DIY refurb on a diamond cut alloy wheel

[@glitchtheory6609]

As a professional mobile wheel refurb guy I got a couple of tips for you, 1, the clear coat you are using wont last it will quickly start to corrode under the clear coat probably before the end of the year I have seen this happen with stronger normal 2k clear coat. 1K clear coats are very bad for doing wheels its the worst clear coat for a good finish and its weak too, use 2k spraymax aerosols instead its so much stronger than any 1k clear coat and has a superior gloss, But even spraymax will still corrode on the metal surface as what you need for a bare metal surface is DTM " direct to metal " 2k clear coat which doesn't come in aerosols. 2, for cutting the surface of the diamond cut I go 120, 180, 320, 500, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000, then use red scotchbrite by hand and work it round the wheel to replicate the diamond cut lines on the wheel believe me it looks 1000 times better than the way you done it there bud. 3, before clearing any wheel run a tack rag over it so you dont have dusty speckles under the clear coat as it sticks out a mile at 13:45 in the video on the left side wheel insert. 4, for clear coating dont wave the spray directly over the top as you miss the tight parts of the sides of the spokes, Start with the part of the wheel where the air valve is and spray working your way around the insert then do a up and down pass on the face of the spoke then work your way around the next wheel insert then do a up and down pass on the next spoke face and continue to do this until you are back at the air valve. Not trying to knock you bud as you had a good first attempt but there is a lot to improve upon, A good channel for you to watch is CVR POV on youtube you might get some good tips there as well for the next time you decide to have a go at your wheels bud :) Its a pity I cant post pictures here in the comments as I done that exact same wheel and painted the inserts with a blue to purple flip paint and then cut the surface and 2k DTM cleared coated the wheel and it looked biblical

[@_RicksGarage]

Thank you for the constructive and very comprehensive advice! Very Much appreciated. I will pin your post to help others. I would really like to get someone like you on the channel to make a sequel episode and show how it is done professionally. If that is something you may be interested In then fire an email across. [e-mail] Regards Rick

[@chriseverett1142]

Can you just polish the alloy

[@cm1133]

@@_RicksGarage this was such a great response. Too many people take offense to constructive criticism.

[@chriseverett1142]

When you go through the range of sand papers are they all dry sand papers . Or is there a stage when you switch to wet and dry sand papers.

[@glitchtheory6609]

@@chriseverett1142 Hi mate, I use them dry,, I suppose you could use water in the higher grit sizes if you wanted to but I dont mate.

[@alanhindmarch4483]

I’m about to have a go on my wheels in the next few weeks. Thanks for the advice its given me more courage to have a go.

[@agrs1974]

Forget all the negative comments. Great effort and they look brilliant

[@fiestaturbo]

Great job! Saved yourself anywhere from £80 - £120 on a refurb! Hate doing wheels myself and would never attempt a diamond cut. Little tip though..take the valve core out and break the tyre bead and mask further in. 1 - its easier to mask the tyre and 2 - you can sand the lip of the face of the wheel too. That way when you paint/laquer you're getting a full coat all the way round the bend of the lip. If you just do the face with the tyre inflated then the paint/laquer will form an edge at the tyre and will chip easier thus letting in water and sending you back to square one. Also more prone to chipping when the tyre gets changed.

[@_RicksGarage]

Cheers. Yep, that’s the way I usually do wheels, however, breaking the bead then requires the wheel to be rebalanced which isn’t something I wanted to bother with for this car haha. Think of this as a quick freshen up for a family workhorse. This wheel took me 45 minutes from start to finish including filming which isn’t too bad 👍🏼

[@dopiaza2006]

@@_RicksGarage As long as you refit the tyre in the same position, balance should be near enough to not give any problems.

[@rogerborg]

"Break the tyre bead" = tell me that have you have £300 of compressor without telling me.

[@fivedotsdave9723]

Rick, that is a great video, I picked some very useful tips and I have to agree it's a far better look than diamond cut.

