Selling, part-exchanging or handing your car back? Sort the alloys first
However your current car is moving on, whether you are selling it privately, part-exchanging it, or handing back a lease or PCP deal, the wheels are worth sorting first. The 76 plate has just landed, so plate-change season means a lot of cars are changing hands, and tidy alloys make a real difference to what you walk away with.
The wheels are one of the first things noticed
When someone looks at a used car, they make their mind up quickly. The wheels are one of the first things they take in, so kerbed, scuffed or corroded alloys stand out to a buyer or a dealer straight away. A car with tidy wheels looks cared for. A car with battered ones looks neglected, even when the service history is spotless and the bodywork is clean.
What tired wheels cost at sale or part-exchange
A private buyer who spots kerb damage starts wondering what else has been let go, and that doubt pushes an offer down. A dealer is more direct: they price on what it takes to make the car retail-ready, and scruffy alloys are an obvious deduction, usually at a rate that suits them rather than you. Sort the wheels first and you take that bargaining chip away before the conversation starts.
Lease and PCP handbacks: the fair wear and tear charge
If the car is on a lease or PCP deal, it is inspected against a fair wear and tear standard when you hand it back, such as the BVRLA guidelines. A little light wear is expected and allowed for. Kerb scuffs, corrosion and peeling lacquer usually are not, and each damaged wheel can be listed as a chargeable item, at rates set by the finance company rather than you. Refurbishing beforehand often works out cheaper, and it puts you in control of the standard of the work rather than an inspector's estimate on the day.
Refurbish, don't replace
New alloys are expensive and usually unnecessary. A full refurbishment brings your original wheels back to a factory-standard finish for a fraction of the cost of buying new, and keeps the car as the manufacturer built it, which plenty of buyers prefer. Our 15-stage process strips each wheel back and refinishes it properly, whether it is a solid powder-coat colour or a diamond-cut finish, and the work is backed by our guarantee: 24 months on powder-coat wheels and 12 months on diamond-cut. We work from fixed, insured premises, not a mobile van on your drive, so the finish stands up whether it is a buyer or an inspector looking.
Leave enough time
Book the refurbishment in before you advertise the car or before your handback date, not the day someone is coming to look. A proper job needs time to strip, refinish and fully cure, and you want the wheels at their best in the photos or at the inspection. A quick call to your local branch will tell you how long to allow.
Over 1.5 million wheels refurbished and more than 25,000 five-star Trustpilot reviews later, we do nothing but wheels. Whether you are selling, part-exchanging or handing a car back, find your local branch and sort the wheels before the car does its final rounds.
