Pretorias color change

[Eccie]

On another note, is ceramic coating worth it on wheels? Does it help clean them more easily for instance? I have been hand-washing my current Belvederes so far but like the detailing amateur that I am one can spot swirls when looking from the right angle under strong light. And even if I dry them well they don't like so "glossy" (even though they are).

So since I am picking up the Prets soon and powder coating them for a fresh start, I'd like to know if ceramic protection will offer any benefits.

I use CarPro CQuartz on my wheels, it’s very easy to apply & top up, i find it keeps the wheels cleaner & easier to clean - for me it’s worth it, I use it on my summer & winter wheels

[deltarikk]

Personally I think its worth doing them with some coating (be it ceramic or other) but I'm certainly no detailing expert, only having had these done with Gtech along with the rest of the car makes me think they're a lot easier to clean and that the brake dust/dirt doesn't stick as much.   

[scanesare]

Rims have arrived and i honestly can't believe how mint they are. They really do look brand new, not even a suspicion of a dent/scratch and no sign of dirt anywhere 

Turns out they came off a totaled R only 3-4months old, the guy (actually running a Leon Cupra not a Golf) bought them off the R owner even though it was winter tire season as he only asked for a mere 1000£ (apparently unaware how much they usually sell for in the 2nd hand market) but he never got round to put them on his car as his wife did not like the looks of them (yep, sounds crazy i know)

Anyway, they are now with me and off tomorrow to the powder coating shop. I'll be away for a week which syncs perfectly with the delivery time of around 7-10 days. I'll post some pics of when i pick them up.

They all look like this:

[Booth11]

Maybe it’s just the photo but they don’t look like the oem R colour.

[douglaslad]

I was thinking the same, but I guess it's just the photo.

[scanesare]

To be honest, their condition was so good (as if they'd never been on a car) that I kind of started having suspicions. I've confirmed that they weigh exactly as much as they should: 9.6kg  and they have the vw part number embedded in the back so at least they original Pretorias to begin with and not some replicas.

Now if say one (or more) had been scratched/damaged and all were refurbished to this i can't really know as the guy who sold them to me bought them like that (and of that I am sure because we have a common friend). So if something like that had happened, can't do much about it now. In the end the price i paid would be great even for a refurbished set and the color will change very soon.

But just because i started looking at photos online, do the silver Pretoria look so different depending on light and angle? Because I came across two photos from shops that sell them (genuine ones) and they looked quite different. One looking like a darker, more metallic tone (guess that's what people refer to as oem colour?) but the second one looked exactly like mine, a lighter silver with a glossy finish.




Does anyone have a photo or have seen the back of the wheel where part number and specs are? In mine it seems as the letters are half-sunk in the paint but i have seen similar results in other painted items in the past (not wheels) just not sure if Pretorias are meant to have that exact finish...

[scanesare]

Just found another guy with a R with silver Prets and he is also of the belief these have been painted. I mean i would be fine if they have just been refurbished because of scratches  considering i did not intend to keep the oem silver colour but if any of them had more serious damage then it's a worry. But the original owner never let the next guy know about it so... At least my seller apologized and offered to buy them back if they have any problem when i told him what's the case so off to a tire shop to see if there are balancing issues or anything and take it from there. Arrrgh, this is why i don't usually buy used...

[deltarikk]

Couple of pics of mine for you, these are the 8 x 19 option offered on CS same as those. I'd probably say that those you've got have been repainted mainly for the fact the stamped lettering looks a lot more defined on mine, but like you say so long as no major damage under the surface with you getting them powder coated should be fine, fingers crossed.

 

[scanesare]

Couple of pics of mine for you, these are the 8 x 19 option offered on CS same as those. I'd probably say that those you've got have been repainted mainly for the fact the stamped lettering looks a lot more defined on mine, but like you say so long as no major damage under the surface with you getting them powder coated should be fine, fingers crossed.

Thanks deltarikk, yes the stamped lettering seems more sharp but anyway, there are some updates already on this:

So my seller said he had no idea and besides offering to accept them back if i wanted said he'll ask the R owner that bought them from why they had been painted as they know each other from work. Within 10 min (power of FB!) original owner says that yes they had been refurbished because one was curbed so did all 4 for color matching. He also offered to buy them back (the original R owner! - the good bits of dealing with people that know each other i guess) as he was again in the market for a used Pretoria set for his Passat and was 100% positive that damage was purely aesthetic, no major/structural hit whatsoever.

I will be checking them at my tire shop today anyway but right now seems they are going to be fine. It would have just been a bit easier for all parties involved if the R owner had disclosed that information from the beginning. Let's see how they will look on the balancing machine.

[deltarikk]

No probs, sounds all good