[@andriusGNR]

Good job, i did my wheels similar, i did it completely polished aluminium, shiny like a mirror. On a sanded aluminum surface , drill with a wool attachment and a metal polishing paste made look like a mirror. Only sad thing right after this refurbishment couple days later i was being clumsy and at the roundabout went too close to the kerb and heard that kerbing noise that nobody wants to hear🤦‍♂️ both wheels were kerbed again . Will do it again lol

[@danielleanca3087]

Just got a set of vw minneapolis alloys and will be following your steps to refurb them. Great job!

[@lweleven3423]

Very helpful thanks , I’m thinking of trying to leave my black alone and sanding the facia diamond cut and painting it steal grey so this gave me plenty of tips 👍

[@alvindanica]

Wow.. Now i know what to do with my rim full of scratches.. Since it is diamond cut, scratches are visible... Now im confident i can restore it.. Lol thanks a lot

[@martynm.449]

My 10p worth.... if you wear an automatic (self winding) watch, take it off before using a hand sander. I magnetised my watch after having it so close to the motor. It then started gaining 30 seconds a day. I had to then get a demagnetiser and demagnetise it.

[@michaelangelo7132]

The heating of the can won't make the paint stick better, it just raises the pressure in the can so you get a better spray.

[@robnulty9462]

When I wet spray I heat the paint and metalwork, the paint Does go on better and has a nicer shine.

[@destinationeuphoriaselfdev2089]

Only problem is you lose the mirror polish finish slightly other than that great results

[@xkez80x]

Really impressed with that refurb well done 😁

[@edgarmoreno3748]

Wow that was amazing!!! I’m impressed I’ll buy the beer let’s do my wheels next💁🏻‍♂️🍺🍻

[@rogerborg]

Good job, ignore the fantasists who tell you what they would have done better, except they really wouldn't.

[@nissanoo0393]

Could i use a mouse type sander? It's all i've got unfortunately

[@ummerkhan1982]

Yeah that would work well as it can get into tight spots too

[@cfronin]

Do you need the lacquer or is it just for looks ? Will the polished aluminum corrodes without it ?

[@MixinUK]

nice job mate, inspired me to sort my own wheels out

[@mikestevens9994]

Good job mate 👍

[@philf5043]

Surely after all that prep it would have paid to use a 2k laquer ? Single pack doesnt last . Great job though 👍

[@kousikmech]

Awesome work,, Why can't you remove the tire during the work..

[@giorgikevkhishvili5204]

great job, looks perfect. I have a one question, I did is the same way, but when spayed the lacquer, the wheel became darcker, can you give me advice?

[@Milabebedzakova]

The black paint is it sand only with 150? as i can see from the video, because i have the same problem and will do it as soon as possible. Great Job!

[@ChrisCorkPhotography]

How long did the clear coat last? I've just done similar with 2k

[@tonywoodham7362]

Looked Smashing good job

[@Nohandle307]

You actually don’t need to mask the tyre when spraying clear coat, it won’t stick to rubber.

[@davidselagea3264]

Thanks for the helpful tip, I’m just curious how long it took you in real time to do one rim

[@hornox4life]

Lol, see youre giving your tools a nice new coat of clear in one swoop.

[@lewf5685]

Looks great!

[@neilyoung5116]

You did all that work and then used 1k clear coat. A tin of 2k clear would have given you the pro finish and not peeled after 6 months

[@FabriceLarhubarbe]

Very Great that what at was searching for. thanks a lot

[@chriscooks9850]

Very impressive

[@Beastnappy]

Subbed, brilliant work mate👍

[@Beastnappy]

Any chance of letting us know the make of the clearcoat? Anyhow absolutely AMAZING result, has to be said👍

[@marcus.H]

How long did this take to do 1 wheel?

[@jadoriffic]

Did the 180 grit remove the small texture in the aluminum?

[@lovingmywatch5988]

Hi Rick , did you prime at all? Also how did you keep the spray off The black inner alloy between the spoke ??

[@_RicksGarage]

The idea is to spray the black parts first before you polish the spokes then polishing the face of the spokes will cut the painted lines perfectly for you. No primer needed. Just a quick sand with some 600 grit to provide a good key for the new paint. Lacquering comes dead last

[@lovingmywatch5988]

thanks Rick and did you sand between coats or not ?

