Diamond cut alloy repair?

MBK

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Hi all, I'm looking for some help/advice getting one of my alloys repaired. It was the most annoying low speed curb catch on the rear passenger wheel and now needs to be repaired. I've managed to avoid this for years so its frustrating to find repair on these wheels is far from easy.

The diamond cut edge is causing a problem - local Audi dealer can't help, their repairer doesn't repair these, much the same story for many of the local wheel people.

Only one local independent alloy repair place has quoted and they it will take say 5-7 days as they have to send the wheel away. The trouble is with no spare the car is effectively off the road. They offered to switch for a set of A4 18" wheels for the repair but I can't imagine 18" wheels fit over the front caliper on the RS3 and I'm really not sure about running 19" front and 18" rear.

I can't imagine I'm the first person to curb a diamond cut wheel so any suggestions how to get a repair done or other repairers in the South Wales area that might be able help? Or is there another solution I'm not seeing?
 
Feel for you m8, Ive curbed the same back wheel twice now , I'm just glad I didn't get it done the first time as I would of cried!!
 
Simple ...get em all painted BLACK.
 
Thanks, I'm not too gutted about the curbing life happens and at least I avoided anything worse, I am bothered by the idea of a week away for repair!

The painting option was mentioned, I dismissed it at the time but you know I think it might be the way forward. Even after repair I do not want to be in this situation again. I will be avoiding diamond cut alloys in future that's for sure.
 
Feel for you m8, Ive curbed the same back wheel twice now , I'm just glad I didn't get it done the first time as I would of cried!!

I slightly kerbed my rear right 2 hours after getting the car, reversing off a kerb I'd parked up on to avoid damaging the rim. Was kinda glad actually, minor damage, first scratch and all that.

Spent £300 getting this sort of stuff fixed on the old motor but nobody else noticed and it made no difference to the trade in price so I won't be bothering again, just don't keep the wheels spotless!

Did someone say no spare? Car is in for the recall fix/software update right now (plus brake squeal, satnav and bluetooth fault) so can't check but are you serious?!
 
No spare!!

Just a can of tyre foam and a compressor, so anything other than a basic nick and your snookered (it's the same in the S3).

I'm running 19" RS3's on mine and after some of the really heavy rains we had in summer I went over a tree branch on a B road late at night and in the morning when I checked the car out there was a surface scratch on the polished face. Local dealer could do nothing (which is ironic as they offer 3 year alloy wheel protection package as part of the 'Audi Protect' package they sell you!).

Will keep Lepson's number handy .

As for your brake clearance, you may find you can run an 18" rim, but it will be the offset clearance to the outer face of the wheel that might be the issue rather than the diameter. I think my RS3 rims were ET48, so you'd need at ET of at least that and anything up to about ET43. Much more than that and the wheels might catch the inner arch liners when suspension is under full compression.
 
No spare!!

Just a can of tyre foam and a compressor, so anything other than a basic nick and your snookered (it's the same in the S3).

I'm running 19" RS3's on mine and after some of the really heavy rains we had in summer I went over a tree branch on a B road late at night and in the morning when I checked the car out there was a surface scratch on the polished face. Local dealer could do nothing (which is ironic as they offer 3 year alloy wheel protection package as part of the 'Audi Protect' package they sell you!).

Will keep Lepson's number handy .

As for your brake clearance, you may find you can run an 18" rim, but it will be the offset clearance to the outer face of the wheel that might be the issue rather than the diameter. I think my RS3 rims were ET48, so you'd need at ET of at least that and anything up to about ET43. Much more than that and the wheels might catch the inner arch liners when suspension is under full compression.

Hi Warren, the RS3 wheel is ET50.

Here is a picture (of one of my winter wheels) showing identification:

P1010086
 
Lepsons - Alloy Wheel Refurbishment | Alloy Wheel Repair | Lepsons
I'm having my q7 wheels refurbed with them and they are meant to be one of the best in the country for diamond wheel refurbing...
and no .. there appears to be no way of doing it without it taking a few days..

Lepsons gets my vote too... there work is second to none and it's worth the wait. Diamond cut wheels take time due to the nature of the finish.
 
Coming previously from a Golf GTI (Monza Shadows), Diamond Cut Wheel Refurbs is a common thread on the GTI forums :3sadwalk:

Here are some pics and contacts that GTi owners have found :-

There's a few places that will do a good repair of diamond cut Monzas - A1 Wheels in Wolverhampton being one - there's plenty of happy Mk 5 Gti owners had theirs refurbished there. They can do this too :

newwheels1.jpg


Paint the insides black on older Mk 5 Monzas and then cut back and refurb the diamond cut face
Other places that used to refurb them are (taken from another thread :laugh:) :-

Rimfurbish

Rimfurbish
0121 525 2525
Matt Ball
£70 + VAT per wheel
£7.50 + VAT per wheel to strip and refit tyres
£30 + VAT total shipping (all journeys)


