Don't like the adverts?  Click here to remove them

Wheels Refurbed

BriComp

New Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2011
Messages
33
Country Flag
uk
Just had all 5 wheels refurbed - they look like new now. No more tyres going down. Used to have to pump them up to 40psi then watch them droop off to 18psi over 1,2 or 3 weeks, which was variable. Reasonable price £310 all in for 5 wheels. Worst thing was being without vehicle for 3 1/2 days.
LC%20Wheel%20Refurbed.jpg
 
Sweet. Just can't understand why they use knock on wheel weights from the factory. It spells the immediate death of any alloy wheel.

Looks like you have a Tyrepal system on there too. Had any issues with it? I loved mine until one sensor went nuts.
 
Sweet. Just can't understand why they use knock on wheel weights from the factory. It spells the immediate death of any alloy wheel.

Looks like you have a Tyrepal system on there too. Had any issues with it? I loved mine until one sensor went nuts.
Only problem has been with the locknuts getting very loose on the thread. In fact I don't use them any more.
 
Hmm, I had the opposite and couldn't get the damn sensors off. They need a bit of grease on there to prevent corrosion. I only have three sensors now so I think I'll stick two on my trailer. I'd like a new, full system, but they aren't cheap and none that I have reviewed get 100% reliability feedback. Not in relation to the screw on ones anyway and with several sets of tyres I can't really afford to put a TPMS in each wheel.
 
I only read an article about TPMS the other day - the majority of those "in the know" with regard to tyre safety really do not like these external units as they remove a one of the safety features (e.g. the valve must be open to get the reader to work, therefore reliant on the cap staying in place - not an issue by the sound of it :laughing:). I wonder what the insurance think to them, any ideas?
 
Well that's true, but if they come loose or come off, the valve just closes and the reader bounces off into the hedge bottom. If the sender comes loose a little bit, the gradual loss of pressure triggers the alarm. So not sure where a concern would come from really. I really liked mine. They're especially handy for helping to set tyre pressures when loaded up like my 80 is. You can watch the temperatures and pressures together. Too much flex generates heat and faster pressure rise. Now I am not trying to be too scientific here but on a good run you can play with the pressures to the point that once running, you see little rise in temp and pressure from cold. For mine it was very clear that the rears were carrying more load than the fronts. Adding more air did seem to 'stabilise' the rears if that the right phrase. They didn't heat up as much once stiffened.

I've not had one leak I have to say. There is an o ring in there and once tightened and locked off, they don't seem to come loose either. Not saying they couldn't. But the only fault I had was one kept telling me I had a puncture. When I clearly hadn't. Nothing seemed to fix it and then when I went to get a new sender, they'd stopped that model
 
Don't like the adverts?  Click here to remove them
One thing ive learnt about refurbed rims is to clean off the coating on the contact area between rim and hub. Other wise when the time comes to take them off, a length of 4x2 and a lump hammer will be involved. ..
 
They kinda glue themselves huh?
 
Admittedly they were tight going on, but man they took some getting off. I was lucky to be using a 4 post ramp, on the side of the road it would of been a nightmare, and dangerous..
 
Other than kicking them, I don't know any tricks to loosen them. If I was really stuck, I'd perhaps leave a couple of nuts on, loosened, lower the vehicle and drive back and forth a few feet wiggling the steering wheel.

Fine if you have a great big pole or something, but if you've nothing to hand what do you do? Ratchet strap?
 
After finding out how tight they had become i removed them all and made sure they were freed up. I was sogging them from underneath the vehicle witha 3 foot length of 4x2 against the back of the rim, turning the wheel a 1/4 turn after 4 or 5 blows of the lump hammer. At least 10 minutes a wheel.
 
To be fair my alloys were like that when i first bought it. i had to get the scaffold tube out and work the wheel round like you did with the 4x2. that was before the wheel refurb.
 
To be fair my alloys were like that when i first bought it. i had to get the scaffold tube out and work the wheel round like you did with the 4x2. that was before the wheel refurb.

Had loads of rims like this. Trucks with rims that havnt been off for years can be a complete basxxxd.
 
To be fair my alloys were like that when i first bought it. i had to get the scaffold tube out and work the wheel round like you did with the 4x2. that was before the wheel refurb.
Mine had been on six months.

Did the refurbed wheels go back on ok?
 
Yeah all good, but i do put a light smear of lithium grease on the face before re fitting.
 
Never heard of wheels being that hard to remove! The corrosion being electrolytic can be of the worst kind though as on LR's between ali skin and steel chassis. I always smear the back of mine with copper slip before refitting them. Even gave them a smear after being powder coated.
 
I had mine refurbished a few years back, a guy in Murcia quoted to my Spanish partner something like 30 - 40 euros each. When I delivered them he started to ramp the price up to double when he thought I was some rich Britisher, he blamed the pitted lacquer, they were not that bad and his original quote invluded sand blasting, I used to write a web page for a 4x4 club and the president sent my four wheels off to Portugal, all four came back perfect all for 200 euros including shipping!

Alloy wheels bonding to cast and steel components is very common indeed, as per @Towpack I use a smear of copper grease, no future problems when removing them.

Regards

Dave
 
Last edited:
Bit of a thread bump...

Now that I have fixed the tight steering on my 120 I am looking at refurbishing my alloys and putting on some new rubber. Doing a local search I found these two companies:

The Wheel Specialist - online quote for the refurb of 5 allys was £450 incl.

Letchworth Diamond Wheels - I will give them a call to check price.

Anyone heard or better yet used these two companies? Always better to go on a recommendation I find.

Will also be putting on 267/70/17 General Grabber AT3's as I got 60k and 6 years out of the last set.

Some pics:

20170226_141346.jpg

Erm, this one is the one that ended up riding on the brake discs when the nuts cam off... so may need some repair.
20170426_111204.jpg
 
If the wheel specialist is the one in porters wood i was gonna take the beemer there. I decided i didnt love it that much as the cost of the refurb goes up as the wheel size goes up and it was too much for my liking so found somewhere cheaper. One of the wheeler dealer episodes Mike goes there and gets some done.
 
Back
Top