Wheel Repair

[YamR1rider]

Get some fine grit sandpaper and metal polish and you can get these small scratches out. I had to do this with one of my Nogaro wheels. You can get some clear wheel paint if you want to cover the area.

Agree. I was able to wet/dry out some minor curb rash which was present when I bought my car. Then re-applied a light coat of clear. Can't tell it was ever there. But you do need a lot of patience and some level of DIY skill.

 

[SRGTD]

Hearing stories like this just refuels my hated of machined / diamond cut alloys.

VW seem to have an obsession of fitting these machined alloys to most of the performance models of their cars that they sell in the UK (Pretoria alloys on the Golf R being a notable exception). Wheels with a machined finish may have great appeal to some buyers when the car is sitting in the dealer’s showroom, but for me, there are too many downsides;

• They’re easily damaged by poorly maintained tyre changing equipment or inexperienced tyre fitters - as the OP has found out to their cost.
• The machined finish has low durability compared to a painted / powder coated finish. Because of the poor durability, they’re unsuitable for winter use in ‘traditional’ winter climates - any damage to the lacquered surface, and the salty water / slush on the roads gets under the lacquer, creating the onset of white worm corrosion, which can only be successfully removed by getting the wheel professionally refurbished. In the UK, many alloys with a machined finish succumb to white worm corrosion within 2-3 years if they’re on a car used as a daily driver.
• They cost more to refurbish than alloys with a traditional painted / powder coated finish - a top quality refurb of a machined wheel in the UK costs around £90+tax (currently 20%), total £108 incl tax, which roughly equivalent to $141 US. The chances are, the refurb will only last 2-3 years before the wheel needs a further refurb.
• Because the refurb process involves re-cutting the face of the wheel on a diamond cutting lathe and removing a layer of metal, there’s limit to how many times they can be refurbished (usually a maximum of two times), otherwise the structural integrity of the wheel can be compromised.

Given the choice, I’d never have machined alloys - I’d always have wheels with a painted / powder coated finish as they‘re more durable and easier to live with - especially on a car that’s used as a daily driver.

 

[Anthony3o55]

I went ahead and called a whole bunch of wheel repair shops here in South Florida. And Wow none of these places wanna do a minor touch up on this. They really want to machine the entire wheel

 

[SRGTD]

@Anthony3o55; that doesn’t really surprise me. Re-cutting / machining the whole face is the recognised / correct way to commercially refurbish a diamond cut / ‘machined’ wheel.

If the damage hasn’t gone through the lacquer clear coat, then as others have said, you may be able to polish the marks out. Fine grit wet and dry paper with plenty of water, followed by polishing with a mildly abrasive polish and re-lacquering may also work. However, if you rub too hard with the abrasive paper, or use a too abrasive grade of paper, or you don’t follow the direction of those fine circular machined marks on the wheel‘s spokes when rubbing down, there’s a high likelihood the repair will be noticeable as it will reflect the light differently to the undamaged sections. That’s why pretty much all reputable wheel repair shops won’t take on localised repairs to just the damaged areas on machined wheels - a high proportion of customers wouldn’t be happy with a localised repair if the repaired area was noticeable - and wheel repair shops would lose money on these repairs if they then had to do a full refurb at their expense, as the customer’s expectation would be they wouldn’t have to pay to correct an unsatisfactory repair.

So that makes another downside I should have included in the list in my previous post;

• Reputable wheel repair shops are unlikely to take on localised repairs to wheels with a machined finish, making repairing even minor damage expensive.

As said in my previous post, I have a hatred of these machined wheels; too many downsides IMO - poor durability, easily damaged and expensive to repair.

If a car I wanted to buy had machined wheels, it wouldn’t put me off buying the car, but without doubt, I would be changing the wheels very soon after getting the car.

 

[RennWerks]

Here's the deal. These are not painted. They're machined and clear coated. If you've gone through the clear coat, you can only do a mediocre repair. . .

I agree. Any attempt to hand-sand the damaged area (even with 800 grit) will simply mar more of the clearcoat.

Were I you, I'd touch up the scuffed area with clear fingernail polish and call it a day. It won't be perfect, but it will give you a "five-footer" repair that will be relatively inconspicuous.

 

[OldVWFan]

I messed one on my Nogaro wheels on a curb, went through clear coat. Hand sanded using 600 and 1000 grit sand paper, then finished using Mother's Mag & Aluminum polish. With this method I was not able to tell the difference between an original section of the wheel and the refinished area, but this is just my experience. You have to go slowly when sanding and use finer grit. It may take longer but you don't put big sanding Mark's on the wheel. You could try just using the polish first as it may do the trick if this is just a minor scuff.

 

[Genegenie]

I'm prob one of few folk who isn't a huge fan of alloy wheels, yeh they look cool but one teeny-tiny touch, even a gentle 'kiss', on kerbs and they can be totalled. Plus, it has to be said, compared to steel wheels (wheels of steel) shod with plastic wheel trims / covers, alloys weigh a ton....

