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Polished stock wheels on an 04?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Accessories & Modifications' started by springer, Aug 19, 2004.

  1. springer

    springer New Member

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    Has anyone had their stock wheels polished, if so do you have a picture of the results?
     
    #1 springer, Aug 19, 2004
  2. Eisenson

    Eisenson New Member

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    My Prius is white with side molding and dark tinted glass. The plastic rims are gone, and polished wheels would look good. I also thought of painting them white.

    I had similar matte wheels polished on another car (Subaru SVX) and the result was terrific. Though the appearance was worth the $300, there was an ongoing maintenance factor.
     
    #2 Eisenson, Aug 20, 2004
  3. springer

    springer New Member

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    I also have a white #9. I also took of the rings. Yesterday I met with the owner of a company that polishes rims. He said they could polish all of the flat surfaces and the rim next to the tire. the other surfaces that he could not polish with one of his machines, he paints with your choice of color. He suggest a dark gray color that doesn't discolor with brake dust and is easy to clean. The white can stain easily and be more difficult to clean. He is asking $150 per wheel, and it takes 5 days. I am seriously considering doing it. He says the on going maintence is minimal, and should you need they can be redone.
     
    #3 springer, Aug 20, 2004
  4. seasalsa

    seasalsa Active Member

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    Have you noticed the lack of brake dust on the Prius wheels? Because the pads only come in contact with the rotor at below 9 MPH or in a panic situation, I have not seen any dust on my front wheels. This makes the cleaning of polished and/or painted wheels much easier.
     
    #4 seasalsa, Aug 20, 2004
  5. DonDNH

    DonDNH Senior Member

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    Strangely enough, my rear wheels get dirtier than the fronts.
     
    #5 DonDNH, Aug 20, 2004
  6. jamarimutt

    jamarimutt New Member

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    John or efusco: could comment on this? It seems to be a widely held belief but it sounds wrong. Based on experience I feel that the brake pads engage the disks far more often, perhaps most of the time when braking. I have never noticed the "sudden activation and grab" at 8-9 mph reported by some owners.
     
    #6 jamarimutt, Aug 22, 2004
  7. artie

    artie Member

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    i would love black wheels on my (duh) black #8. can they be painted? who does this normally, body shop, wheel shop.
     
    #7 artie, Aug 28, 2004
  8. artie

    artie Member

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    i would love black wheels on my (duh) black #8. can they be painted? who does this normally, body shop, wheel shop.
     
    #8 artie, Aug 28, 2004
  9. springer

    springer New Member

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    If all you want is black wheels. I would sagest you powder coat them. The finish would last a very long time. Paint would be a much more delicate finish. That is why motorcycle frames are powder coated instead of painted. I had a custom 4X8 trailer made with a steel frame and aluminum sides. I had the whole trailed powder coated and it has held up extremely well.
     
    #9 springer, Aug 29, 2004
  10. singpilot

    singpilot Junior Member

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    I have polished the stock wheels on my white #9 '04. I bought a set of takeoffs from eBay, and polished those, so mine wouldn't be gone for a week. After I put them on, I polished the remaining set, and sold them to a co worker for his '05. I have those wheels now, and will probably polish those and put them on eBay. Is someone here interested in them?
     
    #10 singpilot, Jul 2, 2005
  11. elitman

    elitman New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(singpilot\";p=\"103436)</div>
    Can you post or PM pics?
     
    #11 elitman, Jul 6, 2005
  12. hschuck

    hschuck Member

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    I saw a white 05 a couple of days ago with polished stock wheels. They looked great; I thought they were chromed initially. The owner wasn't around so I couldn't discuss the details.
     
    #12 hschuck, Jul 6, 2005
  13. singpilot

    singpilot Junior Member

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    Although I live in the mountains outside of Vegas, the Prius has been in Los Angeles for the last few weeks. I'll take a pic today, and post it.

    Michael.
     
    #13 singpilot, Jul 6, 2005
  14. 200Volts

    200Volts Member

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    Most aluminum with color is from anodizing (from a plating shop). You can anodize aluminum in almost any color including a very dark grey-black. Anodized surfaces will not peel.
     
    #14 200Volts, Jul 8, 2005
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