Ok, so here's one for y'all to ponder...

A coupla years ago I bought a decent set of used Corona rims (the 25 spoke alloys - I love 'em) in good shape (i.e. straight, true, etc.) AND a set of both the big wheel caps (for that sedate, dignified look) and the smaller center caps (for that sporty Euro-look).

The rims themselves needed some cosmetic cleaning up and re-finishing so I took them to a wheel shop that does the glass-bead blasting and repainting on alloys and they did a really good job repainting them (nice even coat, no blobs, etc.) and clear-coating them. Two harsh winters later (my winter Alpins are mounted on these rims) and I still have no blemishes, etc. They still look newly painted and brake dust rinses off really easily compared to other wheels I have and have had.

Only problem - the shop did not paint them bright SILVER as per the original finish - instead they painted them this odd kind of dark silver-grey color and so they look rather... weird - too dark for my tastes - they just kind of "disappear" when they are mounted on the vehicle.

I didn't really care/notice about this too much at first as I was just happy that they were cleaned up and at least uniform looking... but now... I've grown to HATE them in this dark color - so it's now 2 years too late to ask them to fix the problem.

So... I want the bright silver look. I'm not afraid to spend the time to carefully hand-sand the clear-coat down (or off) of each fin (25 x 4!) and surrounding rims myself and re-spray them myself, but am I just asking for trouble on this one? Should I leave well enough alone? Or take them back to the shop, prepare to pay $$ and specify BRIGHT SILVER?

If this is a DIY job, what steps should I take in order to do a quality job and is there any particular type/brand of paint and/or clearcoat I ought to use?

I don't want a cheap & cheesy fix here - would like a QUALITY result with some longevity. Anyone have some good advice on this dilemma? TIA everyone ;-)