Can Bent Rims be Fixed? Chapel Hill Tire
Potholes, curbs, and other driving hazards have the capacity to bend or damage your car’s rims. Rims are expensive to replace and easy to damage, making them an essential point in automotive repair. Thankfully, bent rims can often be serviced by local experts. Here is a quick guide to fixing bent rims, brought to you by a Raleigh tire specialist.
How Do I Know If My Rim Is Bent?
If you hit a bump in the road and your vehicle immediately starts driving differently, this could be a clear sign that you have bent or damaged one of your rims. There is also a possibility that you’ve got a flat tire, an alignment issue, a damaged wheel, or another tire service need. So how do you know if your rim is bent? One clear sign of this damage is when you can see or feel a bend in the structure of your wheel. However, rim bends are often subtle and may occur on the inner portion of the wheel, in which cases it will not be an easily detected issue.
Other signs of a bent rim are bumpy driving, decreased fuel efficiency, loss of tire control, and others. These symptoms are similar to that of a tire balance issue, which can make it hard to diagnose rim and tire problems on your own. If you are left unsure of whether or not your rim needs service, bring it to a local automotive expert for a professional inspection of damage. Tire experts use not only their knowledge but also advanced machinery to locate and diagnose tire, rim, and wheel issues.
How Serious is a Bent Rim?
Even a minor bend in your rim can spell serious trouble for your vehicle when left unrepaired. The change in road vibrations and driving patterns can cause issues with your vehicle’s axles, damage your healthy tires, disrupt your driveshaft, and so much more. You will likely find these resulting damages to be much more costly than repairing your bent rim. Once you notice an issue with the structure of your wheel, it is essential that you bring it in for service as soon as possible.
Can a Bent Rim Be Fixed?
Upon the discovery that your rim is bent, you might first wonder, “Can a bent rim be fixed?” Almost always, a professional tire expert will be able to restore the shape of your rim. For more serious damages, the rim may need to be replaced entirely. However, most rim bends are minor issues and can be repaired in no time.
What about Rim Scratches?
Scuffs, scratches, curb rash, and other marks are often visible on the rims of most tires. If the structural integrity of your rim is intact, your rim is likely scratched rather than bent. While scratches may be aesthetically inconvenient, they should not cause an issue with your driving patterns; therefore, you often do not need to have scratches repaired.
However, some cars are more prone to rim damage than others. Tesla vehicles, for example, are notorious for curb rash because their design leaves rims more vulnerable on the road. In cases of Tesla and other vehicles with exposed rims that are expensive to repair/replace, many drivers turn to rim protection solutions, like AlloyGator.
If you are unsure of whether your rim is scratched or bent, bring it to an expert for a consultation. A tire professional can let you know whether your rim needs repairs or if the damage is merely aesthetic.
Chapel Hill Tire
If you need a rim repair or rim protection in the Triangle, the professionals at Chapel Hill Tire are here for you! With 10 Triangle-area mechanic locations—including mechanics and tire experts in Raleigh, Durham, Apex, Cary, Chapel Hill, and Carrboro—our specialists can fix your rims no matter where you find yourself in the Triangle. We also proudly serve nearby communities, including Knightdale, Pittsboro, Wake Forest, Hillsborough, Morrisville, and beyond. Schedule an appointment at your local Chapel Hill Tire location to get started today!