Rimfurbish (title changed to reflect content!)

[ringway]

A few months back I had a bad puncture and ran on the rim of the alloy.
I don't gamble with wheels and tyre's so I got a new alloy from Nick Mercedes at Euromerc.

My Original alloys were put to shame by the new one from Nick so the search began to find a wheel refurbisher who could replicate the original diamond cut finish. Every company I contacted were either unable to diamond cut or gave me price not far from a new wheel cost.

I then came across a company called Rimfurbish based in West Bromwhich. At first I thought they may be a one man band because they replied to my email on a Sunday. How wrong could I be?

Rimfurbish is the refurbishing arm of Rimstockplc who manufacture wheels for amongst others Daimler-Chrysler, Aston Martin, Jaguar...


At Rimstock I dealt with a fantastic guy call Matthew Ball. I had a guided tour around some of the plant which was mindblowing!

I have worked for industry giants such as ICI, Shell, Castrol etc but I have never seen an operation such as this. The automation, professionalism and slickness of the plants is mind boggling. The company refurbishes 4000 - 5000 wheels.. Per day!

Below are some pictures of my Mercedes 17" Sador 5,hole Alloy's.

The pictures don't really show just how bad the condition of my original wheels was. The finish was milky and dull and the corrosion was awful.

After attention at the Rimfurbish plant.

Even the inner of the wheel is professionally finished and balanced.

There are no blemishes in the finish, just reflections..

I now need new centre caps.

The diamond cut close up.

Add four new Michelin PS3's.

Job Done.

Certain wheels are carried in stock ready-refurbished if you are unale to wait. Slave wheels are also available to hire whilst your wheels are in the factory being refurbed.

The ordinary refurb finishes are superb, so good that I almost didn't go through with the diamond cut finish.





EDIT. Many thanks the Hanstons Bodyshop Altrincham (MB Approved) for letting me leave my car in their workshop for 10, days until I got my wheels back. They are great people and fantastic MB bodywork specialists.

 

[wemorgan]

Very nice.

Were the prices competitive, or do you have to pay a little more for the quality?

My 15" polished wheels need refurbishment so I'm looking for somewhere decent, but cheap

I also know nothing about wheels and refurbishment so am looking for guidance on different finishes pros-cons. Does that place sounds suitable?

Thanks.

 

[ringway]

Very nice.

Were the prices competitive, or do you have to pay a little more for the quality?

My 15" polished wheels need refurbishment so I'm looking for somewhere decent, but cheap

I also know nothing about wheels and refurbishment so am looking for guidance on different finishes pros-cons. Does that place sounds suitable?

Thanks.

Will,

The price per wheel was £58.50 plus Vat.

Incredible value in my opinion. A new wheel is nearly £300.00!



EDIT: I don't think the prices are that expensive for a paint finish, Possibly £40ish.

 

[timk]

I really want to get the wheels on my C55 refurbed but can't find anyone around who can lend me a set of wheels to put the car on. How much did these guys charge? West Brom isn't too far from me..

Edit - just seen the above post...

 

[splang]

Wow! They are amazing - thanks for sharing.

 

[Mudster]

What does "Diamond cut" actually mean? i.e what's the process?

 

[ringway]

I really want to get the wheels on my C55 refurbed but can't find anyone around who can lend me a set of wheels to put the car on. How much did these guys charge? West Brom isn't too far from me..

They may have some C55 wheels ready refurbed to swap. Failing that they charge £10 per slave wheel to use until yours are finished.

You could put the spare on and take one wheel at a time. There's no chance of a colour mis-match, so professional is the process.

I dropped of my wheels but the cost of sending them back to me was just £20 including my new tyres that they fitted for me.

 

[wxmclk]

Super finish and much better I think than others done by a similar outfit in Birmingham.

 

[ringway]

What does "Diamond cut" actually mean? i.e what's the process?

