# Autobrite Very Berry Review (and Lepsons)



## mazda3_daveg (Jul 17, 2008)

Since buying the car the wheels have been bugging me. The centre caps were corroded, and the wheels were rough with overspray from a previous roadside refurb. The paint behind the spokes was pretty poor and starting to bubble along with some around the centre caps.

I wanted to have them properly refurbished for a while and some colleagues recommended Lepsons after seeing Neils wheels they had done.

I managed to borrow some wheels for the week and was able to leave mine at Lepsons. They take a while as they get a full acid dip, repair and baked powercoat / lacquer for a better than OEM - long lasting finish. I went for a mix of the "smoked-chrome" and "two-tone" finishes. The wheels are painted black, and then highlighted with silver chrome-fleck on the faces. This gives a very deep shine that changes with the angle you look at them. I was very happy with how they turned out and extremely impressed with Lepsons. They lived up to their expectations and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone considering a wheel-off refurb.

When I got the wheels back I wanted to seal them so got in some Autobrite Very Berry Wheel Wax after being so impressed with the Addiction Wax. The wax was just like Addiction in it's application, it went on so easily. It felt like I was waxing ice the applicator slid over the paint so easily.

What I love about Autobrite waxes is it is hard to put on too thick. With other waxes like Collinite 915 I have found the pad 'sticky' when applying and having to do lots of tiny circles to ensure a thinish coat. If you put too much on or leave it too long it's a pig to buff off. Very Berry is the opposite, it buffs off with a light pass of a Eurow Double Density Shag Pile microfibre.

And the smell - this wax is even better than Addiciton! Think strawberries, cherries and raspberries all rolled in. I had to really concentrate not to scoff the applicator when getting more wax from the pot!

Here are the black insides after waxing:



















The wax left a stunning shine and really made the chrome flake in the paint pop.

Here are some pictures of the wheels on. It's hard to capture the 3D effect this paint finish gives so I took quite a few I'm afraid!

And yes I know the car is dirty!










*The paint gradually changes from silver to black on the rims*


















*The insides of the spokes are dark*


















*You can really see the flake on the inside of the spoke in this shot*









*Really need some new wheel bolts now *









*And the finishing touch, a new set of badges *


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## REFLECTS (Apr 7, 2008)

Like the wheels :thumb:


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

nice review Dave, car looks stunning too :thumb:


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## Maggi200 (Aug 21, 2009)

Sort them bolts out and it'll be perfect. Looks great, very nice wheels. Will you update with durability and cleaning etc? Please


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## -tom- (Jan 27, 2009)

they look fantastic :argie:


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## astormatt (Jan 31, 2009)

Loving the wheels mate, i have just recently got some Very Berry, like you said it goes on very nicely and buffs of nice and easy too. How many coats did you apply? I only had the chance to do the one coat, but that seems to be holding out well! :thumb:


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## 03OKH (May 2, 2009)

Looks good mate. :thumb:

If you dont mind me asking how much did the refurb cost? 

Tony


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## mazda3_daveg (Jul 17, 2008)

Thanks for the kind comments everyone - appreciate it.



maggi112 said:


> Sort them bolts out and it'll be perfect. Looks great, very nice wheels. Will you update with durability and cleaning etc? Please


Will do, I'll put some updates in a week or two :thumb:



astormatt said:


> Loving the wheels mate, i have just recently got some Very Berry, like you said it goes on very nicely and buffs of nice and easy too. How many coats did you apply? I only had the chance to do the one coat, but that seems to be holding out well! :thumb:


One coat here too. Looking forward to a clean at the weekend to see how much easier it is and getting the second coat on.



03OKH said:


> Looks good mate. :thumb:
> 
> If you dont mind me asking how much did the refurb cost?
> 
> Tony


Sure, the normal price was £55 plus VAT per corner, £65 plus VAT for the smoked-chrome. Kwik-fit are paying for the rears after damaging them when fitting the Pirellis. I tried to haggle a cash discount when paying but it was too late as the invoice had already been made out - had to be done when I dropped the wheels off. Could be useful if anyone else goes to Lepsons.


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## wrxmania (Apr 15, 2007)

Great job


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## CliveP (Feb 1, 2009)

Very very nice, you've done a great job there and they look brilliant.

Overall I keep getting more and more impressed with Autobrite's own products. I keep adding the odd thing here and there, not only great value but they always 'do what they say on the tin'!

By the way do Lepsons have a website? (apologies I have not followed the link you've included to the other chap's post).

Regards,
Clive.


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## Deeg (Mar 30, 2009)

they look great! Reallly like the smoked chrome effect


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## toni (Oct 30, 2005)

Really like the wheels mate, they look superb! :thumb:

Nice review, waiting forward for the updates


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## ads2k (Jul 12, 2006)

They look bloody great , subtle yet make a massive difference. How glossy on the insides :doublesho 

Paint the wheel nuts in black and job's done :thumb:.


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## Dodo Factory (Apr 11, 2007)

Lepsons are very good. Just had some alloys done there, and it's a seriously professional outfit (got a guided tour!).


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## T25DOC (Jan 11, 2010)

Where are Lepsons based - both my motors need their wheels doing - and I want them doing properly - these guys seem to know what their doing so am really interested...


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## Dodo Factory (Apr 11, 2007)

They're in Gillingham, Kent, near the railway station.


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