damn it, i curbed my front passenger rim tonight about a half hour ago, its really really annoying, i was only around the corner from my house so i dont know whats to come of this, i was barely moving 2 mph, i was pulling away from my dropping my girlfriend off and *SCRAAPPEEE*... "WTF?! DAMN IT!" apparently i was closer to the curbe than usual.... ironicly tonight she made a comment about how far away i was awat from the curb twice, once ealier when we got home and she said i've been progressivly getting further away and then earlier tonight when we got pizza and she opened the door and i was like an foot and a half away... god dang it... why?!?!?!?.. my minis really taking a beating lately altho this is my first mistake, being in boston mysterious dents have been appearing, the newest one being on the roof right above my door. ~5800 miles... not cool.... what am i to do? anyone have a spare Crown Spoke for an 2008 S they could sell for cheap? all i need is one. or is reparing it a posibility? pics soon. thanks.

 

I feel you bro, I curbed my driver rear rim at a Burger King drive thru and it pissed me off so bad cause I'm usually cautious about stuff like that, then I got a cracked windshield from a COP who passed me on the shoulder hauling a$$, also I have a nice new scratch on my passenger rear quarter panel and DENTS (really noticable) from when I let my DAD drive my car... My Mini has really been taking a beating lately too and everyone keeps slamming my damn passenger door It's like siht these doors don't even take effort to close and yet you still have to slam the damn door!!!!! My GF is the worse at slamming my door and if I say anything like "it doesn't take so much force to close" I get yelled at! I just want my mini to be pristine is that WAY TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR

 

Suxx...All four of mine are now curbed thanx to the GF.

 

If I were you I would look up a shop that specializes in rim repair, when my dad curbed his M3 it was $150 to repair as opposed to paying a ridiculous amount for another rim

 

i've been scouring the internet so far looking for an answer and its either been fix it my self somehow... not going to happen considering i dont have any time to clean my mini lately or even relax, get a new rim (not going to happen unless someone wants to give me a new one, moneys non-exisitant these days) or get it repaired which is looking like the route im going to have to go seeing as i cant do it my self and i have no money to buy a new rim.

 

50 years ago, it was popular to install "Curb Feelers" on 'customised' cars.

This was simply four spring steel wires that extended out six or eight inches in front (or behind the rears) of wheel at curb height.

 

word!!!!!!! no time, no money, no nothing were in the same boat

 

My wife curbed one of her rims on her car on accident and got it repaired from a local wheel repair shop for $60. Can't even tell it was ever curbed and he didn't have to take the tire off.

 

I curbed the rear tire before and the tire sensor came on. Luckily it went away.

 

You could buy a new rim...

Sorry to hear about your curbing, I had one of my crown spokes curbed before I replaced them with Drags. So far im road rash free...

Good luck getting your wheel fixed!!

 

Yeah it sucks! I have managed to curb all four of my flame spokes.

 

Mercedes and Corvette clubs in the Washingto DC area tend to use this company for the type of repairs you are noting>>>

http://www.whlworx.com/

Of course you need to demount tire from rim... they do quick turn arounds and also do excellent work
Commentary from Wheel Worx:
Curb Abrasion ...Curb abrasion is usually caused when we park too close to a curb. The alloy wheel grinds against the concrete. This acts like a file removing metal and making marks in the wheel. These repairs are accomplished adding metal, by TIG welding, to the damaged area. Then the welds are cut in a vertical mill to rough-in the repair. After getting the shape close, the wheel is then cut in a CNC lathe. We have our own digitizer and CAD software so we make programs in house as needed. After repairs are complete they are painted or clear coated to protect the alloy from atmospheric damage.


Just a suggestion
Michael

 

Sketch you wouldnt happen to still have any of those crown spokes lying around would you? also does anyone know if this can effect the rotational force of the wheel? like vibrations and other stuff that would be harmful to my mini?

 

If it's right at the edge where the tire meets the rim, you can always try to *lightly* Dremel the rash out with a cutting bit. Careful though... if the rash is too deep you'll end up with a concave section in your rim. It won't be perfect but it'll smooth out most of the marks.

 

If you really want it fixed you have time, you opened the post with all kinds of details about taking your girlfriend here and there and for pizza. Just turn off the TV one night and try one of the DIY options!

 

Why no pictures....can't really say without them.

 

I never used them but was once referred to: http://www.fixrim.com/

 

Here is the technique. We did it on my wheels and the repairs came out great. The paint, not so much.

On the first try, we used the silver Wurth that was reccomended. Wurth paint is supposed to match but they had a bad batch of paint and it sprayed out blotchy. You can try it, but there is no guaranteeing that you will get a good batch.

We sanded down a second time and tried using Dupli Color Silver wheel paint. The paint actually looked pretty good, although the flake was much larger than the original paint. I knew this going in so we bought enough paint to spray all four wheels since it wouldn't match the original paint exactly. It was a little more sparkly than I would have hoped but it looked ok...till the clear coat. The clear coat gave the wheels a yellowish tint. It also blew some of the flake off. Apparently the catalyst in the silver wasn't spraying evenly.

So now, I am ready for try number three. I had my dealer's service mgr call the person who repairs rims for the dealership and found out where he gets his paint. Color Match and Sherwin Williams were reccomended locally...not sure if you have either near you. They can color match your paint. Some places can even put the paint in special spray cans. We are planning to just buy the paint and borrow a friend's paint gun and booth.

Whew...that ended up longer than I planned.

 

alot of autobody shops fix rims now. about 4 years ago i hit a pot hole really hard with my g35 and it bent the rim so bad that the tire couldnt hold any air. i went to a place in jersey, it cost me $50. they can refinish them as well. but be careful that they match the shade exact. out here in jersey plenty of fools w/escalades with 22" rims get bent.

 

This is really annoying. Why do people do it??

As for the curb rash, call a few detail shops, and see where they send out rims to be repaired. Then call those guys directly. Most can do a re and re in a day or 2, for under $150. Best bet is to remove the wheel beforehand and just drop it off, rather than leaving your car (they may not have a secure lot) or hoping they have a loaner wheel to swap.

Good luck!

 

There are services that can fix minor curbage without tire removal, and on the car even. Ask the service advisor at one of your area's high end car dealerships and they will likely have someone. If it's too deep, a new wheel may be your only option.

 

I didn't think you were supposed to repair rims that had been structurally compromised...

 

peter,

Not sure if you got your rim fixed but we have a company that fixes our rims in both my bodyshops. We have so many done that if it's done as a personal favor, he'll charge me no more than 50 bucks. (it's usually comes out to 156.25

Anyway, if you want to dismount the tire and ship the rim to me, I'll have it fixed and shipped back to you in the SAME day that I receive it.

Let me know if I can help you.

Mark

Collision Specialties, Inc.
(704) 882-1150

 

wow orangecrush thats really nice of you to offer, unfortunalty i dont think i might be able to do that right now, but i will deffinatly keep you in mind, i still have to see how things are going and what not around here, and to all thanks for the input and tips and all.

 

Not a problem, I just thought I'd offer. If you do ever decide that you want to do it, send me a close up pic (want to make sure it is repairable) and we'll make arrangements to make sure it's shipped and repaired within a reasonable amount of time. (like I said, I can have it repaired the day it arrives and shipped back that same day)

Let me know if I can help.


Mark