Went over a pot hole and had a blowout - is my alloy wheel repairable?

Ricochet J

Ricochet J

Ricochet J

Soldato
Joined
29 Jun 2004
Posts
12,957
Hi,

I was driving down a country lane and there was a sudden unavoidable pot hole. Unfortunately the passenger side front wheel took the shock and deformed my wheel, which meant it was no longer air tight.

Is the alloy wheel repairable?





Thank you!
 
If it's not particularly exotic I would just source a single replacement. It can be repaired but it'll always be weaker than an undamaged one.
 
I’d get the suspension and alignment checked as well as replacing the wheel: that looks like a big enough hit to do more damage than just the wheel and tyre.
 
Phil W said:
If it's not particularly exotic I would just source a single replacement. It can be repaired but it'll always be weaker than an undamaged one.
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That's a fair assessment.

bremen1874 said:
Are you going to try and claim against the council for pothole damage?
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Not really - I'm going to pay for my repairs and move on. If I do chase the council for compensation, then legally I will have to notify my insurance company. The council will explicitly ask me if I have asked my insurance company. Tbh I would rather not deal with the faff.

Tee Hee Johnson said:
I'd be looking for a 'new' one
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Is there anything to look out for? Or shall I just go for the cheapest matching alloy on ebay?

geekman said:
I’d get the suspension and alignment checked as well as replacing the wheel: that looks like a big enough hit to do more damage than just the wheel and tyre.
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Good call! The car is new (i.e. second hand, recently purchased), and on budget tyres. I have new branded tyres incoming. When I get them fitted I'll also ask them to check the suspension and alignment.
 
Ricochet J said:
Not really - I'm going to pay for my repairs and move on. If I do chase the council for compensation, then legally I will have to notify my insurance company. The council will explicitly ask me if I have asked my insurance company. Tbh I would rather not deal with the faff.
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It is worth doing if it's a more expensive repair - my father went over a pot hole and destroyed front and rear alloys and tyres. About £900 in repair, but got all of it back from the council. Though it took a while if I remember correctly...
 
Ricochet J said:
Is there anything to look out for? Or shall I just go for the cheapest matching alloy on ebay?
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moreover .. find a local re-cycler ? postage will be the killer otherwise.


... can you actually claim for potholes on countryside roads ? a lot of the norfolk/cams you just have to be very attentive, know the roads,
otherwise you could kill a sidewall everyday.
 
I'm in the minority but if there is somewhere local I'd at least see how much it would be to have it repaired.

No guarantee that a used one from eBay isn't going to have issues that you later discover (e.g. invisible cracks, or needs huge amount of weights to balance)
 
The council didn’t ask me anything about insurance when I claimed (successfully). It’s worth putting in a claim after you’ve assessed the full extent of the damage and had it sorted; it’s not your fault the roads are in such poor condition.
 
I've had similar repaired on my z4 coupe alloy.. Was £70 to do without paint, looked straight and balanced no problems.. drove another 2k miles on that without issues before I sold the car
 
Go back and get as many photos of the pothole as you can - it will help with your claim - and replace the wheel, I would not attempt to get that repaired.
 
Not sure where the link between insurance and the council comes from. The process can take a while but they are both entirely independent.
 
Bin that wheel and source a pair of replacements as the amount have force needed to bend that section of the wheel will have damaged or severely weakened it in other places.
 
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