Overview
Wheel damage happens and it can be an unfortunate event that happens to many drivers on the road. They can happen unexpectedly and suddenly. It happens the best of us. From the most experienced driver to a teenager just learning the roads, wheel damage happens. Say you take a tight turn and suddenly you feel a sudden bump along with a scraping sound. Or, you’re in the drive thru on your morning coffee run and you realize the drive thru was a little tighter than you thought, resulting in your wheels getting curbed. Maybe while you’re cruising along when all of a sudden you hit a pothole going 45 MPH.
It happens and regardless of the cause, we can help you to understand the common types of wheel damage as well as the measures you can take to repair the damaged wheel safely and effectively.
Curb Damage
Curb damage can happen in a variety of unfortunate ways. It typically happens when a driver unintentionally scrapes their wheel on the curb. For example, common causes of curb rash occur while trying to parallel park, making a tight turn or even driving on a flat tire. This results in damage to the cosmetic paint or finish on the wheel.
Repairing curb damage
Curb damage will typically expose the bare metal underneath the finish of the wheel. Keeping the bare metal exposed can quickly lead to rust or corrosion. Rust or corrosion on a wheel can happen fairly quickly and when it does, it can eat away at your wheels causing further damage.
That is where we come in. Curb damage is considered a cosmetic repair, meaning we are able to restore the wheels to their original condition. This is a same day service that we provide and we come to your location to repair the damage. We remove every wheel that we work on. This is necessary for safety reasons. There are companies that will repair wheels directly on the vehicle. This is a safety issue because if the wheel is not removed, it could lead to paint getting on the brake pads. If too much paint gets on the brake pads and rotors, this will prevent the vehicle from properly braking, This is where we are different. We do things the right way, not the easy way and we ensure safety in everything that we do. Our certified wheel technicians are trained with the right knowledge, equipment and skill to keep our customer’s safe. While wheel damage may not be considered an emergency, it is recommended to avoid further issues.
When damaged wheels should be replaced
There are a few reasons why replacing a wheel will be in your best interest over getting it repaired. Wheels that are cracked must be replaced. We do not recommend repairing cracked wheels because it changes the structural integrity of the wheels __ components.
Wheels that have huge chunks missing from them should be replaced. If too much material needs to be added to the wheel in order to complete the repair, we recommend replacing it. There are instances where buying a new wheel may be in your best interest because the cost of the wheel isn’t that expensive to begin with. Talk with your wheel technician to compare the cost and if it is going to cost more to repair, go ahead and just buy a new wheel.
