Can scratched wheels be fixed?

[TessLi]

Yes, it does work. But sanding cast wheels can take a lot of effort sometimes. You'd have to get a variety of sandpaper grits and damp sand the wheels. Plastidip is incredibly cheap and it can look incredibly awful when done poorly, especially if it drips at all. Once it scratches or peels, it can look worse than it did before you got the curb rash.

On top of that, if you have deep gouges in your wheels, you may need to have a filler applied.

If you're gonna go DIY, sand and fill with Bondo. Then paint the wheels with VHT paint after cleaning thoroughly and priming.

Your best bet is to have the wheels professional repaired and powder coated. This is more expensive, but it's done professionally and is much more durable.

Thanks Kevin, great info! Sometimes DIY YouTube videos make things look a lot easier or with better results than reality .

What do you think of wheel guards such as AlloyGators? Having some color in the wheels can be kinda cool, but does it protect and is it worth the expense?

Thanks, Tess

 

[kevincwelch]

Alloygators - sacrificial use, and they probably would save your rims from some damage. I haven't used them myself. After I damaged 3 out of 4 rims with curb rash and having all of them repaired and powder coated (changed the color of all 4 intentionally), I have become super vigilant and haven't damaged my rims at all in a couple of years.

OEM:


Anthracite Grey:

 

[energy7]

I managed to get the wheel fixed today and I am very impressed by the results! I never knew a scratched rim could be made to look new again.

 

[number12]

I managed to get the wheel fixed today and I am very impressed by the results! I never knew a scratched rim could be made to look new again.


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Price? time? Method?

 

[energy7]

Price? time? Method?

Cost was $125/wheel and took about half a day to finish. I'm not sure of the method they used but whatever it was worked well.

 

[UberEV1]

Hello All - In the SF Bay Area, I have used Kris at Curbside Wheel Repair on two occasions, once for my Tesla and once for my parents car (no, not my fault ). Kris is a mobile service . . . the first time he came to my office, the second time to home. In both cases it was virtually impossible to find the repaired area. I was impressed (gold star #1), but it was my father that was truly impressed (gold stars #2, 3, 4 & 5).

 

[kp.sfo]

Hello All - In the SF Bay Area, I have used Kris at Curbside Wheel Repair on two occasions, once for my Tesla and once for my parents car (no, not my fault ). Kris is a mobile service . . . the first time he came to my office, the second time to home. In both cases it was virtually impossible to find the repaired area. I was impressed (gold star #1), but it was my father that was truly impressed (gold stars #2, 3, 4 & 5).

+1000... I've used Kris in the past and have been impressed by his skills. Yelp reviews speak for themselves: Curbside Wheel Repair - Cambrian Park - San Jose, CA

 

[bharned3]

I used a mobile guy that came to my house. He did it for $50/tire. They were rough!

Before / after
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Can you share your Dallas guy that did your wheels

 

[sillydriver]

FYI the Tyson's Corner VA service center has an outside contractor who repairs dinged wheels, including 21" grays. I've used him more than once, either when the car has been in for annual service in the spring or when it's time to change to winter tires.

Separately (but relatedly) I was surprised to discover this past March that curbing the wheels just enough to slightly scratch their gray paint was enough to ruin the fancy 21" Pirelli Sottozero snow tires mounted on those wheels. At least I assume that was the cause. The people at the SC showed me there were very noticeable bumps/bubbles in the sidewalls, which looked to me like dangerous precursors to a blowout. I haven't seen anything like this on my summer tires. I ran the winter tires with pressure in the low 40s, so that shouldn't have been a problem. Next autumn I'm going to buy 19" wheels and winter tires and leave the summer tires mounted on the 21s.

 

[NikeWings]

Any recommendations for wheel repair in SoCal area?

For folks in the LA area ......highly, highly reccomend dr wheels - Dr. Wheel Mobile Wheel Repair - Florence-Firestone - Los Angeles, CA
They come to your office or home or anywhere you prefer. In/Out and fantastic job. Snap a pic of your wheel and email to them; they'll email back a quote and set an appt. EZ PZ and good!

 

[chris5639]

Can you share your Dallas guy that did your wheels

Bump, I like to know as well. So far I heard these guys, Home do good work and powder-coats wheels as well but I haven't tried them myself yet. I got a small scratch this morning on my satin black TSportline 19". I'm also looking to power-coat the 20" factory turbines when I get my X.

 

[berkeley_ecar]

I agree with SNERRUC...be certain to have that tire checked...depending on the depth of the rip, there may be significant sidewall damage!

And I agree with both SNERRUC and CJPonline -- hope you saw to that tire! Much more worrisome than some cosmetic curb rash.

The first accessory I installed on my new S was a set of rim protectors from EVannex (I've no connection with them beyond being a satisfied customer). Easy to apply, unnoticeable, and they paid for themselves within days. Good to have references for rim repair services, though!

As a new owner, I found it took some time to develop a sense of the car's dimensions -- it's still a challenge. I find it useful to go into reverse when approaching a curb as the white "path lines" that appear in the rear view camera display are quite accurate, and a good aid to avoid contact with the curb. I wish they had a similar feature for forward motion! If artsci's after-market forward cam (see "2nd run of camera switch that show an front image on the touch screen") could do THAT, and not interfere with any AP2 stuff, I'd buy one in a heartbeat!

 

[Manzacoty]

Can you share your Dallas guy that did your wheels

Dallas Wheel Repair Plano McKinney Alloy & Rim Repair

 

[oktane]

Easy to do by a pro. $125/wheel should include fixing bent, cracked, leaking rims plus cosmetic. Any wheel repair shop will do. Cosmetic only $50/wheel sounds right.

 

[ABVA]

I have Rim Ringz installed to protect against the curb rash. So far have been working great and much cheaper to replace.
Amazon.com: RIM RINGZ Car Wheel Rim Protector, 19 - Race Red: Automotive

 

[Dan60D]

I also have same turbine rim and I repaired my own by watching this same tutorial and result was good even though it was my first time.
I'd recommend buying the touch up paint from Tesla store.

 

[seizediem]

Cost was $125/wheel and took about half a day to finish. I'm not sure of the method they used but whatever it was worked well.

hi - i'm new to the forum and have a similar issue - who did you end up using, and how did the paint hold up, and did they fix the tear in your tire as well? thanks!

 

[energy7]

hi - i'm new to the forum and have a similar issue - who did you end up using, and how did the paint hold up, and did they fix the tear in your tire as well? thanks!

It held up well...until I scratched the wheels again Now I'm just waiting for some more scratches before fixing them. They could not fix the tear, nor would I wanted them to do so. I just got a new tire put on instead.

 

[Schofield]

Hi all! I own a company called The Wheel Guys, LLC. We specialize in Tesla / Mercedes wheels in the south bay area. I wouldn't normally advertise on a forum like this but it seems people are really having a hard time finding reliable repair in our area. We came up with a method that matches extremely well and everyone had been more then satisfied with the result. Check us out on yelp and reach out to us if you need something fixed. Thanks!

-Brian

https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-wheel-guys-morgan-hill-2

 

[PhilDavid]

It's best if you find someone who comes to you and fixes the wheel there so you don't have to leave your keys with someone else.

While curb rash is cosmetic, if you have a tear on the sidewall, please get that fixed as it is a safety issue. Even if the tear might not be significant now, it puts extra stress in that area you don't want a tire failure on the highway.