'Diamond cut' wheels - what a pain!
Discussion
JayK86 said:
I am currently in this dilemma. I have the dreaded white worm on the diamond polished monza's on my 2011 golf gti. They weren't scuffed or kurbed to begin with. To fix them would be an expensive refurbishment job!
I've noticed that on any car a few years old with diamond cut wheels the finish is always deteriorating. Is it possible to look after them well enough to prevent this or is it impossible to stop?St John Smythe said:
I've noticed that on any car a few years old with diamond cut wheels the finish is always deteriorating. Is it possible to look after them well enough to prevent this or is it impossible to stop?
Yeah if you wash it properly and often apply protection they will be fine. They corrode when water or pollutants get under the lacquer or something. I bought my car second hand and unlucky for me, I forgot to check thoroughly for damages on the wheels.
I'm near Southampton.
I've found places that will do the full refurb, that's not a problem but seems too extreme. Apart from that it involves rebalancing and revalving the wheels and they are perfect in that respect at the moment.
If anyone knows a mobile outfit that can do the sand/retouch/polish/laquer thing then that would be handy.
I've found places that will do the full refurb, that's not a problem but seems too extreme. Apart from that it involves rebalancing and revalving the wheels and they are perfect in that respect at the moment.
If anyone knows a mobile outfit that can do the sand/retouch/polish/laquer thing then that would be handy.
OP, just leave it till it gets worse because unfortunately all four will need doing after a few harsh winters and meetings with kurbs.
Wheel refurbishers who re-diamond cut wheels will not offer any warranty on the finish because diamond cut and polished faces don't really work particularly well in this country, with our elements.
I had my 997 Turbo wheels re-diamond cut with Pristine in Kent, who offered free collection on my wheels too. Cant remember what I paid as it was a few years ago but i'll dig out the pics and post some before and afters..they where basically as brand new! although I did let the wheels get pretty s
tty before refurbing.
if yours is minor I would honestly just leave it though.
Wheel refurbishers who re-diamond cut wheels will not offer any warranty on the finish because diamond cut and polished faces don't really work particularly well in this country, with our elements.
I had my 997 Turbo wheels re-diamond cut with Pristine in Kent, who offered free collection on my wheels too. Cant remember what I paid as it was a few years ago but i'll dig out the pics and post some before and afters..they where basically as brand new! although I did let the wheels get pretty s
tty before refurbing.if yours is minor I would honestly just leave it though.
I had my BBS RC4x's refurbed last year with a diamond cut, While they look fantastic and get plenty of compliments they are an absolute pain in the backside to keep scratch free regardless of how many layers of wax I apply.
Ive found that auto glym metal polish + a micro fibre cloth + alot of elbow grease will get rid of the fine scratches and minimise the appearance of small kerbing. I picked up a dremel a month ago, hopefully when I take the wheels off for winter the polishing attachments will save me a few hours!
Also I know its probably stating the obvious but tyres with chunky kerb protectors are a must.
Ive found that auto glym metal polish + a micro fibre cloth + alot of elbow grease will get rid of the fine scratches and minimise the appearance of small kerbing. I picked up a dremel a month ago, hopefully when I take the wheels off for winter the polishing attachments will save me a few hours!
Also I know its probably stating the obvious but tyres with chunky kerb protectors are a must.
I had the diamond cut wheel on my Mums Merc refurbished. The company only gave a 3 month warranty on diamond cut wheels whereas a silver finish would have got a 12 month warranty. One year later they needed another refurb. A lot of the time small sharp stones/grit will hit the wheel and penetrate the lacquer leaving barely a mark. Then the rain/salt/air combo accelerates oxidation.
The problem with these wheels is that once refurbed they never last as long as the oem finish.
I've had them start to corrode again within months and that's without any damage.
Apparently the correct lacquer for use direct on the aluminium is really expensive so none of the refurbers use it.
The other issue with them is that there is only so many times they can be refinished before there isn't enough meat on the face of the wheel to do it.
I've had them start to corrode again within months and that's without any damage.
Apparently the correct lacquer for use direct on the aluminium is really expensive so none of the refurbers use it.
The other issue with them is that there is only so many times they can be refinished before there isn't enough meat on the face of the wheel to do it.
Lordglenmorangie said:
Agreed , changed my 997.1 Turbo ones to BBS . I hadn't scuffed them ( parking three feet from pavement helps ) but after a few years the lacquer peels making the car look tatty.sorted
.... Moist. yeah diamond cut, DONT.
as soon as they are out of warranty they start to corrode under the lacquer.
