Ugh, I'm so ashamed. I hit the curb in my beautiful pristine MINI and now the wheel sticks out like a sore thumb. It's pretty bad, as I managed to hit the curb not while parking, but driving through narrow lanes in a construction zone so I was going around 30.

My detailing knowledge is pretty good but this is waaaay outside my comfort zone and have no idea where to begin.

I'm assuming sanding, and then a touch up paint of some sort. The curb rash is just on the silver part of the wheel but I'm not even sure what type of metal that piece is, and whether it is even painted.

Any suggestions or help would be appreciated because my stomach hurts every time I see my poor wheel.

Also, do you think a wheel alignment is in order? It doesn't seem to drive any differently, and I had one done not to long ago, but would it be for the best?

Thanks

 

thats aluminum imo. needs to be sanded down and polished. i doubt you'll need an alignment

 

I did a job about like that on my s2000. Google up someone in your area who specializes in wheel repair. I actually had two rims damaged, and a guy repaired them for about $70 a piece. He was able to fix one on the car in my parking lot, and the other he took to his shop and had back to me the same day.

 

In your case I too would recommend to seek out your local wheel repair guy - there is one I'm sure. Locally I know of several and one even comes to you with his shop in a trailer!

There is a DIY option tho - possibly a choice for someone with a less severe case of rash.

The December 2011 issue of Hemmings Sports and Exotic Car magazine has a DIY article about the Permatex Professional Repair Systems Wheel Restoration Kit which you can find for around $20 at AMAZON (or $85 at Sears according to Google!)

http://www.permatex.com/products/Aut...ration_Kit.htm

http://www.amazon.com/Permatex-09142.../dp/B001V3OJBQ

Their outcome looked damn good; other reviews have usually said the sanding and filling went fine but as also mentioned in the article and in most reviews I've read it is hit or miss with the paint provided (one color does not match all) . But there are sources for MINI wheel paints so it MAY be worth some effort.

Hemmings does close by mentioning: "My wheel's damage was minor and the supplied paint blended well, but if your wheels have machine-finished rims or you're uneasy with the work, you'd be better served talking with the experts."

 

Thanks so much to all who offered advice.

After looking into some options I will probably take it to a wheel shop and have it done right. Seems like the safest bet.

Thanks again, and watch out for those curbs! They like to jump out at you.

 

A Member of my local MINI Club used JB Weld and silver paint with a clear coat on two severely rashed wheels, they looked great. He said he spent some time matching the paint.

Dave

 

Hey, any news? cost? results? Just curious, got some ... em, rash I guess, on my JCW rims.

 

Sad bro. let us know what you had to do to get it fixed. it'd be great info for the future

 

I can just see you cringing when that happened. Must have been painful.

 

This makes me so sad to see, and happy to live in a place without curbs. Of course something like this happening would be a perfect excuse to the wife for me to get new wheels. Good luck getting it polished out.

 

No news yet, been to busy with the holidays and family staying with me. I plan on calling around to some shops soon though.

And yes it was terrible when it happened, I couldn't believe how nasty it sounded.

I've had bad luck with these wheels, I bent one and blew a tire at the same time last year when I hit a pothole I didn't see. But the shop did good work fixing it so I'm going to call them first.

Thankfully I did have time to detail her this past week (of corse its rained every day sense ). So at least everything but that wheel is nice and shiny, or was before the rain anyway.

I'll let you all know how it goes. Everybody be sure and watch out for those curbs!

 

Sorry to hijack your thread but I recently acquired some curb rash parallel parking (I have a bad habit of parking too close to the curb) and I was wondering if fixing it is necessary. It's ugly, but I'm in grad school so money is tight. Will salt, snow, rain, etc cause the aluminum to corrode? Chemistry is NOT my thing.

 

Well better late than never!!

I finally got my wheel fixed! I went to Dent Devil in Ballwin MO, and I think they did a pretty awesome job! Wish I hadn't procrastinated so dang long, the MINI looks sooooooo much better.

 

that repair is top notch work!

 

I've got the same wheels and same problem. Yours look great! How much did it cost?