tbone

I was driving home from work. Not only did I hit a cabinet drawer (yes!) on the freeway, but I later hit a pot hole and bent my rim.

Here are the pics, and I'm going to need your help.

As far as my rim, if I'm not losing any air from my tire, are there any negative things which could happen if I don't fix the rim?

If I do need to fix the rim, do you guys recommend any good shops (preferaby in northern California). Or do I need to replace the rim?

Thanks for your help...



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Coalman

You definitely need a new rim. Even a very slight bend will ruin the ride and could very well be dangerous. I have not been able to find a shop that repairs bent rims. Try E-Bay for a new rim.

SL BRABUS

sorry the hear that......Rim can be fix.......do your tire bubble up on the sidewall.....?? if it is.... you need a new tire.......good luck.....

C32 MIA

it looks like your rims are mutli-piece rims, meaning you could probably replace the outer piece of the rim if too banged up, cheaper than replacing the whole rim. i have seen wheel repair shops do miracles, they are several here in miami
good luck!

medici78

If it still holds air, chances are it is fixable. I wouldnt want to drive around on that, though. Does the car vibrate now with the bend?

tbone

Thanks for the quick reply, guys...

Coalman: What is dangerous about riding on a bent rim?

SL Brabus: My tire did not bubble up. Not on the outside, at least. I haven't checked the inner side of the tire yet.

c32: You have a good point. My rims are 3-piece. I could probably just replace the lip? What are the names of the shops in Miami you're referring to?

Medici: It's still early, but no detectable air loss yet. I drove 150 miles on this bent (from Fresno to the Bay Area. I already did not want to be in Fresno on business, and this capped it off ). To answer your question, I did not feel any vibration during my long trek back. I wouldn't use the term vibration. I can't quite describe it. It still felt balanced and smooth, but at times, I felt like my car was floating a bit? I'm sure my alignment is off.

aintME

FresNOOOOO. I don't blame you. heh. There are a couple of places here in the bay area. I think my brother had a set repaired here:

Wheel Techniques
2885 South Winchester Blvd.
Campbell, California 95008
Phone: 408 / 866-5859
Fax: 408 / 866-2507
http://www.wheeltechniques.com

tbone

The link's not working for me.

aintME

me neither you might want to give them a call in the AM.

tbone

K, thanks.

rbc55

know how you feel,i have 20" HRE'S and recently bent one as well as damaged the sidewall resulting in a $200 wheel repair and $400 tire replacement.there is a place in miami called turbax that repairs wheels,they may be nationwide ;not sure. cost me $185 for the wheel,they do excellent work and it's much cheaper than replacing one .

rbc55

as far as the tire goes mine didn't bubble up until recently,sometimes the belts inside of the tire sidewall get damaged from impact ,but aren't noticeable at first; but then all of a sudden you see a bubble .that is what happened to me,just keep an eye out for this.

Kevin M.

Hey easy on the Fresno comments!! thats my town.. anyways there is a shop in Fresno that can fix it. Eagle Dynamic's, the owner is Terry.

55 ON IT

It HAS to be something in the air or water in Fresno.

Rafal

Most multipiece wheels are not meant to be taken apart. These torx titanium screws are factory tightened and once you undo them, they will snap when you re-tighten them.Even if you manage to save them, the wheel will wobble for ever. Unless the whole wheel can be rolled and polished, get a new rim.
I think you have a polished stainless overlay on the dish, and that can be replaced on the rolled rim, to hide any minor blemishes of repair. All this will be very time consuming and you will probably end up saving 10% off the price of a new wheel.
There is a very good chance that you suddenly lose all tire pressure on your next tight corner, as the rubber peels off the bent segment of your damaged rim, so I hope there are no trees where you live...

jangy

Safety: If you are an aggressive driver, or hit another hole, a crack (or weakness in the alloy) would show more immediately as a full out break and cause an accident. I have seen it happen on the track with rims that were "bent" back out and the part that breaks is always the part that was weakened during the bending. Again, you may have a crack now or it may get one during the "repair" it will ride fine at the beginning, but it just will not be able to hold up at some point. Be careful and it is a game of risk assessment. Personally, I'd pay.
Looks: as another memeber mentioned, they are 3 pieces, but that is actually a misnomer that you can have a single part replaced. If the rims are custom, you can send them back to the company and have them re-build a new set using your "good" components. The screws do need replacement. Also, the car will be down.

A few things to think on: Is the lip forged or cast? Can matter.

My personal recommendation is to have a wheel shop "fix" it temporarily and order a new one. An alternative (and even better) is to buy a set of cheap ones (yes they are pretty cheap compared to the cars) while you order a new rim.

The tire bubble won't necessarily show up on day one. It will be hard to balance and the metal will actually move around in the tire over time (if harmed). Typically, if the rim bend happened, then the tire is also shot, since the "hit" comes through the tire and to the rim.

Keep safe

tbone

My apologies, Kevin. No harm intended. Nothing against your town, itself...I was just annoyed with my situation. Down in Fresno for 3 weeks (work), and I don't have any family or friends down there.

And, of course, I bend my rim my last day there, on my way back. It sure took away all the excitement of coming home.

tbone

Thanks for all of your help, guys. It seems like I'll either have to fix the rim or replace it. From what some of you have said about repairing a rim, I'm a bit hesitant to go that route. Will probably order a new one.

As I've already sold my factory rims, I needed a spare to ride on. Luckily for me, my friend has an '03 E55 on HRE's. He's going to let me use his factory rims.

Do you know if they are a direct bolt-on to an '03 E500? Will the offset work on my lowered E500? What about the lugbolts? Are my aftermarket lugs the right length?

Thanks.

Kevin M.

No prob, i'm just giving you a hard time, do you recall what street you were on when it happened?

tbone

OH YEAH, I REMEMBER!!!! I was on Herndon, just before getting on the 99N. They have some nasty roads right hter.

medici78

Polished stainless overlay?? What is this the 1950's? It's a 3-piece alloy wheel with polished lips!

tbone

I'm getting different answers in regards to the safety involved in changing just the outer lip vs. buying a new rim.

Does anyone know if it's safe to replace just the outer lip on Work Wheels?

55 ON IT

First off I would like to apologize for my Fresno comment, sorry if I offended anyone.

As for the wheels, it really boils down to howmuch the wheels are worth. If the wheels are custom made then you should have them repaired. I've had a few sets repaired and haven't had any problems. Wheel repair can range from $150 - $250 each. If a new wheel is around the same price range I would just get a new wheel. Or, you can go for a whole new look and get a new set of rims and sell your current set.

tbone

Yes, they are custom, 3-piece wheels. I'd like to keep my set because they are brand new (3 months)!

At this point, based on the advice I've received, I will either get the rim repaired or have the outer lip and bolts replaced.

I'm being told that metal has "memory", so if I repair it, that section of the rim will be more prone to being bent again, at softer impact.

Any truth to this?

C32 MIA

well i don't know about you, but rims are about $1,300 each. the lip piece on my rims can be replaced for $350 OR $150 to straighten and refinish is a bargain- and wheels repair shops here in miami do a flawless job, i have re-finished a varitey of wheels and they have always come out great