DaveK

Maybe I expect too much......

In May, I had my wheels refurbed as part of a service. I got it done then because I've been meaning to do it for ages (literally years) but never got around to taking all my wheels off at once.

It was expensive - I was told I could have them refurbed for about £250, or I could pay £400 and have them done properly / baked in an oven, or I could have them powder coated.

I didn't want powder coating, but went for the £400 option. When I got the service bill back - which was expensive anyway due to a new clutch - I wasn't that happy to find I'd also paid £40 for the wheels to be removed, balanced and refitted. But - such is life - nothing is free.

However - I've just had my two front wheels off to investigate my problem with vibration under braking. I was slighly surprised (and very pissed off) to find that my £400 refurbed wheels are only refurbed on the outside. On the inside they are - technically - grey undercoat. I'm sure it's very posh grey undercoat - but it's still matt grey paint, and it's not the same silver / aluminium paint that the outside of the wheels are.

Clearly they had my best interests at heart - because I now only have to clean the outside of the wheels. Am I expecting too much? I think I've been ripped off - and I am planning to call Machtec tomorrow since they did the service - and can hardly have failed to notice when they refitted the wheels. But I just want to check I'm not being unreasonable. What do the inside of your wheels look like?

DarrylH

I believe factory wheels are finished to a lower standard inside than out. No clear coat, not quite the same colour, kinda roughish, or at least mine are. I think this is normal.

Bearclaw

This has been the case on every OEM alloy wheel I've ever had from any manufacturer.

Indycam

I think my unrefurbed D90s are just like that . Nice looking paint on one side and dull gray on the other.
I don't know what wheels you have ....
If they are D90s , that might be what refurbs look like .

warmfuzzies

none of my wheels have been finished on the inside as they look on the outside, That's why I did things myself.......

kevin.

DaveK

Hmm - It seems I am being unreasonable then.

When I get my car repainted at some point I can now save some money : "just do the bits I can see mate........"

C4-JohnO

I dont think its unreasonable to have them finished at £400 but if thats what they think is finished then your stuck.

Would be alot easier to clean then if they have that slippery clear coat on the inners?

C4-JohnO

Kevin

What sort of process are we talking about and how did you strip the wheels?

Can I assume that at £400 they have been shot blasted?

McJohn

I had a set of wheels done for my Beetle locally, at a cost of £35 per wheel, and they were shot blasted and powder coat finished to the same standard both inside and out. A first rate job too, and three years on there isn't a mark on them.

For £400, I'd expect them gold plated!

John H

warmfuzzies

John,

I used paint stripper and scotch pads, plus lots of elbow grease................

When I enquired with the mobile wonder wheels service@ 45/wheel, he said he paint what ever I wanted......inside and out with lacquer finishing.......

Kevin.

last toy

No sense getting the insides that shinny as thay will just get covered with brake dust, which will eventually dull any surface. I suppose if you were going to show your car in a Concourse D'elegance then the whole wheel should be refinished. I would ask the shop if that was there intention before assuming you paid too much or call a competitor and see what they charge for complete restoration in and out. The question is, did they do a good job on the outside.

IanUK

Seeing as Pristine near Milton Keynes charge about £80 per wheel for a full refurb of Cup1s/Cup2s and this includes both inside and out to a very high standard then I don't think you got best value on your refurbs. I have had wheels done by them and they do a superb job.

Having the insides shiney and laquered makes them much easier to clean when you do take the wheels off.

Ian.

LeRoux Strydom

My wheels were stripped and re-painted to the same finish inside & outside. The smooth inner surface actually helps to keep it clean.

For 400 quid I would expect nothing less.

SimonExtreme

My understanding is that your wheels have been restored correctly. The people who have the insides restored to the same standard as the outside of the wheels might have nce wheels, but its not, I believe, original.

I am about to get my RS magnesium wheels done and there I don't have a lot of choice who I go to as they need to be specially processed. I will be paying about £100 per wheel.

DaveK

I asked for refurbished.

As far as I can tell from the replies, my wheels are what is generally considered the norm and as a result I have no intention of raising it as a problem.

Personally - I think it's pretty crap and it's not what I expected. It also surprises me that when I asked about wheel cleaning a couple of months ago, several people said they took their wheels off periodically to clean the inside and I'm now wondering why they bother.

It doesn't make a huge amount of difference since I can't generally see the inside of the wheels anyway - I'm just surprised that's how it's done.