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Fear of Damaging Diamond Cut Alloys

21K views 46 replies 21 participants last post by  Bluehdi 
#1 ·
Call me paranoid but having been knocked £55 for slight kerb damage to one of my alloys when I sold my Focus today, I am now a little concerned about damaging the diamond cut alloys on my forthcoming 3008 GT.
Firstly the rims are a little bit nearer the kerb with the 19” wheels and secondly my wife will be driving the car a little bit more often so I can envisage a few arguments if the wheels do get damaged.
I’ve been noticing alloy wheels quite a lot recently and the diamond cut ones look particularly bad when they are damaged. I wondered about some sort of rim protection and the ones I have seen on the internet look a bit naff. Then there’s alloy wheel insurance but I haven’t really looked into the cost of this and its overall value for money. Alternatively I can drive around in fear of damaging my wheels , parking a good distance from the kerb to be on the safe side and have the chance of the car being clipped by a passing vehicle.
Maybe I should have gone for automated parking assistance but having never used it on my Focus I felt it not worth the money. Thinking about it the £450 saved might pay for the insurance or a new wheel!
Anyone have any views apart from being such a perfect driver they would never scuff their wheels anyway?
 
#2 ·
I'd just drive the car and enjoy it mate and worry about alloy wheel scuffs when you come to sell it. Companies out there repair diamond cut alloy wheels and I myself have to get the wheels on my current Kia repaired before it goes back otherwise they'll charge me their prices for the repairs or even a new rim.

It's like that thing where people buy a car and then cover their sexy new seats with aftermarket seat covers to protect them. I just don't get it! Why would you keep the seats protected for the next owner?
 
#3 ·
I think its par for the course when driving your going to rub up against a kerb sooner or later how ever careful you are I know sooner or later mine will get scuffed I'll deal with it when it happens probably swear not going to worry or get paranoid though. No idea about insuring against it its probably full of clauses like one claim per year or something.
 
#6 ·
Diamond cuts are a pain, and usually require the wheel to be sent away for a few days. If mine get scuffed I'm going to have them treated and painted, which will make future repairs much cheaper, and less of a headache. PDR guy told me to be more worried about the chrome strip that runs above the sill, because that can't be repaired, and if it gets damaged, needs to be replaced. Not cheap either apparently!!
 
#7 ·
There's a product called Alloygator that you can fit but its not cheap. I priced a set locally and including fitting it came to £130. You can fit them yourself but it's a lot of hassle as you have to deflate the tyre to fit them.
 
#8 ·
I just had the diamond cut alloys on my ds5 refurbed. This involves sandblasting, then powder coating, cutting the surface back on a lathe before finally lacquering them. This cost 100quid per wheel and they look brand new.

Problem with diamond cut wheels is that you can end up needing them refurbed after a few years even if you don't curb them, as stonechips will penetrate the lacquer, and then even a pin headed size hole is enough to let water in which kicks off the surface corrosion that will spread across the wheel.

I swore I'd never have them again after the last two cars, but theres no real choice on the 3008. On the upside, my ds5 had 19 x 40 tyres so alloy edge was much more vulnerable. The 3008 has 50 profile tyres so a lot more sidewall. I went for the grip control purely to get smaller alloys and hence a more comfortable ride and less risk of damage. With a low profile you can damage the alloy edges easily in potholes as the tyre moves away from the alloy when pinched exposing it to damage.
 
#9 ·
There have been some horror stories about those alloygators. As you say, they have to be fitted properly, because if they become detached at high speed, they can cause a lot of damage to paintwork and trim. They are quite expensive too, and once you've damaged one, you have to fork out for a whole new kit just to replace the damaged one. Probably cheaper in the long run to just accumulate scuffs, and get the whole lot done at once. That's if you can live with the damage for a while.
 
#12 ·
Wheel scuffs irritate me.
I had the diamond cut 19s on my 508 refurbished at over £300.
My rcz is due one too, although they aren't diamond cut so hopefully I'll be looking at half that cost.

Sent from my Vodafone Smart ultra 6 using Tapatalk
 
#13 ·
I have alloygators on my current car and have not had any problems with them, even with a puncture. Can't decide whether to go for them again for under £120 or go for insurance from totallossgap for £170 where you can have about three claims per year. Only proviso is that you claim as soon after the damage as possible. Chosen full alloy spare wheel for only £100. Car pick up pencilled in for next Wednesday, so decisions soon.

1.2 Allure manual, blue keyless
 
#14 ·
I don’t think alloygators are suitable for the 3008 wheels, GT at least, because the tyres cover and protrude past the rim so it’s protected from kerb scuffs. It is the spokes you need to worry about and I’m not sure if there is a way of protecting them other than parking well away from the kerb or by taking out wheel insurance.
 
#17 ·
I looked into this and couldn't find any alloy wheel insurance companies that would cover repair of diamond cut alloys - only standard alloys. The small print of all the policies specifically stated 'excludes diamond cut'.

