The yams, the leachy of police and anti-national reagents on the national roads are ruthless to wheel disks, regardless of the make and model of the car. The damage range is wide ranging from scratches and small sas to the effects of "bearskin disease" to serious deformation, deep cracks and loss of whole fragments. How do I restore a disk unit? In which cases, you can recover the disks, and when it is best to discard the repair and find a replacement disk (even if it is expensive)? Where better to do this procedure and what guarantees do the masters give? Recreating!
Recreating!
If the disks are cosmetic, it is not very difficult to fix them. It is possible to polish shallow scratches, small bullies on the rim of flushing, as well as the disc can be completely repainted if necessary.
The situation with deformations is much affected by the degree of damage to the disk. Quite often the problem can be solved by a skate on a special machine, but the final verdict can be delivered only by an experienced specialist. The most controversial way to recover disks is a welding, and here, theory and practice are very different.
"You can't throw the cook away."
In opponents of this approach to repair, the Association of European Wheeldisc Manufacturers (EUWA). For example, paragraph 5 of its standard ES 1.02 states that "the rim, central parts and other parts of the discs are strictly prohibited and illegally reconstructed by welding." This is because local heating leads to changes in the molecular structure of the metal and accumulation of permanent deformations.
Experts note that the repaired disk loses its inherent characteristics, which means the manufacturer's warranty. Meanwhile, wheel drive welding services offer many companies-from specialized centers to small binoculers. The high demand for this is easy: often the price of one new disc is 5-10 times higher than the cost of repair, and many alloy units are sold only by the kit.
For repairs, the argon arc welding is used, and the edges of the welded cracks require careful preparation, including mechanical handling, the disposal of oxidative oxen and degreasing. In case of non-observance of the technology, it is possible to have hot cracks in the weld seam, the destruction of the crotch and the feeding of the disc.
In addition, not every aluminium alloy brand is subject to welding, but the exact composition of the "cocktail" made of disc is not easy even in laboratory conditions. That is why the sitting wire is often picked up by trial and error.
In these limitations, success depends almost entirely on the experience and knowledge of the welder as well as the equipment used. The magnitude of the damage is not less important. Some masters promise to "create a miracle"-to make a light-alloy disk, split into 2-3 fragments, but most refuse to repair with critical damage. The specialists usually include cracks in the disc mounting to the hub and the spokes. These elements are exposed to point load variables, under which welds can easily collapse. It is also not recommended to weld the lost parts of the rim. But the melting of its edges with the subsequent polishing and polishing to restore the geometry is considered to be quite acceptable. The quality of the weld seam for up to one year is often guaranteed by the master.
Deformation control
If the disk is deformed, but there are no cracks, the chances of a successful repair are estimated above. In the case of relatively small dents, the most frequent changes are for special equipment. The disc is pressed in the rotating holder and gradually lengthen drawn with the hydraulic cylinder under the control of the master.
Unlike the classical brushes of steel-stamped discs, the editing is carried out without heating. But only in the presence of a machine which, by the word, is not cheap. In the absence of the required equipment, the disc is often heated by a patchwork lamp and then the sledges will be rehatchable. As a result, the visual geometry will be restored, but the axial and radial beatings will not be corrected.
It is much more difficult to restore a heavily deformed rim on the machine due to the high probability of cracks: the metal may not be able to withstand the load. A common solution is the local heating option, the possible consequences of which have been discussed above.
Painting and polishing
It uses polishing to eliminate scratches, rims, and small notches on the rim. It can be done on its own: it will require a sandpaper with cereals 200P/400P/600P and a few hours of free time. Small abrasive polyroles can be found in the mirror, which is easy to find in cosmetics shops.
In order to paint the discs, the specialists recommend the use of powdered paint. The reason is that they are highly persistent in aggressive environments (e.g., reagents) and mechanical effects, as well as durability. It is not possible to work with powder paint in the garage conditions, at least because of the absence of a drying oven, while other types of coatings, as practice shows, do not last long.
In addition, the painting of the discs in the workshop is preceded by careful preparation-sand-sand processing for the removal of the old LCP and degreasing. Only the careful application of the paint technology guarantees the resistance of the coating.
Complex Selection
In discussing the repairability of light-alloy discs, the wizards often specify that their recovery is not always appropriate. In case of serious damage requiring heating or welding, the disc can be easier to replace, especially if the cost of repair is comparable to the purchase of a new one. In the assessment of damages the specialist will help, but the final choice is still for the car owner. You should not forget that by doing "any caprice for your money", not every master will be concerned about your safety.
