[Potomac-Greg]

Originally Posted by TonyRC

Might be a dumb question but I'll ask it anyway..do these shops repair curb rash on alloy wheels? Turning in wifey's E350 in 3 weeks and she's done a number on the right side wheels.

They usually will do some cosmetic work. If the rash is not too deep they grind it and blend it out, then paint it. Usually good enough for a lease return. Heck, if you turn it in with the rash, the will charge you more than the repair costs, then THEY will get them cosmetically repaired and sell it on to the next sucker.

I know the guy who owns the Kwicksilver franchise for Fairfax. He's a racer who got into this three years ago. Good guy. He says that he has good luck unbending decent wheels, but that some of the Chinese cast wheels are brittle and cannot be fixed.

http://www.kwicksilverfairfax.com/

[TonyRC]

Thanks for the quick reply guys! The rims on the E350 are the OEM AMG sport package type...I'll check into Radial Tire and Kwicksilver Fairfax suggestions.
TonyC

[ausgeflippt951]

Welcome!

Silly question: you've ruled out the possibility you didn't lose a wheel weight going through the construction? Could just be the tires out of balance...

[Puffinator]

I saw a demo by Alloy Wheel Repair Specialists at a PCA Tech session in December. It is a mobile franchise operation with a very impressive trailer fitted with all kinds of wheel repair equipment. They demo'ed a total wheel refinishing on a 996 wheel and a couple of others. I took a bent Fuch wheel up to see if they could straighten and they said yes, although I did not have them do it at the time. No. VA franchise is:
http://www.awrswheelrepair.com/northernva/

[gottspd]

Originally Posted by TonyRC

Might be a dumb question but I'll ask it anyway..do these shops repair curb rash on alloy wheels? Turning in wifey's E350 in 3 weeks and she's done a number on the right side wheels.

Absolutely. My Maserati wheels were curbed, bent and generally looked like they should go the trash heap, but the replacement cost was staggering. When I got them back they were literally as new.

[TonyRC]

Thanks! Just curious...who did the work on your Maserati?

[gottspd]

The maintenance or the wheel repair? I brought the rims to radial tire and they sent them out to get them done.

[TonyRC]

Originally Posted by gottspd

The maintenance or the wheel repair? I brought the rims to radial tire and they sent them out to get them done.

Thanks!...just curious...how did you like the Maserati? It's a sweet looking and sweet sounding ride.

[Nerfbar]

I just had a very positive experience with Ye Old Wheel Shoppe in Elkridge, MD. After I pulled out my summer wheels and tires recently I went to Radial for a new set of tires. Paul showed me that I had two bent wheels. I remember now that sometime last fall we hit a massive pothole but soon switched over to our winter wheels and tires so I forgot about it. Paul asked permission to beat on them which I happily gave. He said he did a pretty good job, but they were not perfect. He was worried about cracking if he went too hard at it. He thought they might be good enough, but advised that it they didn't run smooth that he could send them out. After driving home, I was convinced that they weren't good enough. Yesterday I spent the morning at Ye Old. They heated the wheels with a torch and stretched them out on a special machine that they have. They are now back to normal. The total bill for two wheel repairs plus mounting and balancing was $360. This feels like a very good deal compared to the cost of a new factory wheel. I was very pleased with their professionalism and expertise and would not hesitate to have them do more work for me.

[cmartin]

They do good work, helped me a few times too.