Having just removed four badly kerbed diamond cut alloys from my 64 plate Clio, I decided to replace them all at massive cost from Renault and sell the old ones! The car looks great now, although I clean them weekly, to hopefully avoid corrosion.

I tried to find out about refurbing the kerbed diamond cuts, and after inspecting the alloys, was advised it could be done, but at least £80 plus vat each wheel and no guarantee could be given as the lacquer is easily stone chipped and would then allow corrosion in and I'd be back to square one. Put me off really, so the old ones are for sale online

I found a company called Lepsons that would guarantee their repair.

I now just treat kerbs with a great deal of care!
 
#18 ·
Diamond cuts look nice, but they are a real pain if you do kerb them. The repair guy told me he recommends having them stripped and painted, as it's far cheaper to repair them if they get kerbed again, and a lot less inconvenient. He said if painted and finished professionally, they look just as good as the diamond cut finish.
 
#20 ·
Policy Explanation

With a Total Loss Alloy Wheel Policy you can...


1. Make up to 4 claims per 12 month period.


2. It will Inc damage to painted, diamond or laser cut alloys.


3. £150 contribution to a replacement if the alloy is beyond repair.


4. Mobile repairer to you home or work.


5. If a factory refurb required then alloy sent by courier at no charge.

Please note that there is a £10.00 excess to pay per claim.



1.2 Allure manual, blue keyless
 
#21 ·
Many thanks for that. I'll look into the Totallossgap company.
 
#22 ·
Just to keep this post alive. I am just about to have all 4 18 inch diamond cut alloy wheels on my leased Kia repaired before it goes back to the lease company and a local place have quoted £110+VAT per wheel for repair so a total of £528 inc VAT. which was a bit of a shock if I'm honest as was told by a dent repair specialist to expect £75 inc VAT per corner and he recommended the company who quoted me. So if like me you are in a 3008 GT and are on 19's it could be very pricey indeed. I'm now looking at Total Loss Gap's diamond cut wheel insurance for the 3008 now as it will work out cheaper in the long run. https://totallossgap.co.uk/alloy-wheel-insurance-inc-diamond-laser-cut/819
 
#24 ·
I am going to have my alloys stripped of the diamond cut finish and professionally painted when they need refurbishing. The painted finish looks great, and is much cheaper to repair, but not an option I guess if leasing. My wheel refurb guy says the trend towards diamond cut is a real pain, and horrendously time consuming and expensive.
 
#25 ·
Typically resurfacing a diamond cut alloy is around the £125 price point and given the setup and time needed for a perfect finish is about right. Stripping, repairing and powder coat is approx half that price....

You pay your money and take your choice I guess.

Not sure how well a mobile refurb service would cope given the size of the lathe they would need to do a proper..

And also seems you have to have owned the car from new for less than 30 days....
 
#26 ·
Don't ask why, but I spent over £1000 at my Renault dealer recently, replacing the four badly kerbed diamond cuts alloys on my Renault Clio with brand new alloys and centre caps. Additionally I had to pay to get a tyre place to very carefully fit the tyres onto the new alloys! The old alloys are still in storage. The wheels of course now look fab. I chose this route because I couldn't seem to find anywhere that could do repairs at home (due to needing diamond cut CNC etc). Also, I couldn't find anywhere that offered insurance, until now.

I was quoted £80 + VAT for each diamond cut alloy repair for refurb and to allow a week to two weeks with the wheels left with them. I would have then been without a car as I had no spare wheel. They also said there was no guarantee given with diamond cut alloys either, as stone chips can cause water corrosion!

Although they look lovely, I think a lot of damage occurs with diamond cut alloys with chemical treatments used by cleaning places, pressure washers and general lack of alloy cleaning, leading to corrosion. I now hand wash the alloys every week using Autoglym Bodywork Shampoo, even if I don't clean the rest of the car.

In a few months, my 3008 will be my only car (as my Clio will go elsewhere in the family), and as my car isn't 30 days old yet and fitted with the 19" diamond cuts, I think I'm going to go ahead with the Totallossgap policy which seems to be very good, reading the small print. Amazingly, they allow 12 claims over a 3 year period for £189.13.

Totallossgap look like their accredited with the Danish FCA, but I'm not sure about the UK? Anyone else use them and/or are they OK?
 
#28 ·
Have contacted them by phone and they are accredited with the FCA in the UK (their phone gives you this as the opening line).

Can't establish who in 'their network of mobile repairers' they use in the UK, so still a bit unsure.

Apparently repairs are guaranteed for two years as well?

Decisions, decisions... :confused:
 
#30 ·
You don't happen to have any before and after pics do you buddy? I'm about an hour and a half from Grimsby and he's just quoted £330 for my 18's all inclusive so with a saving of £200 it's worth the drive across twice.
 
#32 ·
I did in fact take out this three year alloy/diamond cut wheel policy on my 3008, just before the 30 day cut off. Thanks for the heads up with what seems to be the only policy around that covers diamond cut wheels.

I'll reserve judgment until I have to claim (hopefully not) to see what the service is like.

My car must be the most insured car on the road, alongside my GAP and tyre insurance!
 
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