Introducing diamond cut alloy wheel repairs - At YOUR location

It used to be the case that if you needed your diamond cut alloy wheels repaired a technician would remove them from your car and take them away to a depot for the work to be carried out - leaving your car off the road and causing you great inconvenience.

But not any more.

We are delighted to say that Kerb Appeal is one of the first specialists to offer mobile diamond cut alloy wheel repairs at YOUR location.

If you have the increasingly popular and expensive-looking ‘diamond cut’ finish on your alloy wheels, you’ll probably be extra cautious about how you treat them.

But accidents happen, especially those involving a pavement kerb during a lightly off-target parallel parking manoeuvre.

We've invested in the technology required to bring our services to you, using only the highest quality products and processes to get the job done.

In terms of how it works, our mobile solution for repairing diamond cut alloy wheels is rooted in the years of experience and craftsmanship honed by our team of technicians.

We come to your chosen destination, remove the wheels from your vehicle and the take off the tyres - then the hard work begins, encompassing a surgical repair process, sanding, re-contouring, re-shaping, hand-finished polishing and a final waxing.

We balance the wheels before fitting them back to your vehicle and at the end of that process your diamond cut alloy wheels will look brand spanking new.

If you’d like to find out more about our diamond cut and polished alloy wheel refurb service and the other services that we offer, simply browse around our website, or contact myself, Simon Trayler, on 07956 530 949 / kerbappeal@live.co.uk.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Simon Trayler,
Master Technician

Take a franchise with Kerb Appeal - The leading mobile alloy wheel refurbishment specialist

If you have a background in the car trade and are looking for either a new challenge or to strike out on your own, then taking up a franchise with Kerb Appeal is a fantastic opportunity.

We're one of the largest mobile alloy wheel refurbishment specialists in Hertfordshire and also cover the entire south coast.

Established in 2012, Kerb Appeal has used a tried and tested business model to generate success and profitability.

Why we want to franchise

• To expand our network coverage in the UK in the quickest and most financially-viable way

• To capitalise on the market potential of over 28 million vehicles in the UK

• To develop an even stronger brand awareness and a greater potential to win national contracts

• To continue to deliver excellence to our clients through highly-motivated operators with a vested interest in the business

We operate from fully-branded vehicles containing purpose built mobile alloy wheel refurbishment systems, working on over 20,000 alloy wheels a year for commercial and private clients.Our aim is to provide clients with an experience that is convenient, flexible and professional – a service designed to ensure we are highly recommended.

Why Kerb Appeal is different

At Kerb Appeal we are driven by excellence: excellence in the way we present ourselves, the service we deliver to our clients, our approach to our operators and franchisees and our attitude to training and development.

With a Kerb Appeal franchise the “start up” package is just the beginning – training is “on the job”, one-to-one and ongoing.

Our reputation has been built on the network of skilled, motivated and professional technicians and the quality of the materials we use. Our clients know they can trust Kerb Appeal

The foundations for excellence have been laid. Now we are looking for the right people, who have a willingness to learn and develop, to help us build on those foundations to extend our UK network and grow their own successful franchises.

What do you get as a Kerb Appeal franchisee?

• A tried and tested business model

• A desirable and profitable service offer

• An exclusive, realistic area allocated to you

• Potential for growth and development of the franchise with the opportunity to expand to multiple mobile units

• 10% fee based on sales turnover; we only generate revenue from your success

• Competitively priced materials supplied by Kerb Appeal

• Proactive structured approach to marketing by Kerb Appeal management team

• Strong national brand

• Access to all market sectors – trade/retail/fleet

• Number 1 position on Google for “mobile wheel refinishing” search

• National advertising campaign on Yell.com

• Solid support in all areas from the Kerb Appeal management team

• Comprehensive Operations manual – in line with ISO9001

• Continuous training – on the job, one-to-one training

• Sales from Day One

• Marketing Launch

• Assistance with financing

• Credit control/bad debt collection

Is Kerb Appeal For You?

