven’t had the time or the blessing of the weather to be able to take any decent full pics but when I do I will post them you for you all to see.
Cheers
Daren
EDIT11/02/09
I have some early eve shots of the car. Weather has been pretty pants so i havent been able to take any decent pics showing how the rims shine in the sun. The quite simply isnt much sun when its snowing or pi$$in it down. When theres limited light my rims do look darker which brings depth to the finish.
It looks ace in the day when the light catches it and darker at night - but still maintains a degree of OEM if required.
As promised
(at the time of these pics i didnt have my caps on because i hadnt reassembled them after the refurb)
A slight at distance pic to show a darker looking rim where there is limited light
