Advanced options
0 if included in the quote; GBP 10-15 if charged
The diamond-cut catch: that machined-bright factory finish can only be re-cut a limited number of times (each pass shaves metal: 2-3 recuts is the usual lifetime), and it corrodes faster than paint once the lacquer's breached: many owners convert to full powder coat on the second refurb and stop the cycle. Powder coat is the durability king: baked on, kerb-resistant, any colour. Refurb before selling the car: 4 tidy wheels add more than they cost at valuation, and scuffed alloys are the first thing buyers point at.
What The Alloy Wheel Refurb Calculator Works Out
- Refurb total: the number of wheels multiplied by the per-wheel price for your finish. The trade's ladder runs from GBP 45-60 for a mobile smart repair of a kerb scuff, through GBP 70-100 for full off-car powder coating, to GBP 100-140 for diamond-cut re-facing on a lathe.
- vs replacement: the same number of new OEM wheels at GBP 200-400 each, and the saving the refurb makes, typically 60-80%. A straight refurbished original beats a salvage-market wheel whose buckle and weld history nobody documents.
- Choosing the finish: smart-repair one or two scuffed wheels, powder coat the whole set for corrosion or a colour change, and diamond cut only a wheel that is diamond cut now. Each re-cut shaves metal, so 2-3 recuts is a wheel's usual lifetime before it has to be converted to paint.
- Wheel size surcharge (advanced): most refurbishers price up to 18 inch as standard and add GBP 10-25 a wheel for larger diameters, which take more material and more time on the lathe.
- Tyre removal, refit and balance (advanced): off-car refurbs need the tyres off and back on. Many quotes include it; others charge GBP 10-15 a wheel. New valves and TPMS sensor care are the usual extras, with collection or courtesy wheels if you cannot leave the car.
- All-in cost and per wheel (advanced): finish plus size surcharge plus tyre work plus extras, in total and per wheel, and as a percentage of a new wheel so quotes can be compared like for like.
- vs used wheels (advanced): a breaker's price for matching OEM wheels, typically GBP 60-150 each, against the all-in refurb. Used wheels can be cheaper but arrive with no finish warranty and an unknown history of kerbs and potholes.
- Net cost after resale uplift (advanced): the all-in cost minus what four tidy wheels add to the car's sale price. Scuffed alloys are the buyer's first negotiating point, and the uplift at valuation often exceeds the cost of the refurb.
- Cost per year of tidy wheels (advanced): the all-in cost spread over how long the finish should last. Powder coat typically lasts 5-10 years, painted repairs 3-5 and diamond cut 2-4 before the lacquer breaches and corrosion starts.