[yxc145]

Hi All

I scrapped/dented the outer lip of my wheel. It is a very minor dent, so I was thinking about fixing it myself. I saw some online DYI videos. Doesn't seem that difficult. One thing required is to heat up the wheel, so you can hammer the dent back out. Since I am doing this myself, I will not be taking the tire off. My question is, Is it ok to spot heat up the wheel (the very outer lip, that's not touching the tire) while the tire is on? Also, does anyone know where I can get a curve tapping tool like the attached picture, but much smaller, of course.

Thank you in advance.

 

[flamingwicky]

First of all sorry about what happened... it hurts.. I wish i know the answer.. but some one might know.. mrpa i think is the right person to answer this.

Secondly how come you come up with the most difficult of questions on the most new car that is out there ??

 

[Spsesq]

Play it safe. You cannot place heat on a rim while the tire is mounted.

Go to this site and look for the repair person in your state and area.

I just used these guys in the NJ area for a curb rash that was repaired for $150 and looks like nothing ever happend. They come to your place and do,everything in about an hour or so depending on the damage.

Alloy Wheel Repair Specialists | The World's Largest Wheel Repair Company

This is a lot cheaper than buying a new rim or both a tire and rim if you ruin both by trying to fix it yourself....



Steve

 

[myano]

I would take it down to a shop and have them deflate and break the bead on the tire and pull it off. Heating the rim will heat the rubber and may cause it to deteriorate faster or harden in that one spot which could cause a spot on the tire that has less traction than the rest.

 

[yxc145]

Thanks guys!! I will give AWRS a call.

 

[mrpa1999]

Hi All

I scrapped/dented the outer lip of my wheel. It is a very minor dent, so I was thinking about fixing it myself. I saw some online DYI videos. Doesn't seem that difficult. One thing required is to heat up the wheel, so you can hammer the dent back out. Since I am doing this myself, I will not be taking the tire off. My question is, Is it ok to spot heat up the wheel (the very outer lip, that's not touching the tire) while the tire is on? Also, does anyone know where I can get a curve tapping tool like the attached picture, but much smaller, of course.

Thank you in advance.

its hard to say without actually seeing the actual wheel.

i would NOT heat the wheel up. how would you accomplish that anyway without removing the tire? you would need to use a torch, and you would need to heat the inside of the wheel where the bead sits..

you cant possibly heat the outside and keep the tire on, you would risk melting the rubber onto the wheel and F your tire bead up. you would also burn the paint off the wheel within the first second lol. im not sure which wheels you have on the car but some of them are painted. the polished wheels you would also most likely end up burning as well if you tried to heat it up without taking the tire off.

if the wheel is just bent a little bit you can take it to any wheel repair shop and they will put it on a machine and the machine will bend it back into place without F'ing your wheel up. the key difference is the "bend it back into place" where you at home would have to "beat it with a hammer" back into place..

forced pressure is much safer then blunt force...

you can prob get it fixed for under $50 if its minor like you say.

if the lip is actually cracked or the metal is torn a little bit then they weld the crack back up, remove the bend and repolish the wheel to remove the imperfection.

 

[yxc145]

its hard to say without actually seeing the actual wheel.

i would NOT heat the wheel up. how would you accomplish that anyway without removing the tire? you would need to use a torch, and you would need to heat the inside of the wheel where the bead sits..

you cant possibly heat the outside and keep the tire on, you would risk melting the rubber onto the wheel and F your tire bead up. you would also burn the paint off the wheel within the first second lol. im not sure which wheels you have on the car but some of them are painted. the polished wheels you would also most likely end up burning as well if you tried to heat it up without taking the tire off.

if the wheel is just bent a little bit you can take it to any wheel repair shop and they will put it on a machine and the machine will bend it back into place without F'ing your wheel up. the key difference is the "bend it back into place" where you at home would have to "beat it with a hammer" back into place..

forced pressure is much safer then blunt force...

you can prob get it fixed for under $50 if its minor like you say.

if the lip is actually cracked or the metal is torn a little bit then they weld the crack back up, remove the bend and repolish the wheel to remove the imperfection.

Yeah.. I figured this is not something my skill set can do. Don't have all the proper tools. I got quotes from a few shops. $150 to 190 to fix it. not sure if it is worth it on a $250 cast wheel. But if I get a new wheel, I will have to pay about $350-400 to have the wheel shipped, dismount, remount on the new wheel. But, I can get a whole new wheel with sensor and tire for about $550. Save myself some money on the mounting/installation and have an extra spare.
So, which option would you guys go?

 

[Spsesq]

The new wheel from the dealer is $650. Where did you get a quote for $250??? That is why I used AWRs for $150 and the wheel looks brand new.

 

[mrpa1999]

my thoughts...

do NOT buy a new wheel, that is crazy. look at any car on the road and most of them have road rash on the wheels from hitting curbs, etc. i know this bothers you now, but in 2 weeks you will forget about it and move on. for all you know you could buy a new wheel and in 1 month bump the curb again, then what?

unless its bent to the point where it becomes a driving risk that the bead is going to jump off the wheel let it go. winter is on the horizon anyway, you very well could get some winter damage to the wheels so at least wait until after winter and then re-analyze the wheel again. chances are you wont be a picky as you are now.

i would certainly have the wheel fixed before buying a new one though. a fix will be $50-$100..

a reburb my guess will run about $300 if you can find one in that style..

a new wheel will cost a few bucks, not sure what wheel you have so i dont know..

a new wheel is just that though, a new wheel. you will not get a new TPMS with it though. you will have to use your old TPMS and remove it fromt the wheel and mount to the new wheel. its a very simple process, takes about 10 minutes or less to do. you will need a torque wrench though if you want to do it properly, also the torque wrench must measure via "inch pounds" NOT "foot pounds". it MUST be torque tighten to a specific otherwise it wont read properly or it can dismount itself inside the tire when driving.. again all very easy stuff...

 

[mrpa1999]

post a picture of the wheel inside the thread here so i can see the damage. i will then tell you how to fix it yourself without F'n your wheel up even more. if its small enough you can fix it without any special tools, we just have to be creative and implement.

10 days after i had my car i got a knick on the rear quarter panel. i almost vomited when i saw it. my options were to repaint the entire panel or do touch up. repainting the entire panel was out of the ??? since i prefer factory paint if possible. i did the touch up work myself over the course of a few weeks just letting the paint build up, once i built the paint above surface i buff it back down with 4000 grit sandpaper and you cant even tell there was a knick there. the key here was using the proper color paint which i had mixed up properly for the car and then using the 4k paper.. biggest tool we need is patience!