[@sHpAaKu316]

awesome job

[@garryharrison-lea5908]

Top work!

[@scottycuk]

how has this held up over time?

[@_RicksGarage]

Still looks exactly the same as it did 8 months ago when I finished making this video. I Can’t complain

[@macducati2304]

I tried this exactly as shown....it does't work, you can't get the same effect as the diamond cutter. Wasted my time.

[@warrensmith4590]

He showed it wasn't a diamond cut finish Just vastly better? Not sure that I understand the comment?

[@macducati2304]

@@warrensmith4590 Not sure I understand yours...sorry.

[@mattborman5780]

Agree. It’s not possible to replicate the diamond cut finish unless using a lathe similar to OE manufacturing process. This approach has nowhere near the reflection of the diamond cut approach

[@warrensmith4590]

@@macducati2304 my point was that early in the video he clearly says that he's not trying to get a factory finish appearance but a satin finish And the wheels look vastly better, than when corroded.

[@capacchioneloris]

Bel lavoro

[@sidorV]

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥👍

[@pavel330]

🔥 57👍

[@nehguhtiv6873]

*wheels

[@steviezxr]

Thanks for the video. Just buying a sander. I’m guessing a random orbital sander would not give the required finish, ie concentric circles that are similar to the original turned finish. Please advise. Thanks.

[@LexTNeville]

I've got 8 diamond cut alloys with this problem, and I do not like the look either - 4 had good tyres on them, 4 had good tyres and a great car on them. I'm going to scuff them up bad :D thanks for the kind advice.

[@jamesj8973]

I'm in the middle of my own Diamond Cut DIY refurb. I find it better to use the grey Scotch Pad with only Rotary tool (Even Drill is fine) and ONLY apply it at an ANGLE so that only 1 side of the pad makes contact. That way all the fine texture goes on in ONE direction only and not in both or all directions of the circular spin. Preferable, you want the texture to appear ONLY perpendicular to the spoke, so it gives the effect of large circular lines that run around the whole wheel (if that makes sense, hard to explain without visual aid).

[@exxel01234]

Great video, very informative, and your wheels are looking great 👍

[@jim-wt8xb]

You can tell a guy really loves his tools when he gives them a coat of lacquer too 😅 Nice job!

[@rezaTmn]

Do you still have this wheels ? How long did that clear spray last?

[@perryhenderson2065]

Genuinely so amazed by the video and simple instructions! I will be doing this in the next week! Never ever wrote a KZbin comment but feel you saving me £440 on the alloy refurb I’m been quoted all week by companies, it’s the least I can do.

[@_RicksGarage]

Thank you Perry. Much appreciated. I’m glad you found the video useful 👍🏼

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Nice work mate 👍

[@dazzarawlins2738]

since when has a body shop repair put clear coat in hot water

[@cm1133]

My OCD freaked when you sprayed the clear coat all over your tools that were hanging on the peg board behind the tire. Otherwise, great job m8.

[@_RicksGarage]

Thank you Sir.

[@Golfgtiguy]

Well done that is a beautiful job you did there . I've a mark 5 golf gti with the diamond cut Monza alloys . I was going to get them powder coated for around 400 euro , but I will put some elbow crease in myself and try your method as it looks great and is the original type of finish . Nice job well done again and thanks for the tips here .

[@ummerkhan1982]

I got mk6 gti monza alloys... Will be definitely doing this myself.

[@jollyroger2858]

Well done,I've got the confidence to tackle my diamond cut volvo wheels now. Thank you

[@Hallyug]

How did it go for you? Came here to see if I could do the same with my v40 alloys😳

[@TheAmbassadorOfQuan]

I have the exact same problem with my sportarge wheels. I will definitely be giving this a try

[@bennyb6071]

Kia forte, mine too

[@leerobson3908]

Inspired nice one

[@steviezxr]

Had a little trial today on a small area. Original lacquer very resistant in some areas. Had to resort to razor blade on last few areas. First attempt I have not achieved a finish in the same direction as the original diamond cut. It has actually finished north south instead of an east west curve. Which is a bit baffling as I was watching the sander work in the east west direction. The thought of doing the whole wheel is quite off putting now but I’m sure l’ll get there.

