"slight" rim damage....can anyone help?

jlift

jlift

New member
Hi. I am not sure if this forum is specifically for what I would like to know, but here goes. If I am out of line posting this here, I apologize in advance.
I recently ran over part of a curb trying to get into a gas station. I felt the bump. Checked it out and there is *minor" damage to the "lip" of the alloy rim (the part where the tire meets it). It kind of looks slightly gouged, about 3/4 of an inch long and kind of not noticeable unless you get about 6 feet away. I have a dremel, and was wondering if this would be the way to proceed, to king of "grind" it out, then finish with some sanding and some kind of "finish", while it is still on the car... The rims are NOT that expensive (less than $100 each) and I have checked around for wheel repair and they seem to want about $125 just to start.....so, does anyone have any tips or links on how to repair a *slightly* damaged rim while it is still on the vehicle? I am sorry that I could not load any pics, as I do not have a digital camera (yet)..... Thanks in advance to anyone out there.

Jack
 
First of all I wouldn't suggest doing any repair work while the wheel is still on the car. If you want it repaired right then you need to take it off the car so you don't get paint all over the place.

Secondly, are these chrome rims or painted rims? Is the lip a polished mirror type lip, or just stock looking silver? That makes a huge difference in how easy it is to repair. If you are dealing with a shiney lip then forget about repairing them on your own. You should also pay very close attention to the area that was curbed because you have likely caused a problem that will result in the clear coat beginning to peel back from the rim starting at that point.

Here is a good walkthrough on how to repair them yourself. That is for painted wheels. Here is another one. You'll notice that on the second link he mentions how he should have taken the wheel off before doing this repair. I would definitely suggest that you take the wheel off. If you can't do it right, then don't do it at all. That's my motto anyway. :) Good luck!
 
Hi. Thank you for the response. I know that you are one of the "heavyweights" in this group. Nice to "meet" you. Here is a link of my wheel...promise not to laugh, ok? (I don't drive a Lexus)

http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/fi...se&dVeh=dVeh&pc=69477&rw=&rcc=&bp=&vid=008216

I am now going to check out those links that your provided...Thanks again for the info...especially about taking off the wheel...I guess that's kind of like taking off your hat before getting a haircut....thanks again!

Jack.
 
If the wheel is not "split" in the bend then it can be hammered back with a rubber mallet or a wood block and hammer. This will nto restore the finish but it will push the bent part back into shape. Also even if you dont do anythign else get your tires balenced so you dont get any vibration from it bieng out of balance.
 
Jngrbrdman said:
The wheel isn't bent. He just has a little curb rash.
Click to expand...
yes, in the original post he went over the curb, and felt the bump....there is a chance the lip or "bead" could be bent.
 
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