With modern cars being bigger than ever, curb and pothole damage is at times an unavoidable consequence of simply using your vehicle. Thankfully most alloy wheel damage can be rectified with filler and paint, but how much will it cost?

How Much Does Alloy Wheel Refurbishment Cost?

Typical alloy wheel refurbishment costs between £60 to £130 per wheel. Larger wheels can cost more, but it may be cheaper to have all 4 done at once.

Alloy Wheel Refurbishment Cost Guide

If you have 4 wheels done at once, expect around 10-15% discount on the per-wheel prices above.

Types of Car Wheels

Not all wheels are the same, with advances in style and manufacturing techniques various wheel types are available.

Steel Wheels

Rarely seen on modern cars, except for the lowest specification ones, steel wheels used to be the only option 40 or so years ago. They are typically heavier than alloys, and don’t look as sleek with their plastic hub-cap. 

One upside to steel wheels is strength and durability, as steel is more malleable than aluminium, it can resist impacts better, and when they do get bent from a pothole, they can be straightened much more easily.

Powder Coated Alloy Wheels

Powder Coating is a more durable and economical alternative to traditional wet-painting techniques, it gives a uniform, usually-matt finish with less effort than spray-painting. 

Powder coating can be done in almost any colour and finish, including matt, gloss and metallic.

Diamond Cut Alloy Wheels

If your car’s wheels have both painted sections and shiny metallic faces, they are probably “diamond-cut”. This is achieved by machining the wheel's surface with traditional metalworking tools, exposing the shiny metal underneath the paint. 

Interestingly no diamonds are used in the process of finishing diamond-cut alloys, but rather traditional tooling is used throughout the industry. 

Polished Alloy Wheels

For an alternative, upmarket look, many manufacturers fit wheels that have been ceramic polished. This uses a bath of small ceramic beads in a vibratory system to take plain aluminium to a highly polished finish. 

The process itself takes a long time and requires lots of equipment and expertise, hence it is the most expensive wheel finishing technique.

Can Your Alloy Wheels Be Fixed Or Do They Need Replacing?

In most cases, alloy wheel damage can be fixed, even deep scratches to the outer rim. However, serious dents from impacts such as hitting a bad pothole or curb can damage the wheel beyond repair.

Kerbing or Scratches

Clipping your wheel on the kerb whilst parking has to be one of the worst feelings, followed by the nervous inspection of the wheel after. Wheels are pretty durable though, and most scratches and kerb rash can be repaired. 

If your wheel has lots of scratches and marks it may be worth replacing the whole wheel, depending on the type of wheel and its age. 

Dents or Bent Wheels

Wheels take a lot of force during normal operation, and even more so when hitting a large pothole. The unfortunate result is often a bent or dented alloy wheel, this may not be visible from the outside but usually comes with a worrying vibration when driving. 

In some cases, dented wheels can be repaired, but with the high stakes involved, it's often not advisable. The aluminium alloy typically used in car wheels is not as malleable as steel, meaning they struggle with bending back and forth, and can end up cracking instead.

Peeling or Bubbling

Alloy paint bubbling is an unsightly and annoying issue, it can seem to happen regardless of the age of the car, too. Most issues are caused by water getting under the coating after a stone chip or previous kerb mark. 

Thankfully it is relatively easy to fix, plain silver wheels are generally cheaper, and diamond cut wheels are significantly more expensive.

Can Cracked Alloy Wheels Be Repaired?

Cracked alloy wheels can be welded to make them structurally sound again, there are some limitations though, it’s usually only advisable on the ‘barrel’ of the wheel - the drum section that you can’t see when the wheel is fitted.

Crack length is also taken into account, in some cases it’s not advisable to repair a wheel, and better to buy a new or second-hand replacement. 

How Much Does Alloy Wheel Welding Cost?

Costs for welding cracked alloys vary from wheel to wheel, depending on the location and shape of the crack. Expect to pay upwards of £80 for the simplest of cracks to be welded up.

Always make sure the company you are using balances and straightens the wheels too, as not doing so can cause nasty vibrations when driving.

Can You Refurbish Alloys At Home?

Absolutely, but you will need a few tools to get started. It’s generally best to only attempt to repair minor kerbing yourself, and leave any dents, gouges or cracks to the professionals. 

The basic process for repairing minor scratches in your alloys is:

1. Remove them from the car
2. Sand down the affected areas, removing high spots and build-ups of coating or wheel material
3. Apply a wheel filing paste to the kerb marks
4. Sand off the filler smooth, repeat the filler stage if necessary
5. Sand and repaint the whole wheel using the appropriate paints

I would only recommend doing this if you have the experience and tools to do it safely, many of the products required are hazardous to your health when applying and sanding. It’s also tricky to get a good finish unless you have plenty of practice.

Replace Damaged Tyres With Bumper

If your wheel has sustained significant damage, there's a good chance the tyre is beyond repair too. Thankfully, Bumper offers a zero-percent interest tyre financing option, provided by hundreds of local tyre fitters across the country. Find your nearest service centre here.