 

[sandmangti]

Next time, find better shop.
Also tape the face of the wheel. Might help some.

 

[YamR1rider]

I messed one on my Nogaro wheels on a curb, went through clear coat. Hand sanded using 600 and 1000 grit sand paper, then finished using Mother's Mag & Aluminum polish. With this method I was not able to tell the difference between an original section of the wheel and the refinished area, but this is just my experience. You have to go slowly when sanding and use finer grit. It may take longer but you don't put big sanding Mark's on the wheel. You could try just using the polish first as it may do the trick if this is just a minor scuff.

Exactly how I did mine, then hit it with a very light coat of clear afterwards.

 

[PowerDemon]

Uhhh take it back to the shop that messed it up? Have you contacted them? You should not even be considering fixing them on your dime IMO. That’s ridiculous. If they can’t repair it to suit you they should buy you a replacement.

 

[Anthony3o55]

I got hooked up on the installed (was pretty much free) I aint stressing it. I already appreciate them doing the install. I was upset last week but Im learning to deal with it. Aint that noticeable unless you stare at it. Gonna try some of these methods you guys brought up to tone down the white scuff. Next time I install wheels Im definitely going somewhere else.

 

[Ridebjj]

Move that wheel to the passenger rear. Out of sight out of mind. Wheels get scuffed, c'est la vie.

 

[jimlloyd40]

I got hooked up on the installed (was pretty much free) I aint stressing it. I already appreciate them doing the install. I was upset last week but Im learning to deal with it. Aint that noticeable unless you stare at it. Gonna try some of these methods you guys brought up to tone down the white scuff. Next time I install wheels Im definitely going somewhere else.

I understand you got a good deal but you're being far too magnanimous.

 

[cezar]

Hearing stories like this just refuels my hated of machined / diamond cut alloys.

VW seem to have an obsession of fitting these machined alloys to most of the performance models of their cars that they sell in the UK (Pretoria alloys on the Golf R being a notable exception). Wheels with a machined finish may have great appeal to some buyers when the car is sitting in the dealer’s showroom, but for me, there are too many downsides;

• They’re easily damaged by poorly maintained tyre changing equipment or inexperienced tyre fitters - as the OP has found out to their cost.
• The machined finish has low durability compared to a painted / powder coated finish. Because of the poor durability, they’re unsuitable for winter use in ‘traditional’ winter climates - any damage to the lacquered surface, and the salty water / slush on the roads gets under the lacquer, creating the onset of white worm corrosion, which can only be successfully removed by getting the wheel professionally refurbished. In the UK, many alloys with a machined finish succumb to white worm corrosion within 2-3 years if they’re on a car used as a daily driver.
• They cost more to refurbish than alloys with a traditional painted / powder coated finish - a top quality refurb of a machined wheel in the UK costs around £90+tax (currently 20%), total £108 incl tax, which roughly equivalent to $141 US. The chances are, the refurb will only last 2-3 years before the wheel needs a further refurb.
• Because the refurb process involves re-cutting the face of the wheel on a diamond cutting lathe and removing a layer of metal, there’s limit to how many times they can be refurbished (usually a maximum of two times), otherwise the structural integrity of the wheel can be compromised.

Given the choice, I’d never have machined alloys - I’d always have wheels with a painted / powder coated finish as they‘re more durable and easier to live with - especially on a car that’s used as a daily driver.

110000% agree. Diamond cut alloys are fucking trash. They look cheap and they hold up poorly.

OP I went through the same thing with a tire shop. I ended up having to have the wheels sent off to a specialist because nobody would touch them. Total cost, with rental car for a week, was like 1500 or so.

The tire shop did NOT want to pay, they insisted it wasn't them. I handed the GM a binder with meticulous documentation and asked him nicely to pay. He told me to get lost. I told him I was going to file suit. He smirked at me and said "good luck"

Long story short I won the small claims suit, but it was a huuuuuge pain in the ass to deal with and took several months to resolve. In the end all worth it, not for the refinished wheels, but for wiping that smirk off the GM's face.

 

[jimlloyd40]

110000% agree. Diamond cut alloys are fucking trash. They look cheap and they hold up poorly.

OP I went through the same thing with a tire shop. I ended up having to have the wheels sent off to a specialist because nobody would touch them. Total cost, with rental car for a week, was like 1500 or so.

The tire shop did NOT want to pay, they insisted it wasn't them. I handed the GM a binder with meticulous documentation and asked him nicely to pay. He told me to get lost. I told him I was going to file suit. He smirked at me and said "good luck"

Long story short I won the small claims suit, but it was a huuuuuge pain in the ass to deal with and took several months to resolve. In the end all worth it, not for the refinished wheels, but for wiping that smirk off the GM's face.

Nothing better than justice.