Wheel House Alloys

Yes - At wheel house alloys we have a bend machine that means we can 'push" a bent alloy wheel back into shape. There is a small risk that a severely bent wheel could crack during this process but the majority of wheels can be repaired. Most cracks on alloy wheels are on the back rim and can be safely welded. If an alloy wheel has multiple cracks or a large crack extending more than 2 inches inwards then we would not recommend repairing it on safety grounds.

A diamond cut alloy wheel has a distictive two tone appearance with a shiny cut surface ( usually the rim and spokes ) that is machined with a diamond tipped cutting lathe. This machine removes a thin layer of surface alloy to leave a shiny bare metal surface. The rest of the wheel is usually powder coated and painted to contrast with the shiny bare metal. The commonest colours are black and cut or grey and cut. The whole wheel is lacquered. This does mean that the diamond cut surface is only protected by a single layer of lacquer which can make these particular alloy wheels more susceptable to corrosion if the lacquer is damaged. The first indication of an issue would be a milky appearance to the damaged lacquer as moisture starts to penetrate. If caught early this type of damage can be readily repaired by re-powder coating, re-cutting and re-lacquering the wheel. If corrosion is left to progress on the cut surface then it is not always possible to cut it out and the cut surface is left with a speckled appearance. If a diamond cut wheel is kerb damaged then in most cases they can be repaired by re-cutting. In order to re-cut a damaged diamond cut wheel there must be sufficient proud metal to cut down to the bottom of the damage without cutting down to any of the painted areas of the wheel. This needs to be assessed by eye ( or better still on a lathe ) It is not always possible to assess this from a two dimensional picture. There is one other prerequisite for re-cutting diamond cut wheels and that is that they must not be bent. They must 'spin true' on the lathe to achieve a precise neat cut. Bent wheels wobble / vibrate on the lathe. At Wheel House Alloys with have the latest lathe and cutting software to re-cut diamond cut wheels up to 22 inches in size.

Yes - we can refurbish steel wheels as well as alloy wheels. In general they are usually off older vehicles or commercial vehicles so are often in poor condition. Therefore it can be harder to achieve a perfect finish on steel wheels that are badly corroded or damaged without lots of prep work that falls outside most peoples budgets. Nonetheless we are happy to refurbish steel wheels at Wheel House Alloys and we occasionally get to refurbish steel wheels off some quite old classic cars where budget of not an issue. If you have some unloved steel wheels in need of rerstoration please feel free to contact us.

At Wheel House Alloys we aim to turn around a standard full refurbishment in 24-48 hours. The biggest unknown is how long it takes to strip the old paint off. We usually strip two batches of wheels per day. Therefore in theory if we recieve a wheel in the morning it can be stripped and ready to powder coat the following day with the wheel fully refurbished, tyred and re-balanced by the afternoon. Occasionally we will recieve wheels that strip very slowly and they may need an extra day in the strip tank. Additionally if we identify an issue with a wheel eg a crack - this will delay the proces. We will always keep you infomed of any delays should they occur. Diamond Cut wheels usually take an extra day to refurbish ie 2-3 days.

The best way to clean an alloy wheel is with a neutral ph cleaning product ( do not use acidic cleaning products ) and a soft brush or mittten. Do not use any abrasive cleaning tools or sponges that could damage the lacquer. It is much better to clean your wheels regularly to avoid excessive build up of brake dust. Regular cleaning can be made easier by having your wheels ceramic coated. This is something we recommend at Wheel House Alloys once your wheels have been refurbished.

Choosing the right colour for your wheels can make a huge difference. If you are not sure we are happy to advise you on what might work. We have plenty of sample wheels at our workshop as well as lots of colour swatches for you to look at.