Wednesday 10 October 2012

Alloy Wheel Repairs, London – Our Guide to Looking After Your Alloys

Alloy wheels look fantastic but, like car bodywork, they can be damaged by chips and prangs, especially in high traffic areas. So to keep your pride and joy in tip top shape, Whoops! Wheel Fix It offer alloy wheel repairs and alloy wheel restoration in the London area.
Unfortunately, the more you use your vehicle the more your alloys can be subject to damage such as kerb knocks, scratches and dents. Some damage is unavoidable and can include stones that can flick up and hit your wheels causing pitted marks. Salt spreading on roads in winter can corrode your alloys and even some car washes or the wrong choice of cleaning fluid can be too tough on your wheels and spoil the surface of your alloys.
If your alloys are not looking up to scratch, it is always best to call in the experts. Whoops! have an outstanding reputation for alloy wheel repairs in London. We are London based offer all types of alloy wheel restoration work in North and West London, Hertfordshire and Essex.
Whoops! offer a convenient service for alloy wheel repairs in the London area as our highly trained staff can come to you to carry out on the spot repairs and restore your wheels to factory condition.
Here we shall look at how to avoid lessening the appearance of your alloy wheels and what to look for in a specialist should you need alloy wheel repairs or alloy wheel restoration in the London area.
Alloy Wheel Repairs London – click here for full information on our range of services.

How to Avoid Damaging Your Alloys

Alloy wheels have a multitude of benefits: they not only improve the look of your vehicle, but they also are light, durable and provide better heat conduction than the usual, standard wheels.
Many people opt for alloys for their shiny, attractive appearance, but the wheels can corrode after just three to five years which is why it is so important to be able to count on a reliable alloy wheel repairs and alloy wheel restoration specialist you can trust to either meet or exceed your expectation. While minor accidents and prangs are sometimes inescapable (especially if the other person is at fault) there are some things you can do on an everyday basis to avoid damaging your beautiful alloy wheels.
One of the things you can do is to keep them cleaned regularly because road dirt and grime can coat the surface of your wheels and trap moisture over time. This can cause your alloys to corrode, so it is vital to keep your wheels mud-free by cleaning them at least once a week.
Cleaning your wheels not only gets rid of all the muck from the roads (including salt), it will also remove brake dust, which acts as a corrosive and can potentially wreck your alloy wheels.

Cleaning Your Alloys

Here's a quick guide to how to clean your wheels to keep them in excellent condition.
You may feel that your car will always look its best if you use a commercial car wash, but this is not always the case. Some car washes can damage your alloys by exposing them to harsh brushes and chemicals – and the runners (depending on the type) can scrape your alloys as you drive in.
For best results - if you have the time - it is always better to undertake the task yourself. But always wait until the car has been stationary for a while before starting as cold water on hot wheels can damage them.
Use mild washing up soap or liquid and squirt it in a bottle of warm water. Then clean your alloys with a cloth or soft sponge (not a brush or scourer) then buff them dry with a soft cloth afterwards.
Avoid harsh cleaning fluids as these can contain chemicals which can damage your alloys or stain them.
If you need your alloys repaired and want a fast, efficient service, with excellent results, contact Whoops! Wheel Fix It for alloy wheel repairs in London.
Some of the reasons why you should choose Whoops! Wheel Fix It for alloy wheel repairs and restoration:
  • High quality repairs and restoration work
  • One year guarantee on undamaged repairs
  • Convenient – we can come to you
  • Competitive pricing
  • We repair alloys on all cars, including high end models such as Aston Martin
Alloy Wheel Restoration London – contact us now for a quote or click here to view our range of alloy wheel finishes

Wednesday 3 October 2012

Choosing Alloys For Your Car – Whoops Wheel Fix It!

Here at Whoops Wheel Fix It! we know that even the smallest of scuffs or damage to your alloy wheels can be extremely frustrating and ruin the overall look of your car. This is why we offer a full range of alloy wheel repair and refurbishment services for customers in London, Essex and Hertfordshire. Our London alloy wheel repair service is mobile, meaning that we will come to your home or work and restore your alloy wheels to showroom condition! We also offer a full range of paint and body work repairs including dent removal, paint chip repair and bumper scuff removal and are so confident of our work we offer a 12 month guarantee on undamaged repairs.

Alloy Wheel Repair London - Click here to view our alloy wheel repair menu, or contact us now for a free quote.

Here we shall look at the appeal of alloy wheels, examine the different types of alloy wheels available and show how our alloy wheel refurbishment and repair services can restore vehicles to their former beauty throughout London, Essex and Hertfordshire.

