re: bent alloy wheels

[JMNegrin@domain.elided]

Jose R. Castro asked about fixing alloy wheels.

"This weekend I rotated the tires on my 1995 164. To my dismay, I found a
dent on the inside rim on both of my front wheels. One of the wheels has
deformed what I estimate to be about half an inch from a perfect circle.
There is no vibration or steering deviation from this damage, but I
would like to know if it is possible to repair the damage without
compromising wheel integrity, or should I ignore the damage. Worst case,
I would have to find a new set of wheels (16 inch European Version).
Any advise would be greatly appreciated."

It is possible to get alloy wheels repaired.  I just found out that the Ronal 
15 x 7s that I recently swapped for on my Alfetta have some problems, similar
to what you described on yours.  (Bummer) I was told of a wheel repair shop,
locally, who can do the job.  I was told to expect a charge of about $75US per
wheel.  I have seen shops advertise in the back of magazines like Car&Driver
and Raod&Track that claim to be able to work miracles in wheel repair.

I saw some wheels that were going in for repair which were MUCH worse, such as
with pieces missing.  Seems like a dent where you may have hit a pot hole
isn't such a big deal, in terms of repairability.  In terms of cost, you have
to weigh repair versus replacement.  In my case, I couldn't replace the wheel
for anything like that, so it pays to fix.  The more rare the wheel, the more
it pays to repair.

The guys at my tire shop, Wesco Track and Tire in Sepulveda, CA, said that
they would balance as best they could, and I should have the wheels unbent
when I need tires.  I just put the worst on the rear, where their wobbliness
would not be felt.  

Good luck with yours,
Jay Negrin
76 Alfetta GT
ARO Southern California

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