desmo996

Having my wheels aligned tomorrow as I notice a bit of pull to the left after I clipped a curb at low speed last week. No vibration though.

My question regards the possibility of a bent rim. During an alignment would they be able to tell if a rim was slightly bent? How is a bent rim diagnosed if it's not obvious visually? Would I need them to balance the wheels to find out if my rim was warped at all?

I want to be sure I don't have a bent wheel aligned as that might screw things up even more. I also don't want to give the dealer an excuse to tell me I need a new wheel. If they honestly discover it on their own then that's a different story.

Sincity

An alignment will not detect a bent rim unless it is real obvious to the person operating the alignment rack. A wheel balance will tell you if a wheel is out of round.

desmo996

The alignment is covered under warranty for the first year or 12,000mi whichever comes first. The wheel balancing I don't know. I will have to ask tomorrow.

Typically if you bend or warp a rim you will notice it while driving at high speed in the form of a vibration right?

Sincity

Possibly. It really depends on how bad the bend is.

jjb03

Mate,
Jack the car up , spin the wheel in question (2 people helps)
Hold something against the edge of the rim whilst spinning.
Do inside and out.