[MichBadger]

I hit a severe pot hole a couple of months ago that I thought would leave me stranded with a broken suspension! I kept waiting for the pressure sensor to come on but it never did. The only noticeable result was a bad vibration between 35-45 mph. It actually goes away at speeds faster than that. I finally took the car in yesterday to an independent to see if they check out the car out to make sure I didn’t have suspension damage or a big bubble on the inside of the run flat. Surprisingly the car and tire checked out fine, but they showed me a video of the wheel spinning where it’s obviously out-of-round. They suggested it could be repaired or replaced.

I need some advice as I’ve never had wheel problems on any car I’ve owned. Am I always going to be chasing a slight unbalance with a repaired wheel? Should I just replace it?

Since day one of owning this car, I’ve always felt there was some added vibration that I didn’t like but attributed it to low profile run-flat tires. I currently have the 2017 OEM 436M wheels with 18” tires. Even before hitting the pot-hole, I wondered about going to non-run flats and even to moving to a 17” higher profile tire (is that possible?) to give me a better ride on the Detroit area roads. I did not run dedicated snow tires last winter and did just fine.

What would you all do in my situation? Also, the family has just come back from summer vacation and I told my wife that we needed to be on credit card lockdown for a couple of months. It’s going to be tough to justify throwing $2,000 at a set of wheels and tires.

Lastly, should this be posted in the dedicated wheel and tire forum? I’m not sure how many views it would get over there.

[John in VA]

A competent wheel repair facility can true a bent wheel - you just need to find them & compare the repair cost to the cost of a new (or new to you) wheel.

Try posting in the regional section to see if anyone knows of an experienced local shop: https://www.2addicts.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=563

You might get more attention on the 3er forum: https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/fo...play.php?f=405

Good luck!

[fmzip]

It depends on where the bend is. If it's on the face side, it is more challenging.


I have had bent wheels repaired many times on many BMW's and my Audi. No vibrations at all. I'd suggest posting a picture of the wheel to better asses the situation

[overcoil]

I’d get a new wheel. Price of fixing the wheel plus any potential issues after repair... easier to get a new wheel. Keep bent wheel and have it repaired when convenient, stick a cheap tire on it and use as a spare.

17 inch diameter wheels are a great idea. BBS brand level of quality is important. Do the 17 inch wheels detract from the personality of the driving experience? I don’t know.

[zsalim240i]

I ran into a similar situation a couple of weeks ago with my m240. I took it to discount and they were pretty confident that they could get it repaired through the third party service they use for ~140 bucks. They sent the wheel in and when I came back to pick it up they mentioned they couldn't repair it because it was bent horizontally instead of vertically(or might be the other way around). Either way, they couldn't get it fixed and did not charge me. I took it to a local BMW mechanic and he was able to order me one for around 360. In retrospect, if time was not an issue and I had a spare, I would have just ordered a refinished one from Ebay or something and saved over a 100 bucks.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by MichBadger

moving to a 17” higher profile tire (is that possible?)

Yes, it is. There are a number of threads & posts about doing that. The last page of this thread has some thoughts on the subject: https://www.2addicts.com/forums/show....php?t=1606612.

[fmzip]

I'd rather bend and buy new 18s on a rare occasion rather than having the look of 17s wheels. Every long, long winter, the big fat side walls of 17s do not bring a smile to my face one bit!

[MichBadger]

Thanks to all for the different opinions. After talking to a second independent shop yesterday, I made a repair appt at a local wheel repair shop they recommended. At a quoted cost of $125, I'm going to try that first and then make a decision on a second set of wheels. I'll try to get some pics today.

[Rich.Wolfson]

Originally Posted by MichBadger

Thanks to all for the different opinions. After talking to a second independent shop yesterday, I made a repair appt at a local wheel repair shop they recommended. At a quoted cost of $125, I'm going to try that first and then make a decision on a second set of wheels. I'll try to get some pics today.

I use USA Wheels here in Northern NJ the pothole capital of the universe. It's $150 a wheel and they do a GREAT job.

///Rich

[MichBadger]

Wheel place did not recommend trying to fix it after spinning it. It was too far off center.

I've got a video clip but not sure if I can attach it here.

I think I will be looking to replace it with a new one.

[MichBadger]

I ordered a refurb wheel and unfortunately got the wrong color. I went ahead with my service app't at my local dealer anyhow, as it was past due for it's first scheduled maintenance. The dealer came back and said that both front wheels are bent beyond repair (and they actually offer in house repair.) My service guy had no problem with me bringing in my own wheels, which would bring the cost down from about $1200 to $400. He is recommending an alignment to be done when they put the new wheels on though.