Straighten and repair bent/damaged wheels.

[bbf2530 119]

Hi gang. We do not have a a wheel/tire sub-forum, so figured I would post this information in the sub-forum of the Lincoln vehicle I own.

It's the time of year when some of us will be dealing with bent or damaged wheels, especially at the tail end of a rough winter for many of us. So, not being sure if everyone knows that wheels can be straightened/repaired, I figured I would begin a new thread, instead of hijacking another.

Instead of paying a bundle to replace a factory wheel or replace all four wheels with aftermarket wheels, it is possible, in many/most instances, to have a bent and/or cosmetically damaged wheel straightened/refinished.

Essentially, If you Google "Automotive wheel repair in my area" most of us should be able to get at least a short list of wheel repair companies and specialists in your own area.

How do I know this...you may ask? I just had a bent 19" wheel on my sisters car straightened for her (humongous pothole and also flat tire).

Now, there are obvious re-straightening/repair limitations as to where the damage is and how much. For example, the first question I was asked by all three companies I called was "Is the visible bend on the outside (visible face) or the inside (suspension side) of the wheel." In my sister's case, it was on the inside. Once I told them that, they all said "Sure, it should be able to be straightened". Also, in her case it was not a significant bend. Enough to feel when driving, but not as bad as many of the "Before/After" display photos the companies showed on their websites.

Anyway, the price quotes I received to straighten a wheel ranged from $85-$125. And one of the companies will actually come out to your home, business etc., remove the wheel, straighten it onsite in their fully equipped double trailer, then reinstall the wheel etc
I decided to remove and reinstall her wheel beforehand, being a bit OCD about my own car, impact wrenches etc. After all, it was my sister.
The wheel was road force balanced with a new tire and actually had less balance weights on it after the straightening than before.

A new factory wheel for her car would have run ~$800. And that was after me negotiating the price down from the ~$944 list price from several Ford Dealers I called the day after the accident (a Saturday). I also called 3 different wheel repair companies that same day (knowing they were closed). They all called me back on Monday.

For those unlucky enough to hit a pothole and bend a wheel, $85-$125 is much better than $400-$500...$800-$900 etc for a new wheel.

The company I used is a national franchise that will come to your location to repair the wheel. So if anyone has been unlucky and is interested, I can give them the company name and you can Google to see if they have a franchise in your location. I can vouch for the franchise owner/tech who did my work (in NJ), and would hope all their franchise owners would be as good.

Otherwise, just Google "Automotive wheel repair in my area", as mentioned above.

As an additional FYI: I asked about the procedure for cosmetic wheel repair (curb rash et.), and was told that repairing curb rash or other cosmetically damaged wheels usually requires them having the wheel for at least 24 hours for a full and proper repair, refinishing, repainting etc. I don't quote any pricing for that, as I did not ask and assume cosmetic repair pricing will depend on the amount of work necessary,

Hope this helps anyone who may bend or damage a wheel and did not know they can be repaired. May possibly save you a lot of money.

Feel free to ask any questions and good luck.