bmr12

I've read plenty of threads on this board about gouged wheels when folks have had tires mounted. Here's my story.

I bought a second set of stock wheels on eBay and had them tucked away for a few months in the corner waiting for the time to buy snow tires. The wheels and tires were brand new (pulled by the dealer before delivery as best I know) as they still had the new tire look--little rubber stubble, blue stripe on the tread, etc. Today was finally the big day to get the snow tires mounted, so I drop them off on my way to work.

I go back at lunch to pick up the wheels & tires and I notice that one of the wheels has a nice dime-sized gouge in it. When I point this out to the manager, after some blank stares and denials, I'm told that he will "ship it off to be painted and repaired". When I explain that I don't think painting an aluminum alloy wheel will improve the situation, I'm pretty much told that's all he can do. Further pressure explaining that his decision here will also affect my decision to purchase new tires for the SUV currently holding the 8 tires and 4 wheels, his offer does not change.

Should I have accepted this repair offer? It sounds pretty bad to me--i.e., it'll only be worse than the damage I've already gotten.

SMF-TLS

Sorry to hear what happened. Unfortunately, short of replacing the entire wheel, the only way to repair it is most likely repainting as these wheels are painted aluminum. The 2nd gen's were machined aluminum with clear coat paint and would require more to repair a surface scratch/gouge.

Hope this helps.

bmr12

For the record, they are 3rd gen wheels (from an '04 TL, for an '04 TL).

xristos

I have a scuffed OEM wheel which was caused by a high curb. I called three highly recommended wheel shops which all three mentioned the same procedure of stripping the paint of the entire wheel, fixing the damage & repainting the wheel to its original paint & finish.

So, take his offer & ask if a warranty is offered to make sure the paint & finish match.