[@nibnaug]

amazing work! thanks for the tips!

[@liamritter7421]

But they can get the original finish if it goes to a body shop!? Mines going in under extended warranty and I kind of want to know what to expect! I don't understand how they will get the finish the same as when I bought it.. almost appears as if they're are "lines" on the finished product

[@chrisburn7178]

Doing this today on a set on Volvo Spider wheels, on the coldest day of the year in a muddy farm yard haha! Going ok, but the middle of the wheel is too recessed to get the disc in without marring the other spokes so I'm doing it by hand. Should look ok. Thanks for the video 👍

[@paulbainbridge4625]

Nice work, but you did change the wheel from diamond cut to just polished , it won’t look half as good

[@johnoneill1724]

An excellent encouraging tutorial that really simplifies a diy job, that I plan to do, many thanks

[@naz.tanzeem5982]

Hi i would like to go for the brush satin look just like you,but coulden't you use satin clear coat,that would give less shine i guess.

[@syedammarkhalid3695]

I reeeaaaally want to do this to my dad's car, I love that car so much genuinely want to make it one of those classic cars in the future when I grow up

[@salimsheikh2580]

Such a satisying video.. perfect finish. Did it last though?

[@TheAmbassadorOfQuan]

on my sportage wheels i noticed corrosions under black painted parts as well, is there a solution for this?

[@neilhayes4725]

Hi mate i have the exact same wheel and going to attempt to mine and follow your exact methods as i think they turned out spot on pal 👍 did you wash the wheels at any point? Before you started? And before you spayed? Cheers Neil 👍

[@lawrencebaker2797]

Hi. New to your channel. Great content on the alloy wheels. Came out great. Looking forward to the next video. Lawrence from Heathrow.

[@jaketjriley4615]

Brilliant video exactly what I needed👍😊

[@oldbiker9739]

that looks good buddy Hello from Alberta Canada.

[@GHOOGLEMALE]

IGreat job - I had a go at one of my similar wheels but frightened myself off at stage one - I can see that if I persevered like you it would have come up a lot better. Impressive finish

[@paullloyd1276]

Thanks for tips gona have a go at my teledials gta on my gtv

[@yi7369]

Well that’s given myself some inspiration.. fab job looks amazing !

[@tamasb4458]

Nice work! Thank you for this video!

[@vladimirziga5416]

Great video. Thank you

[@Freeman-g3c]

Gr8 video ! Thanks m8

[@ummerkhan1982]

How long did it take to do one alloy?

[@fikri8881]

Very helpful... Thank you...

[@nishanthaweerasekara3174]

Valuable tips. 😊

[@djlosmi]

Nice one!

[@jc5454]

Can I use a random orbital sander for this? Cheers

[@jOHNB8Y]

Yes. I’m presently using one on a set of TrailBlazer aluminum wheels.

[@pavel330]

Лучше чем было

[@nigelblake5679]

Nice job, how durable has the finish been?

[@_RicksGarage]

8 months on and it still looks exactly the same. No change yet

[@tbonepachanga]

Great job!!!

[@lewissmith2762]

I paint and restore alot of diamomd cut alloy wheels if u hit that wheel with jet wash that lacquer will come off! The alloy wheel needs adhesion for the lacquer to stick to it and last, you can buy this from optima. If you want to get a d cut finish you go 180 320 500 trizact 1000 n 3000 polish then with a clean trizact 1000you can redo the lines using ur hand

[@_RicksGarage]

Thanks for the tip

[@rogerborg]

lol u now alot rite m8 bud m8

[@briceDew]

Thanks but why finishing by 1000 after 3000?

[@briceDew]

And which lacquer to buy so that it sticks? I have 2k car lacquer is that okay?

[@HEXEPOBO]

Выброшенное время - ничего полезного, пособие как не делать видео, начиная с первой секунды: получится - не получится… А если не получилось, нафига видос делать?

[@davidplenderleith4176]

You should really mask off tyre and painted surfaces BEFORE sanding etc , still a good video and more informative than most thanks