Diamond Cut Alloy Wheel Corrosion & Scratched - Cleaning and Repair - ( DIY Fix )

[@olliehaycock9718]

Great video, considering doing something similar to my diamond cut wheels which have similar issues. I'm worried about getting good adhesion to the bare metal - I'd be interested to know how your lacquer is holding up after 9 months?

[@mrix]

Hi Ollie, thanks for the reply, sorry I completely missed it, I have recently checked the wheel I refurbished and its now started to get its corrosion back, I have decided to now go down the power coat route and its being done next week so there will be another update video coming next week, thanks for the reply, mrix

[@olliehaycock9718]

​I ended up doing spot repairs on mine, rather than redoing the whole wheel. I decided to put the car on axle stands and take the wheels off to make like a bit easier! I masked up the wheels and tyres, then sanded off the old lacquer, extending about 1 inch each side of the damaged areas, then smoothed the area up to 3000 grit. I used some adhesion promoter on the bare metal (Pro XL Pro Grip), followed by a few coats of 2K lacquer (Pro XL 2K Clear), then machine polished to a shine a few days later. Up close, the repaired areas are noticeable, as the texture of the metal is different, but from a few paces away is looks Ok to me, and other people have said that they can't tell (maybe they are being polite). My repairs are holding up OK 4 months later, but I do have some new white corrosion elsewhere on the wheels. I guess that getting through the winter with all the salt on the roads will be the real test! I've decided that as nice as diamond cuts look, they are a complete pain in the backside and I'd avoid them on my next car!

[@mrix]

@@olliehaycock9718 Hi Ollie, well done of giving it a go! I suppose now the question is now, how long will it last ? for me not as long as I would of liked hence I am now going down the powder coat route, I was going to get them re-diamond cut but decided a change of colour would be different and for the price seemed like a good idea, anyway it remains to be seen what my wheels look like Powder coated gloss black but its all booked in! thanks for the swift reply, I think the same on the next car Diamond cut wheels is off the menu ha ha, mrix

[@lars5695]

Wear goggles, a properly rated mask, and stay upwind while spraying. Use glass (not plastic) to contain corrosive chemicals. Buy bottled products if spray is not needed.

[@johnjardine5577]

​@@olliehaycock9718 p by

[@pgVeritas]

You’re a brave man and I appreciate you risking your wheels for us. My motorbike has diamond cut wheels and the same thing has happened. I’ve just ordered a torque wrench so I can get everything back on. The wheels have to come off a bike because if the way the brakes are. However, your video with your tips and the comments it’s generated have inspired me……I’ll send you the bill if it goes wrong…..🤣

[@mrix]

All the very best of luck with your motor cycle wheels, I eventually had a really great price deal on powder coating so opted for that in the end, my wheels are all now black.... mrix

[@Kargol48]

Great to see people having a go at home fixes. Been there myself with alloy repairs. Can only reiterate how much easier repair/correction is when the wheel has been removed, and never forget that a Dremel is your friend! My 'mate' watched me struggle with the first wheel (MB SLK R170), before sharing the Dremel nugget. The next three were ten times quicker with much better results! Used P800, P1200 and P2000 before buffing with the dremel and Autosol. Obtained a near mirror finish which was then 'brushed' with a scotchbrite pad, degreased and then sealed. Managed a very respectable finish. Hope this is of some use going forward.

[@StagArmslower]

Yeah, Dremel has rubberised bob with fine abrasive. I would start with corrosion affected places and than blend with wet sandpaper maybe even 0000 steel wool

[@mrix]

Interesting tips, will have another go when I am out of the virus lockdown! thanks for the idea`s, mrix

[@Burstpipe]

Great video. I have some milky spots on my already refurbed 911 wheels. I was with you until you had to get the sandpaper out. At that point I had mentally bailed out since I wouldn’t want to lose the radial diamond cut lines. Add to that the oven cooking that they do in a refurb and this has told me to avoid. So glad you were willing to have a go and share the result.

[@mrix]

Hi Roger, eventually I decided to have my wheels powder coated black, its such a durable finish and it looks great, so very pleased with the outcome, I think the price was also reasonable at £360, I also had a hire car thrown in for Free which I had for 2 days, will certainly have it done again if I end up in a similar situation, mrix

[@nigelarthur1281]

Great video thanks, I need to do this and have learned some useful tips! Cheers

[@mrix]

Hi Nigel, I have since gone down the power costing route which I am hugely happy with, my wheels now have a baked on gloss black coating which looks brilliant... they cost me £300 to have done... just another option... all the best.... mrix

[@khbg12006]

Appreciate the effect, same on my wife's Peugeot, nice to see a someone giving it a go, properly try what you said working from 400 to 1200

[@mrix]

Yes exactly what I will be doing on the other wheel, 400 to 1200 should do a very good job!, best of luck with yours, thanks mrix

[@squidgyblack3321]

mrix nice job , I’m looking to do this too but where the heck did you buy vht strip fast from here in UK? I can’t seem to find it? Also can I ask how are the wheels looking now after a tough winter we had.... many thanks in advance

[@seanjones2456]

9:52 "High quality, its a Mercedes." Scotty Kilmer just spit out his coffee! Ha ha

[@mrix]

So I guess you are not a fan of them, ha ha ha, mrix

[@jaworq]

The Recipe is: you need to wipe off every scratch with sand paper (I used for my deeper scratches 120(dry) > 320(dry) > 500(wet) > 800 (wet) > 1000 (wet) > 2000(wet) ), then polish it to 'mirror' effect with Autosol for Aluminium or Metal, degrease it and then spray it when it's completely dry. I suggest to use hands only. Do NOT use any machines for that because you can make it even worse. Alloy wheels are very soft.

