How where the 4 lug Mahle wheels finished from the factory (excluding LE's)? Bare metal finish or painted?

Painted with Wurth's Silver Lacquer w/ clear coat..............unless they were painted the same color as those funny looking cars.

I dont think they were painted Tod. Not sure what the original finish is. Wurth silver is an excellent look-alike, but I know the original finish is not painted.

i recently had mine sandblasted. there was (in decending order) a top coat of silver, a middle coat of royal blue , and a coat of silver. i'm guessing that last coat was the factory application.

~a

my pedrinis were bare before I had em polished.

My experience is that they were bare.

Thanks, I have yet to see an original set. The one set I did see where on that 24K milage maluga red 76 in our local PCA. He had them painted silver as well. I'm thinking about getting a set. Nicely styled wheel. Guess it will be a long quest before I find some in original condition.


Thanks

Why the concern for original condition? Just have 'em de-painted if necessary

Here's my $100 find (5 rims!) at a street rod show (98% American cars, 2% British). No signs of paint anywhere:

wow, 20 clams per wheel is quite a find! i thought i got a good deal at $300 shipped for a set of five. four of mine arrived painted, one (i suspect the spare) was unpainted.

then i proceeded to spend more than 10 hours per wheel polishing them. ugh.

~a

before, during, after:

Mine were painted silver from the factory.

I always thought they were painted silver from the factory.

I have a 76 car with Mahles.

Mine are definitely painted.

In fact, the paint on 2 of the wheels is fading, and it looks like there is a yellow primer under the silver paint.

I have the original window sticker and sales receipt for my car.

The paperwork shows the Mahle wheels as a dealer installed option for $60!

Painted

I dont know why some think they were factory painted. I have a set on My <50K mile LE and the metal parts are most definitely not painted, everything on my car is bone stock and factory original. My spare still has the original tire. Ever notice that old Mahles get a dull, grey, rough, patina, and this would not occur if they were painted. The paint would chip or scratch off, but the overall wheel would not oxidize out if it was painted.

I have a pedrini that has a yellow primer starting to show through, interesting.

Umm... I've owned a few cars with dull, rough, patinaed paint. Paint can fade.



There definitely is a finish on it, because the factory wheels can be "stripped" with oven cleaner. Maybe something equivalent to an annodizing.

Whether it is a paint, powder coat, or some other type of "finish" is a different story.

My wheels were "oxidized" too, but as I stripped them (one mechanically) you could see the wire weel abrading through the silver, then a metallic blue film, then to the bare metal.

My advice... strip the wheels, do several light coats with Wurth Silver wheel paint, knocking down in between with 0000 steel wool, and then several light coats of Wurth Clear coat.

Or have them powder coated.

Here are my old wheels on my old 914. (Wurth method)

I have a near-perfect set for sale!

For Sale!

-Steve

The ones I bead blasted were similar. There was a top coat (silver) then there was a blue color, then there was another color (possibly silver), then bare metal.

These wheels were definately painted.

In the picture of the stack of wheels, one of the rims is showing the blue color. Look at the inner part of the rim where the tire beads seat. (That is exactly how mine looked).

This is clearly painted just like the ones I have experienced. I don't know about the LE versions other than they were painted the accent color. (usually yellow)