Terms & conditions

The agreement

Subject to these terms and conditions you agree to pay for the service(s) set out in the invoice between you and Wheel Masters Wickford Limited. It is your responsibility to ensure that the booking details and any other documentation between us are accurate.

Your vehicle and your responsibilities

• All vehicles must be supplied with the OEM locking wheel nut key(s) and any special tools or jacking equipment required for removing and fitting wheels, where applicable. If a locking wheel nut key cannot be supplied, we will charge a locking wheel nut removal fee of £12.50 per wheel or wheel nut removed.
• All vehicles must be fully covered by your insurance whilst left with us.
• For customer and company data protection, all recording equipment — including dash cameras — must be switched off whilst your vehicle is on our premises.
• It is your sole responsibility to check the condition of your tyres to ensure they conform to all safety and legal requirements.
• It is your responsibility to tell us if a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) is fitted.

Liability

We are not responsible or liable for any loss or damage to goods or articles left in vehicles, or for damage or mechanical faults such as body damage, glass damage, a flat battery, clutch slip and similar, caused to your vehicle whilst in our care — except for damage caused by our negligence.

We will not accept liability for the cost of repairing or replacing parts of your vehicle, and in particular will not accept liability for any technical or structural damage to wheels, wheel nuts, locking wheel nuts and keys, valves or TPMS sensors where such damage occurs due to pre-existing faults or wear and tear — unless we have been negligent in not realising that such damage may occur, or in the way the work was carried out.

Nothing in these terms excludes or limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence. However, we shall not be liable for any direct loss or damage suffered by you, howsoever caused, as a result of any negligence, breach of contract or otherwise, in excess of the price paid for the service(s).

We do not accept responsibility for the safe transport of wheels delivered or collected by courier. You should ensure that any courier you use is adequately insured.

Tyres, valves and TPMS

• We can fit replacement tyres on request. We are not able to dispose of your old tyres, valves or any waste arising from fitting.
• Where wheels are delivered to be fitted to the vehicle, we will endeavour to ensure all wheels are securely refitted following refurbishment. We recommend re-torquing after the first 24 hours or 50 miles of driving, and then at the intervals specified by the vehicle manufacturer.
• We recommend new valves are fitted to all wheels requiring a strip and refit of tyres. Rubber valves are supplied free of charge. Chrome valves are available at £7.50 each. We accept no responsibility for leaks where original valves have been refitted at your request.
• We do not accept responsibility for damage to valves or sensors within a TPMS where the valve cap has become damaged, corroded or fused to the valve, or where the TPMS sensor is damaged during the tyre removal process. If we are unable to remove the system without damage, TPMS components may require replacement or repair and additional charges may be incurred. No work will be conducted without your prior consent.

What we cannot control

We will endeavour to refurbish all wheels to the best of our ability but cannot be responsible for poor castings or excessive corrosion. These problems are sometimes only apparent once the old finish has been removed. Other problems found can include:

• Wheels, locking nuts or studs having been incorrectly maintained or modified;
• Any previous service or repairs which have not been properly carried out;
• Any parts which have been wrongly fitted, or the structure of the wheel or component itself.

Please be aware that certain high-gloss finishes, such as hyper silver or gloss black, show blemishes more readily depending on the condition of the wheels. We cannot promise a perfect finish, but we will always improve the look of your wheels.

We reserve the right to charge extra in the event of unforeseen problems. In such circumstances we will endeavour to contact you for agreement before continuing to carry out the work.

Split rims

Split rims are undertaken entirely at your discretion and responsibility as to the suitability of the refurbishment process. All dismantling and reassembly of split rims is your responsibility. Recommendations regarding suitability for refurbishment, dismantling and reassembly of split rims vary between manufacturers, and it is your sole responsibility to check suitability with the manufacturer. We do not warrant the finish or reassembly of split rims.

Electric vehicles and diamond cutting

Due to very small margins allocated to the weight of individual wheels on electric vehicles, we do not recommend the removal of any material from the wheel(s) through diamond cutting.

Should you wish to proceed against this advice, we strongly recommend you contact the wheel and/or vehicle manufacturer to establish whether the wheel(s) can be subjected to a diamond cut and, if so, how much material can be removed at minimum. Any instruction to diamond cut a wheel is given on the understanding that you have already carried out such checks, and we have no responsibility for damage to the wheel or vehicle as a result.

