Diamond cutting (E46 M3 wheels)

[michael320]

Who is doing this here in Ireland?

Ive rang a few guys but they just want to refurb, paint and lacquer.

I want to get the OE diamond cut finish on the wheels

[Venom]

Who is doing this here in Ireland?

Ive rang a few guys but they just want to refurb, paint and lacquer.

I want to get the OE diamond cut finish on the wheels

Pm EndaC as he has had them done and I think it was some where Dublin.

[Gar]

Think it was Collins engineering that done enda's

[Venom]

Think it was Collins engineering that done enda's

That's them yeah

[EndaC]

Yeah it was Collins engineering in Bray that did mine. I'm not too pleased with them though as a year on they've deteriorated very quickly

[DoktorB]

Yeah it was Collins engineering in Bray that did mine. I'm not too pleased with them though as a year on they've deteriorated very quickly

Did they not laquer them???

[EndaC]

Yeah it was Collins engineering in Bray that did mine. I'm not too pleased with them though as a year on they've deteriorated very quickly

Did they not laquer them???

They did John, three coats if i remember correctly.
The other set of motorsports I have on my M3 which were done in the UK are blemish free two years on and I would say with probably 75% of the mileage that my 318is ones have.

[DoktorB]

Yeah it was Collins engineering in Bray that did mine. I'm not too pleased with them though as a year on they've deteriorated very quickly

Did they not laquer them???

They did John, three coats if i remember correctly.
The other set of motorsports I have on my M3 which were done in the UK are blemish free two years on and I would say with probably 75% of the mileage that my 318is ones have.

Feck that!

Nuluk wheels lads.

[IrishEyes]

Interesting because I’m trying to decide on what approach to take with the wheels on the M. One of them is fairly badly kerb scratched. They are the standard 19” polished outside spokes with the inner an anthracite type colour.

I believe the wheels were originally painted completely in that anthracite colour and then the spokes and outside rim diamond cut to give it the metal polished look. This cutting seems to leave micro abrasions on the surface of the polished area in order for the lacquer to stick to it. A smooth surface in itself wouldn’t provide any adhesion for the lacquer.

If the lacquer is damaged or pores open up to let moisture in, these surface abrasions form channels helping it to spread quicker than it normally would and creeps behind the rest of the lacquer obviously causing corrosion and the metal to powder etc. Only solution is to strip, polish again and re-lacquer.

I’m told that the guys in Bray do a great job in polishing, but the lacquer finish is not great. Of 4 re-furbed wheels, one of them started to lacquer peel before it went back on the car and another one went after 6 months.

One option for me is to have the alloys repaired, cleaned, powder coated and then diamond cut and lacquered to get back the OEM look. I was quoted €145 per wheel and would take a week where I got the quote from. As mentioned, I’m hearing scare stories of the poor quality lacquering and how quickly the wheels can go when it’s not done properly. Guys in Bray are more expensive than that I believe.

Option 2, is to go through the powder coating process as above but leave the whole wheel painted in a single colour - something like a smoked anthracite - and paint can be lacquered without issues. I was quoted €115 per wheel and would be an over-night job.

Option 3, is just to have the polished silver areas re-polished (although not necessarily using the diamond cut process) and then waxed but not lacquered because of the lack of adhesion. I was quoted €75 per wheel. It’s an overnight job and these guys can loan me a set of wheels

The merits of lacquering a polished wheel?

Initially I was sceptical about not having any lacquer protection whatsoever on a cleanly ground alloy. However, there are other protective products such as wheel guard product from Chemical Guys which after a few coats, will probably provide as good a cover as lacquer. And a new coat could be applied when washing so the layer builds up.

In that sense, option three is starting to look interesting for me as I’d prefer to keep the OEM look because I can’t picture the 19” wheel in a single colour. If option 3 goes wrong, the experiment will have cost €300 and then maybe fall back to option 2 when I stop crying and save up another €450.

I'd be interested in other peoples thoughts and sorry for the long post.

:happy:

[DoktorB]

Interesting because I’m trying to decide on what approach to take with the wheels on the M. One of them is fairly badly kerb scratched. They are the standard 19” polished outside spokes with the inner an anthracite type colour.

I believe the wheels were originally painted completely in that anthracite colour and then the spokes and outside rim diamond cut to give it the metal polished look. This cutting seems to leave micro abrasions on the surface of the polished area in order for the lacquer to stick to it. A smooth surface in itself wouldn’t provide any adhesion for the lacquer.

If the lacquer is damaged or pores open up to let moisture in, these surface abrasions form channels helping it to spread quicker than it normally would and creeps behind the rest of the lacquer obviously causing corrosion and the metal to powder etc. Only solution is to strip, polish again and re-lacquer.

I’m told that the guys in Bray do a great job in polishing, but the lacquer finish is not great. Of 4 re-furbed wheels, one of them started to lacquer peel before it went back on the car and another one went after 6 months.

One option for me is to have the alloys repaired, cleaned, powder coated and then diamond cut and lacquered to get back the OEM look. I was quoted €145 per wheel and would take a week where I got the quote from. As mentioned, I’m hearing scare stories of the poor quality lacquering and how quickly the wheels can go when it’s not done properly. Guys in Bray are more expensive than that I believe.

Option 2, is to go through the powder coating process as above but leave the whole wheel painted in a single colour - something like a smoked anthracite - and paint can be lacquered without issues. I was quoted €115 per wheel and would be an over-night job.

Option 3, is just to have the polished silver areas re-polished (although not necessarily using the diamond cut process) and then waxed but not lacquered because of the lack of adhesion. I was quoted €75 per wheel. It’s an overnight job and these guys can loan me a set of wheels

The merits of lacquering a polished wheel?

Initially I was sceptical about not having any lacquer protection whatsoever on a cleanly ground alloy. However, there are other protective products such as wheel guard product from Chemical Guys which after a few coats, will probably provide as good a cover as lacquer. And a new coat could be applied when washing so the layer builds up.

In that sense, option three is starting to look interesting for me as I’d prefer to keep the OEM look because I can’t picture the 19” wheel in a single colour. If option 3 goes wrong, the experiment will have cost €300 and then maybe fall back to option 2 when I stop crying and save up another €450.

I'd be interested in other peoples thoughts and sorry for the long post.

:happy:

Do it once - do it right!

OEM finish from Nuluk Wheels in carrickfergus. Its expensive but good work generally is and they will stand over their work.

Personally the wheels on your M3 are the worst wheel ever fitted to an ///M car and deserve nothing better than to be used as plant pots or put in the bin.

I wouldnt waste the money on them and just put it towards a wheel upgrade.