Tires & Wheels
Wheel refinishing near you
Wheel refinishing for faded, peeling or corroded wheels: stripped, then painted, powder coated or diamond-cut in the factory finish or a new colour.
- Time at the shop
- 4 h
- about
- Mobile service
- Available
- at your address
- Shops in Canada
- 1
- doing this work
- Your price
- You set it
- shops bid on it
You set the budget
Shops near you send their bids
1 shop in Canada does this
Tires & Wheels
What wheel refinishing is
Road salt, brake dust and years of curb contact wear the clear coat off alloy wheels, and the bare aluminum then pits and blooms with white corrosion. Refinishing restores the whole wheel, not one scrape. The wheels are taken off, the tires are removed and the old finish is stripped by chemical or media blasting. Any pitting or curb damage is repaired before a new finish goes on.
The bare metal is cleaned and primed, then painted or powder coated in the factory colour or a new one. Powder coating is baked in an oven and is the tougher finish; wet paint follows a factory colour more closely, and a mobile refinisher works with it. Diamond-cut wheels, with a bright machined face, are re-cut on a lathe before a hard clear coat seals the finish. Tires are remounted and the wheels balanced; motorcycle wheels follow the same steps.
- For cars, EVs, motorcycles, vans and trucks
- Takes about 4 h
- Can be done at your address
What does wheel refinishing cost?
It depends on your vehicle and the shop. Post a job with your budget and compare the bids shops near you send.
Get bids
Name your budget. Shops near you bid.
1 shop across Canada does wheel refinishing.
What to expect
Wheel refinishing, step by step
What the job normally covers, what to mention in your request, and the signs that it is time. Every shop says what its bid includes.
The job
What’s included
- Wheels removed, tires taken off and pressure sensors and valve stems set aside
- Old paint, clear coat and corrosion stripped by chemical or media blasting
- Curb damage, gouges and pitting repaired before any coating goes on
- Bare metal cleaned and primed so the new finish bonds
- Colour applied in a factory match, a custom colour or a two-tone, as powder coat baked in an oven or as wet paint
- Diamond-cut faces re-machined on a lathe on wheels that came with one
- Hard clear coat applied and cured, in the oven or by force-drying, to seal the finish
- Tires remounted with new valve stems or sensor kits, balanced and refitted with a torque wrench
Checklist
Before you post
- 01Say what the wheels are: cast or forged alloy, steel, chrome or diamond-cut; each finish needs a different process
- 02Ask whether the price covers tire removal, remounting and balancing, or the coating alone
- 03Ask whether the coating is powder or wet paint; powder is tougher, wet paint follows a factory colour more closely
- 04Ask how many days the wheels will be gone, and book the job in the season you run your other set
- 05Ask to see photos or a finished wheel, and how the shop handles diamond-cut faces and chrome
- 06Ask what covers peeling or bubbling, and whether brake calipers can be painted at the same visit
Signs
When you need it
- Clear coat peeling, flaking or turning cloudy across the face of the wheels
- White, powdery corrosion or pitting on bare aluminum
- Brake dust staining that no longer cleans off
- A scuffed set you want to bring back before selling the vehicle or returning a lease
- You want a different colour, such as black, bronze or gunmetal
Sound familiar?Tell shops near you what you need and what you want to spend.
Get bidsHow it works
Get wheel refinishing done in four steps
You set the budget and choose the shop. Posting is free, and you pay the shop you hire once the work is 100% done.
- 01
Post your job
Choose the service, describe the job and your vehicle, and set your budget. It takes two minutes and costs nothing.
- 02
Shops compete
Nearby shops that do the work see your request and send their best offer: price, when they can start, what is included.
- 03
Accept the best offer
Compare bids, ratings and distance, then hire one shop. The others are told, politely.
- 04
Talk and get it done
Your conversation with the shop opens right away to agree on the day. You pay only after the job is complete.
Keep exploring
Related services
Rim repair
Rim repair for curb rash, scuffs, bends and some cracks in steel and alloy wheels, so the wheel runs true, holds air and looks right again.
Tire installation
Tire installation for cars, vans, trucks and trailers: new tires mounted and balanced on your wheels, with fresh valve stems and old tires taken away.
Wheel balancing
Wheel balancing on a spin balancer, with weights fitted where each wheel and tire runs heavy, to stop steering wheel shake and vibration at highway speed.
Seasonal tire changeover
Seasonal tire changeover: winter tires on in the fall and your summer or all-season set back on in spring, on your own rims or remounted, wheel nuts torqued.
Detailing & Car Wash
Car detailing
Car detailing with hand wash, clay bar and wax or sealant outside and a deep vacuum and surface clean inside, for cars, SUVs, vans and trailers.
Questions
Questions about wheel refinishing
General answers for drivers in Canada. The shop you hire confirms the details for your vehicle.
Is powder coating or paint better for wheels?
Powder coating is baked on and generally resists chips and brake dust better, and it suits steel wheels and custom colours. Wet paint under a clear coat matches original factory finishes more closely, and it is the process a mobile refinisher uses. Either fails early if the metal was not stripped and cleaned properly, so ask how the shop prepares the wheels.
How long does wheel refinishing take?
Plan on one to four days without the wheels when they go to a shop, because refinishing has curing time between coats and powder coat goes through an oven. You cannot drive without them, so ask about fitting your other set, or book the job in the season when that set is on the vehicle.
Can diamond-cut alloy wheels be refinished?
Yes. The bright face is re-cut on a lathe and clear coated, and the painted pockets between the spokes are refinished by hand. Each re-cut removes a thin layer of aluminum, so a wheel can be re-cut only a limited number of times, and not every shop has the lathe. Some shops repaint the face in a bright silver instead.
Can I change the colour of my wheels?
Yes, a full refinish is the time to do it, from gloss or satin black to bronze, gunmetal or a two-tone with a machined face. If the vehicle is leased, check the lease terms first, because some lessors expect factory-standard wheels back at the end. Ask to see a sample in daylight before you approve the colour.
Is it worth refinishing my wheels, or should I buy new ones?
For alloys of 17 inches or more, and for original factory wheels, refinishing is normally the cheaper route, because four new wheels from a dealer add up fast. For basic steel wheels, or wheels that are cracked, new or used replacements can cost about the same as a refinish.
Something else to ask? Once you hire a shop, you talk to it directly in your request’s conversation.
Ready when you areTell shops near you what you need and what you want to spend.
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