Hey All.. So I was at the Herb Chambers Boston Dealership for Oil Change and Brake Fluid Flush ( Thanks to the MB world guys for sharing the $130 off $250 coupon which helped me get the oil change done for free ) and they did the multi point inspection.

Everything was ok except the report mentioned that the Left from wheel has Bent Inner lip. They also mentioned about other rims having minor bents and all of them needed to be refinished. I asked if it would affect the alignment or driving. The service advisor told me it would not affect the alignment but I might feel some vibration while I am driving. I am also attaching pictures of the report along with the cost estimate.



Can someone please tell me how serious is this issue and how soon it needs to be addressed ? How will it affect my car and especially my tires ? I do know that my rims need to be refinished but I am more concerned about the bent part.

Also when I compared my previous report at the same dealership which was on Aug 23rd 2017 when I visited for some warranty work, they did not mention anything about the rims being bent or needing to be refinished. One thing I noticed that the tread depth on LF was 9 and not its 7. Can this excess wear be due to the mentioned bent inner lip.

I already found and independent shop which fixes rims for $110.00 per rim. What do you guys suggest I should do ? Thanks in advance.

 

Try to accelerate to 150-180 km/h and see if there is any vibration in the car and steering wheel. If there is no vibration, it should be ok to drive.

 

 

I dont wanna spent unnecessary on getting a new rim if it can be fixed by a rim specialist.. Besides with the winter roads in New England.. especially Massachusetts the road conditions are terrible in many areas with potholes.. What do you guys suggest looking at the report..? Thanks again

 

As long as the tires can be properly balanced and you do not feel any vibration or shaking while driving and the tires do not slowly lose air, they should be ok and not something you need to have fixed immediately.. Now if you want to live with scraped and bent rims cosmetically, that is up to you. A good refinisher would be able to tell you if they are worth fixing safely and just how serious the damage is.If they can't be balanced properly, then they are most likely abnormally wearing your tires.

 

rims on these cars bend all the time but often you cant tell, a lot of times not even visually. As the others said, you could leave it, its pretty much OK.

 

First, how the heck did they come to $1,300 to re-due 4 rims (polite language)??
Most professional rim repair shops also can refinish as well but not always diamond cut rims, you need a high tech lath to do that. repair and refinish would be the same one time cost most places. going rate is 100+/- per wheel for it here in NY, the dealers I know tach on 50 bucks just to make some money, thats $600 not $1,300+. Either this dealership is trying to scam you on price or they.... Well, idk....

I have had so many bent rims its not funny, repaired every time as I hate vibrations. Just got one replaced due to a crack. all covered by my wheel/tire insurance which is a must in NY area with low profile tires... I have AMG 18" rims and they are real expensive, like $1,200 for a front wheel!

As far as fix vs repair, most of the time a rim can be safely repaired, even a cracked one. But a service adviser don't know jack on where that border line is, they automatically assume it can be fixed or if they think you have money go recommend a wheel. Most dealers send out rims to be fixed anyway, some have the equipment to fix a bend.

 

I would just get the rim straightened at local wheel shop. There is a very notable one in Tewksbury. No other major issues. Around Boston, I have bent wheels several times.

 

I would just get them fixed if they cannot be balanced. Most shops in my area charge between 100-150.00. The MB dealer charges 149.99. I have 18 inch AMG wheels. I have had them fixed with no issues.

 

I go to that dealer and the one thing I hate about them is their estimates have no detail. They just give you a price and call it a day. It is not broken out at all to show exactly what you are being charged for. If you don't feel anything wrong no need to spend 1300 dollars.

 

Thank you so much for the detailed response. I have 18" AMG wheels too. I figured was the dealership was trying to scam or just take extra money out of me. I am pretty sure about the left front inner lip having a slight bend which I will be getting fixed soon. I got a quote from a specialized rim repair shop charging around 115 for fixing the bend including mounting and balancing the tires. He also quoted me $20 for checking each of the other wheels for any bends or cracks. Regarding Vibrations I do feel slight when i am 75 - 80+ mph on highway. So will make an appointment soon and see whats the problem is.. The way i see it even if there is a bend in all 4 rims it will 460 to fix it. I honestly dont care about minor cosmetic damage which is normal due to winter conditions in New England.

 

Yaa I hate that too.. there is no itemized description. I might rather have them inspected at a specialized Rim repair shop in Allston/ Brighton and get an honest opinion what needs to be fixed and call it a day. Even if all 4 needs to be fixed for bends it will still be 450 $ in total. Such a rip off from the stealership.

 

As far as I can tell the tires are balanced. I have 18" wheels too. Will get it checked at a specialized rim repair shop. Thanks again.

 

for $1,300 you could buy new rims lol

 

If tires don't vibrate (are balanced) I would rush and consider doing it in spring time. Potholes in March in Boston will be brutal.

 

Refinishing and straightening alloy wheels where I live would be $600 Canadian for a set of 4. Remounting and balancing tires extra.