Are you looking for a franchise opportunity with a company that is:

• Known and respected in its market

• Able to demonstrate a proven formula for the creation of a successful, profitable business

• Open and honest – no false promises from Kerb Appeal

• Offering a genuine franchise opportunity for people with realistic expectations

• Committed to a programme of continuous investment in marketing and promotion

• Capable of providing a strong sales focus with a team of telesales staff

• Aware of the difference a structured training and development programme makes to service delivery

• Prepared to help the right people take advantage of a low cost start up business opportunity guaranteed to make self employment worthwhile. Liquid funds of £5,000 working capital is all that is required to get started

• Eager to see you succeed, employing Business Support Managers, Management Accountants and a Training Manager to facilitate this success

If this is the type of opportunity is appealing to you, or if you are interested in looking into this more please call Simon on 07956 530 949 or email kerbappeal@live.co.uk.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Simon Trayler,
Master Technician

Everything you need to know about locking wheel nut removal

Locking wheel nut removal isn’t something you tend to worry about until you find yourself in an emergency that requires removing one of your car’s wheels. And there are few things as frustrating as being unable to get a wheel off when you need to because the lug nut is stuck.

You probably know that the rim of the wheel is fixed onto the threaded bold shafts by a locking wheel nut. The nut maintains its lock on the shaft of the wheel by means of a nylon thread insert that lines the nut’s centre hole.

And if the insert becomes worn or stripped it becomes very difficult to remove the nut from the wheel.

There are various methods employed by people to try and remove the locking nut. Some will attempt to use a wrench, but this isn’t recommended, as there is the risk that you could damage the wheel rims.

In fact we wouldn’t advise trying any DIY methods unless you really know what you are doing, as you can easily damage the tyre, threads or lug nuts through too much force or improper action.

Thankfully, the Kerb Appeal team can come to the rescue! We are able to offer locking wheel nut removal using a special wheel nut remover. It works with a reverse thread that grips the outside of the wheel nut for easy removal without posing any danger to your wheel rims or tyres.

So if you find yourself in a but of bind with your lug nuts, contact myself, Simon Trayler, on 07956 530 949 / kerbappeal@live.co.uk - we'll take care of everything for you.

Everything you need to know about damaged split rim alloy wheels and how to repair them

First thing’s first - what on earth is a ‘split rim’? It’s a common misconception that a split rim is a type of alloy wheel damage - i.e. ‘Oh my God, I’ve split my rims!’.

What it actually is a type of alloy wheel design that became popular in the 1970s, particularly on industrial vehicles and performance cars which, at the time, had huge fat tyres.

In order to be able to fit those massive, inflexible tyres, the wheel rim design would be split in two to allow for easier manipulation without causing damage to the rubber.

Once fitted, the locking ring on the outer bead will then hold the tyre in place (as opposed to having the fixed bead found on regular alloy wheels).

Having a split rim also means that if the rim itself does get damaged, it can be removed from the rest of the wheel to be repaired or replaced.

To be fair, split rims are a bit ‘Marmite’ - people either love them on hate them. Some like the look, others find split rims to be an unnecessary faff.

One thing’s for sure - you need to look after them and the maintenance is not without its challenges.

Because of the multi-part construction, they are susceptible to corrosion more than regular alloy wheels. They can also be dangerous if not handled correctly - mismatched components are a problem but - more importantly - attempting to remove the tyre from a split rim without following the correct procedure can result in nasty injury from flying projectiles!

So when we repair a split rim alloy wheel, here’s the quite specific procedure we have to follow:-

• We come to your chosen destination and remove the wheels from your vehicle.
• The vehicle is then placed on axle stands for the duration that we have your wheels. If you are having just the one wheel done we will fit the spare for you if you have one. If you do not have space to leave your vehicle on axle stands we will bring your car to our depot and store it in our secure compound. We also have trade plates in order to transport untaxed vehicles from dealerships etc.
• If the work is being carried out on the mobile service the bead is broken - this means that the tyre is moved about an inch off the rim to enable us to repair all damage. If the repair is taking place at our depot the tyres are removed completely.
• The bolts are removed and the wheels are split.
• Any damage on the outer rim is repaired.
• We then polish or paint it depending on the finish you desire (there are a great many options to choose from - we are more than happy to finish the wheel to a custom spec).
• If the work is being carried out by our mobile service the centres are repaired and then painted. If the repair is being carried out at our depot we would acid strip and powder coat the centres to a colour of your choice.
• The wheels are then put back together; all the bolts are refitted and torqued to the manufacturer's specification.
• We then inflate the tyres and balance them if they have been removed completely.
• The wheels are then fitted back to your vehicle.

