Wheels...Repair or Replace? PLEASE ADVISE :)

[jbenfield]

I have a 2010 Ford Fusion that I recently drove through a rather large pothole. Long story short, the rim is dented bad enough that I feel a good vibration when going any faster than about 50 mph. When I took it to the dealership to replace 2 tires, the said there are people that can repair it. I guess, they heat it up and reshape it how it's supposed to be. I'm getting mixed reviews. My uncle who restores classic cars says heating up aluminum alloy wheels is not safe. It makes them brittle and likely to fail at an indeterminable amount of time. Should I just suck it up and get a new rim instead of trying to fix it?

I've been trying to price repair vs. replace. The guys quoted me $90-125 depending on how bad the dent is. Dealership says $275 for a new rim, and I found a website (wheelsandcaps.com) that looks like they have my wheel model and size for $125+shipping and tax.

I have an appointment Monday morning for them to repair it, but I can cancel. But I can't order the wheel until Monday.

WHAT do I DO??

Thanks!

 

[FusionFan]

What about going aftermarket?

 

[JoeAsheville]

Dunno how close you are to Charlotte...but most metro areas have reputable alloy wheel repair shops. Mine is in Atlanta.

No worries...just do it and forget it.

 

[jbenfield]

To be honest I thought aftermarket means - not factory, or stock. Would I be able to get 1 that matched the other 3? I don't want to have to replace 4, and that would be more costly, right?

Joeasheville- I've had several places recommended to fix it, but I've not been able to figure out if one is better than the other, and if they repair them differently. And I don't know the questions to ask to determine the best/safest route. Thanks for the info! I'm not close to Charlotte, but not terribly far either, but I think Raleigh should have whatever Charlotte would have, right?

 

[JoeAsheville]

Correct...Raleigh should have trustworthy wheel repair shops, just like Charlotte.

It would be your most cost effective option. Best wishes for a satisfactory repair.

 

[FusionFan]

To be honest I thought aftermarket means - not factory, or stock. Would I be able to get 1 that matched the other 3? I don't want to have to replace 4, and that would be more costly, right?

Depending on the size of the wheels, you can get a brand new set of four for about $400-450 from tirerack.com

 

[rpaz61]

jbenfield - did you get the wheel fixed?

JoeAsheville - I was in Asheville, NC this past weekend for a wedding!

 

[carlsom3]

If the dent is not too bad, it can be easily fixed by shop and won't cost too much.

 

[SportKing]

In my SW Georgia area a local rim repair shop quoted $160 per wheel to take care of my lightly dinged(curb rash) oem alloy wheels on my 2006 Canyon. Oem grade replacements cost about the same at various web providers. I decided they didn't look that bad so I'm riding on them as is now.