Potholes and wheel Repair

[Mortz]

Managed to buckle in my front passenger rim on a crazy big pothole on some backroads on Monday arvo, didn't even notice until I got out of the car like 200km later so I'm bloody glad I didn't have a blowout.
Anyways I took the car to the nearest tyre place, which was Bob Jane, and got one of the fellas to give me his opinion of whether he thought the rim could be fixed or not, keeping in mind it's an alloy wheel. He thinks that i'll need a new wheel and was pretty adamant that it couldn't be fixed. I just got these rims on like 2 months ago with new tyres and they are 18x8 Team Dynamic (UK brand) rims which i'm pretty positive are not in production anymore so i'm stuffed with getting one new rim.
Now i'm going to go to a few alloy wheel repair shops and get them to see what they can do, as it's not feeling at all like the rim is out of shape when i'm driving the car (carefully) but I'll stick up a few pics below and anyone in the know may be able to ease my fears that i'll need new wheels :sad:. It doesn't LOOK like it'd take more than a hammer to straighten out but i'm not that stupid, and I want to make sure that if the wheel can be fixed it needs to be done so it's safe in future.

 

[leebutts]

Faaark that must have been one mother of a pothole - sue the government for compensation!

As for fixing it, I think a big hammer sounds like a great idea

Seriously though, all you can do is get a few opinions and go from there I guess.

Worst case, just buy two new rims, whack them on the back and go for the JDM drifter look

 

[SLY-031]

You should be able to get that re rolled no worries.

Unless the rim is cracked internally, I don't think you'll have a problem.

 

[Mortz]

Yeah I wish I stopped and took a photo of the pothole, but didn't know the rim was damaged until later. And yeah it was huge, like half a metre across and nearly a foot deep.

 

[Guest]

Rim looks fixable, plenty of places that will give you a quote.

With the pothole you won't have much recourse, unless you have proof that they were previously warned about it and neglected to repair it.

 

[mookers]

Knowing what I know about aluminium and metallurgy, how is it possible to fix a bent alloy rim and have it be strong enough? Forging at high temps is one thing, but aluminium does not like being bent (try getting someone to fix a bent aluminium bicycle frame). Unless alloy rims are made from an alloy that can handle it?

 

[Tom]

I'm no expert, but are you sure they'd be able to bend it back without it cracking? Bend metal and it hardens, bend it back and it snaps? From encounters in metal work at school lol


So what is the deal with potholes?

Near Macquarie centre they have construction and stuff going on, and a couple of times have left MASSIVE potholes in the road in 2 separate locations..

One night I swerved to avoid a HUGE one, and there was a lexus with a snapped wheel and flat tyre just up from it, he obviously didn't avoid it.. Then further down the road on the other side there was a deep and wide cut out, that wasn't cordened off with signs or markers!

Had someone damaged wheels on those, is there anything that can be done? I only slightly hit it as I had to swerve, but was lucky to not get any damage..

 

[king_panther]

This pothole business is seriously giving me the shits too.

Who's responsibility is it exactly ?

Everytime it rains here in the central coast, gaping holes just open up in the roads. They patch them with whatever cheap shit it is they're using, it rains again, & the holes simply reappear. It's like a dodge-em circus.

Someone needs to launch a class action suit !

 

[VR-04-TT]

Basically, unless you can prove it had been reported but ignored, you're stuffed.

 

[ygoslo]

I've had FAR worse than that repaired for about $200. You think hitting a pothole is bad? Try hitting a rock @ 80km/h.

Take it to a wheel repairer, not a professional waste of space (Bob Jane).

 

[Madhav]

Just had this fixed for $150...

 

[steveP]

this happened to one of my rims, from a previous owner. car felt fine when driving, but tyre place pointed it out to me.

all they gota do is remove the tyre and roll the rim until the kinks come out. cost me like $150.

 

[Mortz]

Yeah went and got a quote from the Wheel Wizards in Currumbin Waters. Dropping the car off Tuesday and he quoted me $150-200 depending on extent of damage and if it's got any structural problems. Let you guys know how it goes.

 

[Guest]

Good stuff, be sure to post up some 'after' pics for comparison please.

 

[Mortz]

Ok well time for an update. I got sick with the flu so re-booked in on another day to get the rim fixed at the same place. Went in on the morning I was booked in for and apparently he's at Sydney driving a truck back...ok so whatever thanks for the call mate. So I was told by his assistant/apprentice who told me to bring the car back the next day when he'd be in. So after driving back to Currumbin for the 3rd time with my GF following I was told I wasn't booked in for that morning, so I decided this bloke obviously didn't want my business and I went elsewhere.
Anyways so I rang up Wheelboyz repairs in Burleigh Heads and was told to bring it down and went to the address listed in the yellow pages. Was then told by another shop owner that he had moved up North to Yatala, so great...
After ringing another place at Helensvale i'm finally booked in tommorow to get the damn thing fixed. And hopefully not get screwed around again

 

[ygoslo]

lol good times! Shouldn't be as difficult as that, hope it works out for you this time!

 

[Mortz]

Yeah, got a spare wheel on atm, at least they were good enough to fit a spare in my rim size so i can still drive. They're fixing mine for hopefully like $70-100 and will have to repaint for like another $70. Will take a few days, this is at "mag repair" (I think) up at Helensvale by the way.

 

[matchtheclown]

Apparently they actually bake the wheel to untemper it then do the repair then rebake it to temper it again.

They are pretty clever. Can't wait to get mine back looking new!

 

[Mortz]

Ok well I've got the wheel back and it cost me a grand total of $280 after they fixed the rim and repainted it back to it's original colour. Not cheap but definitely cheaper than getting new wheels, and I only got these ones on a few months ago. The wheel looks perfect and they've done a really good job, the wheel looks brand new. I'll post up some before and after pics tommorow. Anyone interested the place was called Mag-it wheel repair up at Helensvale, right near Dreamworld.

 

[Mortz]

I've been lazy, pics coming soon