Hopefully that sheds some light on what a split rim actually is, and why they need a bit more TLC than your average alloy wheel.

If you’d like to find out more about our split rim alloy wheel repairs and the other services that we offer, simply browse around our website, or contact myself, Simon Trayler, on 07956 530 949 / kerbappeal@live.co.uk.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Simon Trayler,
Master Technician

Everything you need to know about diamond cut and polished alloy wheel refurbishment

If you have the increasingly popular and expensive-looking ‘diamond cut’ finish on your alloy wheels, you’ll probably be extra cautious about how you treat them.

But accidents happen, especially those involving a pavement kerb during a lightly off-target parallel parking manoeuvre.

Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. Which is why at Kerb Appeal we have a special process for refurbishing and polishing diamond cut alloy wheels.

Like with our acid stripping & powder coating service, the work required to repair diamond cut alloy wheels is something that we need to carry out at our depot.

That’s not something that you’ll need to worry about, however, because our mobile technicians will still come to your location to pick up the damaged wheel, leaving you to get on with the important things you need to get done in your life.

If you’re not sure if your alloy wheels are diamond cut, there’s an easy way to fund out - they will have a smooth, shiny finish and if you look closely you’ll see grain lines in the metal where they have been turned on the lathe. In addition, they have painted insets; these can be any colour, usually black, silver or anthracite.

If you’re still not sure, just take a picture of the wheel with your phone and send it to us at the coordinates below - we’ll get back to you ASAP with an assessment!

When talking to customers, we often get asked about the exact processes involved in the treatment of their diamond cut alloy wheels, so I’ve pulled together the following step by step overview:

• We come to your chosen destination and remove the wheels from your vehicle.
• The vehicle is then placed on axle stands for the duration that we have your wheels. If you are having just the one wheel done, we will fit the spare for you if you have one. If you do not have space to leave your vehicle on axle stands we will bring your car to our depot and store it in our secure compound. We also have trade plates in order to transport untaxed vehicles from dealerships etc.
• Once the wheels arrive back at our depot the tyres are removed.
• The wheels are placed in the acid bath until all the paint is removed.
• We then jet wash the wheels to remove all the acid and loose paint.
• Any damage is then removed using a number of techniques.
• The wheels are then placed in our oven and heated up.
• We then prime the wheels and bake them again.
• The primer is then ‘flatted off’ to ensure a smooth paint finish.
• The wheels are then heated up again and painted in the colour of your choice and baked off again. The colour you choose will be visible on the insets of the wheels.
• The spokes and edges are then ‘scored’ before being turned on the lathe.
• Any sharp edges are then sanded.
• They are then heated up and lacquered to protect the polished metal.
• The wheels are left to cool before they have the tyres refitted.
• We balance the wheels before returning them to you and fitting them back to your vehicle.

At the end of that process your diamond cut alloy wheels will look brand spanking new.

If you’d like to find out more about our diamond cut and polished alloy wheel refurb service and the other services that we offer, simply browse around our website, or contact myself, Simon Trayler, on 07956 530 949 / kerbappeal@live.co.uk.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Simon Trayler,
Master Technician

Everything you need to know about acid stripping and powder coating damaged alloy wheels

Last week I wrote about our approach to basic mobile alloy wheel refurbishment, some of the techniques and products used, and the time it takes to complete the average wheel.

There are some instances, however, when repairs need to take place at our depot rather than your home.

That’s because in extreme cases, wheels that are prone to rotting and corrosion need to undergo special a treatment.

In such cases some companies out there will ‘shot blast’ or ‘sand blast’ badly rotting or corroded wheels to remove all the paint and blemishes.

At Kerb Appeal we find this to be a harsh process that can leave pitting and other imperfections in the repaired wheel.

