andymc1973 199 Posted March 9, 2019 Guys, I have a Insignia VX line with the 19 inch Penta alloys, the one on the car is buckled so i have tried getting one from ebay, that was buckled as well, has anyone tried an alloy repair chap? I'm curious if it's fixable ta Andy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
awc1000 93 Posted March 9, 2019 A decent wheel shop refurb co will sort this out, not a mobile repairer, if you cant find one local i would recommend here for any wheel job - reinventing the wheel tewkesbury 01684291900, i've had some high end stuff with bad buckles sorted here, very good company ask for jeremy, they are quite a distance from you but a courier will solve that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
andymc1973 199 Posted March 9, 2019 any idea on cost please? (and thanks) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
awc1000 93 Posted March 9, 2019 circa 75-100 for one wheel, to get an idea of whats fixable put the wheel on your local tyre fitters balance machine, you will see the buckle, if it looks an inch out dont worry thats doable, cracks are fixable to, i had a set of quattro 18" wheels done which looked fooked on the balancer, results were perfect. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
David Horgan 564 Posted March 9, 2019 Wellspek in Bilsthorpe Notts , Fixes anything , the mans a genius 01623 870800 Tradex its totally safe , no worries , this guy has done it since the invention of Alloy wheels and hes nearly 99 yrs old " joke " not quite , proper old school genius . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
awc1000 93 Posted March 9, 2019 42 minutes ago, tradex said: Shoot me down in flames, call me a boring dull stick in the mud, call me a know all c*nt but I would never get a buckled alloy 'fixed'. I'm sure cosmetically it will look fine and run true given enough working. But, and this is BIG BUT. The materials used in alloy wheel production are quite trick, they all have one thing in common, they all 'work harden' when 'reworked' and are no longer tough in the metallurgy sense. Think of the repair as being a weak and brittle area on the wheel, may take a hit, may not. Something I wouldn't wish to take a guess on, I'm sure you understand what I'm saying. To me thats a potential accident waiting to happen. A straight one will turn up, they always do. .... had a 220 Megane with both front wheels like a clowns car, had to wait a month then 4 decent wheels came up. I would tend to agree on this logic but if the right firm handles the job its fine, i would prefer a repaired OM wheel over a cheaper replaced set anyday, sadly when the dearer stuff gets damaged it does often get replaced with a cheap online set of new wheels which have nowhere near the strength of a well repaired OM wheel. hence the shock when we have all at one time asked the franchise how much one new OM wheel is, they are dear for a reason. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
It's me 615 Posted March 9, 2019 ive unbuckled many a clio alloy with my copper hammer i would never cold stitch a wheel though im with tradex just too frightening to contemplate sorry Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Arfur Dealy 823 Posted March 9, 2019 Me too... Wheels and tyres keep the car safely on the road. A very small fracture weld repair by a professional maybe... but a buckled wheel manipulated back into shape.....would you want your children in a car like that... erm no. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
awc1000 93 Posted March 9, 2019 I agree you wouldnt want a hobbyist to try it but if you see the pro's set up you would have faith, its all machines and specialist gear, the company i recommended are on another level regarding wheels, the set up is very impressive, they currently do work for bentley / aston cheltenham and i would imagine these folks dont take risks. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Screenman 47 Posted March 10, 2019 I can think of two of the three tyre places in a small town near me who have the correct equipment, knowing how much you can do to the wheel is the secret to safety, and not being talked into what should not be done by the customer. I also feel the wheels should have a mark engraved into them to show they have been done, as once is maybe fine but a second time would not be. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
David Horgan 564 Posted March 10, 2019 Its all The guy at Wellspek does , have NO fear its done very well and is safe , this guy actually shows you how he does it and its very impressive stuff . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Contracts 68 Posted March 11, 2019 We use a local company who only do alloys including diamond cuts and they often straighten them for us and the local prestige franchises. I don’t know the process but they have them for about 3 days and I am sure they have mentioned heating them in the past. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
have a word with the wife 299 Posted March 11, 2019 i would have thought a definite yes to heating, but let me throw a question out there, a alloy suspension bottom arm, lets say front, hit a kerb, would you be as happy having this repaired as the wheel ? its same thing ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stalker 180 Posted March 12, 2019 15 hours ago, have a word with the wife said: i would have thought a definite yes to heating, but let me throw a question out there, a alloy suspension bottom arm, lets say front, hit a kerb, would you be as happy having this repaired as the wheel ? its same thing ? Not really the same, and no i would never repair a arm... that's a replacement job. However Tradex will be able to advise better, the Tyre does take quite a bit of the impact when a wheel takes a whack. Surely its all about common sense, most OEM alloys are very tough and take quite a bit of an impact to buckle them, as long as its not mega buckled surely its ok to manipulate back into shape. Cheap copy wheels however should be scrapped after impact. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
