Frequently Asked Questions

Please visit the Refubishment Limitations page to find out more about what can and cannot be done.

Lepsons have nationwide coverage, including Scotland, Northern Ireland (and also Eire) via courier and our fleet of vans.  Our van fleet is able to collect from trade customers anywhere in the London M25 corridor, the home counties, M3 to Portsmouth and M4 corridor to Bristol.

Yes, Lepsons are happy to announce we now offer a loan car option for our customers. Please call for more details on this service, or ask about this service at the time of booking in your wheels for repair with us.

Typical turnaround time for most wheels including diamond cut finishes is 3 to 4 days & split rims and non-standard or special finishes typically take a week.

Lepsons operate out of factories totaling 15,000 sq/ft with equipment set up to replicate OEM (Original Equipment Manufacture) often involving the exact same paints and processes used, however unlike OEM manufacturers we have to remove the old paint finish.

Where appropriate, Lepsons chemically strip rather than shot blast the old paint off to avoid weakening the wheel and as often happens with shot blast stripping rounding off spoke edges and profiles.

The stripping chemicals and process are specially formulated for alloy wheels to avoid alloy degradation.

After stripping the wheels are checked for defects and repaired before going through a pre-treatment and typically 3 coat paint system to replicate their original coating.

Due to our processing we can match the majority of manufacturers’ OEM painted and diamond cut finishes whether it’s just one or the full set of wheels.

Due to the intricate process involved when creating a black chrome finish it is not possible to precisely match a refurbished wheel to existing wheels, Lepsons therefore recommend that in this case all 4 wheels be refurbished at once.

No – Smart repairs or kerbside repairers for alloy wheels have grown dramatically in numbers over recent years and are often associated with automotive body repairs. They concentrate on the fast roadside cosmetic repair which usually involves masking the wheel up and carrying out a range of processes often involving colour matching kits to repair localised minor damage where possible.

Lepsons are a factory based refurbisher who concentrate on producing a long lasting, durable finish by repairing metal damage and repainting the wheel which can only be done by removal of the tyre and controlled processes in a quality controlled environment.

Most diamond cut finishes require a lathe process that cannot be replicated by van based operators albeit some will offer to polish rims, however this can often cause problems later when the wheel cannot be fully profiled on a lathe due to thin rim metal.

Yes – we have many SMART repairers as customers throughout the country who send us wheels to refurbish that they cannot technically match or process, especially diamond cut finishes and we welcome their business.

If this is of interest to you please contact us.

Yes – we can match the majority of painted finish colours and part machined/diamond cut finishes but don’t chrome plate wheels or use Silvering processes as seen on some internet sites as the finishes don’t last on our salty roads – those finishes help keep us busy…

Yes – as long as they are in reasonable condition, our Gillingham site should be contacted for a quote as they need special processing.

Yes – we specialise in most two piece split rims but avoid three piece split rims due to the amount of time it takes to undo all the bolts and split them etc which is disproportionate to the price people are willing to pay.

A quote can be given on individual cases if you phone us.

Yes – we are very competitive on tyres and can offer exceptional deals if you want to renew your tyres with us.

Just ask for a quote on budget, medium and premium brands as we can supply and fit all.

Sometimes customers have their own new tyres they provide us and we can fit them for a small extra fee including valves of their choice.  We prefer not to be supplied with customer’s new tyres separately due to the issues in coordinating inbound tyre deliveries with the refurbishment of the wheels themselves.

If a wheel has a metal valve and/or a tyre pressure sensor then whilst we are generally able to remove and refit them (if they are not damaged or corroded), if they need re-mapping or re-programming then we are not equipped to do this and you will need to get this done by a specialist or your dealer.

Please note that we will take reasonable care during the removal and refitting of sensor valves but we cannot be held responsible for any damage incurred during this process.

Centre caps are the decorative inserts, usually circular, which cover the centre part of the wheel.  If they were not present the end of the spindle or wheel bearings would probably be visible which is not particularly attractive on most vehicles.

Find out more about centre caps and the limitations on what we can do with them by clicking here.

Balancing of your wheels is carried out to the manufacturers’ specification using the Alu 1 programme.  Stick on weights are used on the inner and outer edge of the wheels, If you require anything different please ensure we know this when you are booking in the wheels and we can see if we can accommodate your request.

Yes – at our Gillingham site we have a 3,000 sq/ft fully insured unit dedicated to the storage and protection of customer cars.

Many customers take the opportunity to have detailing and valet services provided by our trusted partner companies whilst the wheels are re-processed.

As the Kent site is next to a major railway station this is often used by London based customers.

Detailing is the systematic cleansing, perfecting and protecting process for all surfaces and areas of your vehicle.  To find out more about our detailing partner, KDS Keltec, please visit our Detailing page.

Please call us to discuss as we do carry out promotions and have a public and trade price list which is regularly updated.

A typical price for a fully refurbished set of wheels can be as low as £260 + VAT.

If you are trade and regularly require wheels refurbished every month please call the head office number or email us to arrange a meeting to discuss potential volume reductions and a free of charge no obligation refurbishment to show our quality and service ability.

If you want a job done properly then you expect to pay more however if you compare our prices against our competitors you will find that we are very, very competitive often cheaper than roadside repairers who simply touch up the damaged paint.

When considering static factory based alloy wheel refurbishment prices you need to consider what you get for your money and some of our competitors will often advertise a cheap up front price but charge a lot for “extras” – or apply powder coating – claiming all four wheels have to be refurbished as this is the only way to get a match!

To ensure you don’t get a bigger bill than you expected you need to consider if the price quoted includes or excludes the following:

Tyre removal
Tyre re-fitting
Valve removal and re-fitting
Valve replacement (rubber or metal)
Balancing
Repair/repainting of hub caps
VAT
Single wheel surcharge
Less than 4 day turnaround surcharge
Bolts cleaning or fitting charges
Very expensive P&P charges

Lepsons prices include the painting and refitting of centre caps, tyre removal and re-fitting, balancing, valve removal and re-fitting and bolt fitting.

We do not profit from P&P and our turnaround time is typically 3 days for which we do not charge extra.

Hard to answer – we straighten many buckled wheels for a low fee however they generally require an assessment first as health and safety considerations must outweigh commercial profitability.

Rim damage can often be welded – we suggest contacting us with images to assess before sending them for evaluation.

We are alloy wheel repair experts and in the unlikely event that we cannot repair the wheel we won’t charge you for trying.

There are not many we haven’t come across in the last 20+ years and we regularly refurbish Ferrari, Porsche and other prestige manufacturer wheels.

Lepsons are always interested in listening to proposals from companies outside our current areas and companies in the North of England, Scotland, Eire and Europe who require volumes of alloy wheel re-processing and would like to process wheels to our standard contact us by email in the first instance.

Our terms and conditions of business can be downloaded by clicking here.