The Process
Repair methods for wheels and paintwork have many similarities and overlaps, however some aspects differ.
Wheels are removed from the car and repaired inside the mobile workshop/van. The bead on the tyre can be "broken" if necessary which is the first step in tyre removal. This drops it down and out of the way by about an inch. When it is reinflated it "pops" back on in exactly the same place which means there is no need to rebalance the wheel.
The scratches/scuffs/damage are removed by sanding. In the case of wheels, kerb damage is ground out and sanded back. In some extreme cases either bodywork or wheels may require filler. Where applicable surrounding areas are then masked off and primer, basecoat (which gives the colour you can see) and finally lacquer (which gives the gloss, satin or matt finish as applicable) are applied.
The colour code for the car is obtained from the vehicle itself and mixed on site as prescribed by the paint scheme software. In the case of alloys, colour is generally matched through knowledge and experience i.e they are known colours and stocked in the van.
Particularly in the case of paintwork, if the edges of the lacquer are not on the edges of the panel then they have to be blended. This is achieved in a variety of ways e.g. soft edge masking, loop masking and applying fade out thinners.
Infra-red heat lamps then help the clearcoat/lacquer to cure. Bodywork may then require some "flatting and polishing" after this to ensure the perfect finish.
(NB: In the case of a diamond cut wheel, the damage is removed by skimming/cutting the entire face off the wheel with a CNC lathe machine. See the pdf in the "What We do Section").
These Youtube video links help demonstrate the repair process..