So instead we use the latest techniques, which involve us removing all the paint and corrosion in an acid bath and then powder coating the wheel to achieve a more satisfactory repair.

We call this process, unsurprising, 'alloy wheel acid stripping and powder coating'.

Due to the strength of the acid used we cannot undertake it from one of our mobile units, so the work is carried out at our depot instead.

But don’t worry - we’ll still come to your location to pick up the damaged wheels (and even keep you mobile with a spare while the work is being carried out!)

In actual fact, there are also some upsides to having wheels in such bad condition that they require acid stripping and powder coating - you can have them re-painted to the original colour or, if you fancy a change, we can mix up any colour you like. 

Or, if you have a specific colour you would like you can supply us with a paint code and we will match it.

But whether you opt for the original finish or something a little different, the basic acid stripping and powder coating process remains the same - here’s a step by step guide to the work we would perform:

• We come to your chosen destination and remove the wheels from your vehicle.
• The vehicle is then placed on axle stands for the duration that we have your wheels. If you are having just the one wheel done, we will fit the spare for you if you have one. If you do not have space to leave your vehicle on axle stands we will bring your car to our depot and store it in our secure compound. We also have trade plates in order to transport untaxed vehicles from dealerships, etc.
• Once the wheels arrive back at our depot the tyres are removed.
• The wheels are placed in the acid bath until all the paint is removed.
• We then jet wash the wheels to remove all the acid and loose paint.
• Any damage is then repaired using a number of techniques.
• The wheels are then placed in our oven and heated up.
• We then prime the wheels and bake them again.
• The primer is then ‘flatted off’ to ensure a smooth paint finish.
• The wheels are then heated up again and painted in the colour of your choice and baked off again.
• We then lacquer the wheels to ensure a hard finish and bake them one final time.
• The wheels are left to cool before they have the tyres refitted.
• We balance the wheels before returning them to you and fitting them back to your vehicle.

At this point it’s worth bearing in mind that once the acid stripping and powder coating process is complete, your alloy wheels will look like they’ve just rolled out of the factory they were made in - you might want to make sure you wash the rest of your car so it doesn’t look out of place!

If you’d like to find out more about our alloy wheel acid stripping and powder coating service and the other services that we offer, simply browse around our website, or contact myself, Simon Trayler, on 07956 530 949 / kerbappeal@live.co.uk.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Simon Trayler,
Master Technician

Mobile alloy wheel refurbishment - How we do it at Kerb Appeal

The bread and butter of our business is repairing damaged alloy wheels.

And because we’re mobile, we can get to you quickly and save your the hassle of dropping your car to a garage, or being ‘car-less’ for a day while the work is carried out.

But being mobile also means our customers can see what we’re doing, often in their own driveway - as such, people are often surprised by the amount of work that’s involved.

So what exactly do we do in order to return your alloys to a showroom-ready standard? Well, the process is as follows…

Once we arrive at your location we’ll jack up the vehicle, remove the wheels and assess both the damage and the repairs required.

The tyres are deflated and the bead is broken - this means that the tyre is moved about an inch off the rim to enable us to repair all damage.

The wheels are then sanded and repaired using a number of techniques, depending on the extent of the damage and the type of wheel we are working on.

Once the main repairs have been carried out we then apply primer to the wheel and bake it under infra-red lighting (again, all this takes place on site with one of our mobile units).

We then ‘flat’ the wheel off to ensure a smooth paint finish.

The wheels are painted in your chosen colour (either the same as the original or something new - your choice!) and baked again.

We then lacquer the wheels to ensure the paint will be protected. They are then baked one final time to harden.

The tyres are inflated. As we don’t remove the tyres completely, there is no need for them to be rebalanced.

Finally, the wheels are fitted back to the vehicle.

On average the whole process can take up to 1.5 - 2 hours per wheel.

Hopefully the above sheds some light on the processes involved in mobile alloy wheel refurbishment and the highly professional way that we work here at Kerb Appeal.

If you’d like to find out more about this and the other services that we offer, simply browse around our website, or contact myself, Simon Trayler, on 07956 530 949 / kerbappeal@live.co.uk.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Simon Trayler,
Master Technician