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Does your car have Diamond or Laser Cut alloy wheels?

How can you tell if your wheels are Diamond or Laser Cut wheels?

Main manufacturers are issuing more and more models with diamond or laser cut alloy wheels fitted as standard, however, how do you know if you've got diamond or laser cut wheels? There are a number of things that suggest that you may have these forms of wheels, however, other than asking the question of the manufacturer or car supplier, you can't be certain.

This is because diamond or laser cut wheels are simply the way in which the wheels are manufactured and you can never tell whether they are genuinely diamond or laser cut, or whether they have been made to look like they are. 


Signs of having Diamond or Laser Cut alloy wheels ...Diamond & Laser Cut Alloy Wheel

  1. If your wheels have a 'high shine finish' i.e resembles the same finish as a CD, if you look closely at the wheel you may find very fine lines, this usually suggests that your wheels may be diamond or laser cut.
  2. A number of wheels will be painted black around the edge of the wheel, this is in some cases but not all will again indicate that your wheels may be of a diamond cut finish.

A number of premium manufacturers such as BMW, Volkswagen, Mercedes, Audi and Nissan will tend to issue their leading models with diamond or laser cut wheels fitted as standard. As shown in the picture, you will see an example of a diamond cut wheel issued by Volkswagen. 


How are Diamond & Laser Cut alloy wheels made?

In order to get the 'high shine' finish on the alloy wheels, part of the alloy wheel is actually cut off using a special machine. As mentioned previously, upon close inspection you will then see a number of fine lines creating that high shine finish on the alloy wheels. Once machine finished, a layer of lacquer is then applied to give the wheel extra protection against corrosion and water damage.


Can Diamond & Laser Cut alloy wheels be repaired?

Because of the way the wheels are produced, it is commonly believed that diamond or laser cut alloy wheels cannot be repaired remotely at your home address or place of work for example. However, this is not the case. Yes, in some cases depending on the damage and location of the damage on the wheel, they may not be repairable remotely. But, as technology has developed more and more approved repairers will have the ability to repair a diamond or laser cut wheel remotely, providing the damage isn't too significant.

As mentioned above, there is a thin layer of lacquer applied to the alloy wheel after the manufacturing process, this is to protect the wheel from any water ingress damage and potential corrosion of the wheel. If you incur a piece of damage which subsequently removes a layer of the lacquer, you leave the wheel open for corrosion and water ingress damage and therefore, it may not be possible to repair the wheel at this stage.

With most forms of alloy wheel insurance you will find that if the damage has occurred more than 30 days prior to you making a claim, the claim would not be authorised. This is not because the insurer doesn't want to pay for the repair, instead it is because the repair cannot be done to a guaranteed approved standard.


Diamond & Laser Cut Alloy Wheel Insurance

At Total Loss Gap, we offer a specialist policy with the ability to cover Diamond or Laser Cut alloy wheels. 

Key Features

  • 4 Claims Per Year (You have the ability to make as many as 4 claims per year)
  • £10 Excess Per Claim (You have to pay the first £10 in the event of a claim)
  • 30 Day Claims Waiting (You can't make a claim within the first 30 days)
  • £150 Replacement Contribution (In the event of the wheel not be repairable, we contribute upto £150 towards the replacement cost)

As this is a specialist policy, we also offer alternative levels of repair, depending on the level of damage. We also have the ability to send the wheel away to a central repair location for the alloy wheel to be repaired. Again, we must highlight that this is only in the event of the wheel needing to be sent away and this may not be necessary in all cases.

Diamond & Laser Cut Alloy Wheel Insurance