What is a diamond cut alloy?
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Diamond cut wheels are getting more and more popular with manufacturers. The shiny finish and multiple colours makes them attractive and new car buyers often pay extra to upgrade to them. While they look great on a new car, the reality is that they don't last very well. This is an example of a diamond cut Volkswagon Alloy that is new and in good condition - looks great!
A diamond cut wheel starts with the alloy wheel receiving a coat of primer and then a coat of coloured paint. After this, it goes onto a CNC machine with a diamond tip and the machine shaves part of the face of the wheel back to bare, shiny alloy leaving paint on some areas of the wheel depending on the design. The shaved areas have a finish that looks like a CD. The entire wheel is then finished with clear coat to protect it.
Video Clip of an alloy being re-cut:
Corroded Diamond Cut Alloy:
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The problem with diamond cut wheels is that you have ultimately put clear coat onto bare alloy and as with painting anything straight onto metal, it tends not to last very well. As soon as a chip or scratch occurs, water, brake dust, salt and other contaminants get in and within a short space of time, the bare metal areas start to corrode. In this picture, you can see that it is the front face that was diamond cut. You will also notice the areas inside the face that remain covered with primer and paint remain in good condition! This just demonstrates the weakness of the diamond cut areas.
Costs to refurbish cut wheels:
Refurbishing diamond cut wheels back to the factory finish requires specialist equipment milling equipment as seen in the above video. This kind of equipment is not available in a mobile service due to the size, weight and cost. These machines on a low end model cost over £40,000 which therefore makes the cost of refurbishing diamond cut alloy wheels very expensive due to the outlay of equipment. Not to mention that even when refurbished, they remain vulnerable to the corrosion process starting all over again!
Ace Wheels Alternative Solution:
We can however offer an alternative, guaranteed to extend the future life of current diamond cut wheels – we can remove the damage and re spray the whole wheel back to a standard painted alloy finish and colour. Not only is it a lot cheaper option but it means they will then last in the future.
For an example of a diamond cut wheel we have returned back to a standard finish – please look in our gallery for Golf GTD.