Hey guys,

Questions to anyone who has had their wheels refinished by HRE.

I purchased 540R's from another member and I love them, my favorite wheel of all time. They just need a little TLC.

I was going to pull the trigger and ship them in yesterday, I decided to hold off and get some second or third opinions by anyone who has had this done...

Vince(?), I think his name was strongly, suggested I send them directly to HRE to have the services done and quite frankly I trust him being expensive wheels but I have quotes to get them re-done so much cheaper locally....

HRE's price list includes:

$100 per wheel to disassemble, re-seal, check round and re-assemble. ($400)
$100 per wheel to powder coat the faces again. ($400)
$75 per wheel to polish the lips again. ($300)
$75 per wheel to clear coat the lips again ($300)

He did say they would throw in brand new center caps (yay...) free of charge.

Plus shipping back and forth and tires mounted and unmounted and yadda yadda it came close to $1600-$1700 as long as they didn't need to replace any inners or outers of the barrels (ranging from $250-$275 for each piece).

I can certainly get them powder coated elsewhere for much cheaper and I know my guy does a fantastic job, I just wonder if anyone had any strong opinions either way

BTW I was thinking Black Centers again and either Polishing the lips or getting the lips PC Black as well.

Thanks to all in advance!

 

I had two different sets of HREs refurbished by HRE so I can speak to this.
Before shipping the wheels to HRE or having them repaired anywhere, the best thing to do is get the tires removed and then take the bare rims to a tire shop that has a Hunter GSP9700 balancer. That machine can measure the bare rim runouts on each wheel and determine if any are out of round. Doing this will allow you to know at the outset if you have any bent rims.

Do plan on the possibility of having multiple rims halves requiring replacement since HRE wheels are pretty, but weak (i.e., bend easily). I think rim halves run about $175 each. Then know that once the work is done, your wheels will not weigh the same amount since chances are they will use replacement rim halves that probably were produced from a different lot or came from a different supplier and don't weigh the same as those being removed. When I got mine back, one of the front wheel's weight was just over a pound more than the other one. Not good.

If I had it to do over again, I would have saved the money and had the rims repaired locally - wheel refurbishment isn't rocket science. Unless you have some sort of HRE warranty claim, there's no reason to pay HRE's greedy prices for wheel repair.

 

+1 to Hunter balancer. When I bought my 547R, one of the wheels got damaged, may be during the shipping , but local merchants store put tons of weight on my rim and told me that they are good to go, but I still had the vibrations when driving 45+ mph. I tried another place to re balance all of my wheels and it didn't work. Then I found out about that Hunter balancer and it really works, it shows if the wheel are out of round. Merchants and other tire place couldn't solve the problem. I was about to send my wheels to HRE for repair, but one of the members on this board suggested that there is a local shop that can repair any damages to any wheels, in fact it is the best shop on East Coast to repair the wheels.

 

I would use a local place Tal. The wheels are (were) straight and any reputable place can take them apart and reseal them really.

If you bent them at all, HRE will not fix bends....they will only replace barrels, lips etc. As mentioned above that may throw the weight of the wheel off since the barrel will be from a different batch.

Kinda miss em

 

Go with your local shop. Hre's still a rim. Nice looking one Nothing special about powdercoating or painting.

And do the inner barrel in black. It will look so much cleaner and easier to clean than polished.

 

Get Flat black face and gloss black lip

 

Hello Guys,

I just wanted to clear a couple of things up regarding the refinishing of HRE Wheels and forged wheels in general.

One of the main reasons that we recommend that they come into HRE is because many of the refinishing companies out there do not regulate their powder coating temperature. This will greatly reduce the fatigue life and strength of the center. This is the reason that HRE brought all powder coating in house.

Another factor is the stripping of your current finish. Most companies chemical strip the finish which can irreversibly damage a wheel in as little as two minutes. Unless the wheel is Chrome (Different process), HRE will bead blast the wheel to remove any paint or powder coated finish. Excessive heat, or time in the oven, will reduce the strength of a heat treated part and will ultimately result in a premature failure.

Also, part of the labor charge includes all new assembly hardware in the wheels. Other places will not do this. If they do....be very careful.

The statement that HRE will not fix bends is correct. We simply replace the component. The reason for this is simple. There are three ways to straighten a wheel:
First: Heat the rim half and work/form the metal back into a round form. When you heat a heat treated part, it will greatly reduce the integrity of the rim half and you will likely be back in 3-6 mos with a cracked barrel.
Second: Beat the rim back into shape. Most likely you will still have high runout.
Third: This is the most frightening. People will actually put the wheel on a lathe and turn the wheel down until it is true. This will guarantee a failure.

