Rim scratched by curb

I slightly scratched the rim of my Accord recently. A local body shop wants $50 to fix it. Is it even worth it or should I just leave it. Its about a four inch scratch.

If you get it fixed, possibly by replacement with a pretty one from a salvage yard, you’ll probably just scratch it again. In all likelihood you are the only one who will really notice that it’s there. Save your money.

I am also trying to debate whether or not to take these rims off during the wintertime.

Here is how it looks.

If it’s holding air , don’t wast money fixing or replacing.
Looks like what you need is correct tires for the wide wheels . I see awfuly skinny tires strrrrretched out to mount on rims much much wider than the normal bead.
With this , the rim will always be the first thing to contact the curb.
It’s going to happen again…and again.

Touch up paint, like a nail polish type might be an agreeable compromise between new and ltet it go.

This is problem #3 with big wheels/short tires - not much tire available to protect the rims. Ken, these may be the exact tires specified for the car, there are LOTS of tire/wheel combos out there like this. Not good when the wheels become the ‘curb feelers’…

Yeah I agree-a little touch up bottle or wheel spray should fix it up. I used the silver wheel spray on the hubs of our Olds and it was a perfet match. Looks like those wheels are such though that you’ll ruin the wheel before the tire. Don’t know if thats a good thing or not since tires are readily available. Also might want to make sure that tire is OK. It looks like it got a nasty abrasion on it.

@BarkyDog can you send me a link to what you mean exactly? How do I know it will match the rim color?

Wash it with soap and water and a good stiff brush, see what damage remains after that. To me the tire scuffs are more apparent than the rim damage. But to get it back to looking new, you’ll probably need to have it repaired professionally or replaced. If money’s not a consideration, and you want it looking new, just replace it.

The rim doesn’t really bug at all. The tire is fine as well. I ended up going to Goodyear and they inspected it and basically used a little glue to glue it back on.

I live in WI where the winters are long and cold. Should I take these rims off and use something basic like ?

“they inspected it and basically used a little glue to glue it back on”

I hope you were talking about a piece on the wheel and not the tire. If you go to car parts store and look at their wheel paint, I think you will find the colors available will match pretty good, but take a look at the cap color or use some paint chips for a match. If you get the spray you can always brush it on or spray the area. There really aren’t that many different silver colors used on wheels.

@Bing

The tire was a very small piece that tore off not deep at all

you can find something close enough Just go to the store.

@Barkydog as in go to AutoZone and have them match it?

I live in Duluth, MN and WI is my home state. I have never been a fan of alloy rims and so far have avoided owning them. They are heavy and expensive. In most cases the tires that fit on them are too low profile to provide a comfortable ride and protection from potholes, and too wide to provide traction on snow and resistance to hydroplaning on water. The advantage is “performance” e.g. the ability to take corners faster than many drivers ever want to do, concerned as they are about safety, economy, and responsibility.

You can purchase from your local car parts store a can of rim color paint, but before you paint it file down the groves then lightly sand down the area that is marred after which you can repaint your wheel… cost of paint is roughly around $5-10 a can.

Shanonia, I support your right to not like alloy rims, but I’m concerned that it’s based on misunderstandings about what an alloy rim is. Alloy refers only to the material from which the rim is made.

Handling, ride, wet and snow traction, width, and to much extent protection from pothole damage are functions of the rim dimensions, the rim offset, tire size, and tire characteristics and not of the rim material. By only changing tires on the same rim you can greatly affect these characteristics good or bad. I’ve attached a link to a good website that explains tires and wheels in nontechnical terms. Allow me to suggest that you visit the site so that when the time comes to replace your tires you better understand the relationship between the two and to their relationship to ride, handling, and traction.

http://www.carbibles.com/