[@mrix]

Yes good points made, the trouble is these have the grooves from being diamond cut which makes the process far more difficult, thanks for the reply.....mrix

[@stephenswindle3839]

When you’re doing your wet and dry sanding process for curb rash or scratches, work from lowest grit to ultra fine grit until you get out all the scratches from previous grits from lowest grit to ultra fine grit and before you put on the clearcoat you should take some polishing compound especially made for alloy wheels and Polish the wheel to bring the finish up to the factory standard shine or (luster) before putting on the clearcoat that is the step-by-step process to achieving a professional result!! 😁😎☮️🙏

[@stephenswindle3839]

Add another tip in the process if you’re going to clearcoat the entire wheel which would be best done with the wheel removed from the vehicle is to once your scratch repair or curb rash repair is complete is to scuff up the entire wheel and remaining clearcoat if any remains with a scotch brute pad so that the clearcoat can adhere better to the wheel.😁🤓😉

[@grego15]

I'm not sure that would be great because usually the metal part has a very fine brushed quality to it. My rims have a parallel straight brushing pattern that looks really nice once the clear clue is on top and they kind of have a hologram effect. If you scratch it up with Scotchbrite you just ruined all of that, no?

[@normanboyes4983]

Very interesting thank you for posting. I realise this was a while ago now but do you think that after wet and dry you would have got a better result if you then spent time polishing with auto solvol?

[@mrix]

Actually the results would of been much better if I had used harsher grades from the start and worked back through the grades which would of saved me so much time and the finish would of been so much better, then yes at the end spending a bit more time using the polish as you say, mrix

[@gainmaster1]

thanks for video, my wheels are going same way

[@mrix]

Hello yes it's very annoying isn't it, having to pay such large amounts to have more diamond cutting done!, I have been very happy with what I achieved which cost me about £25, obviously a fair amount of labour time, there is actually another cheaper option at these wheel refurbishing places where you can get your wheel blacked with a type of very hard coating, they explained it gives a really nice agressive look to the wheels which sounded cool, I may go down that route as a white car and black wheels does look good, I am also going to try some custom parts when the weather warms up! and we ste allowed outside, thanks for the reply, mrix

[@manishg214]

I used wire wool to scrub off the corrosion and re lacquered. Not 100% but much better then before.

[@lachojski2005]

The reason that they have gone milky with corrosion is because these wheels have already been Re diamond cut before (look how wide the spokes are and compare them to a brand new set) and most probably not been done correctly.they look like they have had a hard cut which leaves the edge jagged and lacquer chips off it easily.

[@mrix]

You could possibly be correct but when I got the car it was only 3 years old and I have not had them re-cut, would they of needed diamond cutting after just three years ? not sure... thanks for the reply mrix

[@lachojski2005]

At 14.09 mins can you see between the gap in the spoke its polished whereas it’s suppose to be black standard.if you search images on google you will see that the spokes on your wheels are wider and that’s because they have been Re cut on the lathe. I’d be surprised if a company would cut them again as they look like they have already had a decent cut on them and between the spokes (on rim edge) doesn’t look like it will take another cut.

[@Mattious]

Looking at doing this on my daily driver, will this not peel as the black paint had no prep work? Also why did you not remove the wheel?

[@mrix]

Hello Mattious, as I painted the removing solution on and did not actually spray it all was fine for me, I did not remove the wheels as it saved me a little time which I was short of, in hindsight I would of removed the wheel and started with a much higher grade Emery paper, all the best mrix

[@Mattious]

mrix thanks for getting back to me, I will give it a go, think I will start with the paper like you said and see how I get on. Thanks again 👍🏻

[@jeffmiranda41]

Great Work.

[@brixmis7]

thanks for the vid. would a sanding mouse make life easier?

[@mrix]

It most certainly would, any extra tooling to make life that little easier is certainly a bonus!, best of luck, mrix

[@evanubi5]

Nice one mate fantastic work

[@mrix]

Thank you, mrix

[@MrIsuru007]

Could you please mention the products that you are using. Thanks

[@lars5695]

FYI: 1. glass would be wiser to contain the acid. 2. If using a brush applicator, buy a bottled stripper, not spray. 3. If spraying, especially with corrosive chemicals, stay UPWIND, wear goggles, and use a properly rated mask to avoid blindness and/or death.

