Curb rash repair.

The most common wheel damage there is — and the one most often repaired badly. We cut it back to clean metal rather than filling over it, which is the difference between a repair that disappears and one that peels.

What we repair

• Curb rash — the torn, scraped outer lip from kerbs, parking blocks and drive-through walls.
• Scratched rims — from light scuffing through to deep gouges with material loss.
• Scraped spokes and faces, including machined and diamond-cut finishes.
• Oxidised and peeling clear coat around older damage.

How we do it

1. Inspect. Wheel comes off and gets checked for cracks and runout before we quote. Kerb strikes hard enough to tear metal are sometimes hard enough to bend the rim.
2. Cut back to clean metal. The torn, raised aluminium is machined away — not filled over. The gouge gets bigger before it gets better, and that is the point.
3. Rebuild the profile. The original edge line is restored, not just levelled flat. This is the part that makes a repair invisible.
4. Finish and match. Painted, powder-coated or re-machined to match the wheels you are keeping.
5. Cure, balance, refit.

What we will not do

If a wheel is cracked in a structural area, particularly on the inner barrel or across the bead seat, we will tell you to replace it rather than weld it. A welded wheel that lets go at freeway speed is not a saving. We would rather lose the job.

Cost and turnaround

Price depends on damage depth, finish type and how many wheels. Painted wheels are the least expensive; machined faces cost more because they must be re-cut on a lathe. Most single painted wheels are same-day.

Want the detail behind all of this? Read how scratched alloy wheels are actually restored.

Common questions