Was wondering what i did wrong, i painted my wheels with rustoleum etching primer/high performance gloss black/clear coat. They came out beautiful at first, now they look very dull. They started chipping but i expected that since i didnt use any hardener but the fact that they look dull is whats really bothering me.

Was this just "off the shelf" rattle cans or stuff you had canned for you at a paint jobber/supplier?

DarrelK wrote:Was this just "off the shelf" rattle cans or stuff you had canned for you at a paint jobber/supplier?

Yes, i got them at home depot. I painted some car audio pieces and they came out good so i decided to try them on my wheels and engine cover.

This is what my cars wheels and engine covers look like now.

And this is what it looked like when i first painted it

Rust-oleum will fade/ chalk.

What did you expect from a $4 spray can of paint? How do you think they can make it so cheap. Lower end binders, little or no uv protection, cheap toners.

Years age it was the fad, even for Hot Rod magazine, to spend countless hours brushing on countless coats of rust-oleum and sanding between coats, then final sanding and polishing. I'd be willing to wager that those cars are all faded and chalky today needing to be stripped to perform a proper finish now.

Uhhh.....yeah, seriously.... we spend like $600 to $1200 in just paint supplies when doing a complete on a car. We'd all be using aerosols if they worked long term. The chemistry is just not the same.....

There is a reason we constantly advise people against rattle can paint jobs.
If you must use a spray can at least go to an Automotive paint store and have them premix some paint and put it in a can for you. Of course it will cost 5 times what you paid for the "off the shelf" stuff but that was addressed in the above posts.

To quote someone else: "Good paint jobs aren't cheap and cheap paint jobs aren't good."

Hmm.. okay it all makes sense now. I shouldnt have went off the youtube video "how to get a professional paintjob using a rattle can" thas what made me think i did something wrong. It did cross my mind a couple times that 60$ worth of paint was too good to be true. Since i only paint small items can someone reccomemd some good primer/color/clear and a place i can go get it put in a can? I cant stand the way my wheels and engine pieces look right now. I wanna correct the problem asap.

All you need is a good reputable paint jobber/supplier. If you're seeing brand names like PPG, Dupont, Sikens, etc., they probably can put most anything in cans. Get ready for some sticker shock though. You can get SprayMax primers and clears for about $18 or so each over the internet. Eastwood is also carrying a high performance line as well. The idea with any of the specialized can products is you actually have a piercing valve in the can that makes them true 2k products. It's the cross linking in these systems that give them the durability plus their higher grade UV inhibitors, etc.

Gsean430 wrote:Hmm.. okay it all makes sense now. I shouldnt have went off the youtube video "how to get a professional paintjob using a rattle can" thas what made me think i did something wrong. It did cross my mind a couple times that 60$ worth of paint was too good to be true. Since i only paint small items can someone reccomemd some good primer/color/clear and a place i can go get it put in a can? I cant stand the way my wheels and engine pieces look right now. I wanna correct the problem asap.

.... had me laughing. With the YouTube comment. Another $60. For another year... hmm. How long are you keeping you car? How much is uour time worth?


Rattle can is good for some things.. i use it all the time on bolts and screws...i hate rust!