K-A

Hey guys, I'm posting this here because this section seems to have by far the most "savvy in all things Automotive related" Members.

Curb Rash is something that drives me crazy, and considering I "popped the cherry" on this car with a nice set of scuff marks on the wheel, I can't help but stare at it every time I walk to the car now.

Any SoCalers know of any sources for cheap Curb Rash Repair?

citylightva

http://www.wheelsamerica.com/

I know there are a couple in SoCal/LA, but I've been to the one in Dallas. They did an awesome job on my OE wheels that some a**hole made me check a curb HARD. It was about $125 a wheel here.

jay spec

If you're anywhere close to Irvine, the person to contact is Son Tran. He can be reached at (714) 742-6855. He is highly popular on several automotive forums and does great work. Hope that helps.

K-A

Cool, thanks! Good to know these things can be taken care of pretty easily.

GLK4MATIC

I took my wheels to a powdercoat shop and they did the repair for me

Yuille36

You have got to be kidding me, there are way too many repair shops around. Do a search for alloy wheel repair in your area.

K-A

I know there are, looking for anyone who's gotten tried and true good service/results.

jay spec

Not all repair shops are created equal. Nothing wrong with asking for recommendations from those that might have had satisfactory results from someone in his area.

Yuille36

I had curb rash on my C300, and recently had it repaired by a tech from Alloy Wheel Repair here in Northern Virginia. They did excellent work, and I couldn't tell the wheel had any damage at all. They charged me $75, and it was worth every penny. I would recommend them to anyone. And I'm sorry for the words that I said, I should have chosen them more wiser, and not poked fun.

pearlpower

First thing is, are your wheels chrome, polished, coated, painted?

Put simply I have tried 4 shops, all were failures. I expect perfection and none of them delivered. Sure , many will accept subpar work or 'close enough.' I'm just not one of them.

It they are polished I would take care of it myself, very easy to do.

Yuille36

I can certainly understand that, I ask for perfection as well. I wouldn't expect anything less. But in my case, they did outstanding work. They can fix bent wheels as well.

pearlpower

See my repaired wheel from Performance Wheel in Walnut.

I paid $18.00 UPS ground to ship the wheel to them. They charged me $30+ to ship it back in my box via UPS ground on top of the repair. $90 to repair. On top of all of this, it did not hold up and had to have it repaired again from another shop. To say I do not recommend them would be an understatement.

jimmysanjuan

I used Velvet Touch Wheel Services in Costa Mesa. Miguel Pena. 949 8366164. He came to the house and did a great job in about an hour. They used to do local MB dealer work. Its been a couple of years so I hope they're still in business. Good luck.

K-A

Thanks Jimmy, yeah a "come to your house" guy would be great, and I was hoping it could be something that could be taken care of in a short period of time.

Yuille, no problem. That Shop you took yours too sounds great, and the $75 certainly better than the $125 I've heard thrown around here.

BTW, it's a painted wheel I believe. Here's a pic of the damage. Pay attention to the bottom-ish left area, there's a scrape going right along one of the creases on the spoke, and one on the top right, a typical edge curb rash. Fortunately, as it has settled, I'm not as anally pissed about it as yesterday, but I feel like I want to punish myself for being such an idiot, and get it fixed soon.



This seem like an easy enough fix?

brunoboxer

My stealership does them for $125 a wheel.

thewickedestone

Is that MB of Cherry Hill?

BlackKompressor

Also in so cal and curious about this. i have 20" klass wheels on my cls55 with chrome barrells and brushed centers and have some curb rash. bugs me too and want to get them repaired. can you get them repaired if they are chromed or am I SOL? Or is the cost of repairing them high enough that I may as well buy new barrells? TIA for any help.

bmwisbetter

MBUSA Position Statement

Wheel repair and Reconditioning MBUSA does not endorse the use of reconditioned wheels or any process that claims to restore damaged wheels or rims on any Mercedes-Benz vehicle. Use of any wheel or tire not recommended by MBUSA may compromise safe motor vehicle operation, and may cause loss of control which may result in injury or death. Reconditioning of damaged wheels typically involves a process that may include heating, straightening, welding, material removal, reshaping, or re-plating. This process can cause deficiencies in the strength of the wheel material. Reconditioned wheel and rims do not meet the production specifications for Mercedes-Benz vehicles and are not an acceptable method of repair. MBUSA approves only wheel repairs which are limited to surface sanding and cosmetic refinishing processes that remove and replace only paint coatings. Any wheel near the area of any collision damage should be thoroughly examined to ensure that the wheel meets the original safety specifications.

Yuille36

If we're simply talking curb rash, that's a easy repair. Most repair shops can fix that. But only experienced shops, like the one in Fairfax VA, can repair bent wheels using heat and a hydraulic press.
I've had bent and cracked aftermarket wheels repaired there, but a month later a purchased new wheels, as you can never truly trust a weld on a wheel. As it's only a strong as the next pothole.

lseguy

MBUSA statement doesnt suprise me. They have no reason to endorse wheel repair over buying a new OEM replacement from them. Common scare/fear tactics (i.e. "ISIS has traveled to Honduras and are walking 2500 miles on the hopes that they can then get across, thus we need to.....") designed to illicit a certain response.

Wheel repair done properly can bring a wheel back to 95% of it's original strength. Many MB dealers/BMW dealers actually use REPUTABLE wheel repair places to come onsite and do repairs to wheels.
I personally have had many wheels repaired and or straightened over the years, with zero ill effects. Admittedly thats antecedotal evidence but overall, wheel repair done properly to a wheel that was a quality wheel to begin with, is fine in most situations.

drothgeb

Crap, do you know if MB approves of my LTH, ported TB, fixed SC pulley, meth injection, LSD, and dual cwa50/dtk hx set up? I hope they do I didn't even think about it.

Yuille36

I don't think that Mercedes actually approves of installing aftermarket wheels I better run out and order factory wheels

tw2

Only fixed pulleys and meth injection I believe.

FunkTron

I think the meth is applicable to some of their employees.

dinnyin

Me too. The one shop I've been to told me anyone can repair scuffs, but the rash like that pictured, where there's material missing from the wheel can't really be fixed...