Why Choose Alloy Wheels?

There are essentially two reasons why people choose alloy wheels: they provide better handling and appearance. Alloy wheels are formed from a mixture of aluminium and magnesium and as they are much lighter than ordinary wheels they reduce the weight of the car and improve the handling and acceleration. This is why alloy wheels are used on all sports and high performance cars. Their reduced weight also gives the added benefit of lowering fuel consumption, saving the driver money. In addition, alloys can also improve the airflow to the brake discs, making braking more efficient in more challenging driving conditions.

Appearance wise, alloys improve the look of a car and make it stand out. There are so many different types of alloy wheels to choose from smart, classic, executive styles, to extreme / street looks and the style of alloy wheels that you choose is a matter of personal taste. Whatever style you choose however, alloy wheels must be well maintained with regular alloy wheel repair and refurbishment services to keep them in top condition.

Alloy Wheel Types and How We Repair Them

Whoops Wheel Fix It! can assist with repairs and refurbishment to most alloy wheel types including standard alloy wheels, hyper silver and shadow chrome alloys, bespoke alloy wheels and diamond cut alloys. Here we shall take a look at the different types of alloy wheels and how Whoops Wheel Fix It! can help with repairs.

Standard Alloy Wheels

Standard alloy wheels improve the look of your car but not to the same extent as some of the more expensive alloy versions. The type of alloys a car is fitted with will depend on its specification. Lower budget cars are generally fitted with smaller wheels and higher spec models – bigger wheels, which may be more intricate in design.

We can repair all types of alloy wheel - including standard alloys, hyper silver and shadow chrome alloys and diamond cut alloys with our range of alloy wheel repair and refurbishment services.

Our 'standard finish' applies to alloys painted a single colour with an optional top coat of either gloss or mat. It does not just apply to standard alloy wheels but can be used on all types of car models, including the higher spec models.

Whoops Wheel Fix It! are a mobile service and provide on the spot alloy wheel repairs and refurbishment to vehicles in the London area. If you choose our standard finish, we can have a set of four damaged alloys repaired and put back on your car in two to three hours.

As with all our finishes we use all the up-to-date UV technology to restore your alloy wheels back to their former glory.

Hyper Silver and Shadow Chrome Alloys

Hyper silver and shadow chrome alloys have a brilliant shine and are the glossiest painted alloys you can get. Although they are not actually made of chrome, they are painted to produce a finish which looks very similar to this.

In most cases motorists take this option because the car they have bought already has the shadow chrome or hyper silver finish from the factory. If the car does come with a 'special' finish as standard, the majority of customers want their refurbishment to be the same. However, as this is a more expensive option, we also offer a standard finish which must be applied to all the wheels to get them to match. The results are just as effective, but it does mean the brilliant metallic shine is lost.

For hyper silver and shadow chrome alloys, the repair process is done in much the same way as a standard finish but a lacquered ground coat is also applied to the wheel. Fine layers of special powdered silver are dusted on top of this to ensure the glossy ground coat shines through. A second layer of lacquer is applied to achieve the brightest results and also to increase the wheel’s metallic appearance.

As this is a specialised process, it takes time to achieve these results. This means you will have to send your car away to the factory for a few days.

Bespoke Alloy Wheels

Bespoke alloys are alloys painted to one or more colours of your choice. There are many different custom made designs such as painting the pockets of the wheel to work with the colour of your car or a chrome effect rim.

Whoops Wheel Fix It! can re-create these designs, or make your alloys even more personal to you and create an entirely unique finish.

There are hundreds of different bespoke designs and colours to choose from or we can simply restore your wheels back to their original condition. We can achieve these results for you using our mobile alloy wheel and repair service, depending on whether the option you choose fits the limitations of our vans.

Diamond Cut Alloy Wheels

Diamond cut alloys are created by machining the painted wheel on a lathe. Lacquer is then applied to stop corrosion resulting in a shiny, glossy finish. Machining the wheel in this way produces a highly reflective surface as the shine in the cut metal comes through.

Our experts will not be able to achieve these results on site, which may mean your car will be off the road for a number of days. But if you don’t want to wait, we can recreate this look with a metal effect paint, which can look just as good without the expense and inconvenience.

Alloy Wheel Repair London - Click here to view our alloy wheel repair menu, or contact us now for a free quote.

Whoops Wheel Fix It! are proud of our results and expertise and will restore your wheels to make them look as good as new.

We carry out work for all of the high end manufacturers such as Audi, Mercedes, BMW, Honda, Toyota, Land Rover, Jaguar and Aston Martin. For all alloy wheel repairs London contact us now on 0207 0603666.