Buckles, cracks
and the honest no
Potholes buckle rims and occasionally crack them. Some of that is straightforward to put right. Some of it cannot be made safe, and this is the service where we say no most often.
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60 secondsbuckle and crack repair · client photography
What can be put right
A buckle on the inner barrel is usually straightenable. A crack through a spoke is not. The difference matters more than anything else on this page.
Buckles get measured on a jig with a dial gauge, pressed out hydraulically and measured again. Where the runout comes back within tolerance the wheel is fine, and the vibration you were feeling goes away.
Cracks are different. A crack on the inner barrel can often be welded and the wheel saved. A crack through a spoke or across the mounting face cannot be made safe at any price, and we will not coat one to make it look fine.
If the wheel also needs refinishing, straightening happens first. There is no point coating a wheel that is about to be pressed.
What comes with it
Everything below is in the quoted figure. Where a price elsewhere is lower, these are usually the lines missing from it.
Measured on a jig
Runout checked with a dial gauge, not by eye.
Hydraulic straightening
Pressed out in stages rather than forced in one go.
Weld where it is safe
Inner-barrel cracks, TIG welded and re-measured.
Re-measured after
So you know it came back within tolerance rather than nearly.
Refused where it is not
No charge for a wheel we turn down, even after collection.
Balanced on return
Because the point of this is to stop the vibration.
The figures
These are the standard rates. The quote you get back against a photograph is the actual figure, and it does not move after booking.
Two rows above say refused, and they mean it. A wheel that cannot be brought back within tolerance is not something we will coat and hand back looking fine.
How the job runs
Symptom described
Vibration at speed, a visible flat spot, or a pothole you remember.
Photo sent
Of the rim edge and, if visible, the inner barrel.
Collected
Loan wheels fitted so the car stays on the road.
Measured on the jig
Runout recorded before anything is pressed.
Straightened or refused
In stages, re-measuring as we go, or a straight no.
Balanced and returned
So you can feel whether it worked on the drive home.
Before you book
How do I know if a wheel is buckled?
Usually a vibration that appears at a particular speed and is not fixed by balancing. Sometimes you can see a flat spot on the rim edge with the wheel turning slowly.
Can a cracked wheel be welded?
On the inner barrel, often yes. Through a spoke or across the mounting face, no — and nobody reputable will tell you otherwise. Those loads are structural.
Will straightening weaken the wheel?
Done in stages on a jig, within tolerance, no. Forced in one go by somebody in a hurry, yes. That is the difference between the two approaches and it is invisible afterwards.
What if you refuse my wheel?
You pay nothing, including if we only find it after collection. We will tell you what a replacement typically costs so you have somewhere to start.
Straightening for the patch
The jig is at the unit, so this is always a collection job. Collection is included wherever you are.
