Car Buyers love Alloy Wheels, but they are easily damaged and expensive to replace. Is there an alternative?
Why do over 50% of all new cars have alloy wheels? Because buyers love the way they make their cars look. However recent statistics show that 51% of vehicles have suffered kerb or pothole damage to alloy wheels. Are they repairable or is an expensive replacement always necessary? Who can the car owner turn to for impartial advice and professional repairs? Read On
What’s it ‘wheely’ all about?
Why do over 50% of all new cars have alloy wheels? Well, for the techies among you, alloy wheels are lighter than standard steel wheels thus reducing the car’s ‘un-sprung mass’ which benefits handling and dynamics. They dissipate heat generated when braking more effectively but most of all, they look pretty and can transform the appearance of any car.
So pretty but oh so easily damaged!
Great care must be taken when driving over humps and potholes, soft aluminium alloy is easily flattened if you hit a hump or hole at speed. Much damage can be caused at slow speeds, so it is advisable not to run up the kerbs when parking. A flattened front rim may cause steering wobble at slow speeds but similar damage on a rear wheel may cause a drone at high speed.
You Have Been Warned!!!
Alloy Wheel Care
Even though there are ‘hundreds’ of alloy wheel cleaners and polishers on the market, most top alloy wheel manufacturers recommend regular simple care and attention. Rinse off dirt and grit that might scratch the wheel, and then simply wash with soapy water. Some recommend applying a good quality car wax or specialist wheel wax to keep the shine and help grime and brake dust to slide off more easily.
Alloy Wheel Refurbishment
We all know that sinking feeling you get when you (or your missus!) scrape your lovely shiny alloy wheels a long the kerb! The resulting scuffs and scratches are unsightly, ruin the appearance of your car, and if left unattended especially during winter, can cause the wheel to corrode.
The cost of replacing the most basic factory fitted alloys will cost you at least £100, replacing wheels fitted to the BMWs, Audis, Mercedes and Porsches of this world can set you back as much as £500 per wheel!
Relax, don’t worry, most typical alloy wheel kerb scuffs and scratches can be removed by an alloy wheel refurbishment specialist and returned to original condition in less than 2hours for between £40 and £60. In many cases the work is carried out on site at your convenience.
Depending on the level of damage sustained, only the area of damage on the wheel is sanded down, sometimes deep scratches may need to be filled with a special alloy wheel gel. Most alloy wheel refurbishers mix their own paint to ensure a perfect colour match, and blend to leave an invisible repair.
Full wheel refurbishment, where the tyre is removed, the wheel stripped or blasted back to bare metal before being painted or lacquered is usually carried out at workshop premises and sometimes requires 2/3 day turn around. The finished result however, can be better than the original.
Before and after pictures can be seen at http://www.look4carcare.co.uk/alloy-wheel-repairs
How to find a local technician
Look4CarCare is a national online directory featuring technicians who can carryout minor repairs to full Alloy Wheel refurbishments. Using the website www.look4carcare.co.uk, you can search for your nearest supplier using your postcode.
Alternatively follow this link to see a list of all the Alloy wheel repair technicians featured http://www.look4carcare.co.uk/alloy-wheel-repairs_list;y
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