DAMAGE & SAFETY GUIDE
Kerbing an alloy wheel is one of the most frustrating experiences for any driver.
Kerbing an alloy wheel is one of the most frustrating experiences for any driver. That awful grinding sound usually means your pristine wheels are now scarred with deep gouges. But how much does it actually cost to fix? The answer depends entirely on two factors: the type of finish your wheel currently has (painted vs. diamond cut), and the repair methodology you choose (a temporary mobile ‘smart repair’ vs. a full factory workshop refurbishment). Understanding these differences will save you money and prevent you from paying twice when a cheap repair inevitably fails.
The entire wheel is covered in a uniform colour (silver, black, anthracite) and sealed with a clear coat. These are the most straightforward and cost-effective to repair.
Identified by a highly polished, CD-like shiny metal face with painted darker inserts. These require specialist CNC lathe machining to repair correctly.
Wheels bolted together in two or three sections. These require complete dismantling, individual part refurbishment, and resealing. The most expensive to fix.
A specialist finish where a dark base coat is lightly misted with silver to create a deep, shadow effect. Requires highly skilled application.
Require specific flattening agents in the clear lacquer. Spot repairs are nearly impossible as the sheen level will never match perfectly.
Rare, ultra-lightweight wheels found on supercars. Require highly specialised, low-temperature processing to avoid catastrophic metallurgical failure.
A man in a van sands the kerbed area on your driveway, masks the tyre with playing cards, and spray-paints just the damaged section. Cost: £80-£90.
Because the wheel isn't chemically stripped or oven-cured, the new paint sits on top of road grime and old lacquer. It will peel and flake within months.
The tyre is removed. The wheel is taken back to bare metal, media-blasted, kerb damage is machined out, and it is fully powder-coated and baked at 200°C.
A full, factory-grade powder coat refurbishment typically costs circa £80.00 per wheel, depending on size. It will last for years.
Because it requires precision CNC lathe machining after powder coating, diamond cutting costs circa £110 per wheel.
Paying for a mobile repair that peels in winter is false economy. Paying £90 for a permanent, oven-cured workshop finish is the smart investment.
While most kerb damage is purely cosmetic, severe impacts against high kerbs can cause structural issues. If a kerb impact has gouged deeply into the rim edge, it can compromise the tyre bead seal, leading to slow punctures. More importantly, the force required to deeply gouge an alloy is often enough to knock the wheel out of alignment or cause a hidden flat spot on the inner barrel. When your wheels arrive at our workshop for cosmetic repair, we always spin them on a balancer first to ensure they are structurally sound and safe for highway use.
Yes. If the kerb damage is very deep, sanding it out would change the shape of the wheel rim. Instead, we TIG weld fresh aluminium into the gouge, and then machine it back to the perfect original profile before painting.
If you have standard silver or gloss black wheels, we can usually colour-match a single wheel perfectly. However, for specialist finishes like Shadow Chrome or custom mixed colours, we recommend refurbishing wheels in pairs (both front or both rear) to ensure a close match.
A full acid-strip and powder-coat refurbishment typically takes 2 to 3 working days. We offer a secure facility where your car can be left on axle stands while the work is completed.
Yes. Our full powder-coating process replicates the method used by OEM wheel manufacturers. The finish is baked on, making it incredibly resilient to stone chips, brake dust, and road salt.
Don’t waste money on temporary driveway touch-ups. Get a permanent, factory-grade repair at our Cornwall workshop.
