Fixing Curbed Wheels

[FunfDreisig]

Originally Posted by mtech8

Funf Dreisig: The dealer sold me the IAS Warranty, INC "Tire & Wheel Road Hazard Service Contract". I believe the insurance company is "Virginia Surety Company"....

Hmm...

My dealer sold me a wheel and tire insurance policy from R.O.A.D InTire (Vehicle Tire and Wheel Guarantee) with the "Gold Option".

The policy states that the "Gold Option upgrades the Plan to include the repair of cosmetic damage only to alloy wheels." It then goes on to describe what it considers NOT to be a alloy wheel. It even claims to cover up to $35 day of loaner fees during repairs.

This is my first time in 5 decades of car ownership to have ANY wheel/tire insurance. And frankly, after reading this thread, I wonder whether I wasted the money on this type of insurance. So my question is... Has anyone actually had a BMW wheel with only cosmetic damage repaired under the R.O.A.D InTire (Vehicle Tire and Wheel Guarantee) plan with the Gold option? And if so, what did it cost you?

Funf Dreisig

[Penguin]

Originally Posted by Denalio

Most policies will only cover wheel damage if there is a "total loss of Air" or if it is damaged/bent so bad it causes loss of air. Road rash and minor bent wheels won't qualify if it isn't leaking. Check the fine print or lack there of, and the interpretation is up to the insurance company.

A wheel has got to be really bent to not hold air. I've had a wheel with a flat bend almost a half inch bent out of round and it still held air. It couldn't be balanced any more and vibrated badly at highway speeds, but it held air.

I would think any policy that only covers the wheel if it can't hold air is rather worthless.

I do understand the limitation on curb rash, as curb rash is typically more of a driver error, than an "act of God" sort of thing, like a pothole in the road.

[FunfDreisig]

Originally Posted by Penguin

...I would think any policy that only covers the wheel if it can't hold air is rather worthless.

And by inference, any dealer that sells a policy that "only covers the wheel if it can't hold air" is rather worthless too

Funf Dreisg

[Denalio]

Originally Posted by Penguin

A wheel has got to be really bent to not hold air. I've had a wheel with a flat bend almost a half inch bent out of round and it still held air. It couldn't be balanced any more and vibrated badly at highway speeds, but it held air.

I would think any policy that only covers the wheel if it can't hold air is rather worthless.

I do understand the limitation on curb rash, as curb rash is typically more of a driver error, than an "act of God" sort of thing, like a pothole in the road.

I agree. This happened to me. The warranty would not cover a damaged wheel. It even had a very slow leak and they still would not honor the warranty (insurance). It wasn't until the dealer dismounted the tire to replace the wheel that I ordered that they discovered the rim was cracked. The warranty provider had no choice but to replace. They even sent out an adjuster to look at it.

[mtech8]

Hartawan. Thanks for the reference.

Funf Dreisg. Uhm.. my contract/receipt titles states the IAS Insurance. But the confirmation letter and card that I got is from R.O.A.D InTire (Vehicle Tire and Wheel Guarantee) too. Mine isn't the Gold option. I wasn't even aware that was available. I thought that they were all the same and should have read the fine print when I was at the dealership.

[omasou]

It should definitely be covered under collision. BTDT. The good thing is that between the estimate and your deductible it should not be a chargeable accident. Maybe they are saying it is not covered b/c your deductible is more than the cost of the wheel? The replacement cost is usually not worth the claim unless it is two wheels but w/the cost of the BMW wheels one may be worth the claim.

One place here that repairs wheels is Wheel Collision Center, Wheel Collision Center

There are also places in DE and TX but I could not find the links.

Here found a list...

Wheel Repair Companies by State

[chile1]

On the 06 E53's there is a special feature which really helps in avoiding curb rashes on your expensive wheels........

If you slide the mirror switch to the driver side, the right outside mirror (or passenger side mirror) automatically tilts down toward the ground when reversing. This is great for visibility of curb specially when parallel parking or just backing up into a parking space. If you want this function to stop, just move the mirror switch back to the passenger side and you are good to go.

[rh71]

^ E70 has that and it should definitely be used during parallel parking... except I forget that it can do that the few times that I am actually parallel parking.

[lennynchris]

Originally Posted by mtech8

Can anyone recommend a good place to fixed curbed wheels out in Southern California?

It looks like it's only cosmetic damage. My wife accidentally scraped against the curb while getting out of a drive-thru (not Wendy's like Rh71, but Taco Bell).

It's a real bummer cuz my Tire/Wheel Insurance won't cover this.

Just wondering if anyone knows how long the process would take (can I simply wait for it)? And how much it cost?

It's the Front and Rear on the passenger side.

Thanks.

If you are a DIYer at all, the process is really easy. Did it on our 7 in an afternoon...

[mtech8]

Thanks lennynchris.

If I were to keep my rims, I'd try to DIY. But I'm planning on selling them sometime soon to upgrade to the 128's. So I'll just hire a professional to do it. I wonder if it's the same process.

I wonder how they do it to match the color of the alloy wheels or is this pretty much standard stuff.