DIY Wheels Refurb

[Jack!]

I can't seem to find any company in the South that will refurbish four alloys for any less than £200.With this in mind, I'm thinking about doing it myself - I tend to be quite good at these sorts of things because I'm a perfectionist; I'll be taking my time.The only problem is, they're Ultraleggera's, so they're quite complex, how plausible is it? Also, sanding in the awkward corners and dips etc, how would I go about that? - when people usually DIY alloys, do they do all the sanding by hand?Thanks, Jack.

 

[botfch]

Have you spoken to Tyler@Ultimate pretty sure they are close to £200

 

[Jack!]

Is there a problem with the site? Breaks haven't worked leaving me looking like a r****d.When Powder City in Birmingham will do a set for £80, it's not ideal having to pay £200, I'd probably pay £40 a wheel tops, so £160.

 

[l33th3tr33]

I'm in the same boat, £200 could go towards a nice set of wheels so I'm torn between the two.
DIY isn't always that cheap though, especially when it comes to wheels. Two cans of paint per wheel, plus the primer, lacquer and sandpaper etc would probably come close to £100 if not more, so really you're paying for the labour and a better, longer lasting finish providing they do a good job.

 

[GCC]

Is there a problem with the site? Breaks haven't worked leaving me looking like a r****d.When Powder City in Birmingham will do a set for £80, it's not ideal having to pay £200, I'd probably pay £40 a wheel tops, so £160.

As with most things, you'll get what you pay for mate. Take it to someone who does it for 80, and you'll get 80's worth of work.
Go to Lepsons, or Tyler, and you'll get charged what it's worth.....

 

[Timmsy]

There is a good place in hastings called m-tech quoted me £120 a set of 4 and its a top job too!

 

[Jack!]

providing they do a good job.

That's part of it though, see bad jobs done so often, and you tend to get what you pay for, so if I do get them done cheap, will they be better than DIY?

I think can get all materials for around £50-70.

 

[Timmsy]

http://www.m-techbodyshop.co.uk

 

[l33th3tr33]

That's part of it though, see bad jobs done so often, and you tend to get what you pay for, so if I do get them done cheap, will they be better than DIY?

I think can get all materials for around £50-70.

That's the problem for me, I'd need to see previous work or something that a company had literally just finished to have faith.

Regarding paint, say a fiver a can for the sake of it. 1 can of primer, 2 paint and 1 lacquer per wheel. That's £20 for one wheel, so say £80 for a set of four. Plus a load of sandpaper, say £10-15 and you're at £95 right there. If you want decent protection then add another can of lacquer per wheel and you're at £115. After that it depends on how much you value your time or if you're in a rush/don't have a spare set of wheels.
Another thing to think about is if you're not very experienced with spraying then you could potentially be chucking money down the drain.

I think the best bet is to ring a few companies and see if you can visit the premises and see some of the work that is being done.

 

[Jack!]

I think the best bet is to ring a few companies and see if you can visit the premises and see some of the work that is being done.

Just sent out lots of emails and will get on the phone following responses.

Every single website I've been to, every company is claiming to be Bournemouth's leading alloy repair specialists, do they not understand not everyone can lead? I hate cliches.

 

[Mr R.]

Don't use Spit and Polish.

There work is shite.

 

[Kyle 86]

The place that done mine JP polishing done a great job on mine. Bit far away from Bournemouth though.

 

[Lawro]

My old man had some wheels refurbished by 'The Wheel Specialist' in Poole a few weeks ago. Finish is perfect but you will never get a set refurbished for £40 a wheel by them.

I agree with the above comments personally, with paint you get what you pay for. I don't see the point in paying £160 for an average refurb that will possibly last a couple of years when you could spend a little extra and get a quality job done that will last the length of the car if you look after them.

 

[Jack!]

You've all swayed me you b******s! This might get expensive.

Want them done properly in Matt Graphite, got a quote for £264, just seeing whether he will change tyres over for me too.

Figured by the time I do the refurb, or go somewhere cheaper, then pay a tyre fitter to swap tyres, I'd be getting near a proper job anyway.

 

[cat171]

Seems a bit on the high side to me, who is doing them?

 

[Chi]

Sounds very pricey. . Midlands powder coaters are half that iirc

 

[Jack!]

Silver Wheels - it may well be on the high side, but nearly everyone down here wants good money for it - not found a single company yet offering less than £50 a wheel.

 

[Chi]

Post them to powder coaters.. Id be selling them and buying some already refurbed

 

[Jack!]

How much would posting them to City Powder cost? I looked at driving there, but it's £50 in fuel, and 6 hours driving return, and time is money and all that.

 

[Chi]

usually 4 x 15s without tyres costs about £15

 

[Jack!]

Paisley want £30, and that's one way.

 

[Chi]

www.p4d.co.uk they should be under 30kg

 

[marinemackay2003]

I could drop them off and pick them up for you and do your tyres for you for £45

im in Poole btw

 

[hilldawg172]

I just did a set the other day for about £55.

Sandblasted then sanded the wheels



Then I filled the scuffs and marks with wheel putty then sanded them smooth(forgot to take pics of this stage but it really easy to do)

Primed inside and out of wheel 3 coats using a acidic based hi build primer to fill out any small imperfections


Then sprayed wheels 4coats using satin black



Then lacquered them.

Sand paper £6
Wheel putty £5
Primer £15
Paint £20
Lacquer £8

 

[Jack!]

So, all the quotes I got back are as follows:

K&N Alloys Southampton: £180
MyAlloys Basingstoke: £55-60 per wheel (£220-240)
The Wheel Specialist Ferndown: £312 (£280 without tyres)
A1 Powder Coaters Southampton: £240
Silver Wheels Ferndown: £264 (extra £12 per wheel if I want matte paint)

Why are refurbs so expensive down South?

 

[l33th3tr33]

My thinking exactly. Might be useful to find a mate that wants a set doing and go to birmingham and get them done, split the fuel etc..

 

[Jack!]

Ford Graphite Grey or Rover Stone Grey? Car is Liquid Yellow.

I think Ford Graphite looks a bit too dark sometimes, but this might be suited to LY, whereas Rover Grey might be a bit light? Which one gets closest to the Matt Graphite that OZ offer as standard?

 

[l33th3tr33]

I'd go for lighter tbh.

 

[Jack!]

Think you might be right, I'd rather they were a bit light than a bit too dark, getting too near to black kills the detail.

 

[l33th3tr33]

Think you might be right, I'd rather they were a bit light than a bit too dark, getting too near to black kills the detail.

Exactly, it's a fresh colour and the wheels shouldn't look dark or it'll look chav. IMO of course.