Wheel Refurb - Worthwhile Fix?

[Baron_Samedi]

Hi All,

The more I wash and worship my new object of affection, the more I hate the fact that the previous owner loved kerbs more than the road.

As a result, I am becoming more and more convinced that refurbing or replacing the wheels on my car is a necessity.

Has anyone had wheels refurbed and if so, were you happy longterm with the result?

Ta

Gary

 

[tudu]

Hi All,

The more I wash and worship my new object of affection, the more I hate the fact that the previous owner loved kerbs more than the road.

As a result, I am becoming more and more convinced that refurbing or replacing the wheels on my car is a necessity.

Has anyone had wheels refurbed and if so, were you happy longterm with the result?

Ta

Gary

Think most of the forum members have had wheels refurbished at one time or another. There are also a number of experts on the subject, and i believe that stats has recently started his own refurb business so i am sure he will come along and offer advice.

 

[Baron_Samedi]

Thanks Tudu,

Lets hope he steps in and is local to me

Ta!

 

[Will]

Stats is in the Surrey area, and does a great job

Many people have had wheels refurbished - a good refurb should look like a new wheel and be durable

Will

 

[Baron_Samedi]

Sounding good to me

Surrey is a bit of a reach though :-(

I'll have to search for someone in the Wiltshire area.

Ta

Gary

 

[kwakdonut]

Sounding good to me

Surrey is a bit of a reach though :-(

I'll have to search for someone in the Wiltshire area.

Ta

Gary

Gary,

believe me, Andy is well worth the drive to Kingston!!

I had my AMG III's done by him - fantastic job and he's a nice bloke to boot.

If not, I do know of someone local,

Tony

 

[Baron_Samedi]

Hi Tony,

How big a job is it to refurb wheels?

Do the tyres have to come off?

Could all four be reworked in a day?

I'd prefer to use a forum member but not at the risk of domestic harmony

Ta

Gary

 

[kwakdonut]

Gary,

take wheels off and leave them with whoever you have chosen (Andy, for instance) - he took a week to do mine. I dropped them off on Saturday and picked them up the following weekend. He will arrange for the tyres to be taken off, re-fitted, rebalanced etc. whilst he is doing the wheels.

I don't think he could do them in a day - the local guy I know in Swindon can though. Although I cannot vouch for his complete refurbishment jobs, he has done localised repairs for me which were pretty good. He doesnt take the tyres off, just deflates them and pushes them back so not really a 'complete' refurb.

I have a set of 16" CLK fitment alloys that I fitted to my car whilst the work was being done. Didn't drive it as one of the tyres was at minimum tread.

Andy did an exceptional job and has also done wheels for Will and others with similar excellent results.

Hope this helps,
Tony

 

[stats007]

I only know of one company that can do a full strip and refurb in one day, however this is quite an aggressive process and the finish isn't 100%. I'm sure you'll have a local guy that can do a face-only refurb if that's all you need. Wicked Wheels are normally quite good though as with any franchise it's only as good as the chap doing the work!

 

[Baron_Samedi]

Hi Tony,

Sounds good - the reason I asked is that a friend of mine (in Swindon coincidentally) had a "refurb" done to a wheel without removing the tyre and I wasn't greatly impressed!

Gonna have to buy two spare alloys to do the job in stages. This will also give me a spare with each tyre size.

I will revisit this task after checking out some wheels I saw on ebay.de

 

[kwakdonut]

Hi Tony,

Sounds good - the reason I asked is that a friend of mine (in Swindon coincidentally) had a "refurb" done to a wheel without removing the tyre and I wasn't greatly impressed!

Gonna have to buy two spare alloys to do the job in stages. This will also give me a spare with each tyre size.

I will revisit this task after checking out some wheels I saw on ebay.de

My local guys localised repair was good but I don't think I would have my alloys refurbed like that - that's why they went to Andy.

You're welcome to borrow my spare alloys (will cost you a bottle of wine!) if you wish.

 

[nigel cross]

Stats,
What process do you use for a total refurb?

 

[kwakdonut]

I only know of one company that can do a full strip and refurb in one day, however this is quite an aggressive process and the finish isn't 100%. I'm sure you'll have a local guy that can do a face-only refurb if that's all you need. Wicked Wheels are normally quite good though as with any franchise it's only as good as the chap doing the work!

FYI Andy, my car has now sold - one of the main selling points was the state of my wheels!

 

[stats007]

Stats,
What process do you use for a total refurb?

Wheels are sent for acid dipping, shot blasting and powder prime. They're then flatted, wet painted and lacquered. I plan to do the stripping myself if the business expands to take on staff - still early days. Machined finishes are done by the same company.

What I am proud of is the colour mixing I can do by eye on silver wheels - all the big companies just use straight silvers where I add subtle tints to replicate the OEM finish.

FYI Andy, my car has now sold - one of the main selling points was the state of my wheels!

Good to know!

 

[Baron_Samedi]

My local guys localised repair was good but I don't think I would have my alloys refurbed like that - that's why they went to Andy.

You're welcome to borrow my spare alloys (will cost you a bottle of wine!) if you wish.

Hi Tony,

You after a Mourinho type bottle?

Ta

Gary

 

[EDZ649]

I have had three sets of wheels totally refurbed on various cars in the past and I have to say I wasn't 100% happy with any of them. They seem to rush them through too quick. Small particles of debris under the lacquer, poor paint finish to the centres and the latest set have already started to show small 'spiders' under the lacquer where the salt has got in, presumably because the lacquer wasn't sufficient and they were not cheap to have done either!

 

[kwakdonut]

Hi Tony,

You after a Mourinho type bottle?

Ta

Gary

I thought his was a bottle of whine! (sic!)

 

[kwakdonut]

I have had three sets of wheels totally refurbed on various cars in the past and I have to say I wasn't 100% happy with any of them. They seem to rush them through too quick. Small particles of debris under the lacquer, poor paint finish to the centres and the latest set have already started to show small 'spiders' under the lacquer where the salt has got in, presumably because the lacquer wasn't sufficient and they were not cheap to have done either!

The very reason I did a lot of 'investigation' before committing my self!

 

[Smiley]

I have had three sets of wheels totally refurbed on various cars in the past and I have to say I wasn't 100% happy with any of them. They seem to rush them through too quick. Small particles of debris under the lacquer, poor paint finish to the centres and the latest set have already started to show small 'spiders' under the lacquer where the salt has got in, presumably because the lacquer wasn't sufficient and they were not cheap to have done either!

You get what you pay for generally!

prisitne wheels in MK have always done a thorough job for me - the wheels come back like new - but it aint cheap!

If it is just light scuffs and marks around the edge it is surprising how much better you can make them look with a bit of careful filing, filling, sanding and painting. Just did one for the first time over the weekend after swmbo had an argument with a pothole - quite pleased with the result for an amatuer

 

[Dieselman]

after swmbo had an argument with a pothole -

I bet she still won.....