Re-diamond cutting wheels
Discussion
Hi all.
Am looking at a car where there are 3 currently available in the spec I want.
As standard (with the optional extra) the wheels come diamond cut, with black centres.
One of cars has it that way. Another has been refurbed all black, and another refurbed all plain silver. I don't mind silver but they look to have chips etc. anyway so would be looking at getting the wheels refurbed again if I was to go for either of those two cars.
Is it an easy enough process for a company to refurb wheels back to diamond cut? I have used a good local company before for refurbs so happy to have a chat with them... but opinions here first would be great
Am looking at a car where there are 3 currently available in the spec I want.
As standard (with the optional extra) the wheels come diamond cut, with black centres.
One of cars has it that way. Another has been refurbed all black, and another refurbed all plain silver. I don't mind silver but they look to have chips etc. anyway so would be looking at getting the wheels refurbed again if I was to go for either of those two cars.
Is it an easy enough process for a company to refurb wheels back to diamond cut? I have used a good local company before for refurbs so happy to have a chat with them... but opinions here first would be great
If it’s a Mercedes wheel then do not recut them. They are made of cheese and will corrode from the inside out. Following a parking ding my wife’s car needed a replacement alloy and within 6 months it was corroded from the centre out- the rim remained undamaged but the spokes were as bad as the other 3 wheels.
I keep meaning to get them blasted and painted.
I keep meaning to get them blasted and painted.
If it’s a Mercedes wheel then do not recut them. They are made of cheese and will corrode from the inside out. Following a parking ding my wife’s car needed a replacement alloy and within 6 months it was corroded from the centre out- the rim remained undamaged but the spokes were as bad as the other 3 wheels.
I keep meaning to get them blasted and painted.
I keep meaning to get them blasted and painted.
CrippsCorner said:
Hi all.
Am looking at a car where there are 3 currently available in the spec I want.
As standard (with the optional extra) the wheels come diamond cut, with black centres.
One of cars has it that way. Another has been refurbed all black, and another refurbed all plain silver. I don't mind silver but they look to have chips etc. anyway so would be looking at getting the wheels refurbed again if I was to go for either of those two cars.
Is it an easy enough process for a company to refurb wheels back to diamond cut? I have used a good local company before for refurbs so happy to have a chat with them... but opinions here first would be great
Diamond cut wheels are more expensive to refurb, and its easy for them to get damaged and the alloy to start to corrode. When they get refurbed most people will just get a standard finish. Am looking at a car where there are 3 currently available in the spec I want.
As standard (with the optional extra) the wheels come diamond cut, with black centres.
One of cars has it that way. Another has been refurbed all black, and another refurbed all plain silver. I don't mind silver but they look to have chips etc. anyway so would be looking at getting the wheels refurbed again if I was to go for either of those two cars.
Is it an easy enough process for a company to refurb wheels back to diamond cut? I have used a good local company before for refurbs so happy to have a chat with them... but opinions here first would be great
I had the rims on my C43 re-cut with a diamond lathe to get them back to factory. These we the staggered Monoblocs.
Same for the Style IV's on my current E Class.
If the prep work's done right & paint/lacquer properly applied you should have no problems.
The only limiting factor is the number of times you can cut them back - there's a limit, not sure what it is - twice? three times?
ETA the IV's were done by First Aid Wheels, W Hampstead.
Same for the Style IV's on my current E Class.
If the prep work's done right & paint/lacquer properly applied you should have no problems.
The only limiting factor is the number of times you can cut them back - there's a limit, not sure what it is - twice? three times?
ETA the IV's were done by First Aid Wheels, W Hampstead.
Thanks for the input. It's only a Citroen... I'm not even a massive fan of diamond cut, but I just want them to look standard. I did consider going anthracite, but I'm not sure. Maybe I'm better off having a chat with my local specialists. At least I know it can be done now! Which means it's not a limiting factor when looking for a new car cheers all.
cheers all.Recently got one of my alloys re-cut. My local wheel specialist told me that diamond cut alloys are not suitable for Uk conditions, lots of rain, salt and crap will mean any diamond cut alloy will corrode after time. It just takes a stone chip on the wheel and you’re then susceptible to water/salt ingress.
They suggested getting them painted next time around, it’s cheaper and the finish comes with a lifetime guarantee from them.
I’ve got a C63, and in the meantime I’ve noticed that Mercedes paint the same alloys that go on the GTR - probably for the reasons mentioned above.
I’ll get mine sprayed next time around for sure.
They suggested getting them painted next time around, it’s cheaper and the finish comes with a lifetime guarantee from them.
I’ve got a C63, and in the meantime I’ve noticed that Mercedes paint the same alloys that go on the GTR - probably for the reasons mentioned above.
I’ll get mine sprayed next time around for sure.
Edited by JAMSXR on Wednesday 23 February 15:38
Not sure if it's common to all diamond cut wheel refurbs, but you might find that the process leaves a stroke around the edges where the cut meets the paint, so to speak.
