firasobaidy

Oh man, what a day. I had one of the worst car washes today at chevron and It didn't even finish drying my car. As i was driving out i didn't see the curb and i started turning the wheel and heard this grind. Quickly stopped and went to check it out and I have this long scratch on the outer rim. So upset because I just bought this car last month. I have 08 TL +navi black on black. I'm not sure if there are places you can take your car to fix this or would I have to buy a whole new rim. I'm hoping the dealer could fix this or take it to a custom body shop.

If anyone know the best way to get this fixed please post it. Oh and I also purchased the tire and rim insurance that they offered at financing. But I'm not sure if this covers it.

Thanks

korrupted

"pics"
I did the same to my car, making a fast turn too tight, except mine is a gouge instead of scratch.
I learned to live with it, can't keep it new forever.
My wheel/tire insurance doesn't cover, only covers road hazards.

nfnsquared

Take it to a professional wheel refinishing shop. You won't be able to tell a difference after they're done.

gauravp123

that sucks dude - yeah go to a prof wheel shop.

I'm sorry but I have to do this to ya...

TeknoKing

I did that 1st week of having the car, still hate myself for it, but there is nothing I can do.

Since I have stock on now, I don't really want to fix it.

Furious Coder

I posted something similar about two months after I picked up my TL. According to my searches and the advice on this site, the dealership can patch it up for you, or you can have it taken care of yourself, as the dealership just outsources the work to a place like this: http://www.mobilewheelrepair.com/ which is available to the public.

Honestly, I just left my "curb rash", because the car is only going to get more minor dings on it as it goes, if I get it fixed I might just scratch it again (which is a sunk cost), and the old saying goes that "the first cut is the deepest." My advice is to enjoy the whole car and not obsess over the minor flaws, but you must do what you feel is right, of course (to quote Obi Wan).

Good luck.

darksom1

Yeah...if you can step back 5-10 feet and can't really tell, not worth the bother if it doesn't disrupt functionality.

evantec

It's also a reason to avoid Belgian Block driveways and parking lots.

The end-spot in the parking lot looks good because nobody can give you a door-ding from the 'end' side, and then you give yourself tire-rash because you pull a little too close the the Belgium block.

So yeah, it's a matter of accepting it.

These cars would be great if we didn't have to take them into the real world and get them scratched up! And the winter is salt season!

enigmaos

iTrader: (4)

after a while, you will get used to the scratches/curbage, but it still hurts.

I aree with other posters that wheels will get minor scratches/curbage. IMO, it's not worth fixing it since it's only a cosmetic issue.

HONgDA

iTrader: (1)

I curbed my aftermarket wheel the week before christmas. I was in a mall parking lot and I knew the curb was right there. I underestimated my turn and ended up curbing the edges of the wheel. I got off and expected the damages but what's done was done. If someone else was driving my car and curbed the wheels then I would be pissed.

pkarandi

Yup - I curbed mine about 2 weeks after I got my TL-S. I was all giddy because I had just paired my bluetooth phone to the car that morning and just had to call my wife right away while leaving work that night. There is a sharp right turn out of my work parking garage and that's where it happened. I was pissed about it for like 2 days.
Seeing I'm not the only person to do it makes me feel a little less bad. Also, it's been about 2 weeks and I barely think about it anymore.

Like others said, if you're driving your car, it will get little things like this over time. Don't worry about it and just be more careful from now on!

V-Sic

I have a 07 tl-s and like a month ago my mom scratched my front passenger rim when she was parking it and offered to buy me a new rim because the car is somewhat new, but I told her "are you kidding me", I'm not gonna charge my mom for scratching my rim. It hurt but I just told her to be careful next time. My car is always garaged but once in a while i park it on the street to hold a parking spot for my parents.

Yakuza70

Whatever you do in the future, do NOT get your car washed at a gas station or car wash as you're just asking to get scratches, swirls and other marks all over your finish, especially on a black car. Go to the "wash and wax" section of Acurazine or to www.autopia.org to learn about keeping your paint finish like new.

TL-S-LT

well I hit the curb, gouged and scratched my 07 TLs right front rim, went to a rim repair shop, $55 later its back new.

korrupted

that sounds like a great deal, what did they do to get it back to new?
Did you have to rebalance your tire?

vinnier6

iTrader: (1)

if you have standard tl wheels, you should beable to pic one up from someone on this board or ebay for cheap...i cant imagine there is a big demand for oem take offs as a ton of folks swap their wheels for after market....

TL-S-LT

no, i did not need to rebalance (well, at least i do not think so since the car drive fine), and the dude who fixed it run his own home business from his car. he came to my house with all the tools and thats why his fees are low!!!

TL-S-LT

gosh I'm not sure how to load pics here, but check these links of the before and after for my car!

http://ajajm.myphotoalbum.com/view_p...d=1106070928_G

http://ajajm.myphotoalbum.com/view_p...d=1106071033_G

do you think guys that I need to re-aline the tire although i feel no problem driving it right now??

acurasofla

It's fairly easy to stay after those wheel scuffs yourself. Give it a try.

http://www.bmwtips.com/tipsntricks/w...uff-repair.htm

New Car TL-S

just try and test drive a new one without the salesman and swap the scratched one with a new one

New Car TL-S

wow, just looked at your pics, came out great.

Tvtchr222

I have curb rash on my 07 TL and I just live with it. BTW, TLs have a turning radius a little wider than other cars, so I blame it on that!

shooter

don't we all have to live with some minor flaws, our own or TL's ....

darksom1

Before:



After:



There ya go dawg!