A mag repair near me search usually starts when one wheel on the car no longer matches the other three. "Mags" is what most South Africans call alloy wheels, and most are cast aluminium alloy, with some flow formed or forged. They are lighter than steel and look good, but they scuff, bend and corrode more easily. The repair that suits your mags depends heavily on the finish, so this page walks through the finishes, colour matching, turnaround and getting your wheels to and from the shop.
The finish decides the repair
- Painted (silver, grey, black): the easiest to repair. The damage is sanded out, filled, primed, colour matched and lacquered.
- Diamond cut or two-tone: the bright face was cut on a lathe, so a proper repair means recutting it. See diamond cut wheel repair.
- Powder coated: chips can be touched up, but a clean repair often means stripping and recoating the wheel. See powder coating.
- Chrome: few shops repair chrome; damaged chrome is usually stripped and replated by a specialist or refinished in paint.
- Polished bare aluminium: polished back by hand, then sealed.
Getting the colour to match
Factory silvers and greys vary between car makers and even between model years, and they fade with sun and brake dust. A careful shop mixes a colour to match the wheel in front of it, sprays a test card, and may blend across the whole face rather than spraying only the damaged spot, so the repair does not show as a brighter patch. If you are repairing one wheel of four, ask whether they will compare it against the others in daylight before lacquer. If the set is badly worn, a full refurbishment of all four is often the more even result.
How long mag repair usually takes
A scuff on a painted mag is often done in a day if you drop the wheel off in the morning, because the paint and lacquer need time to cure. Straightening adds time on the press and a balance check. A crack weld, a diamond cut recut or a powder coat usually means a few days, and longer when the shop sends work to a specialist with a lathe or an oven. Ask for an estimate and whether they can lend or fit a spare while the wheel is away.
Collection, delivery and mobile work
Many mag shops collect wheels from your home, office or dealer and bring them back fitted, which saves you a day without the car. Some only want the bare wheel or wheel and tyre, delivered by you. Mobile repairers can do light scuff repair at your door, but straightening and welding need the workshop. Tell repairers what suits you in your request, and if the tyre comes off, ask them to fit a new valve and balance the wheel before refitting it.
What to put in your request
- The finish: painted, diamond cut, powder coat or chrome
- Wheel size and how many need work
- Photos in daylight, close up and from a step back
- Whether the car has TPMS sensors
- Whether you want collection and delivery
Mag Repair for drivers, fleets and workshops
- Private car owners: one scuffed or corroded mag made to match the rest of the set again
- Enthusiasts, 4x4 and performance drivers: aftermarket mags kept straight and clean, or refinished in a new colour
- Company and rental fleets: alloy wheels on executive cars and rentals repaired between bookings
- Dealers, panel shops and insurers: trade-in mags tidied up so a used car presents well on the floor
- Tyre shops and wheel workshops: fitment centres sending scuffed or bent mags to a specialist shop
- Truck, bus and taxi operators: alloys on shuttle vans and premium transfer vehicles kept presentable
- Farms: double cab mags chipped by gravel and stones on farm roads
- Mines and construction sites: alloy wheels on site bakkies checked and repaired after rough roads
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a mag and a rim?
Can you repair mags on a premium SUV with large wheels?
Will my repaired mag be as strong as before?
Do you fix mags yourselves?
Mag 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