Can anyone help with fixing a bent wheel / rim? Hit a nasty pot hole last night :(

[03600]

Came over the top of a crest in the road, rolling about 50, and WHAM! Huge freakin crater that went down to the depths of hell. Pulled over and checked it out and sure enough....bent the lip pretty good.

Anyone ever straightened this type of thing out with a block of wood and a hammer? I've been working on it a little bit with a towel to protect the finish but I don't seem to be getting anywhere.

Would love to hear if anyone has some experience with this. I checked around locally and there's a shop that will fix this sort of thing for $150.00 but I'd rather buy a new rim than pay that amount.

Here's the wheels I have if that helps. They're on my wife's V6 and I just got them for her a few weeks ago. Needless to say, she's bummed!

 

[CSD]

I was a pothole victim last week, only in my case the tire blew instantly but the rim was fine. As for your wheel, if it's that bad you're better off replacing it. Sometimes it's more cost effective to buy new instead of repair.

 

[Gallows]

+1 on replacing it. I'd be worried about the strength of the wheel if it was bent and straightened.

 

[DrZacharyus]

You're compromising the structural integrity when hammering on it; would you feel safe with your wife driving on a hand grenade?

 

[venom1997]

since roads are public property(city) the city should be liable for this right:shrug:

 

[XyX]

new wheel

 

[CSD]

since roads are public property(city) the city should be liable for this right:shrug:

It's worth a shot. The OP should take pictures of said pothole, report said pothole, and then write a professional letter to document what happened and attach pictures of damage and a copy of the receipt for the new wheel and request a reimbursement.

 

[venom1997]

It's worth a shot. The OP should take pictures of said pothole, report said pothole, and then write a professional letter to document what happened and attach pictures of damage and a copy of the receipt for the new wheel and request a reimbursement.

yeah excactly what i was thinking

 

[DrZacharyus]

since roads are public property(city) the city should be liable for this right:shrug:

Good luck with that one, I had the front face of my wheel seperate from the rim so when I floored it the inside of the rim would spin. I TRIED to get the city to pay for it but they chalked it up to a "road-hazard".

 

[03600]

OP here....

It's holding air (never lost any) and it appears to just be the outer part and it's bent approx 1/4" from where it should be at its worst point.

I've got in a request to the place where I bought them to get a price to replace it. Man, this sucks! Just a few weeks on the car and screwed up already.

Regarding the city paying for it. I tried that before here in Indianapolis. I sent in a receipt, pictures....everything. I got a letter back from the city saying they do cover damage to a vehicle but first you have to PROVE THE FOLLOWING:

1. The city must have already been notified of the hole / problem with the road.
.....AND.......
2. The city must have had ample time to fix the problem.

IF and only IF you can PROVE they knew about it AND have had time to fix it but still
had not, then you can make them pay.

What a crock of S***! How would you ever prove that? All the road department has to say is that they've been busy and haven't got to it yet! Or, just say this is the first report they have had on that particular hole! You think they would let me into their offices and dig through their files? NO WAY!

Looks like a new rim it is! I've got one big and bada$$ paperweight now!

 

[DrZacharyus]

OP here....

It's holding air (never lost any) and it appears to just be the outer part and it's bent approx 1/4" from where it should be at its worst point.

I've got in a request to the place where I bought them to get a price to replace it. Man, this sucks! Just a few weeks on the car and screwed up already.

Regarding the city paying for it. I tried that before here in Indianapolis. I sent in a receipt, pictures....everything. I got a letter back from the city saying they do cover damage to a vehicle but first you have to PROVE THE FOLLOWING:

1. The city must have already been notified of the hole / problem with the road.
.....AND.......
2. The city must have had ample time to fix the problem.

IF and only IF you can PROVE they knew about it AND have had time to fix it but still
had not, then you can make them pay.