Checking the runout on the bead seat is a great idea prior to shipment. This way if there are any questions we can address them immediately. HRE recommends runouts under .025"

All of our rim components are sourced from two raw material suppliers. We have been using these suppliers for a number of years so there should not be any difference in weight due to variance in production. The only variance on an equal component will be between our HD components that were in use over 7 years ago.

When a wheel is sent to HRE, it is our goal to send a wheel back that is as structurally sound as a brand new wheel. You will also retain your lifetime structural warranty. We cannot provide structural warranties if the wheel has been altered or refinished elsewhere.

We know that we are not the cheapest and that you will also incur shipping charges, but our goal is to provide you with a quality product and to insure your safety.

I hope my response has helped and been informative. If anyone is ever in San Diego, please contact me. We love to show people around our facility and educate people on what and why we do certain things. There's also a good chance I will be able to give you some reasons as to why it's a good reason to send them into us for repairs

 

Mark,

I don't blame you man! They looked boss on your car! BTW expect a pretty detailed email from me later this weekend.

They aren't bent one bit. Run straight and true

The faces just need a little love especially around the fasteners. And the fronts need to be disassembled to get the lips polished back up. That's all.

I have to say I do respect a company that makes a presence on these boards and backs their products fully. HRE, thank you very much for the response and the time on the phone the other day. I'd find it hard pressed to put a different brand of shoes on my beast!

Looks like I've got some decisions to make... But I'm really thinking matte faces with polished black lips are in the future for these wheels.

Thanks for all the responses everyone! I'll get some updated pics when it's all said and done

 

Haha...Tal you are too much!! You just get your car looking perfect, and are already changing it up!

Maybe shoot forum member B. Gorman a PM. I believe he refinishes wheels.

 

I had mine sent to HRE and they come back like brand new. They did a awesome job. It was expensive, but I would not trust a local shop with my wheels on a 500hp 4000lbs 185mph car.

 

LOL, Charlie where did you dig this thread up It's actually funny because I was really considering getting my current HRE's refinished again in an all brushed/cleared finish with black barrels. This one was for my old 540R's.

And I have to say I know Bill does great work, it's hard to let anyone touch them after Vince at HRE did such an outstanding job on them.

***EDIT*** I actually saw this was dug up by someone else 1st post and then they deleted it lol.

Where is your beast BTW?!?!?! I haven't heard any updates on the goodies Bruce had in the works.....

+1 The way they are handled front to back is amazing. I wouldn't hesitate spending the money to have HRE refinish my wheels again.

 

Hahaha...damn this thread is old isn't it?? I must have still been half asleep this AM. Glad it is an old thread though and that you aren't changing up your look!! You shizz is perfect right now!!!

 

Haha! Thanks brotha! I'm really happy with it too. She sure does draw a lot of attention

I'm anxious to see what becomes of your beast in the next couple days! Keep me posted man!

 

Funny how the mods deleted the post.
The HRE sales manager is incorrect about refinishing HRE wheels.
HRE simply do not want people to do it themselfs.
Here is how to DIY and FYI youl need an 8mm 12pt socket.
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=573624

 

tgoss you buy mines ahah

 

Ya it's definitely not rocket science to disassemble wheels. I actually had to switch the faces on my old 540R's because they original company put the fronts on the rears and visaversa. But that's exactly my point, I'd just like to have them sent and never worry about it coming back anything less than perfect

How much?

 

yours wheels plus a couple? too bad they arent 20's

 

Redoing a rim without dismounting the tire. That's just stupid. You might want to check the bare rims' lateral and radial runouts while you're going through the repair process.

 

On my 547s paint start peeling of, I can't figure out to paint it locally at $250 per wheel or send it to HRE. Shipping alone cost $120 one-way... too way bad HRE doesnt have any east coast service shops

 

I'll give you mine plus $$ and you can send them to B. Gorman for step lips to make em 20's

 

k text me then. i dont want to lose too much money on them. but considering that they are used it is what it is. are you still gonna get them refinished?

 

I would honestly send them to HRE. Is your local place going to disassemble them to paint or just mask it? I know it will cost more but it will stay guaranteed and this way you can get the faces powder coated for the same price and they will be a much durable finish than paint.

I know it will cost a little more but the peace of mind that they were taken care of would be worth it IMO.

Or if you're on the east coast member B. Gorman refinishes wheels and I've heard nothing but great things said about him. That maybe worth a PM to him.