Smegmium said:
yeah diamond cut, DONT.
as soon as they are out of warranty they start to corrode under the lacquer.
I agree with the 'don't' bit (although partly for aesthetic reasons, I think the current trend for black wheels with diamond cut faces is horrendous) but not with the 'out of warranty' bit.as soon as they are out of warranty they start to corrode under the lacquer.
There are some very well known cases where polished OEM wheels have corroded incredibly fast (S2k, anyone?) but others fare my better. My BBS LMs are from an early 90s car and only started spider webbing about 3 years ago - pretty good going. The main issue is that the factory coating is somehow applied with voodoo in most cases - any refurb afterwards just doesn't seem to be able to get it to stick. It's even worse if you have a genuine polished finish as you can't get anything to stick to it, and the lacquer just falls off.
I've managed to pick up a small yet very noticeable (to me with OCD Vision) scuff on one of my diamond cut XF alloys. 2 others have stone chips on the lacquer over the painted parts thanks to surface dressing used to sabotage all the local roads a few weeks after getting the car.
It's actually covered by wheel and tyre insurance but I just CBFA with the logistics of it however it's done.
It's actually covered by wheel and tyre insurance but I just CBFA with the logistics of it however it's done.
I'm glad someone sees where I'm coming from 
I just don't see the appeal, diamond cut wheels were popular in the 80s and early 90s but didn't stand the test of time particularly well with a few exceptions which look good on the right period of car (revolutions on a Dolomite Sprint for instance). Now there coming back, and in the intervening 25 years they seem to have been the preserve of Ripspeed and the like. I'm simply surprised that they're so well received, especially now that nowadays they tend to be shod with low profile tyres and are as a result exceptionally vulnerable to kerb damage and particularly difficult to put right afterwards.
Meh.
Anyway, the problem with coating them is that pretty much all surface coatings work better with some kind of key or an etch primer which of course you can't use if you want a transparent coating on a machined finish.
I just don't see the appeal, diamond cut wheels were popular in the 80s and early 90s but didn't stand the test of time particularly well with a few exceptions which look good on the right period of car (revolutions on a Dolomite Sprint for instance). Now there coming back, and in the intervening 25 years they seem to have been the preserve of Ripspeed and the like. I'm simply surprised that they're so well received, especially now that nowadays they tend to be shod with low profile tyres and are as a result exceptionally vulnerable to kerb damage and particularly difficult to put right afterwards.
Meh.
Anyway, the problem with coating them is that pretty much all surface coatings work better with some kind of key or an etch primer which of course you can't use if you want a transparent coating on a machined finish.
Lordglenmorangie said:
I don't have the concave rears but you cant beat CH-R's in Satin Anthracite on a coloured car! You don't seem to have the Rim Protectors though, mine came with the stainless steel ones which do finish the wheel off- £50 odd each from BBS. will finish yours off a treat.
Back on topic;
before (after 3 winters and many kurbs!)
after with new caps
18 months later and they went crap again. it was around £90 a wheel.
...wouldn't touch diamond cut wheels ever again.
Edited by irfan1712 on Friday 12th June 09:13
Coming back to the original problem...
Just had Sweet Alloys in Southampton round. Gino has ground back the scrape, sanded it smooth and laquered it.
The area where the scuff occured isn't invisible but it blends in well - the area of the scuff is completely polished.
The area of the scuff was across the right hand side in this picture. You can see a change of reflection at the top left where the edge of the ground area occurs, and depending on the angle it is possible to see a difference in reflection elsewhere, but infinitely preferable to a scrape. On Monday it will get sealed with gtechniq products so that may help with longevity.
A good job, considering how the proper solution always involves a complete refurb. Which will come, I'm sure...
Just had Sweet Alloys in Southampton round. Gino has ground back the scrape, sanded it smooth and laquered it.
The area where the scuff occured isn't invisible but it blends in well - the area of the scuff is completely polished.
The area of the scuff was across the right hand side in this picture. You can see a change of reflection at the top left where the edge of the ground area occurs, and depending on the angle it is possible to see a difference in reflection elsewhere, but infinitely preferable to a scrape. On Monday it will get sealed with gtechniq products so that may help with longevity.
A good job, considering how the proper solution always involves a complete refurb. Which will come, I'm sure...
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff