Hi everyone, I have a 1.6l highline maxi, ex Brit Gas van, looking to tart up the wheels but can't afford alloys.
Been looking for some black gloss finish wheel trims to fit... want as much coverage as possible (to hide the tarnished wheels, see pic) but still with a nice look. Found these - how do I tell if they'll fit? Do I need to know anything beside the tyre size (15")?
Also seen some people spray paint the steel wheel underneath black - would you need to file off the rust/smooth first? - could do this but need to find somewhere to do the work as live in an apartment with strict rules on what we can do in the car park :/
I painted mine with hammerite - their "metallic blue" is almost a perfect match for Ravenna (or whatever it's called).
I wire brushed the rust away with a drill / angle grinder, primed and painted them. I simply used a paintbrush - if the wheel is laid flat there's hardly any drips / blobs.
I try to do them before a new tyre is put on as it makes a bit of a mess, and it tends to mess up the balancing weights.
A few people have commented on how good it looks, although they look a bit tatty now
I'd like to do similar, but I'm probably going to get some trims to cover them until I have somewhere I can carry out the work. Still trying to work out how to tell if they'll fit.
I don't know of any way to tell if a hub cap fits other than suck it and see. I'd be shocked if they didn't given it's a standard steel wheel. Definitely hit them with some black paint before you fit the caps. Nothing worse than seeing grotty silver steelies poking out from behind a shiny new hubcap.
Btw for the price of those hubcaps, along with paint, wire wheels, sandpaper, zip ties, your time, etc. you wouldn't be far away from the cost of a set of 15" or 16" VW alloys with tyres off marketplace, gumtree, etc. if you keep your eyes peeled for a bargain.
