Which option to fix this kerb damage?

[KTF]

I have very minor damage to one of my diamond cut alloys that has only just been replaced under warranty



I know its minor but its bothering me so I have contacted a couple of places for quotes.

The first have said that they can polish round the rim to remove it for £84 (the finish may be slightly 'flatter' where the work has been carried out as a result) or a full refurb for £176.40 which is more than the cost of a new wheel at £126.

The second has replied to say that they can do a full refurb for £112.80 which seems a bit cheap given that diamond cut is meant to be a more complicated process to sort out and its a lot cheaper than the first place?

I was going to go with the polish option remove the damage as it is only on the edge, a new wheel is over the top and the refurb is very close to the cost of a new wheel.

Just wondering what you would do - leaving it isnt an option - go for the polish to make it less obvious or the refurb to (in theory) return it to OEM?

[KTF]

I have no experience of doing this myself and it would almost certainly look rubbish which is why I would prefer to pay someone who (hopefully) knows that they are doing.

I will take it to the place who suggested the polish to let them have a look in person and see what they think. Its a very small area and most of it is on the edge rather than the face so the repair shouldn't be too obvious.

[KTF]

It bothers me as they are 3 days old and I see it every time I walk out to the car for at least the next 2 years.

The cost of the polish is less than the cost of a series of sessions with a head doctor anyway

[KTF]

Yes, but when they go back for replacing under warranty (again) when the lacquer fails after a couple of years, that sort of damage is used as an excuse not to replace them.

Anyway, just to follow up, I went for the rim polish option and here is the end result. Obviously if you know where to look then you can see it but from a few feet away its very hard to spot and a lot less obvious than it was before:

Edited by KTF on Thursday 14th May 15:19

[KTF]

Penelope Stopit said:

That is a very good job, you must be pleased with it

Yes. I admit that it was a bit of a punt but, as it was so close to the edge, it was worth a go rather than paying for a refurb.

It must be at least 18 years since I last curbed an alloy so hopefully there will be a similar gap again and at least I have a good contact who can sort it should it happen again.

They do tyres as well at very similar prices to the online places so will probably use them again when they need replacing as they take a bit more time over the whole thing which is fine with me.

[KTF]

Squiggs said:

Does a rim polish also include re-lacquering the now polished area?
Or as suggested earlier is that area now unprotected and expected to start oxidising in the future?

Yes, re-lacquered so sealed from the elements. They don't just sand a bit off them leave it as that would bubble in months if not less.

[KTF]

swisstoni said:

Wheel refurbers must love the trend of diamond cut wheels.

The guy I was speaking to today said that unless it's right on the edge then the only real option is a refurb. Non-diamond ones can be smart repaired.

They also said that a lot of people just don't seem to care these days and grind them away. I imagine they get a lot of business from dealers prepping then for resale as you wouldn't buy a car with diamond cut one that's scratched up and oxidised.

Another option is to powder coat them and two tone paint them to get the same effect but that defeats the point.