Chrome redipping for wheel

A. Hi Wayne
Because it is so expensive to do real chrome plating on alloys wheels at low volume, and peeling happens if things aren't perfect, it is hard to be in that business; I suspect there are only a half-dozen shops in the country who do aftermarket plating of alloy wheels, almost surely not more than a dozen. Google will find them with "need chrome plating of alloy wheels". Go to the listed shops (ignore the supposed compilation sites, as they will probably take you more time than they're worth). Such shops also sometimes advertise in Hemmings Motor News.

This is probably a good application for chrome-look paint, sometimes called 'spray chrome', as an alternative to real chrome plating. Luck & Regards,


Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

A. We printed your inquiry, Denny, but the bad news is that redipping will probably cost more than a replacement wheel. Chrome plating is a very labor intensive process requiring, among other things, custom fabrication of auxiliary anodes to match the wheel shape. When thousands of identical wheels are plated, the plating cost can be moderate. When just one must be plated, the labor cost can be outrageous.

A. Yes, David. They will look the same because they will be the same (allowing for differences in quality from shop to shop). But they will be very expensive because it costs a lot more to chrome plate things onesy-twosy than to chrome plate them hundreds at a time.