Damaged Alloy Wheel

[chutley]

I have AC Schnitzer Type IV alloy wheels which came with my zed - lovely. Unfortunately, one is damaged.

I though I had a puncture, but the tyre shop told me that the inside rim had been slightly damaged and as such it was letting air out. They pushed it out as much as they could and sealed with lots of bead sealant. It appears to be OK for now, but I have looked at the cost of replacing one of those wheels - £660 EACH!

So, if it leaks gain, can it be fixed by a specialist?

 

[Wizas]

The answer is "probably yes". You may need to take the wheel to a specialist alloy wheel refurbisher. The type that sand blasts the wheels back to metal and powder coats it. Don't use the sort of business that just respays the wheel.

 

[AlanJ]

Chutley,

You need a speciaslisdt alloy wheel repairer. Pushing it out will not hide the fact that it is potentially stress fractured arond the area of damage - loads of bead sealant wont fix this. Very rarely do you get a catostrophic blowout on tubeless tyres these days due to their construction (and designed to prevent this and deflate slowly). However the damage you describe could cause a catastrophic failure - sudden loss of all pressure and a rapid deflation and at speed........

For me this needs attention before you potentially put yourself, passenger, the Zed and other road users at risk. Get it fixed properly.

 

[Blue]

Where abouts are you mate?

I had one of my wheels fixed at Alloy Fix in Newcastle, he uses a proper hydraulic jig to correct the shape of the wheel, if necessary it can be alloy-welded as well. It was fascinating watching it being done!

A lot of places will claim to be able to fix buckled wheels but will then simply use a big hammer to try and "knock" them back into shape. This is not as effective as having it reshaped properly.

 

[chutley]

I'm in Lincoln. Thanks for info everyone.

I have taken wheel to a specialist alloy wheel repair place locally who will straighten in on a jig. Good to know it can be done as I would struggle to justify spening £700 on anew wheel!