Alloy Wheel Repair

kerri_gt

ARGH! You know that awful cruncing sound as you scrape your wheel across the kerb....yep, did it tonight. :eek: It's an area I've actually dinked my wheels on a few times as the kerbs are really low and you seem to always be closer than you imagine.

Anyway, I'm super p*ssed off as this time it was the driver's side which wasn't too bad before. So now i'm thinking of calling out one of these mobile repair guys to fix the scuffs, I believe Chips Away covers my area.

I can't afford complete refurb of all the wheels which I understand can be hunderds per wheel, but has anyone had experience of the mobile guys who just fix the scuffed bits? I was wondering roughly how much this might cost?

Red_Cat

Is there a local college that trains people to become mechanics and car body repairers? It might be worth giving them a shout to see if they can do your wheels for you cheaper than Chips Away.

darich

kerri_gt wrote: »

I can't afford complete refurb of all the wheels which I understand can be hunderds per wheel,

that's what it would cost you to replace the wheel.
In my experience, alloys are refurbed for less than £100 each. still a fair amount of cash but significantly less than "hundreds per wheel"

BMW refurbished my alloys a couple of years ago and their charge was £75 per wheel.
I'd imagine you'd get it for that at the most if you find a local place.

Many places even do loan wheels so you could borrow one and keep your spare in the boot so if you get a puncture you can still change the wheel.

sassy_one

Op, expect to pay anything from £45 to £80 per wheel depending on the firm/company used and arear you live in and also, how good a job they do.

Remember paying more never promises to get you a better job!

JQ.

I've just had a quote for a full re-furb of all 4 wheels by a reputable company, came in at around £250.

davemorton

What area are you in, then perhaps people may be able to help with where you could take it. I know my local wheel refurb place charges 35-40 per wheel.

Twinny99

Sorry to hi-jack your thread OP but I'd be very grateful if someone could recommend someone to me - Im near St Albans....:)

JQ.

In Manchester you could try http://www.diamond-wheels.net/

or nationally http://www.thewheelspecialist.co.uk/ have outlets throughout the country.

VincentVega

Depending on where you've damaged your wheels and how fancy they are, Chips Away might (emphasis on might) not be able to fix the damage. I managed to kerb an alloy on my old '06 Golf, so I took it along to the local franchise. They took a look at it and said they couldn't fix it due to the location (right on an edge, and at an odd angle) and the finish (polished). If it's a "normal" alloy, you should be all right.

The price might depend on the size, and it might be worth trying a couple of Chips Away places. If memory serves, they are franchises, so you might get different prices at each. Quality may vary as well. You should be able to get a quote by finding your local franchise and calling them up.

I kerbed an alloy on my current Mini several times, and it ended up with around 1/3rd of the circumference badly scuffed and damaged. Then it got bent by a pothole, so I went on eBay and picked up a reconditioned one for £99.

kerri_gt

Twinny99 wrote: »

Sorry to hi-jack your thread OP but I'd be very grateful if someone could recommend someone to me - Im near St Albans....:)

Lol! No problem. I'm based in Maidenhead btw.

I has contacted Chips Away for a quote - waiting for a call back to book an appt for them to come and see the damage.

Darich - yes, I did realise that it would be 100s per wheel to replace them, though there are techniques where they do take the whole wheel and basically strip it back and respray etc which can be pretty expensive.

VincetVega - they are just normal alloys so although the scrape(s) are on the edge, I would hope they can do them. I haven't dented any wheels, although did manage to knock a chuck out of one of the 'spokes' on the same wheel in a car park (its notorious locally for being a complete pain in the bum to drive round as its tight, has high kerbs, and flows the opposite way to most other car parks! grr!!)

if I could get £35-£40 per wheel I'd be happy, anything above £200 and I'd have to think about it. Clearly as I do have a number of little scuffs on the 4 wheels now there is a chance I could dink one in the future but my aim is to be 110% more careful if I have them done.

Gosh, you'd think i have a ferrari, but it's only a Clio, but its the first decent car I've bought and I do try and keep it in decent condition.

sassy_one

I wouldn't recommend them but I know Confords aka Halfords do alloy wheel repair

May be worth a look, depending on prices you get else where and how far away they may be to you OP