One of my alloys got dropped on its face by accident, and the refurb - whilst excellent - left it with a stroke which I couldn't unsee (especially as the other wheels were spotless)
As has been said above - they are pretty unsuited to UK roads, but manufacturers seem to love designing cars with them. Not their problem I guess once the car is sold, and a potential secondary revenue stream.
One of my alloys got dropped on its face by accident, and the refurb - whilst excellent - left it with a stroke which I couldn't unsee (especially as the other wheels were spotless)
As has been said above - they are pretty unsuited to UK roads, but manufacturers seem to love designing cars with them. Not their problem I guess once the car is sold, and a potential secondary revenue stream.
The diamond cut face is basically where a small layer of metal has been machined away on a lathe, to create a "polished" look that contrasts with the painted sections. The whole wheel is then lacquered to "protect" the diamond finish, but in reality, the smallest stone chip from the smallest little bit of grit is enough to allow water in and you'll see through the clear lacquer where the water is corroding the alloy. I've yet to see a diamond cut wheel on a road car that isn't displaying some form of corrosion.
Many wheel refurb places won't offer a warranty on a refurbished diamond cut wheel, purely due to the total lack of durability of the finish. If even the wheel refurb places don't expect a freshly re-cut wheel to look any good within 12 months, I don't know who does. A fully painted finish will give a far superior finish for far longer, will be more durable and is also significantly cheaper than a re-cutting diamond cut wheels.
Many wheel refurb places won't offer a warranty on a refurbished diamond cut wheel, purely due to the total lack of durability of the finish. If even the wheel refurb places don't expect a freshly re-cut wheel to look any good within 12 months, I don't know who does. A fully painted finish will give a far superior finish for far longer, will be more durable and is also significantly cheaper than a re-cutting diamond cut wheels.
Re diamond cut wheels look great for a few months then water gets under the lacquer, corrosion starts and it's goodnight.
I just get my wheels blasted and powder coated now, it's much more durable and just be redone every few years if needed.
For a show car perhaps a diamond cut set kept for special events, but def not for a daily driver..
I just get my wheels blasted and powder coated now, it's much more durable and just be redone every few years if needed.
For a show car perhaps a diamond cut set kept for special events, but def not for a daily driver..
Clarkedontgo said:
I’ve used the wheel specialist also and they were like new, only problem is they don’t last long before the white worm is back , so annoying
I purchased a M4 last March and I noticed that the diamond cut wheels had been refurbished(I noticed a bit of overspray on the wheel), and now both my rear wheels are corroded and I'm annoyed. I'm going to see if the dealer will refurb them for me because it is still under warranty(highly unlikely but worth a try). I will definitely think twice about buying a car with diamond cut wheels going forward for sure. My BIL hates diamond cut wheels too, and he has had loads of problems with them over the years as well.
JAMSXR said:
Recently got one of my alloys re-cut. My local wheel specialist told me that diamond cut alloys are not suitable for Uk conditions, lots of rain, salt and crap will mean any diamond cut alloy will corrode after time. It just takes a stone chip on the wheel and you’re then susceptible to water/salt ingress.
They suggested getting them painted next time around, it’s cheaper and the finish comes with a lifetime guarantee from them.
I’ve got a C63, and in the meantime I’ve noticed that Mercedes paint the same alloys that go on the GTR - probably for the reasons mentioned above.
I’ll get mine sprayed next time around for sure.
I think it partly depends on the wheel. One of the very obvious features on the Monoblocks was the deep-dish polished rim contrasting with the painted centres. So I always had them diamond cut.They suggested getting them painted next time around, it’s cheaper and the finish comes with a lifetime guarantee from them.
I’ve got a C63, and in the meantime I’ve noticed that Mercedes paint the same alloys that go on the GTR - probably for the reasons mentioned above.
I’ll get mine sprayed next time around for sure.
The diamond cut effect on my Style IV's us a lot subtler. It's just on the faces of the spokes. I didn't even realise they were diamond cut until I dropped them off. I could probably get away with Brilliant Silver on them.
DiscoSINGH said:
As someone has already said, DC wheels look great in the showroom but for everyday use on UK roads they just don't last.
Oh cars salesmen love DC wheels, they seem to think that they are dogs (you know..)
I think that if you get the car brand new from the factory then the DC wheels aren't too bad. I've got a Merc that I've had from new with the DC wheels, and it has done over 100k miles now and the wheels are still in very decent shape(the have never been kerbed or refurbished), just a little bit coming through around the centre cap, the rest of the wheel is fine though. Oh cars salesmen love DC wheels, they seem to think that they are dogs (you know..)
I've only done 6k miles in the M4(got the car at just over 2 years old/on 13k miles) and the DC rear wheels look a right mess all around the edges of the wheel already. I'm guessing that the previous owner had kerbed the hell out of the wheels so the dealer needed to refurb them before they could put the car up for sale.
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