Does anyone know if the tech wheels from 2017-2020 are the same?

 

There the same, only the advance are different

 

99% the same. Starting in 2019, the finishing on it is ever so slightly. Its like a more machined face look. Almost negligible, I worked at Acura dealer and can barely tell. Majority of people couldn't tell the difference, but overall 2017-2020 tech looks the same.

 

The reason I ask is because we scratched one of our wheels on our 2020 and we want to replace it. I’ve seen some used 2017-2019 tech wheels but the gray color on the knee spokes looks a little lighter.

 

check around for wheel refinishing service nearby. We have one in our area, and they can refinish almost any wheel and repair scratches. Son had one fixed and looked like new, and I had one of my MDX wheels with curb rash on the machined finish repaired. If the scratch is on the painted surface repair is much easier.

 

Compare the price of refinishing to purchase a new/used rim. Depending on how scratched and cost for repair, that rim could be used as a full-size spare. I was able to get an used 20" glass black Berlina rim to use as a full-size spare for $225 price+shipping on eBay ($275-$350 each+shipping from other places online).

 

yes, check on refinishing price. Here we have a company that does repair for many of the dealerships. I just met the repair guy at a dealership to drop off the rim and tire. I had a full sizes spare to use for the few days the repair took. fixing some curb rash on the rim edge meant demounting the tire and doing some minor machining. Even with that cost was $150. Typical minor rash that they can repair without demounting and repaint is in the $100 range.

Now, I was also in the process of adding the spare tire mount and a real spare tire so I did get a takeoff rim on ebay. Having confirmed the repair cost I already had a full sized spare ready to go. If the cost to repair would have been to high I would have done as suggested. Use the scratched rim as the spare and have tires swapped and use the new rim on the car.

 

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions everyone. We took the car to a place that specializes in refinishing rims. For this small amount of curb rash they would simply repair only the affected area. They would not need to dismount the tires from the rim and would not refinish the entire room, just the affected area. The price is $125.

The alternative would be to buy a new rim which is around $550 from Acura, or find a slightly used rim on eBay for around $300 and then have the tire switched over. I think for $125 to repair it it’s worth a shot. What do you all think?

 

go for the repair if you can. Look at some of the work the repair place has done. One note. On wheels that have a machine finish with clear coat (no colored paint), repair is more difficult. On our acura rim, the scuff was on the cleared machine finished part, so the fix they use is to dismount the tire, put the rim on a lathe and cut down through the scratches then recoat the area. other painted areas can often be done with wheel mounted and at your house, where they do a fill, sand and paint match.

On new rims. Ebay often has places selling new take offs or nearly new rims, sometimes even dealerships do this at way below Acura prices. For my MDX I got a new takeoff wheel for the spare for $240 including shipping. used "grade A" wheels were about $200,

 

Yeah, I mean I found a like new take off wheel for $300, then figure another $100 to dismount and remount and balance the fire. So $400 all in versus $125 for the repair.

The curb rash is on the silver edge of the rim. Not sure if that part is machined or painted. My guess is that there’s no paint involved but they specifically said that the work would be done with the tire on the rim. The shop seems pretty reputable, good before and after photos in their gallery and lots of positive review.

 

that where my curb rash was. as for "tire on the rim" that could mean several things. (1) they will be able to do the work with the tire on the rim (2) you bring them the rim with mounted tire, they remove or beadbreak the tire, fix it and then reinstall the tire and give it back to you. (2) is what they did with mine. dropped of the tire and rim, they fixed it and gave me back the rim with tire mounted. they marked the mounting location of the tire so balance was not affected.

In any case substantially less than a replacement rim.

 

How did it turn out?

 

my curb rash wasn't real bad, visible, noticeable but not all the way around the rim. After the refinish I'd say it would take a very anal person some time to decide which wheel was worked on. Our son had a pretty scratched up wheel on another car done, in that case it needed some repainting. you could tell which one it was, not because it still showed damage, but because it looked like new and the other wheels had 6 years of age and a few pits etc. showing.

 

Here is a picture of the curb rash. We could probably live with it except for the fact that the car is literally less than a month old.

 

that's similar to what mine looked like. after the repair it was like "brand new".

 

So we took the car in this morning to the shop to have the wheel repaired. The tech came outside and explained the process. They first grind down the rough area, most likely won’t need to fill, and then paint and clear coat. The tech said that the paint they use won’t be an exact match, like 8/10. He said we could forego paint and just polish and clear coat, but then we run the risk of the wheel rusting in the repaired area.

So, after that explanation, we basically got cold feet and told them we would think about it and left. If we decide to get it fixed, I’ll post up pictures.

 

Wheel repair is a common activity for me. Common enough that on my last three vehicles, I have purchased the wheel repair warranty. It has come in handy, as I have had a scuffed wheel on each of those cars. On each occurrence, I have had the wheel repaired at no additional cost (outside of the warranty). The good thing is they have come to my house to make the repair. Pulled right in my driveway. Jacked the car. Removed the wheel. Did the repair, and replaced the wheel. Even used a torque wrench. I was quite surprised at how efficient the mobile repair service is. Each time I couldn't even tell where the wheel was originally damaged. My rash pretty much mirrored what is pictured.

Bottom line, get it fixed. You'll barely be able to tell it was repaired. If you don't get it fixed, it will eventually start to peel and look like crap. And depending where you live, you don't want that bare metal to be exposed to the harsh winter roads conditions right around the corner. Good luck.

 

Actually, I hand thought of that. Is the curb rash area prone to rust? Makes sense it would be.

 

True alloys wheels shouldn't rust. Although, once you lose that coating it can lead to oxidation which actually should protect the wheel. Modern day wheels are made well. Either way, you'll be thinking about it, so you may was well get it repaired.

 

I have the gloss black OEM Berlina 20" rims on my 19 MDX. Ended up not taking advantage of the 360 degree camera at first and got curb rash on one rim (slightly smaller; but, similar to pic above). I had a gloss black paint pen I use on my black MTB to cover up rock strikes, nicks, and occasional wipe outs. The pen worked perfectly covering up the silver alloy exposed curb rash that stood out against the gloss black rims. Very hard to spot the cover-up unless I point it out. I haven't had to touch-up the area and I do my normal hand washing for over a year since then.

Gloss Black paint Pen, Amazon, $15:

Amazon

Amazon