Trusted, reliable diamond cut alloy wheel refurbishment in London
First Aid Wheels provides a quality diamond cut alloy refurb service
Although most of our wheels are powder coated, a diamond cut finish is often needed when the manufacturer’s original wheel has a diamond cut finish. First Aid Wheels is one of the UK’s leading diamond cut alloy wheel repair centres. Diamond cutting is a very precise process and takes longer to reproduce than a powder coating refurbishment. Diamond cut wheels look great but they are especially prone to alloy corrosion because lacquer is too difficult to apply to bare alloy. That is why it only takes a few stone chips and a bit of water to get in for corrosion spots to occur on diamond cut wheels. You cannot do a diamond cut wheel refurbishment as part of a mobile or touch-up service; the wheel must go on a specialist lathe.
Why choose First Aid Wheels for diamond cut wheel refurbishment?
When we refurbish a diamond cut wheel, we first strip and powder coat the entire wheel before cutting back the diamond cut surface with the lathe. We have one of the biggest alloy wheel diamond cutting facilities in the UK and often sub-contract for other alloy wheel refurbishment centres. We operate custom lathes and programming to get great results. Not everyone is able to do diamond cutting well, even if they have the right equipment, but First Aid Wheels has both the equipment and, crucially, the expertise to provide a quality diamond cut wheel repair job.
Diamond Cut Alloy Wheel Repair
Frequently asked questions
A diamond cut wheel is one that has been firstly painted and after painting or powder coating the outer face of the wheel is cut back on a lathe. The wheel is then lacquered to produce the overall effect. Diamond cut wheels typically have a gloss allooy face with contrasting dark wheel body.
Unfortunately no. Generally, wheels come diamond cut. Sometimes a diamond cut finish can be applied to a non-diamond wheel, but this is not always possible so call us if you want advice on this. In most cases, we can only apply a diamond cut finish to wheels that are already diamond cut.
Diamond cut wheels generally do not retain their finish for as long as a powder coated wheel. Any damage to the lacquer, however small, can allow water ingress which discolours the lacquer.
Usually one or two cuts at most. More than that and you can start to weaken the wheel. Also, the wheel needs to be perfect and not buckled. That is why we generally recommend a full refurbishment for a diamond cut wheel.
Diamond Cut - The Refurbishment Process
Step 1
Removing the wheels from a vehicle
If we have the car on site it will be parked within our
secure premises for the duration of the repair. The other option is
that spare wheels are temporally fitted so that the car can stay on the
road.
Step 2
Removing the tyres, weights & valves
The tyres are removed from the wheels and marked for precision & rotation, and tagged with the customer’s name. (If we spot unsafe tyres we will draw this to your attention. We reserve the right to refuse to refit tyres which are deemed to be unsafe.We then remove all balance weights, valves & sensors (if required).
Step 3
Stripping previous paintwork, grime & dirt
The wheel is then dipped in a special chemical solution
to strip away the existing finish and break all dust. After a few
hours , the entire wheel is fully stripped back to bare aluminium.
Step 4
Shot blasting - further cleaning of the wheel
The wheel is then sandblasted in a special blasting cabinet for more cleaning, corrosion removal and this also prepares the surface .
Step 5
Wheel inspection
Once the wheel is fully cleaned it is much easier to see if there are any cracks or structural damage. The wheels are then tested on a balancing machine to check for any bends or buckles. At this stage , we will notify you if there is any damage to the wheel deemed to be dangerous, and advise if the wheel can be repaired and if any extra repair cost is involved.
Step 6
Structural repairs - straightening, welding (if required)
We have advanced techniques in the straightening of bent, buckled, dented or cracked alloy wheels. The refurbishment is not always necessary when straightening the wheel. If the damage is only small and on the inside of the rim, then we can repair just that area rather than the full refurbishment.
Step 7
Preparing kerbed surface for paint
The next step is selective machining to remove all kerb damage from the surface of the wheel (if the damage is very deep it can be filled with aluminium and welded to return it to its original shape.
Step 8
Applying base coat
First , the wheel is placed into the oven for the preheating process. After this new powder primer is applied. After the powder is applied the wheels go back into the oven for the curing process. After the curing process, the wheels are allowed to cool down slightly before the colour application
Step 9
Diamond cutting
The wheel is placed on a CNC lathe and a diamond knife is cutting off thin layer of aluminium
Step 10
Applying powder coat lacquer
A final clear coat is applied to protect the surface from the corrosion.
Step 11
Tyre fitting & balancing
Once the wheel is repaired we fit new rubber valves (if the wheels had metal valves or sensors these are re-fitted as before).
The tyre is then refitted to the wheel and balanced using weights stuck to the inside of the wheel.
Step 12
Fitting wheels to the car
The wheels are fitted to the car and final checks are carried out including tyre pressure and wheel bolt torque and tightening.
Contact us for more about diamond cut alloy wheel repair in London
We have one of the biggest alloy wheel diamond cutting facilities in the UK and often sub-contract for other alloy wheel refurbishment centres. We operate custom lathes and programming to get great results. Not everyone is able to do diamond cutting well, even if they have the right equipment, but First Aid Wheels has both the equipment and, crucially, the expertise to provide a quality diamond cut wheel repair job.
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