Diamond cut rims are the two-tone wheels with a bright, finely ridged face and painted pockets between the spokes. The bright finish is not paint: the face was machined on a CNC lathe and then lacquered. That is why a scuff or corrosion on a diamond cut wheel cannot simply be touched up. It needs painting, a fresh cut on a lathe and new lacquer. This page explains how the recut works, why the white corrosion appears, how many times a face can be cut, and the one-colour alternative.
Why diamond cut wheels corrode
The bright face is bare aluminium protected only by a clear lacquer. When a stone chip, a kerb scuff or harsh cleaning breaks that lacquer, water gets underneath. It creeps out from the damage as a milky white, thread-like stain under the clear coat, known as filiform corrosion. Coastal salt air, brake dust and acidic wheel cleaners make it worse. Once it starts, it keeps spreading, so the only cure is to remove it on the lathe and lacquer the face again.
How a diamond cut recut is done
- The tyre comes off and the old lacquer and corrosion are stripped.
- Any bends are straightened and damage repaired. See bent rim repair.
- The wheel is painted all over in the pocket colour, often a dark grey or black.
- It goes on the CNC lathe, which probes the face profile and cuts a very thin layer off, revealing bright metal again.
- A clear lacquer seals the new face, then the tyre is refitted and balanced.
The lathe must be set up for each wheel design, so a shop without one sends the wheel to a shop that has one, which adds days.
How many times can you recut?
Each recut removes metal from the face. The amount is small, but it is not unlimited, and some wheel designs have little spare material on the face to begin with. Repairers usually look at the depth of the spokes and how often the wheel has been cut before. A wheel that has been recut several times, or one with deep gouges on the face that would need a heavy cut, may be better refinished another way or replaced. Ask the shop to tell you if they think the wheel is near the limit.
Going one colour instead
If you are tired of corrosion coming back, or the face is too damaged to recut, a diamond cut wheel can be refinished in a single colour: gloss black, satin black, gunmetal or silver are popular. It hides future chips better and suits gravel road and coastal drivers. That is usually a full refurbishment or a powder coat. Just remember that a set will need to be done together so all four wheels match.
What to put in your request
- How many wheels and the size
- Scuffs, gouges or white corrosion under lacquer
- Whether the wheels were recut before
- The pocket colour: grey, black or silver
- Whether you would consider one colour instead
Diamond Cut Wheel Repair for drivers, fleets and workshops
- Private car owners: a scuffed two-tone wheel recut so it matches the rest of the set
- Enthusiasts, 4x4 and performance drivers: keeping the bright diamond cut face sharp on a premium or sports car
- Company and rental fleets: executive car wheels with lacquer corrosion recut before handback
- Dealers, panel shops and insurers: two-tone wheels on newer trade-ins recut so the car looks factory fresh
- Tyre shops and wheel workshops: mag shops without a lathe sending wheels to a shop that has one
- Truck, bus and taxi operators: chauffeur and shuttle vehicles keeping diamond cut wheels clean
- Farms: double cab two-tone wheels chipped on gravel, recut or painted one colour
- Mines and construction sites: site vehicle two-tone wheels refinished in a single tougher colour
Frequently asked questions
Can one diamond cut wheel be matched to the other three?
Can a mobile repairer fix a diamond cut wheel?
How do I stop the white corrosion coming back?
Do you run a diamond cut lathe?
Diamond Cut Wheel Repair by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg