Curb Rash Repair Cost
There are several reasons why your wheel could have suffered a curb rash, including a bad parallel parking job or a misjudgment of the curb, among other things.
And depending on the overall degree of damage, the final costs to have it repaired will differ considerably, usually based on the rim type you have on your car. So how much does it cost to repair rim damage?
How Much Does Curb Rash Repair Cost?
Most of the time, when it comes to curb rash, the rims of the car will be the ones to take the full power of the hit, which also means that most of the time, you will have to fix the rim, or even have it changed completely, in the worst case scenario.
This means that there are two very important elements to consider when you’re trying to find out curb rash wheel repair costs: the type of rims you have on your car and the level of damage they suffered. Most of the quotes you will receive from experts will be somewhere between $70 and $300+.
Considering the multiple types of rims that are available, we made a breakdown of the most popular rim products and the costs that are associated, in the list below:
Rim repair depending on Rim Type
Plastic Clad
- If Cracked – There is no wheel repair work option available to fix it and replacement is needed.
- If Bent – In most cases, when you bend a plastic-clad rim, the result will be a rather big chip. Once again, replacement is required.
- If Scratched or Scuffed – Replacement is recommended in this case as well, as there is no good way of fixing it.
Chrome
- If Cracked – In over 99.9% of cases, Replacement will be more affordable than getting the rim fixed, which is why it is the recommended approach.
- If Bent – As long as the bend isn’t too severe, it will cost you between $60 and $150 to bend it back into its original position. Although you should know that this bending the rim back option can leave a mark on the surface of the rim.
- If Scratched or Scuffed – The rim will usually have to be re-plated, which means a $200 to $500 price tag. If you don’t want to re-plate it, you can replace it instead.
Aluminum/Alloy
- If Cracked – Replacement is recommended in this case, especially for safety reasons.
- If Bent – Replacement is very much recommended in this case as well, as this is a type of rim that can’t be brought back to its initial position through bending.
- If Scratched or Scuffed – $50 to $100 when using paint, sand, and putty, but for most of the rims, it will be very hard for you to match the color completely.
Steel
- If Cracked – Steel rims hardly ever break, but they can, instead, gouge. In this case, the rim will have to be changed for sure.
- If Bent – Depending on how is the bend, welding might be needed, with expenses in the $50 to $150 area. If no welding is needed, many jobs can be carried out for less than $50.
- If Scratched or Scuffed – $50 to $100, however, this expense isn’t a must. It’s usually done for cosmetic reasons only.
You might also like our articles about the cost of Walmart tire installation, wheel alignment, and wheel balancing.
At-home kits are also available for people that are good at taking Do It Yourself projects and want to save some money on professional help. These packages cost somewhere between $2o and $50, depending on where you get them from and the brand you pick.
Keep in mind that at-home sets can never feature the same results as an expertly-done job and you might have a hard job making the colors match. If you’re set on getting a at-home kit, before you actually go ahead and buy it, at least make sure you check out the reviews so that you’re sure you’re getting one of the best products.
A member of the online forum MercedesCLA, published a thread with a photo of their rim scratches, asking what should they expect to pay. People that replied in the thread told them to be prepared to pay at least $120 to $150, if not more, per wheel at the local dealership.
There is also a member of the Corvette Forum, who uploaded a picture of a bent wheel and said they were quoted $125 for the rim repair.
The 4 kinds of rims
As we have already detailed above, the majority of vehicles will utilize one of the 4 rim types, with each type having its own benefits and downsides.
Steel wheel: Steel, as basic material, is rather durable and can endure a great deal of damage. Because of this, it will mean that you can typically fix them without the need for replacement, whether it’s scuffed or bent.
Plastic clad: Similar looking to the chrome one, a plastic-clad rim will be much lighter and less expensive for the maker to develop. As it’s made from plastic, any sort of damage done to this kind of product can be almost impossible to fix because, the majority of the time, the rim will break and need to be replaced.
Chrome-plated: When it comes to curb rash, many chrome-plated rims can be sandblasted and re-plated; nevertheless, for a lot of them, the rate of this repair work can typically be close to buying a brand-new rim, the primary reason most individuals choose to simply get a brand-new similar rim.
Aluminum alloy: This material is usually found in newer car models. The aluminum alloy rims are made of an alloy of aluminum, as you probably noticed from its name. They are most often painted with a clear coat. If they are bent, the repair work can be pretty challenging, however, when it comes to a scuff or scratch, many specialists have the ability to sand and repaint pretty easily.
The process
When fixing a curbed wheel, the procedure typically starts by eliminating all of the dirt, particles, and protective surfaces from the rim, according to the Cars. com website. Next, the broken spot is sanded down, covered with a filler, sanded once again, and lastly buffed to get a smooth surface with no scratches. Then, the broken spot will have to be primed and painted to match the initial color and topped with a clear-coat surface. This is typically the procedure for scratches and scuffs, without any bending or cracking that is too visible.
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