Took my BMW 335i w/sport package to mechanic to have the wheels balanced and he said the two right wheels were bent. He said the wheel service person can fix them tomorrow. I am wondering if it is better to replace the wheel. Any ideas?
See if they can fix them, and how much they charge. New replacement wheels from BMW are going to be very costly. There are refurbished wheels available for sale on the internet. ebay is one source and you can “google” search for other sellers.
If the wheels can be fixed at a resonable cost you might as well go for it and see if the wheeles can be trued up and balanced. In the end you just want a smooth ride with no vibrations; see if the repairs can accomplish that goal.
If the wheels were bent, you should have noticed a lot of vibrations while driving.
I’ve read of several wheels (not coincidentally from BMWs - they seem to have LOTS of rim bending problems, sport package especially) being repaired successfully. I bet it’ll be quite a bit cheaper than new.
I would do it.
I presume that the wheels have metalic gray paint, right? That is what most BMWs have. If they are brushed metal, they are tough to straighten to look good. If they are chromed, forget it. Most commonly, the bead is just rolled up a bit in one spot. If so, it is not surprising that you did not feel it, and if you can’t feel it, it is not critical that it gets repaired.
Plan on paying about $100 per rim to straighten them if they don’t need to be repainted, and about $200 per rim if they need to be repainted. Junk yard BMW wheels run about $250 each, and new wheels from BMW run about $500 each, depending on the style.
thank you all for your great advice. I had the wheels straightened and the car runs great