Project Lexus IS 250
PART FIVE: Martyn Knowles lifts the IS 250 on the driveway to remove the alloys for refurbishment. Plus watches on as dents vanish.
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
Damaged alloy wheels make for a tatty appearance, so this month I decided to give a refurbisher of alloy wheels a chance to make them look like new.
I hadn't used BE Automotive in Tunbridge Wells before, but did visit them a few years back when I was in the area. They have over 20 years experience in detailing wheels and my request for them to take images of the refurbishment progress was met with enthusiasm. I'd like to thank them for the images of the wheel restoration during the various stages, which takes them two to three days to complete a full set of alloys.
I decided to take off the wheels from the IS and deliver them to BE Automotive's Kent location (Tel: 01233 556114). To do that I had to raise the vehicle on four axle stands. Word of warning – don't attempt this if you are unsure. With over 40 years of messing around with cars, it took me 1.5hrs to get the IS safely on stands with the wheels removed.
First I decided to raise each front wheel enough to slide my plastic ramps underneath. This raised height allowed the positioning of each front axle stand to be done with a little more lifting via the trolley jack. The plastic ramps could slide out first, then the jack slowly dropped to meet the stand(s). The rear was then lifted high enough for a fully raised axle stand to be slipped under each rear crossmember bush. Taking your time is important and your safety paramount.
Fresh rubber
The part-worn Rapid P609 tyres that came with the IS on purchase were renewed at the same time. I decided these budget-branded tyres made the ride (and noise levels) un-Lexus-like so went hunting for new decent rubber.
With 225/45/17 on the front axle and 245/45/17 on the rear, it's not so straightforward to find a matching set. Ideally I wanted a tyre that produced a low decibel output. Yokohama produce a 67dB tyre but the matching axle pairs set they make are 71dB. As you can see, I opted for the Uniroyal RainSport 5 brand mainly because the wheel refurbishers recommended them. They could order those in and fit to the freshly painted alloys, which made sense.
With the IS still sat on axle stands, a Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) operator arrived. Watching Jon's skillful work making dents vanish is amazing – with 22 years' experience, he makes it look easy.
ALLOY WHEELS REMOVAL
1 First, all 20 wheel nuts were loosened slightly prior to raising the Lexus. Then the nearside front wheel was lifted enough to place a plastic ramp under the wheel. A piece of wood spread the load on the jack. Then the jack was lowered and dragged around to the offside front wheel and that raised to fit the other plastic ramp. With th
