Alloy Refurbishment worth it?

[Mercer89]

I've recently traded up from a '93 corsa to a 55 plate fiesta. Its a beauty. But the lady who owned it before has curbed the front alloys. They're not REALLY bad, but i'd quite like to have them in better condition than they are. Is it possible/worth getting alloys refurbished? Any thoughts?

Cheers

[300bhp/ton]

Mercer89 said:

I've recently traded up from a '93 corsa to a 55 plate fiesta. Its a beauty. But the lady who owned it before has curbed the front alloys. They're not REALLY bad, but i'd quite like to have them in better condition than they are. Is it possible/worth getting alloys refurbished? Any thoughts?

Cheers

Depends. If you are happy paying the money then yes. If not, then no.

Lots of 2nd hand alloys about or new aftermarket ones. So I'd check out all price options first.

Also check that a refurbing an alloy isn't simply stripping it to bear metal and re-coating. If it's damaged then that will need repairing.

[anonymous-user]

I got mine done last year, now two of them look worse than before due to recent pothole damage, complete waste of money unless it's something special or exotic where it'll affect the overall value of the car.

[N88]

If you trust yourself not to kerb them again, and the car is in good nick else where then yeah I'd go for it.

[Mercer89]

does anyone have any clue how much it costs? or anywhere good?

I do trust myself not to do it, but i'd hate for the person to do it, and it then look worse than it is now.

[J-Tuner]

I think it all depends on the wheel and what sort of finish you want. If its a standard vauxhall alloy and you want a standard finish i would have though £35-40 a corner wouldn't be unreasonable for a perfect finish.

[300bhp/ton]

Yeah £40-60 a wheel is probably about right I'd have though. Depends on how much damage and what finish/colour you want. Also budget to have the tyre removed, refitted and rebalanced as it isn't normally included in the price.

[Kentish]

Mobile places do not refurb as such, they just flat and repaint them and you notice that it's an inferior job next time you have tyres changed!

Paint will come off the edge whereas a proper refurbish involves powder coating them and will last for ages as it's far more durable.

[Matt UK]

http://www.lepsons.com/

These guys are recognised as one of the best in the business. Not cheap though.

[peterperkins]

If you want your car to look good then go for it.

If yours are diamond cut and then lacquered expect that to last about two years or so max.

I had mine done once (diamond cut) and they would not do them a second time due to thining the alloy.

So second time round I went for blasting and bog standard silver powder coating. This is more durable I believe and although not exactly stock shows what can be achieved.

Before



After diamond cut and lacquer



After another two years on and blasted and powder coated.



I have since filled the little centre dimple in the wheel cap and got some Honda logos done by my local vinyl sign man. Look pretty good now. Cost around £40 a wheel.

The diamond cut looks most stock but the powder coating is a fair compromise to extend the life of the otherwise expensive alloys.

[aka_kerrly]

i refurb all my wheels myself and allowing for tyre removal an rebalancing which is £5per wheel to me i barely spend £30 to do a whole set. A couple of cans of primer, some metal filler, some sandpaper and a couple of cans of your desired colour followed by a coat of lacquer and jobs a good un.

you could consider buying some cheap wheels from ebay to practice painting with then chuck them on the car whilst you refurb the wheels you want to keep.

dave

[V88Dicky]

Depending on car type, you'll sometimes find that the aftermarket refurbishment, if done properly, will be better than the stock finish on the alloys.

Mine certainly were better than stock after getting them refurbished on my last car. (Speedline Turinis)

[g3org3y]

Matt UK said:

http://www.lepsons.com/

These guys are recognised as one of the best in the business. Not cheap though.

+1 Did my Alpinas

Before:


After:

[N88]

£45 a corner at the place near me...

[Kentish]

Lepsons are brilliant - when I was in the motoring trade we always used them and also spit and polish but stopped using S&P due to some bad work and they were more expensive. They may be OK now.

I can vouch for Lepsons still being excellent, they did a set of Audi rims for me recently.

They will also collect all over the country.

[Dog Star]

I've recently had our two Mercs done by the Wheel Specialist - powder coated. Previously both were suffering peeling paint, varied amount of kerb damage, scrapes etc. They really let the otherwise very smart cars down.

They're now absolutely fantastic - I had mine done a different finish and they look stunning. They work out at around 300 a set. I've previously painted wheels in the past with good results but you have to factor in getting the wheels on and off, your time and you'll never get such a good result as the powder coating.

There's also a place in Blackpool called px wheels (I think) and they do exchange wheels and they're much cheaper - see if they have a set for your car OP.

[madala]

Mercer89 said:

I've recently traded up from a '93 corsa to a 55 plate fiesta. Its a beauty. But the lady who owned it before has curbed the front alloys. They're not REALLY bad, but i'd quite like to have them in better condition than they are. Is it possible/worth getting alloys refurbished? Any thoughts?

Cheers

....of course it's worth it if you take any sort of pride in your car.......

[jaibk]

i got mine done here:

http://www.wheelrefurbishing.co.uk/




turned into:



i think quite reasonable pricing too.