[Service] Wheels America (NY) Alloy Wheel Repair

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///M-Spec

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What it is: An alloy wheel repair service
What it costs: $114 + $25 mount and balancing (if needed)
How long have I owned/used it: Once

Pros: Free pick up in their service range (NYC metro area and parts of NJ). Fast 1-day turnaround time. Factory paint applied correctly.

Cons: Due to differences in paint process vs. OEM, finish does not precisely match. Balancing job was not up to par.


A few weeks ago, my better half attempted (with mixed success) a little "parking by braille" while driving my M Roadster. As you can see from the photo below, in addition to sucking profusely and uncontrollably, the OE ContinentalSportContact tire also fails at protecting the rim from minor parking lot mishaps. It incenses me that such a marginal tire comes standard on an otherwise stellar automobile, but I digress...



Usually when something like this happens, you've got a few choices:

-Deal with it
-Replace curb-rashed wheel with a full use spare
-Buy a brand new wheel

I didn't want to just deal with it. My Roady, after 18 months of faithful, trouble-free service has managed to stay remarkably clean despite the best efforts of Mother Nature and New Jersey roads. It was a blemish I simply was not going to ignore.

So onto Plan B. Erm.... hmmm. Okay, so BMWs no longer pack a spare tire of any size. Series cars have those atrocious run-flats while M owners like me get a can of fix-a-flat, a pump, lifetime roadside assistance and a pat on the back.

Plan C doesn't look too appealing either. The Type 224M Double Spoke wheels lists for an eye-watering $599 at dealers. No replicas are made and even if they were, I wouldn't mix them with the OE wheels.

So I decided having the wheel repaired and refinished was the way to go. After some research, I decided to give Wheels America a shot. They have various locations in the US and this review reflects the Wyandanch, NY (Long Island) location only.

First I was not only impressed that they came all the out to the Newark/Elizabeth area of NJ to get my wheel (which I had taken off my car and replaced with one of my winter wheel/tires), but I was pleased that they don't charge extra for this service. Those of you who live in the NYC area know what pain it is to get from the Island to NJ and vice-versa!

Second, they came to get my wheel the next business day. So far, so good.

My wheel was returned exactly when they promised it. The curb rash was gone and the wheel was refinished. The tire was mounted on the rim, again exactly as promised. Good price, fast service... this would have gone on to an A+ review if it weren't for two caveats.

The first caveat was with the finish itself. While the wheel looked absolutely brand spanking new, there were some minor, but noticeable differences between the factory finish and the finish applied by Wheels America. The color match was dead on. However, there is some very slight, but visible orange peel. My wife can't see it. My coworkers at the office can't see it. But I can see it. The second difference is the 'luminosity' (for lack of better word) of the finish is not quite as strong as that of the OEM wheels. The Wheels America wheel has a nice, glossy shine. It looks like it's been waxed. The OEM wheels have a strong reflective quality that goes beyond the reflectiveness of the clear coat. The color seems to literally glow in strong sunlight. I have never noticed just how good OEM BMW wheels look until this incident.



So is it perfect? No. But I should come clean and admit to being an incredibly picky individual when it comes to my cars. So is it good enough for me to live with? Yes.

The second issue had to do with the balancing. In short, it wasn't done very well. I went for a drive once I got the wheel back and on the car. There was an immediate and noticeable vibration from 60 mph onwards. Maybe something you wouldn't notice on an 8 year old minivan. Completely unacceptable on a high performance car like the M Roadster. The problem was cured with a road-force balance at a local shop with a Hunter GSP9700, but it ran me another $25.

Conclusion: I can overlook these deficiencies given the modest price Wheels America charged me to repair the wheel. They were pleasant to deal with, pick up and deliver for free and did a "pretty good" job overall.

Overall Rating: B-


M
 
Don't you wonder how they refinish it? I've always wondered. Weld more material on? No, that would compromise its strength and you'd have to machine the surface back to normal. Any sort of machining at all would noticeably change the texture, shape, and everything of the wheel. I don't see how they could use any chemical to do it. I really have no idea how they accomplish fixing curb rash, but it looks like it never happened. Btw, I didnt let my girlfriend drive my car. :sly: My stereotypes are simply too strong.
 
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