Refurbishing alloys or new?

In message , Leppikins writes

I am ready to get my 1998 slk alloys redone.

A friend has recommended a refurbisher / re-polisher 'Renowheels' in Bridgend South Wales, who will do my slk alloys for £75 each. The friend was delighted at the quality of finish on his Porche alloys he had done with them. The finish will be a metal flake painted finish on my alloy, since re-lacquering the wheels leads to the return of peeling that affected them in the first place. Maybe the will recommend polishing other designs

Highly recommended

Try Renowheels. co.uk on the net or ring 01656 756993

All they need are the wheels delivered, minus tyres. I have to sort out how to borrow a set of wheels so I can send mine in. Any suggestions where I can buy or borrow a set of cheap wheels/tyres?

Owen Jones

If it's just cosmetic damage you can strip and paint them - costs maybe $300 to have it done. New alloys are at the cheapest, $600 for a set NOS:

If there's damage other than cosmetic then I'm not convinnced they'll ever be right again; you could find a good used set...

My suspicion is that you probably need new rims. If the integrity of your rims is intact, then it's certainly more sensible to haul them down to a body shop and have them repainted to look like new. In your case however, the involvement of your insurance company leads me to believe that some damage has occurred. A good compromise might be to simply pick up new aftermarket look-alike rims. They are widely available and considerably less expensive than their counterparts at the dealership.

Ron

A good compromise might be to simply pick up new aftermarket look-alike rims. They are widely available and considerably less expensive than their counterparts at the dealership. ____________________________________________ You can get factory knock-offs for around $150 or sometimes less per wheel. They will look like the original MB wheel but they are made of steel, not alloys. Stay away from chrome wheels if you are keeping the car long term as the chrome around the rim edge will rust and slow air leaks will begin. Then you have to junk the wheels and start over again.

I had a 17" alloy that had been damaged by a pothole and had a slow rim leak that persisted despite re-mounting the tire three times. I was told by several shops that it was not fixable, but Keystone Automotive in Chicago said they could do it. They straightened it and refinished it for $150 (if I recall correctly) and it's been like new ever since. They also picked it up and delivered it to my door for free (tire still on the rim) and the job was done in a couple of days. This is an aftermarket (Borbet) wheel. Highly recommended.

Bill Balmer

many thanx everyone :)