*Best* wheel refurbishment company for diamond cutting?

[Will]

Hi Guys,

Can I ask, my car is a late 14' E250 with diamond cut 18' alloys.

My car is immaculate apart from my wheels, one with a slight scuff and then the others with corrosion because they are diamond cut.

My two questions are:

1. Will Diamond Cut alloys always corrode terribly? Second Mercedes with diamond cut and corrosion...
2. Dependent on answer 1, can I have them refurbished so they will last longer? I like to detail my car etc. so it isn't because I don't wash it for 6 months.

Has anyone else had the corrosion issue and are just plain fed up always corroding?

All diamond cut wheels will corrode at some point, it’s inevitable as it only takes a chip or scratch (through stone damage, wheel fitment or tyre replacement for example) to let moisture in and salt from the roads in the winter obviously doesn’t help either.

A ‘14 registered car will be out of the 3-year manufacturer’s warranty but recently a member on here had a set of wheels replaced on his SL at just under 3 years old (bought new by himself - first owner I believe) so it’s worth asking anyway just in case they can do something under good will.

Otherwise you have two options really - refurb the same and accept that the finish won’t last forever - possibly less than they have already from new if it’s a daily driver, or have them refurbished in a painted/powder coat finish - which may not look as pretty but will last far longer.

You could obviously have them diamond cut/polished and left with a bare metal finish but that not going to really help for a daily driver and I wonder if the paint near the edges of the cut/polished sections would start to lift away anyway?

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Hi Guys,

Can I ask, my car is a late 14' E250 with diamond cut 18' alloys.

My car is immaculate apart from my wheels, one with a slight scuff and then the others with corrosion because they are diamond cut.

My two questions are:

1. Will Diamond Cut alloys always corrode terribly? Second Mercedes with diamond cut and corrosion...
2. Dependent on answer 1, can I have them refurbished so they will last longer? I like to detail my car etc. so it isn't because I don't wash it for 6 months.

Has anyone else had the corrosion issue and are just plain fed up always corroding?

It’s possible to have two different colour finishes. A similar two tone effect could be achieved by having a bright silver in the areas which are diamond cut at the moment, and a darker colour elsewhere. I’ll probably do this when it’s not possible to re-cut. There’s a limit to how much material can be removed when cutting, and therefore wheels reach a point when they can no longer be recut safely.

 

[C240Sport97]

a member on here had a set of wheels replaced on his SL at just under 3 years old (bought new by himself - first owner I believe)

It was me, but I am the second owner

 

[Will]

The two rear wheels turned up today, I’m amazed - they are almost perfect, just a few minor signs of use - certainly not worthy of refurbishment unless you need to match them to the fronts.

These are original MB wheels, used, from 2011/2012 - so it is quite clearly possible to have alloy wheels diamond cut and lacquered that are durable

What I have noticed though is that on other wheels with diamond cut faces that I have seen with corrosion it often starts from hard edges and chips/scratches exposing the bare metal underneath. So typically around the wheel bolt holes, centre cap areas or lips. Eg when wheels are removed and refitted it’s obviously possible for the wheel bolts or socket/wrench to chip the lacquer. Likewise when the centre caps are removed and refitted or tyres are taken off and replaced.

The edges of the spokes on these particular wheels I have are very smooth, and with the bolt/centre cap holes being in a painted finish perhaps it has helped with durability?

They are also high quality forged alloy wheels (not cast) so maybe that has some bearing too - maybe the alloy casting process leaves wheels weaker and more likely to corrode?

If the front two were this good I’d probably just use them as they are!

 

[paul73mt]

Wheel Refurbishment

these were mine done at Leptons before and after

 

[Alex]

Diamond cut wheels look amazing when new. But they are a nightmare to look after and refurbish.

I’ve only ever used Pristine. Many sets - forged, cast, polished, painted, expensive and not. Given the choice, I wouldn’t diamond cut. Even if only 1/2 mm at a time.

When (not if) you have to do it again, it’s another 1/2 mm. And another until there’s no more material left to do it safely.

Eventually centre caps stick out too much, AMG lettering is gone and you need a new set if you want the same look.

I choose to paint upon damage. Easier to redo and they always look the same. You lose the shine, but gain practicality.

 

[Will]

I would tend to agree in general, but as I’ve said these wheels have held up very well and don’t really need refurbishing due to corrosion - just a few light marks on the fronts. The diamond cut face doesn’t include the bolts holes or centre cap areas so that’s no issue - just the logo requires some care.

I’m sure Lepsons do a good job (as do most proper wheel refurb places I’ve come across) but this is what I mean about the diamond cutting - it looks okay but it’s too course a finish. Almost like the surface of a record. And I think where the edges are near the wheel bolt holes and the small alignment holes the edges probably haven’t been tapered off so will leave a hard edge where very little lacquer will cover it - hence corrosion.

They do look nice enough though not quite the finish I’m after - see the second picture, it’s almost like a satin polished metal finish with smooth edges



I’ve got a complete second set now so have a few more options to play with. If they can’t be diamond cut/polished how I would like them I may well end up having them painted dual colour instead, or in the future after what would be the first refurb on this set.

 

[Will]

So I took a trip up to Pristine this morning, to drop off eight wheels and four new tyres.

