So I picked up a set of 4 lug Civic SI wheels and have been refinishing them as they were pretty beat up. I sanded all the wheels with 180 grit and 400 grit, filled in the chips and curb rash with Bondo spot putty and then resanded to 400 grit again. After cleaning the heck out of em, wiping them down with isopropyl just before painting, I got a really nice coat with an etching primer. My sandable filler primer went on next, and I believe something was wrong with the can as it came out kind of textured and spotty so I stopped painting with that primer. I decided to wet sand with 400 grit on one of the wheels to see if I could smooth out the grit and it came out pretty good but some of the primer came off, all the way down to the base metal.





Additionally, its sanded thru down to the etch primer (the green layer) in most spots where the filler primer didn't go on very thick. Would you guys recommend to just wet sand all the wheels down to a smooth finish, clean them and paint the color layer on or to throw another layer or two of etching primer on? I'd really like this to be a one and done kind of paint job on these suckers, and this is my first time refinishing wheels so any advice is appreciated.

The rest of the wheels look like this

 

first and foremost i recommend you wetsand them, secondly i would hit them with 320 or 400 everywhere, then make sure the etch primer isnt compromised in any spots, clean, then apply a good amount of high build primer as you want a nice thick layer for sanding down. after you do that begin wetsanding with 400 lightly and be careful on the edges as its easier to burn through the primer, then repeat wet with 600.
also a good tip is to make sure you arent rubbing deep with you fingers, be light with your sanding, and use your palms as much as you can. if you use your finger tips you will likely apply too much pressure and go deeper in some spots as well as leave uneven scratches in other areas. after your done wetsanding at 600 and clean it you can either apply a base coat or go up to 800 wet and then apply a base coat after that. when you first apply the base coat do it lightly, then heavier for the following 2 coats, accounting for a total of 3 coats of base. finally mist a light layer of base far from the wheels giving it a flat look. then let it dry for a very short period of time and spray your clear coat. do not wetsand your base coat. good luck

 

the primer you used came in a spray can right? the problem is probably with that brand. avoid the brand. I would avoid all 1K paint and primer (spray cans) they just don't stick well. from the photo's it looks like you used a can, that is not what primer is supposed to look like. it's possible you sprayed too far away from the surface, but for your own sake sand that crap off and use 2k primer or as a makeshift solution I would sand that stuff off and use spraymax 2k clear coat in a spray can instead of primer and use 400 grit to wetsand that stuff, or find better spray can primer. you can use $8 HF purple spray gun for primer, it's what I use. because you have to sand ALL primer after it dries anyways. just add more reducer or drill out the cap for more fluid flow. you can get by with a 21 gallon HF compressor, I bet it's possible to spray with an 8 gallon compressor if you are experienced, hell a good painter could probably paint with a small pancake compressor. you are not experienced so don't try that