Bent Alloy Wheel

I had a run in with one of the lovely pot holes here in Chicago and bent the rim on my 2008 Chevy Malibu. I am trying to find someplace here in the western suburbs to get it fixed but so far no luck. I tried the dealer but they only want to sell me a new one and the tire shop won’t do it because they could not guarantee their work. Any suggestions?

do a google search for auto wheels. You should find a site that sells refurbished alloy wheels for about $179 each.

Yea Alloy wheels are more likely to be damaged than steel wheels and they are more expensive.

Depending on the wheel and how badly it was damaged, it is possible that there is no way to properly correct the problem other than replacement. I really would not want to ask someone to do that kind of work when they say they can’t guarantee their work or don’t want to do it.

Consumer grade (OEM) alloy wheels are not the same animals that the race cars use. Those wheels likely cost more than your car. The cheap ones they sell with new cars are not nearly as good.

Here is the site for OEM wheels. www.rims-and-wheels.com

They only go up to year 2005 for Malibu on the web site. Call 1800wheel80 and see if they have anything for 2008.

A used wheel is as good as a new one as long as it’s not bent or scuffed. Yours was (slightly) used when it got bent, and it worked fine. Take a look at www.car-part.com for a wheel at a salvage yard near you. I don’t know what your wheel looks like, but there are pictures of some types on the site.