New 76 plate? Sort your old car's alloys before you sell or part-exchange
The 76 plate landed this week, and plate-change season is one of the busiest times of the year for buying, selling and part-exchanging cars. If your current car is moving on as part of an upgrade, spend a moment on the wheels before it goes anywhere.
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.
Buyers judge the whole car by the wheels
A private buyer who spots kerb damage starts wondering what else has been let go. Fair or not, scuffed alloys plant a doubt, and doubt is what pushes an offer down or makes a viewing go cold. Clean, well-kept wheels do the opposite. They tell the buyer the car has been looked after, and they give you one less thing to argue about on price.
What tired wheels cost you at part-exchange
Dealers price on what it will take to get a car ready for their forecourt. Corroded or kerbed alloys are an obvious item on that list, and the cost of putting them right comes off your figure, usually at a rate that suits the dealer rather than you. Plate-change time is when forecourts fill up with part-exchanges, so a car that needs no tidying stands out. Sort the wheels beforehand and you take that bargaining chip away before the conversation starts.
Refurbish or replace?
New alloys are expensive, and most of the time you do not need them. A full refurbishment brings your original wheels back to a factory-standard finish for a fraction of the cost of buying new. Keeping the original wheels also keeps the car the way the manufacturer built it, which plenty of buyers prefer. If a wheel is buckled or cracked rather than just scuffed, ask your local branch: a repair is often still possible, and it is worth checking before you write the wheel off.
Do it before the photos go up
Good photos sell cars, and the wheels show up in almost every shot. Get them refurbished before you list, and every picture works for you instead of against you. 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. Ask about loan wheels too, so you are not left off the road while the job is done.
Leave a little time
A proper refurbishment is not a rush job, so book it in before you advertise the car rather than the day someone comes to view. Plate-change season is busy, so the sooner you get booked in the better. That way the finish has fully cured, the wheels look their best in the photos, and you are not trying to sell around a booking. 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. If you are getting a car ready to sell or part-exchange this plate-change season, find your local branch and ask for a quote before the sign goes in the window.
YOUR WHEELS, OUR PASSION.
