Re-anodizing Fuchs - any new vendors on the horizon?

[Arne2]

Let me state up front - this is not a "where-are-my-wheels" or "can't-seem-to-contact-them" gripe. But the current health issues of Diane Reed has got me to thinking. Neither Al nor Harvey are spring chickens any more. What will we do when they decide to retire? Or - God forbid - age just catches up with them.

Polished Fuchs are not a huge problem, with a bit of diligence competent polishers can be found. But if you want your Fuchs re-anodized like original (or RS-style), the only other place I've heard of is Wheel Enhancement, and the reviews on them are mixed.

I made a couple calls to anodizers near me (Western Oregon), and every one so far has said, "nope, we don't do wheels."

Any thoughts on this for the future? The reality is that I'm probably not going to be in a position to have mine re-anodized for a couple of years, and I'm wondering how this is all going to play out. It's probably an art that needs to be preserved.

[Canada Kev]

Amen. Was just thinking that the other day. And it's not just wheels. I'm sure if I thought about it a bit, I could come up with a bunch of other things that the real experts in the field are likely getting less young pretty quickly. Will the experienced brain trust just disappear?

[wildcat077]

Just got my new set of Fikse wheels today after a six week wait,delivered fresh off that brown truck in black anodized finish ...
Somebody does anodized wheels out there and i know for a fact that Fikse sends them out to get the anodizing done !

Cheers !
Phil

[Arne2]

Anodizing a high-quality forged wheel shouldn't be any different that anodizing any similar-sized chunk of aluminum. And yes, it's obvious that some shops will do them - I'm betting that neither Al nor Harvey do anodizing in-house. The problem is finding a shop willing to do it. It could well be that most of these shops have never seen a true forged wheel, and are turning down wheels automatically assuming they are cast.

I dunno. Just thinking that it'd be good to have more choices long term.

[m110]

Originally Posted by Arne2

Anodizing a high-quality forged wheel shouldn't be any different that anodizing any similar-sized chunk of aluminum. And yes, it's obvious that some shops will do them - I'm betting that neither Al nor Harvey do anodizing in-house. The problem is finding a shop willing to do it. It could well be that most of these shops have never seen a true forged wheel, and are turning down wheels automatically assuming they are cast.

I dunno. Just thinking that it'd be good to have more choices long term.

It is true that Harvey outsources the anodizing down the street....but the preparation for the treatment is the key to success....he did mine 3 times before accepting them and said it was the prep not the treatment he changed.

[Arne2]

Originally Posted by m110

It is true that Harvey outsources the anodizing down the street....but the preparation for the treatment is the key to success....he did mine 3 times before accepting them and said it was the prep not the treatment he changed.

Yup, makes total sense. You not only have to have an anodizer willing to do them, but also the skills and knowledge of how to prep them for the anodizer. And that knowledge and skill is held in the hands of a very small group of experts. No way I want or expect these people to share their secrets openly, they deserve to make a living with them. But I do wonder about the future.

[aigel]

Originally Posted by wildcat077

Just got my new set of Fikse wheels today after a six week wait,delivered fresh off that brown truck in black anodized finish ...
Somebody does anodized wheels out there and i know for a fact that Fikse sends them out to get the anodizing done !

Cheers !
Phil

Phil,

Can you post pics? Are these new or did you send them back to Fikse for a cosmetic update?

George

[wildcat077]

George,

They are brand new ... i'll post some pics later on !

Cheers !
Phil

[wildcat077]

Here you go !

I wasn't able to find another decent used set of track wheels in a 911 NB offset so i ordered these from Fikse six weeks ago in 17x8 and 17x9 sizes.Although i was pissed at them because of the delay,the quality of the wheels is stunning and at 17lbs each they are quite light.
For what it's worth,i paid an extra $200.00 dollars for the set to have them in black anodized finish ...
I would imagine it would cost the same to have any aluminium wheel black anodized once a suitable anodizing shop is located.

Cheers !
Phil

[djpateman]

Originally Posted by Arne2

You not only have to have an anodizer willing to do them, but also the skills and knowledge of how to prep them for the anodizer. And that knowledge and skill is held in the hands of a very small group of experts. No way I want or expect these people to share their secrets openly, they deserve to make a living with them. But I do wonder about the future.

It would seem that they need to take on an apprentice so that the business can continue. Finding the RIGHT person is the difficult part.

[ejp]

This raises another question for me...and I hope that I'm not hijacking this thread: Why is it that new wheels today are painted rather than anodized? With a bit of petroleum jelly, the anodized wheels on my 25 year old Carrera look almost new. The paint on the forged wheels of my Audi have pitting on the finish after only 5 years.

Is it just a cost & complexity thing with modern cars? Is it that manufacturers are not willing to tack on the extra few hundred or are consumers not willing to pay more for products that last?

[Arne2]

Originally Posted by djpateman

It would seem that they need to take on an apprentice so that the business can continue. Finding the RIGHT person is the difficult part.

Yes. You need the right person (detail-oriented, fussy). But to make this work financially, the anodizer needs to be local to the prep person/business. You can't add the overhead of shipping wheels to and from a remote anodizer.

Now the fact is, maybe Al or Harvey (or both) are already doing this. We've got confirmation in a different thread that Al has at least a couple of guys working for him, polishing and such. So maybe there will be someone with the the skills waiting to buy these businesses when the current owners decide to retire. I hope so.

[Pete000]

Not a plug, but Wheel Enhancement in Culver City does Fuchs refinishing, just took a set in last week.

[gtc]

You can send them back to Fuchs for refinishing. ~250 or 300 euro per wheel.

[gtc]

Originally Posted by Arne2

... You not only have to have an anodizer willing to do them, but also the skills and knowledge of how to prep them for the anodizer. And that knowledge and skill is held in the hands of a very small group of experts. No way I want or expect these people to share their secrets openly, they deserve to make a living with them. But I do wonder about the future.

There is a sharp guy up here who, when restoring his car, experimented with anodizing and was able to come up with a nice approximation of the RSR finish.
It's not rocket science... someone new will step in when it makes financial sense.