8 Spoke Pristine Refurb

[v8s4me]

I collected the wheels on Monday and they do look very good. My only reservation is around what they call "banding". This is a circle on the face of the wheel where the milling looks different to the rest of the face. A bit like a track on an old LP. They say this is due to "corrosion in the alloy" but this seems odd. There was corrosion around the centre holes and there is some banding there, so that’s fair enough, but there is also a band which appears in pretty much the same place on all the wheels and there was no visible corrosion on that part of the wheels before. Has anyone else experienced this?

They say there is “nothing that can be done about it” which is disappointing. Apart from that, and a few dust marks in the lacquer they are very good. Sorry I can't say perfect, but maybe that's as good as you get, even for £300.

[jonesy80]

Looking good on the photos, Can you tell me which company you used?

[v8s4me]

Pristimtine Wheels, MIlton Keynes. Ask them about "banding" and see what sort of answer you get.

[PYNEY]

hi joe

they look the dogs bo***ks to me from the photo's
you'll have to show me them at one of the next meets , i want mine done now lol

cheers keith

[Dave_M]

They look good to me too Joe, she'll be great when finished

[v8s4me]

Thanks guys. Hopefully they will be on for the Rutland Rumble (unless it's raining!!!)

[aero340]

Had my wheels refurbed at prestine wheels,although the wheels were in good condition regarding no corrosion they returned with the same fine lines you describe on your wheels the cost had also gone up with no real explanation for the cost increase and their attitude changed when i questioned the increase they just wernt interested .......

[v8s4me]

Interesting that. They can't all be corroded in the same place. When I got the original quote it was £46 per wheel but when I took them in it suddenly jumped to £56 per wheel. Again, it was take it or leave it.

[GreenV8S]

I assume they're skimmed on a lathe of some sort and that banding suggests they may not be too fussy about cutting a smooth path. That's disappointing. I haven't had any wheels refurbed there, but when they straightened my bent wheel they were excellent.

[mohitos]

Hi Joe,

Your wheels look great but sometimes photos can be flattering. It's certainly hard to spot the lines you speak of. If you recall, I had my wheels diamond cut about a year ago by The Polished Wheel Company in Wadebridge.

Had exactly the same issues, so perhaps it is just the nature of diamond cut wheels being restored. Most people would not notice but like you, I'd expect perfect results straight after a job is finished.

Some of my laquer has since started to lift, so be warned. It's happened around one of the centre TVR badges, so I imagine they must have damaged the surface of the laquer when fitting them.

[greymrj]

Igave up on the idea of diamond cut and lacquer. My car hs to stay outside under a cover over winter and no matter how I tried I couldnt keep the lacquer in good enough condition and the wheels deteriorated. I have now had mine powder coated and I am very happy with the result; 'bright aluminium' colour finish with the black edges and centre boss (OZ 5 spokes) picked out. Work was done by the Wheel Repair Centre just south f Preston (01772 627600) which is run by an ex TVR employee (nickname Gerbil!). They do all sorts of wheel refinishing including diamond cutting. May be of use to northern S owners?

[Scoobimax]

greymrj said:

Igave up on the idea of diamond cut and lacquer. My car hs to stay outside under a cover over winter and no matter how I tried I couldnt keep the lacquer in good enough condition and the wheels deteriorated. I have now had mine powder coated and I am very happy with the result; 'bright aluminium' colour finish with the black edges and centre boss (OZ 5 spokes) picked out. Work was done by the Wheel Repair Centre just south f Preston (01772 627600) which is run by an ex TVR employee (nickname Gerbil!). They do all sorts of wheel refinishing including diamond cutting. May be of use to northern S owners?

can i just clarify, have you had two paint powder coat - black detail and silver face?

cheers

Max

[v8s4me]

I was told they were powder coated black first and then diamond cut which exposed the alloy. Then they were lacquered. I asked them not to powder coat the inside of the centers, just lacquer them. That way the caps are not tight and avoids running the risk of cracking the lacquer. They did this fine. I'm afraid I just don't believe what they've told me about the "banding" being down to the alloy casting. I spoke to them again today and whereas yesterday it was because they were corroded, now it's because of the type of alloy in the casting. I don't believe it. I think it's down to the way they are machined.

[Ragtop]

Hi Joe,

Looking at your photo, the 'banding' I can see coincides with the root radius of the spokes and the inner and outer edges of the wheel nut holes. In other words, the appearance differs in the zones where a turning tool tip is in continuous contact with the wheel and those where the tool is skipping over a free edge several times per revolution. If I'm interpreting your concern correctly, it is certainly due to the machining and not 'alloy composition' or 'corrosion'. Whether or not it is avoidable, I'm not sure (but I would have thought so...).

Regards,

Graham

[v8s4me]

Thanks for confirming that. It is a much more sensible explanation than the ones I've had from Pristine. I'd have thought one possible way to avoid it would be to face the wheel to the CNC profile they have stored and then diamond cut from that datum.

[GreenV8S]

v8s4me said:

Thanks for confirming that. It is a much more sensible explanation than the ones I've had from Pristine. I'd have thought one possible way to avoid it would be to face the wheel to the CNC profile they have stored and then diamond cut from that datum.

Yeah, that's what it sounds like to me. But I suspect you will probably find that 'diamond cut' translates to 'YTS trainee turning a wheel on a lathe'. It is probably far less precise than you would imagine and I think it's probably right that the mark is caused by the sudden change in profile of the wheel.

[ketvrin]

It could also be down to the speed of the cutting edge which will be higher at the outer of the wheel and lower near the centre of the wheel. the speed and feed of the tool will determine the surface finish so as it varies so the surface finish could vary... depends on whether they have a clever CNC machine or if they have a kid on a lathe

K

[jwoffshore]

The "banding" which you can see on the photos is due to the different cutting action of the lathe tool on areas of the wheel where there is an uninterrupted circumferential path versus areas where the cutter path is interrupted by spokes and wheel nut holes. They may be able to "tune" this out by adjusting the cutting speed, cutting tool type or lubrication, but also maybe not!

Edit: Oh sorry! Ragtop already said this!!!

[SteveOS3]

If you are looking to get wheels polished in South Wales area I can recommend Caerphilly Metal Polishers. £25 per wheel in 2010.

Before:



After:

[james280779]

not TVR 8 spokes but for 275 quid I got an awesome job on my Oz Route alloys (including full paint inside and out)



to



there are not any marks whatsoever, even pre-paint (unfortunately I didnt get a photo of that)