Wheel refurbs, what questions to ask?

[p1tse]

I'm looking for cheaper wheel refurb options places in bristol

What should I check or ask apart from price?

[w00tman]

"Hi, do you refurb wheels?"

[Erdy]

^^^^lol

this place does them for this much, whats the best you can do?

[A900ss]

Have you tried posting in the south west region for local recommendations?

[Superhoop]

What's that saying? Buy cheap, buy twice...

Why not use someone like Lepsons? Only 40 to 50 a wheel and a really good, durable finish

[Quattromaster]

As a wheel refurbisher I see cheap repairs day in day out, stay away from the £25 quid a corner boys, look to pay £50 min.

It shocks me sometimes to see the stuff that people charge for, and seem to get away with it, sadly it has given our industry a bad name, something I battle against everyday.

[HumbleJim]

Do they have a pack of playing cards?

[sandman77]

Quattromaster said:

As a wheel refurbisher I see cheap repairs day in day out, stay away from the £25 quid a corner boys, look to pay £50 min.

It shocks me sometimes to see the stuff that people charge for, and seem to get away with it, sadly it has given our industry a bad name, something I battle against everyday.

What do the £50 a wheel refurb guys do differently from the £25 a wheel mob? Different paint/technique?

[ToothbrushMan]

Superhoop said:

What's that saying? Buy cheap, buy twice...

Well how many of us have bought expensive items/services and still ended up buying twice so thats that out. Sometimes you have to go with your gut - cheap isnt always a sign of crap quality, it really isnt......paying over the odds could just be a sign that you havent done enough homework and/or have money to burn

I paid £25 a wheel 4 years ago for powder coating in a fairly standard gunmetal grey finish - they are only now starting to show a couple of bubbling signs (as usual around the valves) so maybe next year I will take them back to be done again. I would say 4 years is a measure that the job was done pretty well for the money. Would paying £200+ give any better or longer lasting a finish?

My advice is go see the company first - dont narrow it down just with emails or a phone call. See what colours they can offer. My place had a huge stock of display wheels in lots of colours which helps you decide. Ask if they can do a colour they dont have on show.

You shouldnt really need to pay more than £100-£120 for a set of alloys to be stripped prepped and coated. Add in the costs to remove your tyres and valves and refit them, valves and rebalance afterwards. My local Lodge Tyres charged me £20.

[steveo3002]

sandman77 said:

What do the £50 a wheel refurb guys do differently from the £25 a wheel mob? Different paint/technique?

cheap ones tend to be rub down the rough bits and paint over it possibly with cheaper materials like 1k clear coat , better places the whole wheel will be stripped inside and out and made like new with quality materials

[ToothbrushMan]

forgot to say;-

if you need new tyres anyway then the costs of refitting your old ones and balancing etc is deleted.

on this point you also want a tyre fitters that are capable of handling new or freshly refurbed wheels so that they look factory fresh when the tyres are on - no grazing marks on the rims etc. during the tyre fit process.

for my tyres to be fitted i took the wheels to ABP Motorsport in Cheshire where the fitted them perfectly.

alloys refurbed by Bournes Powder Coating in Birmingham.

forget the £50 a wheel mobile refurb guys. they do it with the tyre on and its nothing like the as new long lasting look (front and back of the wheel) that you get with fresh powder coating. why pay more for less?

[Quattromaster]

ToothbrushMan said:

forget the £50 a wheel mobile refurb guys. they do it with the tyre on and its nothing like the as new long lasting look (front and back of the wheel) that you get with fresh powder coating. why pay more for less?

That's the kind of stuff people now think, thanks to the £25 postcard shoved down side of tyre,spray on car,no primer,blowin,1k lacquer guys.

Banging my head against wall springs to mind.

[mike-r]

Wouldn't ever have my wheels painted. Got them powdercoated last year for £40 a corner for annoyingly-shaped 18" BMW MV1s and they've been fine. This was cheap however because it was just any old powdercoater (not a 'wheel specialist') and I had the tyres taken off beforehand.

Shown here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/67103403@N06/88025714...

Edited by mike-r on Thursday 13th February 10:13

[Sid's Dad]

Quattromaster said:

ToothbrushMan said:

forget the £50 a wheel mobile refurb guys. they do it with the tyre on and its nothing like the as new long lasting look (front and back of the wheel) that you get with fresh powder coating. why pay more for less?

That's the kind of stuff people now think, thanks to the £25 postcard shoved down side of tyre,spray on car,no primer,blowin,1k lacquer guys.

Banging my head against wall springs to mind.

So what do the good guys (like you I assume) do differently? Presumably you're a mobile wheel refurbisher? That's the service I've always used on standard alloys and I'd be interested to hear your view on what separates a good one from a bad one?

[Quattromaster]

Sid's Dad said:

So what do the good guys (like you I assume) do differently? Presumably you're a mobile wheel refurbisher?

I'm both, 5 mobile vans, plus full powder coating unit and 60k diamond cutting Lathe. As with any type of repair/painting its all in the prep and products used.

My mobile vans work on 6-8 alloys a day, and that's a long day, yet I know of mobile guys who do 25-30 a day and are home by 4pm.

I sometimes wonder if we are doing it wrong. (though I am proud of never losing a dealership due to bad workmanship).

It's a ste industry to be in at present, cut throat, sales managers expecting bribes, dealerships going under on you, people taking ages to pay, blah blah blah, hence why I have now set up a company supplying products to wheel refurbishers, hopefully meaning I can step away from it at some point in the future.

[Fats25]

Interesting thread - as I am in need of getting my wheels done too. Loose wheels but with tyres on - 20" alloys from a Touareg Altitude. Thought I would get them done now for when the winter snotters are removed in the next month or two.

I had a mate used to do mine for £50 a wheel and did an excellent job, but he has emigrated, so was looking for someone else local.

I saw Lepsons mentioned, and as they are close to me I though I would take a look at their prices.

http://www.lepsons.com/prices/

How much?!

I will need to keep looking at that price.

[Garett]

Probably worth getting them to check the trueness of the wheels and whether they have any cracks in them before they are refurbed. Powder coating could easily mask any cracks.
I paid £35 for a full refurb and powder coating.

[nickfrog]

Fats25 said:

I saw Lepsons mentioned, and as they are close to me I though I would take a look at their prices.

http://www.lepsons.com/prices/

How much?!

I will need to keep looking at that price.

Lepsons are good value for something that will last. Pay less if you want and don't be surprised to have to pay again within 12-18 months.

[Fats25]

nickfrog said:

Lepsons are good value for something that will last. Pay less if you want and don't be surprised to have to pay again within 12-18 months.

To be fair to my mate the wheels he did on the BMW 2 years ago still look brilliant. Apart obviously from where the wife has scraped them again!

So it can be done for half the price.

By the way this is not a dig at Lepsons, they did a great job for me on my CLS where I bent a wheel in a pothole. Just seems very expensive for alloy refurb.

[tomsugden]

If Cardiff is not too far, these guys are very good

http://www.thewheelspecialist.co.uk/?adw&gclid...