1.What do you do at Diamond Alloys?
I am the head painter, responsible for all the quality control we carry out. I am very lucky as I have an experienced team of painters and prep guys who help me to ensure we always do a first class job.
2.How did you get into the alloy wheel repair business?
I tried a few things in my career until an opportunity came up and I turned my hand to painting. I am very happy here at Diamond Alloys and I have natural skill for colour mixing and matching.
3. What did you do before?
My last job was as a glass blower producing neon signs, so a little different, but I guess still creative.
4.What is your favourite paint effect?
A chrome effect. We are often asked for chrome alloys but what I usually suggest is to choose a chrome effect. In fact chrome-plated alloy wheels are more delicate than other alloy wheels and to refurbish them is more expensive plus the quality declines more quickly than a standard paint refurb. A chrome finish lasts longer and is good value for money.
5.What’s the best part of your job?
I love all aspects of my job. I enjoy working with a great team that cares about the finish we achieve which is a very important philosophy at Diamond Alloys. I like the creative part of my job, it is really exciting trying always new effects and rewarding to find the perfect wheel and colour match a customer is looking for.
6. What was your worst job?
Office work. I feel restricted by the tasks and I couldn’t be creative.
7. What would you do if you were not a painter?
Maybe I would be involved in building work. I like producing finished products that customers can really enjoy.
8. What are your alloys like on your own car?
They are not too bad actually. They probably need a bit of attention, but I am so busy at work they always seem to be back of the queue.
9. If you could drive any car, what would it be, where would you drive it and who would be sitting next to you?
I would choose a comfortable cruising car, a Range Rover with all the gadgets and gizmos with a beautiful lady by my side.
10. What is your job satisfaction?
Making sure we offer a professional service to the highest standards which means we treat every alloy the same; it makes no difference if they are a supercar, a classic car or an everyday run around, they all get star treatment.
11. How should customers look after a painted alloy?
I would recommend they clean at least once a week and they avoid using acidic or chemical cleaners. Also, avoid mechanical car washes as the types of brushes that are used in some mechanical car washes can have a negative impact on your wheels. I would recommend they use microfibre wash mits because they are efficient without being abrasive.
12. Who is your inspiration?
My mum.
13. What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a pilot.
14. Should customers be wary of smart repairs?
Yes, it is not a total refurbishment. You will always get a better and lasting finish by using a centre compared to a smart repair. Also we take a lot of care to ensure the wheels are removed to repair and fixed back properly. You get an all-round service at Diamond Alloy.
15. Has the new powder coat system improved your job? And if so, how?
Tenfold! It is much faster, you get much better coverage over the surface of the wheel. All alloys come in different sizes and designs, some have lots of spokes and a wet paint finish made it difficult to get inside the spokes, so it was very time consuming, but the new powder system makes it easier to apply the powder in the hard to reach areas, it almost sucks the paint into place!
16. What do you think of the new system?
To say I am impressed is an understatement!
17. Why does powder coating give a better finish than just painting a wheel?
Well, the paint sort of melts onto the wheel when it is hot, evening out the finish beautifully. The heat sort of helps the paint to flow.
18. What has been the main advantage of adding this new system?
Well quality of finish for sure. But also we can now turn the wheels around much faster, not only does it mean we can get through more wheels in a day but for the client it means they can have the wheels back on their car and they can be back on the road without too much delay. We know this is really important to the customer and it helps keep their costs down too.
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