Lepsons
Alloy Wheel Refurbishment | Alloy Wheel Repair | Lepsons
01634 580582
£68 + VAT per wheel - 7 working days
£90 + VAT per wheel - Leave whole vehicle, 2 working days, booked solid for several weeks
Have samples in their showroom to decide whether their Diamond Cut is close enough to the existing wheels


Spit & Polish
Welcome to Spit and Polish - Alloy wheel refurbishing in Kent
01732 367771
£62 + VAT per wheel - 5 working days, or leave whole vehicle, 1.5 working days, booked solid for several weeks


Pristine Alloy Wheel Refurbishers
Home
01908 282628
 
Thanks all that is useful information. To be fair the local place that quoted has repaired some S3 alloys before to a high standard so it's just a case of finding 5-7 days when I can have the car off the road or go for the painted option. No rush so I will have a think about it.
 
Thanks all that is useful information. To be fair the local place that quoted has repaired some S3 alloys before to a high standard so it's just a case of finding 5-7 days when I can have the car off the road or go for the painted option. No rush so I will have a think about it.

I've just had my rear swapped with a new alloy I bought the other week from Stoke Audi (bit the bullet and bought a spare..£707...:jester:) as I kerbed it a couple of weeks ago and was umming and ahhing as to what to do...:tumble:

A1 wheels in Wolverhampton have my kerbed one and are going to diamond cut it, I'll post up pics when it comes back.

I've used them several times before and the results are always superb. :arco:
 
There is a very good place in Bridgend (Brackla industrial estate?) that does this sort of thing - they did a very good job on my old Clio Williams wheels, but that was back in 2004! Think they are still there, but I don't recall their name.
 
I got tyre and alloy wheel insurance for £300 for my rs3 can get 5 tyres over 3years and 2 wheels refurb a year I think mate worth looking into that
 
I have similar issue. Kerbed two of my diamond cut alloys on passenger side but dred ringing up and going through paperwork. Someone at work who TBH, a lot of stuff he tells people you have to take with a pinch of salt. He told me some places just replace the whole wheel even if there is not much damage if you have insurance as it doesn't cost you any more for a new wheel than to fix the old one. Not sure if I believe any of this. Have been told that generally tyres don't last long on RS3 so if true I might get them fixed when my tyres need replacing. This was from an A4 owner.
 
I have similar issue. Kerbed two of my diamond cut alloys on passenger side but dred ringing up and going through paperwork. Someone at work who TBH, a lot of stuff he tells people you have to take with a pinch of salt. He told me some places just replace the whole wheel even if there is not much damage if you have insurance as it doesn't cost you any more for a new wheel than to fix the old one. Not sure if I believe any of this. Have been told that generally tyres don't last long on RS3 so if true I might get them fixed when my tyres need replacing. This was from an A4 owner.
I would say that, on the whole, your work colleague is talking out of his a$$.. check the prices of a new genuine audi alloy - especially the diamond cut ones and you'll see they are a LOT more than the cost of repair! Never go into business with that guy - sounds like you'd lose a lot of money!! :)
 
They say diamond cuts can corrode easily.. particularly during the winter periods..

I'm thinking of having mind painted instead..
 
RenoWheel. Owner Steve. Has an S3 too! Not 100% sure he does diamond cut.

Renowheel


There is a very good place in Bridgend (Brackla industrial estate?) that does this sort of thing - they did a very good job on my old Clio Williams wheels, but that was back in 2004! Think they are still there, but I don't recall their name.
 
So for those of you wondering whether to go diamond cut (given the salt tarnishing etc.), if you were to go with paint instead of the diamond cut, what colour would you choose?

The reason I ask is that I find the rotor wheels look small. I changed to RS3 alloys as to my eyes the S3's 18's looked more like 17's, and 19's look like 18's. I don't know if it's because the spokes don't meet the outer edge of the rim with a defined edge, or whether it's something to do with the polished outer lip.

I have panther black paint, and the painted grey section of the rotor is quite a flat colour. I've seen aftermarket rotors and the grey on those is a glossed gunmetal colour which looks fresh but clearly 'aftermarket'.

Also I find the rotor wheels get very dirty / tarnished quite quickly (despite clay baring and a couple of coats of Jetseal 109).

I wondered with the black car whether a black spoke would work, but with black car paint on a black edition with tints it might look too gangster!

If you were looking to paint your rims would you go back for OEM with a silver painted (or maybe shadow chromed) outer rim, or for something else (maybe something to contrast the paint job of your car)?
 
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Thanks for the suggestions, I still haven't managed to get the repair done yet - due to the time the repair takes.

I'm weighing up the pro's (safety) and cons (storage) of a second set of alloys with some winter tyres and then get the repair done.

I did find a 'replica' 19" rotor wheel for £180 which is an alternative for use as a spare while the wheel is away for repair - but again I don't really want the wheel hanging around afterwards. I've run cars with 2 sets of wheels before and it's just more stuff to look after so I'm not sure - only really worth it for track cars imo.