Turnaround and collection

We will endeavour to provide a same-day turnaround on standard powder-coated wheels wherever possible, if requested. We can only assure this if:

• The wheels are delivered to our premises no later than 9:00am;
• The wheels do not have any hidden defects which may delay the process, which may not be apparent until the wheels have been stripped;
• The wheels are 17 inches in diameter or less;
• You require a standard finish — silver, black, white, grey or anthracite.

Wheels must be collected before 6:00pm unless an alternative time has been previously agreed. An estimated time and date for completion will be provided when the job is booked in, but we will not have any liability for a failure beyond our reasonable control to complete the work by that estimate.

We reserve the right to raise a fee of £20.00 plus VAT where applicable, per night, for vehicles left in our charge at our premises overnight. Loose wheels not collected within one week will incur a fee of £10.00 plus VAT where applicable, per day from day 3 (day 1 being the day on which the wheels were refurbished). Wheels not collected after one month, if unpaid, will be sold to recoup any costs incurred.

You will be responsible for the vehicle once you have collected it from our premises.

Payment

Unless other arrangements have been agreed beforehand, payment is due on the due date of the invoice (7 days from completion of the repair of the wheel(s)) and shall be by cash, credit or debit card, or bank transfer.

Any late payment will incur a £100.00 plus VAT where applicable late payment fee, and/or a daily interest fee of 5.0% plus VAT where applicable of the payment due for each day after the date due through and including the date paid. If any payment remains unpaid for thirty (30) days following the due date, we may at our absolute discretion hold any asset held for or on behalf of the customer, place the customer's account on hold, and/or declare all remaining unpaid sums due and proceed with legal action.

Vehicles and wheels will not be released until payment is made in full.

Deposit payments are non-refundable where you fail to attend on the booking date and have not informed us in writing at least 48 hours before the booking date that you will not be attending.

Finish durability and standard of work

(a) All work is carried out with reasonable care and skill and to a professional standard. A powder-coat finish is highly durable and, looked after correctly — regular gentle washing, and no harsh or acidic wheel cleaners — can typically last 15 to 20 years. We provide aftercare guidance with every job. We do not offer a fixed-term finish guarantee. Nothing in these terms affects your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, including your right to a service carried out with reasonable care and skill.

(b) Diamond cut, polished and split-rim finishes have a shorter, finite life, due to the nature of the diamond-cutting process, corrosion, and/or the quality of the metal the wheel(s) are comprised of. We use a market-leading corrosion-inhibiting specialist lacquer to reduce the possibility of deterioration in quality over time, but we do not warrant the longevity of these finishes.

Where we agree that work has not been carried out to a satisfactory standard, it is settled by free rectification or, at our discretion, a refund equal to the portion of the invoice price representing the unsatisfactory repair. Any refund or liability shall be limited to a maximum of the amount quoted on the estimate or invoice. We will not be liable for any consequential loss incurred as a result of a repair.

It is incumbent on you to keep a receipt as proof of work carried out. Any claim made without a receipt shall be at our discretion, and is only valid at the branch which originally carried out the refurbishment process. Nothing in these terms affects your statutory rights.

Complaints

Any complaints should be sent in writing (including email) within 48 hours after you have collected your vehicle, to Wheel Masters Wickford Limited, Unit 40, Andersons Industrial Estate, Lower Park Road, Wickford, SS12 9EJ, or to wheel_masters@outlook.com.

Emissions-related work

We carry out DPF, EGR and AdBlue/SCR removal and associated calibration work only on vehicles used exclusively off the public road — including motorsport, competition, plant, agricultural and export vehicles. Removing or disabling emissions control equipment on a vehicle used on UK roads is an offence under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, is an automatic MOT failure, and may invalidate your insurance.

Where you instruct us to carry out such work, you confirm that the vehicle is used exclusively off the public road. Responsibility for the subsequent use of the vehicle, and for compliance with all applicable law, rests entirely with you.

Separately: ECU remapping is a vehicle modification. It is your responsibility to declare it to your insurer, and it may affect any manufacturer warranty.

General

These terms of supply of services are subject to English law and the English courts will have jurisdiction in respect of any dispute arising from the agreement.

We shall not be liable for any failure to perform any of our obligations to you where the failure is due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including without limitation act of God, war, civil disturbance, flood, lightning or fire, industrial action, lockdowns or lockouts, the act or omission of Government or any agent thereof, or the act or omission of any person for whom we are not responsible.

We reserve the right to revise and amend these terms from time to time. You will be subject to the terms in force at the time of booking. These terms and conditions are available on request and displayed on, around and within our premises.