Best / Cheapest Place to Source a 16" Atlanta Rim (or repair)

[Jase]

A 16" Atlanta rim on my Jetta has a "flat spot". I thought alloys are more prone to cracking than bending however dealership reckons quite possible that alloy rims can bend if hit a severe pothole at high speed.



It can't really be seen in photos, but flat spot exists on inner side of the rim, in the circled section. The distance between the tyre & rim is increased in that area, so bead at risk of popping off I suppose. Haven't taken the tyre off to be honest. Rim is definitely damaged so haven't been too bothered to look what the tyre side of the rim looks like.

Dealership says replacement rim $522

Is there any particular spot in Vic / Melb I can go to get a repair looked at & would it be worth it?

Anywhere I can buy a new rim for cheaper?

[rayray086]

Any good wheel repairer should be able to fix that buckle. I've had many wheels repaired due to buckles. I was mainly quoted around $80 for a minor buckle, and $110 for a major buckle. My wheel guy would classify that to be a major buckle (seems to be the length of the arc in which the buckle affects the wheel, and I could definitely see that buckle). They will most likely just primer over it once repaired - to get it painted to match the rest of the wheel will obviously cost more, but to be honest I would just leave it - no one can see the inside of the wheel anyway.

Someone from Melbourne will chime in, in regards to a suitable wheel repairer in your area.

[Idle]

Had a quite severely bent Corolla alloy rim (hit a pothole hard enough to wreck the tyre) repaired about 3 years ago — cost was then about $90.

Just took it to the local branch of one of the major tyre chains. It took about a week to come back and you couldn't pick the repair.

They did specify that they wouldn't touch it if there was any trace of a crack, which seemed fair enough — I wouldn't either.

Incidentally, your replacement wheel at $522 compares pretty favourably with a replacement 16" on my Mk VI Comfortline (wrecked by a truck's bullbar) at $1061 — supposedly trade...

Didn't worry me all that much, since his insurance was paying for it, but I'm now very wary of kerbs...

[Jase]

Well I ducked into a couple of major tyre joints all of which couldn't take the rim. One directed me either to Ajax in Moorabbin (they tend to specialise a bit more in steel rims I believe) or Wheel Works in Dandenong who specialize in repairing alloys.

Wheel Works can repair it in 2 days. $120 which is pretty reasonable. When the rim was turning slowly on the balancer it's got a pretty bad ding (certainly not the worst they've seen though). Explains why when I roll it along the ground it topples after only a metre or two.