I'd have happily paid a few ££ extra if Audi had a loan 19" wheel and they could have sorted the repair. I'm sure this happens often enough to make a loan wheel viable.

If I painted I'd go matt black with a red car, or as suggested just paint to the same colour scheme as OEM.
 
Thanks for the suggestions, I still haven't managed to get the repair done yet - due to the time the repair takes.

I'm weighing up the pro's (safety) and cons (storage) of a second set of alloys with some winter tyres and then get the repair done.

I did find a 'replica' 19" rotor wheel for £180 which is an alternative for use as a spare while the wheel is away for repair - but again I don't really want the wheel hanging around afterwards. I've run cars with 2 sets of wheels before and it's just more stuff to look after so I'm not sure - only really worth it for track cars imo.

I'd have happily paid a few ££ extra if Audi had a loan 19" wheel and they could have sorted the repair. I'm sure this happens often enough to make a loan wheel viable.

If I painted I'd go matt black with a red car, or as suggested just paint to the same colour scheme as OEM.

Hi Mark,

Who have you spoken to locally?
Speaking to Steve at Renowheel last night and he sends diamond cut repairs to Pristine which has 5-7day turn around but he's hopefully just about to get some spare RS3 warranty alloys in which could be used as loan wheels.
 
Hi Mark,

Who have you spoken to locally?
Speaking to Steve at Renowheel last night and he sends diamond cut repairs to Pristine which has 5-7day turn around but he's hopefully just about to get some spare RS3 warranty alloys in which could be used as loan wheels.

That's great I will give him a call, looks like we might have a solution at last.
 
I used pristine to repair and diamond cut my Bentley wheels and the did a great job.
 
They say diamond cuts can corrode easily.. particularly during the winter periods..

I'm thinking of having mind painted instead..


Ive had dozen of polished rims over the years and they have all ended up blown and looking horrible, never again, damn you road salt
 
First job with the RS3 is G-Techniq C5 and a couple of coats at that on the rims to protect them.
 
winter still wrecks them, i've got cut wheels on my s2000 and they still look mint after 4 summers

winter wheels are the way forward

as for 18"s not fitting over brakes..... what winter wheel package do audi offer for the rs3?
 
My son bought a 2010 Volkswagen Golf about 2 months ago and 2 of the wheels on one side are normal and the other 2 still have a diamond cut finish, obviously on one side both wheels have been repaired and put to standard, my son has just scratched his wheel on the previous repaired wheel, lucky it wasn't on the diamond cut side :0
 
Is there anyway to fix kerb marks yourself?

Or does anybody know any repairers in the Moray/Highland/Aberdeenshire area?
 
Mark, If you are passing Leeds let me know, I can lend you one of mine while you get yours repaired... as I don't use em
 
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Hey guys, just thought i would share the location of the place I got my wheels repaired after a small ding on my R8.
Place is in north london, a workshop called alloyworks
if you want their contact its on their site https://www.alloyworks.co.uk/
If you go there, tell then Hugh sent you from the forums.. they said they would give 10% discount

stay safe
Hugh
 

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Have taken a small lump out of one of my wheels, it's a tiny mark but gutting since it's the first mark on what was a flawless car! Does anyone know anyone in the Reading area that could sort it out? Many thanks.
 
Have taken a small lump out of one of my wheels, it's a tiny mark but gutting since it's the first mark on what was a flawless car! Does anyone know anyone in the Reading area that could sort it out? Many thanks.
not many shops doing diamond cut stuff in London..
send alloyworks.co.uk a photo of your damage and you will get a price..
 
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I've decided to live with the chip...for the moment...I'm hoping it'll be the last of the damage but it probably won't be!

However I'm now worried that the chip might open up the wheel to corrosion so I'm trying to find something to seal it. I use spray on sealant anyway but I'm looking for something a bit more resilient.

Googling alloy wheel lacquer seems to only present lacquer & paint - I don't really want paint, just something clear that I can literally dab on the chip.

Perhaps I'm over-worrying but does anyone have any ideas of what I can use?

Many thanks!
 
You should be able to get a clear lacquer touch up pot from likes of Halfords, that you can just touch/dab on. They normally come with a little brush attached inside to the lid.
 
Hi all, I'm looking for some help/advice getting one of my alloys repaired. It was the most annoying low speed curb catch on the rear passenger wheel and now needs to be repaired. I've managed to avoid this for years so its frustrating to find repair on these wheels is far from easy.

The diamond cut edge is causing a problem - local Audi dealer can't help, their repairer doesn't repair these, much the same story for many of the local wheel people.

Only one local independent alloy repair place has quoted and they it will take say 5-7 days as they have to send the wheel away. The trouble is with no spare the car is effectively off the road. They offered to switch for a set of A4 18" wheels for the repair but I can't imagine 18" wheels fit over the front caliper on the RS3 and I'm really not sure about running 19" front and 18" rear.

I can't imagine I'm the first person to curb a diamond cut wheel so any suggestions how to get a repair done or other repairers in the South Wales area that might be able help? Or is there another solution I'm not seeing?
 

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