Straight answers on alloy wheel repair

It depends on the wheel, the finish and the damage, so we price each job rather than publish a list that would be wrong for most cars. Send a photograph of the wheels and we will come back with a clear price and a timescale, with no obligation.

Most sets turn around in a couple of days once they are with us. Wheels needing structural repair or a two stage colour take longer. You get the timescale with the quote, before we have your wheels rather than after.

Yes. Single wheels are a large part of what we do, particularly kerb damage. Bear in mind a freshly finished wheel sits brighter than three that have weathered, and we will tell you honestly how noticeable that will be on your car.

We tell you before we start. Wheels are inspected on collection and anything unexpected is raised and priced with you at that point. Nothing gets added to an invoice after the event.

Because coating over an old finish traps whatever is underneath it, including corrosion, and the new surface lifts within a season. Going back to bare alloy is the only way to know what you are actually working with.

Yes, always. Refinishing with tyres fitted leaves the bead area untouched, which is exactly where corrosion takes hold, and no oven cure is possible with rubber on the rim. Anyone offering to refinish wheels with the tyres on is not stripping them properly.

Yes. Tyres are refitted and the wheels balanced, so they go straight back on the car.

Diamond cutting machines the face of the wheel on a lathe to give the bright metal finish that came from the factory, then seals it under lacquer. Powder coating strips the wheel to bare metal and applies a cured colour coat. Which one your wheels need depends on what they were originally.

No. The wheel needs a machined face to begin with and enough material left to take a cut. Painted and powder coated wheels are not diamond cut wheels, and forcing the process on them is not appropriate. We assess each wheel before committing to it and tell you if it is not suitable.

It depends on the wheel and how much was taken on each previous cut. Most will take several before the face becomes too thin. We measure rather than guess, and we will refuse a wheel that has run out of material rather than machine it thin.

In Scottish conditions expect a few years before the lacquer starts to show its age, and less if the car sits outside through winters on salted roads. The quality of the lacquer and how well it was cured makes more difference than anything else.

Not necessarily, but be aware that a freshly cut wheel is brighter than one that has weathered. On a set where the others are still sound, a single wheel will stand out for a while until it settles. We will tell you honestly what it will look like before you commit.

They are different finishes for different wheels, not better and worse. Powder coating is the more durable of the two and can be done in any colour. Diamond cutting gives you the bright machined face that came from the factory. If your wheels were never diamond cut, powder coating is usually the right answer.

No, and nobody should. Coating over an old finish traps corrosion underneath and the new surface lifts. Every wheel here goes back to bare alloy first.

We work to manufacturer paint codes. Bear in mind that a colour reads differently on a wheel than on a body panel, because the shape and the light are different. We will show you a sample against the car before committing.

Yes. Calipers, hub parts and similar components go through the same strip, coat and cure process. Mention it when you get in touch and we will look at the lot together.

Across central Scotland, including Glasgow, all of Lanarkshire, Falkirk, Stirling, Livingston and into Ayrshire. If you are unsure whether you are covered, ask.

We collect across central Scotland and return the wheels balanced and ready to fit. You are also welcome to bring the car to the workshop on Larkhall Industrial Estate if you would rather see the setup.

Most sets turn around in a couple of days from collection. Tell us if the car needs to stay usable and we will work around it where we can.

Block 7, Larkhall Industrial Estate, 2 Thankerton Road, Larkhall ML9 2PA. That is a few minutes from junction 7 of the M74, and everything is done at that unit rather than sent elsewhere.

The finish and the workmanship. If the colour is wrong, the coating is uneven, or the wheel does not come back the way it should have, we redo it.

Ring the workshop and tell us. You will be speaking to the people who did the work, not a call centre or a franchise head office.

No. A fresh kerb strike, a pothole or damage from fitting after the wheels have left us is new work rather than a fault in ours. We will tell you plainly which one we think it is, and we would rather look at it than argue about it over the phone.

No. Bring the wheel back and we will look at it. Everything was done here, so we already know what was on it when it left.