Diamond cutting,
done here
Most refurbishers send diamond-cut work out and it comes back a week later. We bought the lathe first, so it happens in our unit on the day we say.
Book a re-cut
60 seconds
There is a limit, and we measure it
Every diamond cut removes metal from the face. A wheel has a finite number of cuts in it, and pretending otherwise is how people end up with something structurally marginal.
We measure the remaining thickness before quoting. Most wheels will take three or four cuts across their life; some manufacturers specify fewer. If yours is at the limit, the answer is a painted or powder-coated finish rather than one more skim.
Where there is metal to work with, the process is: strip the old lacquer, cut the face back on the lathe until the corrosion is gone, then re-lacquer and cure. The turned grain comes back because it is machined, not sprayed.
The reason it adds a day is curing. Lacquer has to be fully hard before a wheel goes near the lathe for finishing, and rushing that is how you get a face that clouds within months.
What comes with it
Everything below is in the quoted figure. Where a price elsewhere is lower, these are usually the lines missing from it.
Thickness measured
Before we quote, so you know how many cuts the wheel has left.
Cut in house
On our lathe, in our unit, on the day we agreed.
Corrosion removed
Not lacquered over. The white worm is machined away.
Sealed properly
The lacquer is what failed last time. This is where the care goes.
An honest no
If the wheel is at its limit, we say so and offer the alternative.
Twelve months
On finish and adhesion, as with everything else.
The figures
These are the standard rates. The quote you get back against a photograph is the actual figure, and it does not move after booking.
We refuse wheels that have been cut to the limit. There is no charge for finding that out, and we will tell you what a painted finish would cost instead.
How the job runs
Photo and quote
Straight on to the face, in daylight. We can usually see the state of it from that.
Collected
Loan wheels fitted at your door so the car stays on the road.
Measured
Remaining face thickness checked against the limit before any cutting.
Stripped and cut
Old lacquer off, face machined back until the corrosion is gone.
Lacquered and cured
Fully cured before finishing, which is what the extra day is for.
Back on the car
Tyres refitted, balanced, torqued and the warranty emailed.
Before you book
How many times can a wheel be cut?
Typically three or four across its life, though some manufacturers allow fewer. It depends on how much was taken each time.
We measure rather than guess, and we will tell you where yours sits.
Can you match a diamond-cut wheel with paint?
Not convincingly. The brightness comes from machined metal under clear lacquer, and a spray gun cannot reproduce it. If only one wheel is damaged, that is worth knowing before you decide.
Why does it take an extra day?
Lacquer has to cure fully before the wheel is finished. Rushing it produces a face that clouds within months, and we would rather have the wheel a day longer.
What is white worm?
Corrosion spreading under the lacquer from the rim edge, showing as a pale branching bloom. It is the most common reason wheels come to us for cutting. There is a fuller explanation on the advice pages.
Cutting for the whole patch
The lathe is at the unit, so every diamond-cut job is a collection. That is included wherever you are.
