Rafal

Yes they are perfect. I had a 2003 E500 with all factory fitted E55 options , body kit and 18" AMG wheels. It looked indistinguishable from E55 except for the badges and it had only a dual exhaust, not four.

E55 Rocket

Hey T-Bone. Sorry to hear about the wheel. I am from the San Jose area, and know of a place called Wheel Techniques. Call them at (408) 866-5859. They're located at 3280 Edward Ave Ste D, in Santa Clara, CA. They are the best when it comes to repairing wheels.

Allen

RJ55AMG

Call up Alloy Wheel Repair Specialists. They have locations all over America. They have good prices but even better service. I've sent 8 wheels to them for resurfacing and to take out bends. Here's their website:

http://www.mobilewheelrepair.com/

Hope this helps!

tbone

In regards to wheel integrity, is there any difference between repairing the lip versus replacing the lip?

I called Work Wheels. They told me repairing the lip is more cosmetic because "metal has memory"...although the lip can be straightened, that spot will never be as strong as it was. I could therefore re-bend the wheel in the same spot.

I'm not sure if this information is accurate, or if they're telling me this because they want me to buy a new lip.

Any suggestions?

Mad TKD

If I were you I would contact the wheel manufacturer. I know HRE has repair services. They can change out the bad part which would be your outside part if it is a 2 or 3 piece wheel.

Also taking apart a 2 or 3 piece wheel is not going to damage the safety or integrity of the wheel. I have done it several times.

jangy

All metal has memory. Once bent, it will be weaker. Not just more prone to bending gain, but will be the weak point if undue stress is placed on the wheel (accident or racing about). the wheel will most likely break that that area, if it is going to break at all. in summary, you now have a weaker link in your chain. If it does not matter, then get the cosmetic fix. If it matters, then replace it. Custom lips can be replaced, but I have typically been quoted closer to $500 (all expenses included) if done right. Be careful and decide based on your choices. the E55 setup will work on your E500.

tbone

So, I've ordered a new rim. In the meantime, I've decided to straighten my bent rim so I can use it as a spare in the future.

I took the rim to Wheels America (www.fixrim.com), and they told me they couldn't straighten it because it was out of round.

So I called Wheel Techniques and asked if they could straighten a rim which was out of round, and with a bent lip. They told me they could.

Is it possilbe to repair a rim that's out of round? Does it depend on the experience level of the repair shop?

BenzoBoi

good luck with the wheel. IMHO you should be able to fix...

Skeeter

A hearty endorsement for Wheel Techniques. They did an amazing job fixing four (yes FOUR) horribly mangled 20" Giovanna rims that were on a '95 Impala that I bought from an NBA player. Seems like this guy liked parking with the 'low post' techinque, bending and grinding all four to hell. Wheel Techniques fixed 'em like new. Good price also. Took a while to fix 'em, though.

Skeeter

mrankovic

tbone

1. Good move on ordering a new rim.
2. A good shop will fix an out-of-round wheel. I moved to Boston recently and when I had new tires fitted they found 3 rims that were out of round (one might have been my fault, but I reckon the other two were the first owner). They fixed them all (they are not perfectly round, but neither are tires as it turns out and they had this amazing balancing machine that could tell them where the tire was out of round and where the wheel was out of round, and they could slide the tire on the rim to get the tire and wheel offsetting each other to get a really good balance).
3. Get that tire checked REALLY carefully when they fit it to the new rim. The one rim I reckon I bent (mentioned above) was when I tried to straddle two man-hole covers that were raised in a road they were resurfacing and they'd grinded the top layer of asphalt away. I guess my track wasn't quite as wide as it seemed Anyway, I hit one of the man-hole covers with the inside of the left front, and it probably made the wheel out of round a little, but everything seemed ok. The following night I visted a friend down the highway and did a hispeed run on the way back (130mph briefly) and then I visited him again the following week and that time didn't do a hispeed run, but at about 60 mph on the freeway the wall just split and down the tire went. Imagine that happening at 130mph So get it checked!!

Good luck

Truegrit

Try Riteway Wheel in Walnut Creek. They perform miracles. Fixed all 4 of my AMG rims.

tbone

Thanks, was actually there yesterday. I was hesitant because they had to take apart my wheel to repair the rim. They (along with a few other board members) recommended Wheel Techniques in Santa Clara, as they have a machine which doesn't require dismantling of the rim. I dropped it off there yesterday.