FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions About Wheel Repair

 

1. What are your hours of operation?

Monday – Friday 8:00 – 5:00pm or 9:00am – 6:00pm. Hours change depending on daylight savings.

2. Are you mobile or do I have to come to you?

We are mobile!  We do all of our cosmetic repairs at your location while the wheels remain on the vehicle.

3. Do you need anything like water or electricity in order to do the repair at my home or office?

No. All we need from you is flat ground to work on and a parking spot next to your vehicle.

4. Do I need an appointment?

Yes. Call us at (858)-431-9899 to schedule your wheel repair. We can get to you the same day most of the time. If we canʻt get to you in the same day, we can do the repair the following business day.

5. How long does a wheel repair take?

On average, our mobile wheel repair service takes about an hour to repair a wheel. The car is able to be driven 10-30 min after we finish depending on the temperature that day.

6 . How much does it cost to repair a wheel?

It depends on size, style, color, type of finish, and if it’s a stock (OEM) or aftermarket wheel.

7. What is the fastest way to get a quote?

Text message a photo of your whole wheel and a close up photo of the damaged area along with what part of San Diego County you are in to (858)-431-9899.

8. I have curb damage, can it be refinished?

With the exception of chrome, most rims can be repaired and refinished to look like new.

9. Can you match the color of my wheel?

Yes. Unlike the body of your vehicle, there are no paint codes given for wheels. We have over a decade of experience color matching and have perfected almost every color in the wheel color library.

10. My wheel is polished can you polish wheels?

Yes. We smooth out all of the damage and repolish the damaged area.

11. What type of wheels can be fixed?

We can repair almost all stock wheels including painted, polished, and machined wheels, with the exception of chrome wheels.

12. Will the wheels be perfect after you finish the repair?

We do not like to use the word “perfect” because we do not get to start with a new fresh piece of aluminum like they would at the factory. Instead, we have to deal with your wheel, which is damaged. So we prefer “like new” as a good description. What we do is apply a factory coating and get your wheel as close as possible to looking “like new”. With that being said, we do have wheels turn out perfect and we see many new factory wheels that are far less then perfect.

13.  What is the process?

a. Grinding
Although it is not usually necessary, when gouges are very deep we start out by grinding the damaged area of the wheel.

b. Sanding
Smoothing out all imperfections in preparation for paint.

c. Taping
After thoroughly cleaning the wheel we tape off the tire and prep for painting or clearing the wheel.

d. Painting / Polishing
Then we apply a high quality color matched base coat to your wheel covering the damaged area, and/or polish the repaired section to a luster match of the alloy.

e. Clear Coat
Finally we coat your freshly painted wheel with a uv treated durable clear coat while preventing overspray on your vehicle or tire.

14. What else does your company do besides wheels?

We specialize in repairing alloy wheels. Because of our years of experience, we excel at what we do.

15. Can you straighten bent wheels?

Yes. We come to you and pick up the bent wheel and drop it back off after the repair is completed. It usually takes 1-2 business days to complete the repair. Please text a photo to see if it is repairable.

16. Can you fix cracked wheels?

Yes. We come to you and pick up the cracked wheel and drop it back off after the repair is completed. It usually takes 1-2 business days to complete the repair. Please text a photo to see if it is repairable.

17. Do you repair chrome wheels?

We can straighten bent chrome wheel, weld cracked chrome wheels, or re-chrome cosmetically damaged chrome wheels. To re-chrome we pick up and drop off the wheels and there is a 7-14 business day turnaround time.

18. Can you repair steel wheels?

We can fix curb damage and cosmetic damage but we can not straighten or weld them.

19. Do you re-drill bolt/lug holes to change the bolt pattern or widen wheels?

No.

20. Can you repair a cracked spoke?

No. If the spoke is cracked, the wheel should be replaced. It is dangerous to continue to drive on it.

21. Can you work in the rain?

We can if you have a garage big enough to fit your vehicle and enough room around the car for us to sit in our chair and work.

22. Do I need to have my wheels rebalanced after repair?

If the wheel balance has not been compromised due to the damage, the repair we perform will not change the balance.

23. The tire store says my chrome wheel is peeling or corroding and making my tire go flat, can you fix that?

Yes. We need the tire and wheel off the car and the tire off of the wheel. We smooth out the corrosion or flaking and put a sealant over it. You can have the tire put back on immediately after and get back on the road.

24. Is there any special care instructions after you complete your repair?

Don’t wash the car for 24 hours. Even after the finish is hard to the touch, the coating needs about 24 hours to complete it’s curing/hardening process. Pressure washers, tire, and alignment machines can damage a fresh repair.

Don’t change the tires for 24 hours. Even after the finish is hard to the touch, the coating needs about 24 hours to complete it’s curing/hardening process.

25. Is the paint and clear coat you use as durable as the original paint and clear coat?

Yes, the paint and clear coat we use is weatherproof and is as solid as the factory paint and clear coat.

26. Is it better to paint or powder-coat wheels?

Painting is better. Powder-coating is a process where your wheels have to be baked in a large oven. The more times you powder-coat your wheels, depending on the amount of heat used, it can prematurely “age” and weaken the metal alloy to the point that it is more brittle. This is why a lot of wheel manufacturers void their factory warranty if the wheel has been powder-coated. This is also why we recommend painting.

 

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