Alloy Wheel Refurbishment
Available on most car, 4X4, and motorcycle wheels. Depending on the severity of damage several options are available:
Surface Refurbishment
Suitable for alloys that are NOT corroded or flaking. This is carried out on the front face only and involves the repair of curb damage, scuffs, scrapes and other damage to the rim and face.
All colours are available including black, white, various silver shades, and other metallic finishes including pearls, before being lacquered to a high gloss finish.This type of refurbishment can be carried out without removing the tyres or valves, but involves breaking the tyre bead away from the rim. Wheels are re-balanced after refurbishment.
Prices for surface refurbishment start from £55 per wheel for a set of four and vary depending on chosen colour, size, and type/style of wheel.
Full Refurbishment
Suitable for corroded/flaking or poorly painted alloys. Wheels have their tyres and valves removed before being chemically stripped on both sides and then shotblasted down to the bare alloy surface. All curb damage is rectified along with any scuffs, scrapes and pitting from corroded areas etc. to the rim, face and spokes, before being etch primed, then re-primed using high build two-pack primer.
All colours are available including black, white, various silver shades, and other metallic finishes including pearls, before being lacquered to a high gloss finish.
During the refurbishment process the tyres are refitted to the rims after the high-build primer process but before the final painting stage, which means there is no risk of damaging the freshly painted surface. New standard-type valves are fitted and the wheels are finally rebalanced.
Prices for full refurbishment start from £85.00 per wheel for a set of four and vary depending on chosen colour, size, and type/style of wheel.
2-Piece Split Alloys.
Options available as above. Full refurbishment will require extra strip/refit time to separate and reassemble the two components. Some split-type wheels may have separate chrome rings around the outer circumference which can be curb damaged and expensive to replace or impossible to source. In such cases a painted finish may replicate the original outer ring. Prices vary depending on the work required and start from £110.00 per wheel for full refurb.
Motorcycle Wheels
These must be supplied with the tyres, discs, bearings, and other fitted items already removed. Prices for surface refurbishment start from £125.00 for a front and rear pair, Full refurbishment from £185.00 pair. in any solid or metallic colour (excluding pearl).
Advantages of painting and lacquering :
All wheels are wet-sprayed using quality materials including etch primers, high-build 2-pack primers, basecoats, and high-solids 2-pack lacquer.
Once fully cured the 2-Pack lacquer used during the refurbishment process is very durable, it can be buffed and polished to a superior gloss level and is chemically resistant compared to cheaper air-drying finishes which can be solvent sensitive and easily softened.
Some wheel refurbishment company’s offer a cheaper powder-coated finish which although tough and hardwearing, can often be uneven, lumpy and excessively textured, and may also lack depth and shine.
Additionally, some mobile wheel refurbishers may only carry out minor cosmetic work and tend to use basic air-drying materials that do not chemically cure or fully harden.
Painting and lacquering using well proven materials ensures that all damage can be made completely invisible, and the use of off-the-shelf colours means that any future curb damage or minor cosmetic work can be easily blended-in with guaranteed colour matching - avoiding the need to completely refurbish a wheel due to a minor scrape.
General Notes :
We do not repair any alloy wheels that have been severely buckled, or sustained curb damage so severe that it has cracked, fractured the alloy, or had a large chunk broken away. We do not undertake this kind of major repair work due to the uneconomical nature of the repair process, however, minor distortion may be repairable – please enquire.
Some types of 3-Piece Split Rim alloys can be problematic when separated into the component parts and may require new components from the specific wheel manufacturer such as studs and seals – often at excessive cost. In some cases it may be beneficial to carry out surface refurbishment rather than dismantle the wheel or disturb the individual assemblies.
Magnesium sports alloys can be troublesome whilst being chemically stripped and only surface refurbishment is possible.
Some rare/specialist custom alloy wheels have non-standard metal-type valves machined into the wheel rim which can be prone to corrosion and can be difficult or impossible to remove. In such cases it may beneficial to not disturb the valve and refurbish the wheel with it still in position.
Replica split-rims have a row of decorative studs around the circumference of the wheel which may need to be removed during refurbishment, Intricate multispoke / lattice style / cross spoke designs normally require additional preparation time and all may incur slight additional cost.
If customers are supplying wheels with the tyres already removed and intend to arrange their own tyre refitting after refurbishment it is advisable to check with the tyre fitter that the method used will not risk damaging the newly painted finish, or involve major contact to the painted surface as no responsibility can be accepted for any paintwork damage sustained during the refitting of tyres after refurbishment work.
Centre caps are normally included provided that any badge or emblem can be removed or properly masked.
We are currently working on a chrome effect paint for a highly reflective mirror-like custom finish. Once this becomes available it will be offered at extra cost.
If in doubt please get in touch and we'll try our best to advise on the most suitable refurbishment method for any potentially problematic wheels.