What a crock of S***! How would you ever prove that? All the road department has to say is that they've been busy and haven't got to it yet! Or, just say this is the first report they have had on that particular hole! You think they would let me into their offices and dig through their files? NO WAY!

Looks like a new rim it is! I've got one big and bada$$ paperweight now!

Don't be a pessimist! Turn it into a chair!

 

[oldmodman]

1. The city must have already been notified of the hole / problem with the road.
.....AND.......
2. The city must have had ample time to fix the problem.

IF and only IF you can PROVE they knew about it AND have had time to fix it but still
had not, then you can make them pay.

What a crock of S***! How would you ever prove that? All the road department has to say is that they've been busy and haven't got to it yet! Or, just say this is the first report they have had on that particular hole! You think they would let me into their offices and dig through their files? NO WAY!



You would do it something like this......LIE!

Call the city and make a complaint about the pothole. Don't use your name!

Keep an eye on the pothole for a week or two. If they fix it before that time file a claim with the previous days date as the time your wheel was ruined. If they really do take forever to fix the hole that's even better.

It might be worthwhile to have several people call in with complaints about the hole. And just remember, every illegal alien that the city subsidizes is money that should have gone to pothole repair. So it isn't really fraud. It's just correcting an even bigger fraud committed by city government.

 

[Boosted0range]

1. The city must have already been notified of the hole / problem with the road.
.....AND.......
2. The city must have had ample time to fix the problem.

IF and only IF you can PROVE they knew about it AND have had time to fix it but still
had not, then you can make them pay.

What a crock of S***! How would you ever prove that? All the road department has to say is that they've been busy and haven't got to it yet! Or, just say this is the first report they have had on that particular hole! You think they would let me into their offices and dig through their files? NO WAY!



You would do it something like this......LIE!

Call the city and make a complaint about the pothole. Don't use your name!

Keep an eye on the pothole for a week or two. If they fix it before that time file a claim with the previous days date as the time your wheel was ruined. If they really do take forever to fix the hole that's even better.

It might be worthwhile to have several people call in with complaints about the hole. And just remember, every illegal alien that the city subsidizes is money that should have gone to pothole repair. So it isn't really fraud. It's just correcting an even bigger fraud committed by city government.

lol i like his idea!:lol::lol:

 

[T-Bolt]

$150 is a fair price to have the rim straightened.

 

[jrock817]

It's worth a shot. The OP should take pictures of said pothole, report said pothole, and then write a professional letter to document what happened and attach pictures of damage and a copy of the receipt for the new wheel and request a reimbursement.

perfect idea, my brother got unlucky a few times with potholes... every single time all it took was some pictures and a letter to the town councilman, and they would send a check, even got a phone call once to see if he was ok

 

[Gallows]

1. The city must have already been notified of the hole / problem with the road.
.....AND.......
2. The city must have had ample time to fix the problem.

IF and only IF you can PROVE they knew about it AND have had time to fix it but still
had not, then you can make them pay.

What a crock of S***! How would you ever prove that? All the road department has to say is that they've been busy and haven't got to it yet! Or, just say this is the first report they have had on that particular hole! You think they would let me into their offices and dig through their files? NO WAY!



You would do it something like this......LIE!

Call the city and make a complaint about the pothole. Don't use your name!

Keep an eye on the pothole for a week or two. If they fix it before that time file a claim with the previous days date as the time your wheel was ruined. If they really do take forever to fix the hole that's even better.

It might be worthwhile to have several people call in with complaints about the hole. And just remember, every illegal alien that the city subsidizes is money that should have gone to pothole repair. So it isn't really fraud. It's just correcting an even bigger fraud committed by city government.

If that is the city's attitude go this route^

 

[Mikeyb619]

I'd say if your going to spend $150 just replace it. Might spend a little more than you would have repairing it, but atleast you'll know the structural foundation of the rim is 100% intact. Good luck with it though, potholes are such a PITA. Route 295 in New Jersey is just downright ridiculous in some areas.