Frequently Asked Questions
We offer an extensive range of professional colours so whether you fancy a change of colour to make your wheels stand out or a refresh of your existing colour please get in touch. There are many variations of even standard colours such as silver and black so you may be surprised at what we can offer. Please call or pop in and we can show you what is possible.
Almost always. We carry a wide range of silvers and other colours to match the majority of vehicle manufacturer’s wheels. However, if your wheels are a special colour or you would like to change the colour then please let us know and we’ll get the colour for you. There may be a small extra charge for speciality colours to cover any additional costs.
It will depend on what service you would like done. We will always be highly professional and deliver to the timescale quoted for standard work. If we can offer any of our services the same day then we will be happy to do that. This includes alloy wheel refurbishment but this may take two to three days. Diamond cut wheel refurbishment will take longer due to the precision process involved.
Sorry we don’t collect wheels as we are busy working on wheels in our workshop in old Stevenage.
Yes, the whole of the wheel is refurbished. This ensures corrosion is removed and with all surfaces treated this helps achieve a good seal for the tyres.
Diamond cut wheels are increasing popular with car manufacturers. They look great but over time they may need to be refreshed to look their best as any damage to the lacquer such as stone chips can result in water discolouring the lacquer. That is when you see milky white patches.
The refurbishment of diamond cut wheels involves using a specialist precision machine that rotates the wheel on a specialist lathe. A fine layer of alloy is removed from the surface. This gives a superb highly polished smooth finish that can look even more wicked if you also refresh the wheels with a painted base layer. It’s worth bearing in mind any imprinted wording on the wheel can be lost or reduced during the diamond cutting process e.g. on Mercedes wheels with the ‘AMG’ sign engraved into the metal of the wheel.
It’s also a good idea to wash your wheels frequently especially during winter, to remove all salt and grime from the diamond cut polished surface. Take care to use the correct cleaning products that are Ph neutral, and apply a wax or sealer to your wheels. All of this will help prolong the life of your wheels and reduce oxidisation, which is common with all diamond cut wheels.
Diamond cut wheels can be re-cut once or potentially twice as alloy is removed from the surface during the process. We can discuss alternative finishes with you if your wheels have already been re-cut.
We suggest that you use a soft sponge with warm soapy water to clean your wheels. Please avoid car washes as the acidic cleaner that they use will damage your wheels and this damage is not covered by our one year guarantee for powder coated wheels.
We are conveniently located very close to the old town in Stevenage. Our address is Unit 19, Stevenage Enterprise Centre, Orchard Road, Stevenage SG1 3HH. We are next door to Bob’s Tyres.
If a wheel hits a pot hole or a kerb, it can cause the wheel to bend, buckle and result in flat spots. We are able to straighten your wheel so you won’t feel the vibration from the wheel when you drive at lower or higher speeds. Please pop in to see if your wheel is suitable for straightening.
At Wicked Rims we have invested in a specialist straightening machine that uses a hydraulic press to ease out the damage. When the damaged area is located this is heated and the surrounding area to reduce the risk of the wheel cracking under pressure. A hydraulic ram is used to push out the damaged section until is runs true.
We will advise if your wheel is so severely bucked that it is not suitable for straightening. There are times when we will only know this once the wheel is put on our professional wheel straightening machine.
We offer a professional aluminium welding service and we can repair most alloy wheels. Your safety is a top priority so we will never repair a wheel where the structure of the wheel has been compromised and the damage is too extensive to repair.
Yes we would be happy to do this for you before you return the car.
We offer a one stop shop with a full range of services for all sizes of business.
Wicked Rims will tighten all wheel nuts/bolts to the correct torques supplied by the vehicle manufacturer. Due to fresh paint and the bedding in process, we advise all customers to re-check all wheel bolts immediately and after approximately 40 miles. If you are unable to check then please pop back in and we will re-torque the bolts for you.
Newer cars are fitted with tyre pressure monitor sensors as standard. These indicate if your tyre pressure/s needs attention. If you’re not sure if your car has these we can advise you. From November 2014 all new passenger vehicles have been factory fitted with tyre pressure monitor sensors and before that, from November 2012 all new type class M1 passenger vehicles (under 3.5 tonnes and up to 8 seats) have been fitted with TPMS as standard.
The TPMS will need to be removed to refurbish the wheels and in many cases we can reuse the valve and/or sensor module. However, some vehicles will need one or more new valve/s and sensor module/s. We will advise you on what action to take if you need to get new valves/sensor modules.
If a sensor module has been replaced then the TPMS will need to be re-set on the vehicle to continue indicating if tyre pressures needs attention. For most cars/vans your users handbook will show you how to reset this but some cars/vans will need to be re-set by the manufacturer/dealer.
TPMS modules contain batteries and these should be replaced around every 4 or 5 years.