So it's now July 10th and I last posted on this thread on June 1st. Well, I am annoyed to say that this job still is NOT complete.
I spent a month dicking around with Kettle Moraine Coatings in Jackson, WI to get a color chosen and get everything squared away. They did not want to clear coat the finish, even though they said they ABSOLUTELY would, but I insisted that I wanted it cleared, as that's what I've always read should be done, plus our wheels come cleared from the factory. I want to protect the finish for myself and the next owner of this car, not for just a couple years.
Sand blasting was supposed to have been done "in-house" this time around, but apparently they have a neighboring shop do it. I had asked for a quote on sand blasting, powder coating, and clearing at this point so I knew what to relay Goodyear. I was told that guy wouldn't quote a sand blasting price until he was done with the work, which is super duper shady, IMO. Then Kettle Moraine Coatings has the audacity to say they don't want to do my wheels the next day. So I spent all this time with them and am back to square one.
I got in contact with another shop a little farther west than Kettle Moraine Coatings and they're happy to do it for $520, including stripping, powder coating, and clearing, which to me sounds like a spot on price. Would everyone agree? Also, instead of sand blasting, they're going to use an aluminum stripper to strip the paint off; They said this is a much safer method and is far less harsh compared to blasting.
FYI, to repair the paint job by sanding and painting (with zero guarantee on matching), it was going to cost $125 each wheel... so $500 for all four. Plus it would be some time out for this job to be complete. Powder is a 2-3 day job strictly because of the stripping. This is why I'm going the powder route.
I'm just waiting for another shop to call me back with an estimate so I know how to compare, but the aforementioned shop has a much larger shop (170,000 sq ft vs 45,000 sq ft) and reputation than this second shop, so part of me is leaning towards them just for the quality standpoint.
Needless to say, Kettle Moraine Coatings will be getting highly negative online feedback from me in the near future.
I'm still looking to do a light gunmetal color, sort of like the TWS Nurburgrings, so I need to find a color similar. My understanding is the clear coating will lighten up the color, correct?