The wheels are spun on a lathe. Around 1mm is removed (depending on how deep the corrosion is). They know how much is a dangerous amount to remove, so no worries on that score.

 

[wemorgan]

So does that leave the metal exposed afterwards? I guess they then seal it with something?

 

[s500colin]

Looks a really good finish and a great price just been quoted £85 per wheel locally

 

[ringway]

So does that leave the metal exposed afterwards? I guess they then seal it with something?

After dipping and shot/sand blasting, I think the process is:

Prime - Paint - Diamond Cut and then Laquer to seal.

 

[LTD]

How much did they charge for your tyres ?

 

[Charles Morgan]

They look fantastic.

 

[ringway]

How much did they charge for your tyres ?

I bought the tyres at Costco who are cheap and sell only Michelin's for £85 + Vat (I had a 20% discount voucher). That price included valve and balance. I sent the tyres to Rimfurbish and they fitted them for £7.00 per tyre + Vat.

 

[Will]

Looks like a proper job - very thorough

2 questions though:-

What's the warranty on the diamond cut face? In my experience, it doesn't matter who finishes the wheels (new manufacturer, refurber etc) as eventually the clear coat/lacquer either becomes damaged or the metal oxidises and causes the corrosion that you see in the original pictures.

Lastly - are they really doing 4000-5000 wheels per day? That's well over 1 million wheels per year (?) - and obviously they'd be making an absolute fortune.

That's almost uncomprehendable for the refurb business!

My top tip is to buy some proper wheel sealant (not just car wax) and give the wheels a good few coats, especially on the face. It will protect the finish and make them much easier to clean.

There's many products out there, but I used some 'Poorboy's Wheel Sealant' on my refurbed AMG wheels and have been impressed

Poorboys World Wheel Sealant on eBay (end time 31-Mar-10 17:12:55 BST)

Will

 

[Chris Murray]

12 month warranty on all finish types
Rimfurbish

 

[mickl]

That is a very good price for a tyre off refurb.

 

[mickl]

12 month warranty on all finish types
Rimfurbish

I'm amazed that they would guarantee the diamond cut for 12 months. Everywhere I've asked previously, the best I could find was 6months.

 

[ringway]

Looks like a proper job - very thorough

2 questions though:-

What's the warranty on the diamond cut face? In my experience, it doesn't matter who finishes the wheels (new manufacturer, refurber etc) as eventually the clear coat/lacquer either becomes damaged or the metal oxidises and causes the corrosion that you see in the original pictures.

Lastly - are they really doing 4000-5000 wheels per day? That's well over 1 million wheels per year (?) - and obviously they'd be making an absolute fortune.

That's almost uncomprehendable for the refurb business!

My top tip is to buy some proper wheel sealant (not just car wax) and give the wheels a good few coats, especially on the face. It will protect the finish and make them much easier to clean.

There's many products out there, but I used some 'Poorboy's Wheel Sealant' on my refurbed AMG wheels and have been impressed

Poorboys World Wheel Sealant on eBay (end time 31-Mar-10 17:12:55 BST)

Will

Thanks Will.

As Chris says the warranty is 12 months.

All the refurbed wheels are are dipped in tanks that remove "everything" and they are then undergo an anti-corrosion treatment.

I have been thinking about what to treat the wheels with - Thanks for the Poorboys tip.

I think the problems with this finish arise from stone chips, road salt, failure to clean regularly/thoroughly and most commonly through the likes of Kwikfit using uprotected sockets when removing/replacing the wheels.

All MB dealers (so they say) use a plastic covered socket to avoid damage. If the bolt holes were larger by design or tapered a lot of the damage wouldn't occur.

If the finish fails soon after the warranty I'll return to Rimfurbish for a sparkly (sounds tacky but it's not) silver painted finish which looks fantastic.


EDIT: Yes, they really do refurbish 4000 - 5000 wheels per day! I had to ask Matt to repeat his answer.