[@mrix]

I agree with you Lars, what you say makes perfect sense, mrix

[@noeking9095]

Would of been nice if you gave us a close up of the end result 🤦🏾‍♂️

[@mrix]

Yes sorry it was difficult, it was a very bright day and with the wheels being so shiny made it very difficult to see using the GoPro, thanks for the reply mrix

[@chrishall7830]

Thanks for your video. I have a 2013 BMW with similar wheels, but much worse corrosion. Going to give it a go. Intrigued by the acid you used - are there others available? Or is the one you used specifically for safe use on alloys?

[@mrix]

Hello Chris, having done some research this was recomnended by someone to work well and not discolor the Alloy, best of luck with yours, mrix

[@mrix]

The Products Used in the Video are as below..... Wheel Clear Coat Lacquer amzn.to/2whBfcW The Clear coat Stripper is called VHT SP575 STRIP FAST PAINT REMOVER.

[@KKE1978]

Would have been way easier to remove the wheel..good job though.

[@mrix]

Yes easier to remove the wheel as you say, mrix

[@autogord6245]

Hey mine wheels are the same here, can you list for me what u bout that I definitely needed? Thanks

[@mrix]

Hello I have just added to two main items required, the stripper and clear coat within a pined topic in the comments here, best of luck with yours, mrix

[@bubbs2010]

why didn't you remove the wheel to work on ? - 100% better access and less hasle ?

[@mrix]

Because I have no where to do it, no Garage etc, all the best mrix

[@FINELINEVAN]

Taking the wheels off working on flat would be a lot easier

[@mrix]

Yes I agree it would make life easier..... mrix

[@cooksey187]

Should be £90 a wheel which includes painting the inner black colour.

[@neilyoung5116]

You could have made that job 100% easier by removing the wheel and putting it on a bench. Next time use a machine polisher, and 2k clear.

[@mrix]

Hi Neil, fortunately there will not be a next time, certainly not for this car as the wheels are now black powder coated, however thanks for the suggestion, best regards mrix

[@patrikkirvej8338]

Next time just take a wheel off 😂

[@petersutton3054]

Wouldn't it be easyer if you took wheel off

[@mrix]

Most certainly would Peter, I was simply short of time but I would highly recommend also taking the wheel off, thanks mrix

[@antonyharrison4425]

Spraying that highly corrosive stuff, I would be more worried about my eyes than hands. WEAR SOME EYE PROTECTION.

[@mrix]

Yes I agree and very good point in hindsight I should of worn eye protection, mrix

[@Rabarbersq]

I imagine You did ended up spending £750 to put these wheels back to their former glory...? Love diamond cut wheels and hate them in the same time - they do look really good however need to refurb them every 3 years or so......

[@mrix]

Hi, for me personally it was only one wheel which was really bad, I have not attempted the other three but one of them does now need attention, obviously the job will be much easier a second time around and I still have the bits and pieces required for when we get warmer weather here in the UK, mrix

[@Rabarbersq]

@@mrix Ohh mate, weather is not the thing to be bothered about now. Off course, when it'll get warmer, then....... Anyway, after watching Your vid I checked couple more and come up with an idea to polish alloys inside out, get that chrome look. Think they will look amazing on my 300c!

[@jamiee8387]

You should have taken the wheel off and used a Dremel to sand it back.

[@mrix]

Yes there are so many ways to attack it, not got a dremel personally but yes another good idea....mrix

[@bobbyrayofthefamilysmith24]

I tried this but the repair Area ended up very smooth like a mirror it no longer has the tiny grooves that the rest of the wheel has so you can see the patch

[@mrix]

Yes very true the lazer cut grooves will be removed, my video was simply a idea for the entire wheel to be done and not a small area, mrix

[@bobbyrayofthefamilysmith24]

@@mrix I'm Considering sanding the lacquer off the whole wheel, polishing it to a mirror finish with a buffer then re spray the clear lacquer. I too have E class cabrio I paid about £700 like you mentioned for 4 wheel refurb and a year later it's corroding again. I'd never pay to have them diamond cut again. But if a good result can be achieved DIY then it's not too bad

[@mrix]

@@bobbyrayofthefamilysmith24 I would go for it, I have no corrosion so far since doing the job myself, I have also considered spray painting the wheels which gives a more aggressive look especially if sprayed in black, the price for having it done is also strangely far cheaper than Diamond cutting, they actually recommended it when I first enquired about refurbishing the wheels, actually I am now thinking about customizing my merc like replacing the grill and other fairly cheap add-ons you can purchase which really make a difference to the appearance, mrix

[@keithpearson8355]

I would have taken the wheel off but that's me good vid

[@mrix]

Hi Keith, yes its a better option but this procedure was done in my parking space where I am restricted for space and its not somewhere I would of liked to of left the car unattended with no wheel on etc but yes if you have your own drive removing the wheel is the ideal, thanks mrix

[@kuladeeluxe]

It's clear powder coat

[@mrix]

Thank You, mrix

[@stephenswindle3839]

Scotch Brite pad**

[@Royboy50]

Remove centre cap

[@grahamfarleck6377]

Make your life easier next time by taking the wheel off .