I've managed to rash my right front wheel (silver) and am considering whether to fix it. The wheel's rashed in only one place along the outer edge for about 2", not very deeply. But it looks bad, if you look.

I've never had rash repaired and am not sure whether it can really be done on the car, but I notice there are nearby repair places, some mobile, some not. I guess I don't need specific recommendations yet, but does anyone have firsthand experience with the general process? Should I get it done? If so, how? Or should I wait until I cause further damage? What should I expect for cost? Thanks.

 

What does the wheel look like, is it silver paint or silver machined finished where it's rashed? Any pics of the damage?

 

I think that BavAuto has a DIY kit for this; might be worth checking out.

 

In SoCal a mobile service gets between $75 and $150/rim, depending on extent and depth of the wound.

I've had it done. A skilled tech can make your troubles disappear.

Powder coated rims need to be removed and re-coated for a proper, first class refinish, but run of the mill curb rash can usually be done using special paint, without removing the wheel or removing the tire from the wheel.

Rim repair/wheel repair/curb rash repair searches on the web will open this world to you.

Also, many dealers have this done all the time to prep used cars for resale. Perhaps your dealer can get you hooked up with their person who can give you the dealer's volume rate. I've heard of a case where the individual was invited to bring his car to the dealer on the day their repair crew was at the dealer to do rim repair for the dealer's cars and he got a great job at the right price.

Good luck.

 

Don't mean to hijack the op's thread and if you feel it's wrong, my apologies.




here's a pic of our pothole rash, our baby was only a month old when my wife either went in to a pothole or the road had uneven lane joints of some sorts.
What's the guesstimate to repair? it is the Roulette Wheel, looks to be black paint and rash is located on what looks like to be the machine finish with clear coat.

 

PaulS: I had a rim like that on a Range Rover. The mobile guy did a little grinding, filling, sanding, painting.

Wheel and tire stayed on the car for the entire process. $75.

 

PM'd

 

This may be the outfit that 2017all4 is referring to. I've employed them twice and they really know what they're doing.
http://www.awrswheelrepair.com/

 

2017All4, thank you for the response. I googled for a local wheel repair service and found "Alloy Wheel Repair(awrswheelrepair)", I emailed them a picture of our wheel damaged and got a $165 quote. Yikes! The price we pay living in Hawaii. I have not priced around and have an appointment, estimated repair time 2 hours.

 

Livin' the aloha life ain't cheap. I'd check with the dealer and see if they can send a little aloha your way and save you some bucks.

I gotta believe there are some local Island boys who can do you better.

 

If it's likely to happen again, leave it. If this was a once in a lifetime mistake, get it fixed professionally. When done properly, you'd never know the wheel had any damage.

 

You can probably buy a new wheel for $165. That's insane.

 

$165 could get me a Mini space saver spare tire/wheel here, lol. I checked Ebay and found a Roulette($269) but they don't ship to Hawaii and if they did I'd bet the total cost be over $300 total for that refurbished wheel and feel it'd be a waste of my time inquiring the cost from our Mini Dealer for a replacement. Checked Craigslist in Hawaii and there's none available at the moment, it'll be hard to come by over here in the middle of the Pacific.

Been eyeing the Nm wheel but ... .

 

We all could only hope it'd be once in a lifetime wheel damage. We have a whole lot of potholes on our roadways that our C&C can't keep up with

 

My car had stock 205-45-17 tires, the wheel rims stuck out past the tire, I had curb rash on all four wheels. I bought new wheels and installed 215-45-17 tires. Now the tire's sidewalls stick out past the wheels and I haven't had any curb rash problems.

 

You might be able to remove the rash using a light touch with a grinding disk or some sand paper.

 

I also went to the larger tire size and eliminated my curb rash problem on a 2010 MCS.

 

an update, the repair job. Not perfect but passable:



The bad: I've been told not to touch, wash or dress wheel for 5 days and when I got home to closely inspect the job I noticed a bubble on the sidewall of the tire(if you look closely you can see the bubble). Can't have my wife drive with a tire like that so I'm looking to replace that tire today. Currently have the oem Dunlop MAXX RT runflats and am looking to replace that damaged tire with a Bridgestone PolePosition RFT. Our Mini dealer supposedly has the Dunlop but... . Wife told me she felt the jarring and loud noise from the pothole and hopefully there's no front end damage.

This is our 1st Mini in which I've gotten behind the wheel a handful of times and guessing from what I read of the steering play is part of the go cart experience(I thinks) so am not sure if I could feel a wheel pull that'd indicate a wheel out of alignment. Oh man, that pothole is turning out to be at least $400+ for wheel repair/new tire

 

Repair looks good. Only you will stare closely and see any minor imperfections.

As to the tire. BE SURE TO CHECK ABOUT ROAD HAZARD WARRANTY. Pirelli offers a one year hazard warranty on the RF's installed on MINIs. They will replace a damaged tire, and dealers are supposed to do it. Don't know about Dunlop, but I'd check it out. And, as a word of caution, dealers are often blissfully ignorant about the tire warranties that come with new MINIs, so check the web for independent info.

 

Found this:

www.dunloptires.com/en-US/services/tire-warranty
Any Dunlop Auto or Light Truck tire that is removed from service due to a covered warranty condition during the first 2/32" of tread wear or 12 months from date of purchase, whichever occurs first, will be replaced with a comparable new Dunlop tire at no charge. Mounting and balancing are included.

 

Thanks for the info! You made my day and making this message board that much better helping posters out.
*** after going over of what the warranty does not cover it states Road Hazards. lol. oh well can't blame them for damaging hazzards beyond their control.

 

Shoot! Sorry if I got your hopes up.

HOWEVER, if you think the tire may be unservicable due to a sidewall bubble, I would certainly give Dunlop the opportunity to evaluate the tire to see if there is a warranty claim.

Of course, if they do something for you, it will mean an adjustment on a new Dunlop.

 

If you in fact have a bubble in the sidewall, then chances are it's a manufacturing defect rather than something caused by a pothole. Might just be my old eyes, but I don't see the bubble.

 

The sidewall bubble and wheel damage are in the same area. Yes, the bubble is hard to see at that angle in the picture, it's in the area with lettering "RSC" and bulges downwards towards the wheel. Just my luck, I get home wash my wife's Mini and there's another chip on the rear wheel in which I may have gotten on the way home from the new tire install!, it's a 3/8" long rash/gash/chip and I'm gonna try to fix this one on my own. I think Patience will be the key to doing the repair.

Firestone wanted $350 for the Bridgestone PP runonflat so I decided to get the original Dunlop MAXX RT runonflat for $345 from our Mini Dealer. The dealer mentioned if the pothole caused the wheel and tire damage it be wise to have the wheel alignment done, Mini wants $220+ for a one-time wheel alignment. Thinks I'm going to Firestone and get the lifetime wheel alignment deal fer $189 No Brainer right there.

I'm going to take the posters advice above and install one size wider tires, the 215's, when it's time to get a new set of tires. Just gonna have to expect more wheel damage in the meantime.

 

Don't get another RUN FLAT if possible. Its heavy, harsh ride, expensive and always bubble after hitting a pot hole. I have a brand new 750I and managed to bend my forge rims just by went thru 1 pot hole in San Francisco.