I’ve been aware for a while that the finish on my wheels is getting a bit tatty, (thanks POs) but today I took them off to clean the insides as part of a lovely, deep, spring clean and found that the problem was worse than I’d realised…
Peeling lacquer everywhere… 
I’ve been considering having them stripped and redone, but read recently that these wheels can crack if they’re sorted incorrectly, which does not fill me with glee!
So, the question is, what’s the best way to get these brought back to shiny perfection, which isn’t going to create problems for me as a result?
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Nice wheels - late SVT sport 16 inch. Not that common; far more of the earlier style ones around.
I don’t think you have much choice here unfortunately. That peel has crept over sufficient of the wheel to warrant a refurb.
Get some quotes from professional companies and go for a durable powder coat finish.
A specialist company should be able to do you a good job with no risk of damage.
Worse case scenario, they are rare but certainly not irreplaceable.
If they are powder coated and got just a little too hot they crack. I lost a set of NBFL Sport wheels like that. If it worries you, get them painted, rather than powder coated.
A good wheel specialist should be able to powder coat OK
Thanks guys. I’ve been considering professional refurb for the reasons you mention, but wanted to get the right information up front before I booked myself in anywhere.
There’s a local company which seem to check out, so I’ll talk with them when I book in about my concerns and see what they say. I appreciate your help.
On hearing the old horror stories about powder coated wheels cracking I was originally very concerned. I have now had three sets powder coated for different cars over the past ten years by a specialist powder coater for alloy wheels and I have had no problems at all.
PO had powder coated some wheels I had before, using a wheel specialist. Powder coat isn’t impervious to lacquer peel. Without a laquer coat, powder coat looks a bit flat.
When I acquired the wheels, they would have been powdercoated 5 years earlier. After 5 years, the lacquer coat was peeling and knackered. The gold powder coat had turned green… After stripping the powdercoat chemically (stripping by blasting wrecks the alloy), I can see its very thick, and hides imperfections in the casting.
I had a set of M2-1002 Panasports restored. The wheel specialist would not touch powdercat, and preferred paint . I believe the benefits of powdercoating for wheels are oversold. There are none.
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Thanks for the history of your experience, which is always valuable, however I think you accidentally a word when mentioning the better option… The single crucial word, in the event! 
I’m keen to explore other options where possible as I hope to keep the car long term.
One suspects that the horror stories are the result of using poor technicians, who’ve done a bad job, leading to the damage. If it was a frequently occurring effect, it would have been an option consigned to the past by now.
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Frequent enough for many to know it happens. The issues are either baking too long, or using a cheap powder coat that requires a longer oven time. I suppse most people choose a wheel refurnbisher on the basis of price; there are lots around. Bad powdercoating can ruin a wheel, making it scrap. Bad painting means, at most, you just need new paint.
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