When you’re in a hurry, SMART repairs can seem like a godsend. They are, after all, conducted by a man in a van who helpfully drives out to wherever you are and fixes the problem – often for a very low price.
Yet if you care about your alloys we feel you should know that these repairs can often be purely cosmetic, and they won’t treat the problems that lie underneath. To help you decide which kind of repair is right for you, we’ve highlighted a few of the differences between SMART repairs and a full alloy repair service below.
Speed
SMART repairs have the edge here, as they are done in moments and don’t involve you having to drive anywhere. However, what you might not know is that we can do full repairs in just 48 hours – slightly longer to wait but giving you a lot longer on the road afterwards.
Wheel on or off?
SMART repairs can only work on the alloy while it’s still attached to your car, meaning that they are severely limited in what they can do. It may sound minor if your damage is obvious, but not being able to remove the tyre means that they can’t carry out the intensive cleaning process that ensures your wheel is completely protected from corrosion.
Choice of techniques
Because they’re limited to the amount of equipment they can fit in their van, the SMART repairers can only offer a limited range of techniques. This means, for example, they cannot offer diamond cutting – something which offers the best finish for most alloys thanks to the high quality of its precision cut.
The all-important oven
One thing repairers don’t have in their vans is an alloy oven, which bakes the lacquer onto the alloy and ensures an airtight corrosion free finish. This is an essential part of any full service alloy repair and one of the ways you can be assured the job has been done properly.
Quality check and warranty
SMART repairs don’t come with a quality check after the process – perhaps because the technician is rushing to do the job quickly. There are obvious perils to this, as they may miss any remaining problems that should be sorted before your car gets back on the road. When you consider that damaged alloys can cause problems with suspension, steering and overall safety, this is not something to take lightly. A full service alloy repair, by contrast, will come with not only an intensive quality check, but also a 12 month warranty to give you peace of mind that the job has been done correctly.
We hope these points illuminate some of the many differences between SMART and full service repairs. If you need any more details please do give us a call – we’re always on hand to answer all your questions.
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