Wheels and curb rash - Any new ideas?

[ricefunds]

Major curb rash on my Model 3 18' wheels. Took off the covers and installed the kit. I like that look and the dependability, aerodynamics and range... of the 18' wheels. I would like to keep them, but am wondering if there is a way to make them look better and hide the rash.

Surely there is a better way?

I have experience with shops repairing the rash as well as I have used a couple different paints from Amazon and RPM Tesla...

I also tried the rubber protector from Evannex. That was a bust. Kept falling off.

My thought was maybe stripping the paint with chemicals, sanding and or sand blasting and see what that looks like. The color of the rash underneath the powder coating gray color looks similar to the silver/chrome look on the 19' wheels. I have been told by a wheel shop in Chicago that it would look bad. But they are selling wheels. I figure if the whole wheel could be a brushed metal or chrome look that is the same as the rash color then problem solved? Kind of a raw or naked wheel look.

Anybody have any thoughts on this?

BTW I have a black RWD 3 black and so far 2 of my kids have 3s and one more is ordering soon.

 

[reheat]

The 18's are really easy to DIY fix. Do a search on "curb rash" on this forum and you will find lots of useful tips on this topic.

 

[Daniel in SD]

Surely there is a better way?

 

[jordanthompson]

I had some issues with my Roadster rims (mostly rock chips) that I took care of with a black sharpie. Our model X took some getting used to and we manage to rash them pretty badly a couple of times. I just bought some black paint to match, sanded as best as I could, masked off the area (including the tire) and sprayed. Actually, I am the only one that notices they were repaired (came out nice!)

 

[jerry33]

Most cosmetic wheel damage happens in the winter, so you have a set of grubbies that you mount your winter tires on and don't worry about it.

 

[astrowunder]

Maybe my eyes are getting old, but with a bit of touch-up paint I can't see my rash from more than about a foot from the wheel. I just keep the touch up paint close by and cover up the scratches (can't remember the type- you can find it easily in these forums). If there were any tires that could extend beyond the outside of the wheel like most other cars I've owned, this wouldn't be an issue- might look a little odd, but I wonder if that would be an option. Then the tire would hit the curb before the wheel and no more issue.

I know, I know "drive more carefully, blah blah blah" Whatever, I think I'm a careful driver, but 38 years of practice and I still hit the curb sometimes. Cars are meant to be used, not treated like fine china.

 

[Silicon Desert]

Most cosmetic wheel damage happens in the winter, so you have a set of grubbies that you mount your winter tires on and don't worry about it.

I would say that most wheel damage happens when my wife is driving..... at ANY time of the year

 

[Stretch2727]

I tried 2 different rim protectors with no luck. One was the type that goes between the wheel and tire. Still pulled away when we hit the curb and got some curb rash. The ones with adhesive did nothing to really protect.

I think the worst part of parking the Model 3 is when moving forward as it is hard to judge the right side of the car.

Anyway have learned to always back in to a spot no matter how much room. Even if there are no other cars, pull up 3-4 feet from the curb and back up. The lines on the rear camera are very accurate. I usually aways leave 6" (15cm) or more and it is fine. Even my wife does this and has been fine. 6 months or so and no issues.

I wish Tesla would give us away to turn on the side cameras when parking. This would help a lot.

 

[hamtonp]

I installed slightly wider tires. 245/45R18. I know the odometer will be slightly off. When I'm going 60mph, the actual speed is 60.9.
So far it looks like it will protect the rim better.

 

[Shock-On-T]

Maybe my eyes are getting old, but with a bit of touch-up paint I can't see my rash from more than about a foot from the wheel. I just keep the touch up paint close by and cover up the scratches (can't remember the type- you can find it easily in these forums). If there were any tires that could extend beyond the outside of the wheel like most other cars I've owned, this wouldn't be an issue- might look a little odd, but I wonder if that would be an option. Then the tire would hit the curb before the wheel and no more issue.

I know, I know "drive more carefully, blah blah blah" Whatever, I think I'm a careful driver, but 38 years of practice and I still hit the curb sometimes. Cars are meant to be used, not treated like fine china.

Funnily enough I also feel that way about fine china

 

[astrowunder]

Oh- one thing I'm trying out right now after a tip I read or heard- sorry forget where that was.

I created a new driver profile called 'mirrors' that tilts the mirrors down so I can see the rear wheels. I haven't actually used it yet, but it lets you quickly make the mirrors drop down so you can see the rear tires at least.

 

[afadeev]

Major curb rash on my Model 3 18' wheels. Took off the covers and installed the kit. I like that look and the dependability, aerodynamics and range... of the 18' wheels. I would like to keep them, but am wondering if there is a way to make them look better and hide the rash.

Surely there is a better way?

You can definitely have the wheels repaired to as good as new state (DIY, or by a shop), but if you do a lot of parallel parking, some curb rash maybe inevitable.
Here is a list of rim repair shops near you:
wheel curb rash repair near chicago - Google Search

And here are the two shops I've used personally with great success, both as a walk-in, and as mail-in:
OEM Wheel Repair, Remanufacturing and Online Wheel Rim Sales Free Shipping
WHEEL SOLUTIONS INC

I also tried the rubber protector from Evannex. That was a bust. Kept falling off.

If the curb encounter is enough to dent the metal of the wheel, what chance does plastic strip have?
That's right - none whatsoever!

My thought was maybe stripping the paint with chemicals, sanding and or sand blasting and see what that looks like. The color of the rash underneath the powder coating gray color looks similar to the silver/chrome look on the 19' wheels. I have been told by a wheel shop in Chicago that it would look bad. But they are selling wheels. I figure if the whole wheel could be a brushed metal or chrome look that is the same as the rash color then problem solved? Kind of a raw or naked wheel look.

Anybody have any thoughts on this?

You are on the right track, but before you paint, you need to fill in the jagged edges of the curb-rashed wheel.
There are a couple of "filler paste" products on the market for that. You can buy something like the link below, or just get some epoxy clay (like #2):
https://www.amazon.com/Permatex-09142-Wheel-Restoration-Kit/dp/B001V3OJBQ#customerReviews
https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Sculpt-Lb-Epoxy-Clay/dp/B003AL71FI

Once the edges are filled, sand to near perfection, then paint.
For painting, you want to match the color of native wheel. There are look-up tables for most automotive OEMs, but Tesla is unlike the "most", so you may need to do a little searching for the perfect Tesla wheel paint match.

Other than that, it's very doable.

The real question is - how do you prevent repeat damage?

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