Lord Volvo,

Indeed, you should be rather ticked off. Consider that them Volvo 240 steelies were originally sealed with a cured or baked on enamel (me thinks).

Powder coat should adhere to them 31-year old 1985 Volvo 240 steelies no problem. So long as the surfaces are sand or (better) bead blasted to remove all prior coatings, and also cleaned of material like petrochemicals and road grime.

Does this wheel shop you used perform their own auto wheel restoration work? More often than not, I find wheel shops will outsource to an auto wheel restoration service. Such a service may be part of an auto body service, or, as the local market affords, the wheel restoration service is a stand-alone business.

In and around Dayton, OH, considering the industrial history and population in and around that portion of the Great Lakes region, you should be able to easily shop around for a wheel restoration service where you do business with them directly. Such services are not part of an auto wheel retail shop. In doing business directly with a wheel restoration service, you could reduce your cost to as low as 25% of the price you pay to an auto wheel shop, that does business primarily in new wheels.

So, yes, you should be pissed.

Do you know how many powder coat layers were applied to your wheels? Did you use any color layers of powder coat? Usually powder coat is applied in at least two or three layers. Also, a real wheel restoration service can straighten bent, or, out of true steel and alloy wheels. Though alloys, like them very heavy and soft Volvo 240 Virgo wheels (are they made in Norway [better] or Germany?) will be more expensive as the alloy wheel must be heated to be straightened.

Anyhoo, any questions?

Hope that helps.

http://catsandvolvos.com/