Alloy wheel Refurbishing ?

[Cigano]

Any of you guys had your alloys done , i was gonna have a couple of mine done but a mate of mine told me that when he had his done the finnish chipped and cracked off ?
Whats the pros and cons guys ?

 

[LittleG]

When I bought mine they were completely corroded and had the odd curb knock. Had them redone and the guy had them soaking for 4 days to remove the corrosion and did them in anthracite. Mine still look good after 45k and a few years. There is a little bit of flaking of lacquer from a stone chip, probably would of done this on original finish. £200 for the 4 but only charged me 170 as he originally did them silver again and took so long. Will try get a photo up of the worse one.

 

[Myth]

the Pro's look great and last a long time if done by expert's
the Con's the price (200 pounds plus, per wheel)

 

[ringway]

This thread is worth a read. LINK.

 

[flango]

the Pro's look great and last a long time if done by expert's
the Con's the price (200 pounds plus, per wheel)

£50 - £75 a corner around here

 

[ringway]

the Pro's look great and last a long time if done by expert's
the Con's the price (200 pounds plus, per wheel)

OI! Get your own avatar!

 

[LittleG]

 

[LittleG]

 

[Chrishazle]

16" wheels on my 968, tyres off, chemical soak to get current finish off, bead blast, repair if required and true up, paint (baked on) and lacquer, refit tyres, balance - £230 for all 4, beautiful finish, now 1 year on and still perfect. Rimtec Meopham, Google and you'll find their website.

 

[LittleG]

Sorry about last posts was trying to be smart with a smart phone.

This is the only flaking on all 4 wheels and they look much better than they did when I bought it.
My wife is using the car for 6 months over the winter so guess where the wheels are going when I get it back..if there is a car left that is.

 

[Cigano]

Whats diamond cut mean ?

 

[LittleG]

Whats diamond cut mean ?

I'm sure if you have the faces of you wheels 'diamond cut' then the surface is diamond cut leaving a bare polished face. looks good on some wheels with the insides painted to contrast with the body paint.

 

[Dieselman]

Whats diamond cut mean ?

The face of the wheel is cut back on a lathe, then lacquered. This type of finish never lasts long as the lacquer can't grip the alloy.

 

[jotter22]

16" wheels on my 968, tyres off, chemical soak to get current finish off, bead blast, repair if required and true up, paint (baked on) and lacquer, refit tyres, balance - £230 for all 4, beautiful finish, now 1 year on and still perfect. Rimtec Meopham, Google and you'll find their website.

I went in to Rimtec but they just seemed a bit unhelpful maybe i should try them again.
But everyone i speak to recommends Lepsons of Gillingham Kent.

Tony.

 

[SavMan]

I have used Lepsons and First Aid Wheels in North West London both did a great job. Lepsons have a pretty impressive site though.

 

[cb1965]

The face of the wheel is cut back on a lathe, then lacquered. This type of finish never lasts long as the lacquer can't grip the alloy.

Yep, diamond cutting is fine in countries with little rain and no salt on the roads. In the UK it's a waste of time as within 12 months the lacquer will be lifting all over the place.

For doing a proper job on alloy wheel refurbing you should be looking at a minimum of £90 per wheel and more for split rims. Any less and I would hazard a guess the job is not being done right.

I have used The Wheel Speciliast's Manchester branch for several sets of wheels in the last few years and they are not cheap, but the finish and durability is superb, as good as new and better in some cases!

Just had some AMG IV split rims done there. They are perfect!

 

[jerry270ML]

I recommend the guys from Alloy wheel refurbishment and repair - Quality refurbished wheels

 

[Chrishazle]

Lepsons always get good reports - but they are somewhat more expensive than the competition. I've seen their work on 2 Porsches, one also a 968, and I reckon the job Rimtec did was as good, and a healthy amount cheaper.

 

[flango]

The face of the wheel is cut back on a lathe, then lacquered. This type of finish never lasts long as the lacquer can't grip the alloy.

That's true of MB wheels and cheap AM wheels but you just have to do your homework find out what etch primer and lacquer the manufacturer uses, my diamond cut reps have been on 6 years, 2 of them have been refurbed and not an issue still look like new as anyone who has seen my car will confirm.

 

[Omar1799]

If it's for the E320? Their factory finish is a diamond cut. Was thinking of getting mine refurbished but got told the diamond cut won't last long especially on UK road/weather meaning they would be likely needing refurbished again. Costs of more a diamond cut refurb.