I’d like to publically thank forum member Alex who was very helpful with a contact there which has helped me out. Pristine look like a very professional outfit - their facilities are large and they seem to know what I need for these wheels so fingers crossed for a good result

They do offer a courier collection and delivery service, but I was struggling to find enough packaging to put eight rims into and thought it safer to take them in myself especially as there’s £11k worth of wheels involved.

Should be ready around this time next week, so will update with some after pics when I get them back.

For reference, this is what I mean about the factory finish (with/without flash in the first couple of pics)






These wheels are 6/7 years old and used, have never been refurbished. So it shows be factory finish is pretty good quality (and perhaps the forged alloy helps) - just a couple of tiny marks.

Will hopefully start to get the car cleaned up ready for the new wheels soon. Any ideas for a good sealant/coating to use on the wheels once done? I’ve used the Poorboys stuff in the past which is okay but suspect there’s better out there now - ceramic coating?

Thanks,

Will

 

[Doodle]

Ceramic seems to be the ultimate choice.

I use Planet Polish Wheel Seal and Shine on the split rims though, as those coatings have proven problematic on polished alloy.

 

[Gbrowncls55]

My wheels (not diamond cut) are at The Wheel Specialist in Chessington (see you are in Surrey too) They have done a good job on mine and are apparently diamond cutting specialists. Certainly had a lot there each time I've been over.

 

[Will]

I did look into them - I think they may be a franchise/chain store type place as there seems to several branches about, lots of social media type adverts etc? Quite a new company too - there’s so many refurb places about compared to 5/10 years back.

They seemed okay on the phone but I didn’t feel 100% confident with using them for the diamond cutting, and their pricing was about the most expensive I’ve come across too so decided to try somewhere else for this job.

Hope your wheels come out good, I think a friend had his wheels painted or powder coated there and seemed happy enough

 

[Gbrowncls55]

I did look into them - I think they may be a franchise/chain store type place as there seems to several branches about, lots of social media type adverts etc? Quite a new company too - there’s so many refurb places about compared to 5/10 years back.

They seemed okay on the phone but I didn’t feel 100% confident with using them for the diamond cutting, and their pricing was about the most expensive I’ve come across too so decided to try somewhere else for this job.

Hope your wheels come out good, I think a friend had his wheels painted or powder coated there and seemed happy enough

Yes they have done a good job on my spare set and are now doing my originals having swapped them over. But powder coating and painting is a lot easier.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I think mine have been protected with a Gyeon product (done by my detailer), maybe Gyeon Rim and it’s performed well, the dirt appears to come off much more easily.

That said I used an Autoglym wheel sealant when I bought my winter wheels (brand new) for the C32 and that did a good job too, and was very straight forward to apply.

 

[Will]

So Pristine phoned me this morning, to let me know the wheels were all ready and just being packaged ready for collection (plus the tyres fitted on my other set).

Bang on schedule - they promised 4 working days, and that’s what it took them

So I headed up late this afternoon, wheels were brought out ready and Dean (the guy I dealt with) helped me load them in.

Got them home and I am very impressed. I think it would be fair to say that a better job could not have been done

The paint finish, and the diamond cutting is absolutely spot on. They are literally as close to OEM new wheels as you are going to get from anywhere.

I think I’m well placed to judge being quite picky myself, and probably having had a good 20 sets done over the years too. They really are superb.

What genuinely sets this place apart from any others I’ve seen or used is their professionalism, attention to detail and efficiency. From initial telephone and email contact, through to collection and packaging they are a silk smooth operation.

The packaging itself is a work of art and I’ve seen no better, they are packaged better than new wheels!

A real 5 Star service all round.

I would 100% recommend these guys for any future wheel refurbishment, price is actually very good for the quality of work too.

Having seen the quality of the packaging too I would happily have my wheels returned back to me by courier now which they do FOC (and collection also) - just so long as you can package them up suitably to begin with.

Very pleased

 

[Will]

A few quick before and after photos.

Unfortunately it’s very hard to get decent images of the shiny surface under artificial light but they should give a reasonable guide - I’ll try and take some better ones during the daylight when I get a chance

Before (taken in natural light):



After:




Diamond cutting finish before/after:

Before (Factory/OEM):


After (Pristine):


The tonal shades are slightly different due to lighting, the finished items really are very very close to OE in every respect

 

[Will]

The diamond cutting is excellent - very very smooth/fine finish. There are no rough edges between any of the spokes etc and they build up any kerb damage with alloy weld to machine flat back to original dimensions without reducing the wheel thickness any more than is absolutely necessary

When I say about the packaging, they really make an effort:





I know it’s a small detail but it really shows they care and how professional they are.

Eg even small things like carrying handles on the sides (to encourage being carried flat by couriers) stuff like that.

 

[C43AMG]

I use Gtechniq C5 Will. Very impressed

 

[Neiltodd]

Used SKS Coatings for mine in anthracite, quite pleased with the results

 

[Abdul]

Not sure where you're based but i had mine done by spit and polish in tonbridge, they did a great job.

 

[jaymanek]

Lepsons.

To the question about longevity, the answer is no. Sorry just won't last.
Only option for durability is to power coat something like nickel chrome finish..