OUCH: Curb Rashing Our Dodge Charger SRT392 Wheels:

It was a Sunday afternoon and we just enjoyed the Riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas with my kids and cousins that came to visit.  I was pulling out of the parking garage and did not realize the curb stuck out far with a gentle curve…  UGH.  Yup, I committed the cardinal sin.  My wife looked at me and said, “I know that hurts you inside”.

We headed over to the restaurant that we were going to next and I inspected the damage.  Yup, I did a great job screwing up one of my Hyper Black forged SRT wheels and I was very, very annoyed at myself.  The good news stuff like this can be fixed for relatively little money.  I made a quick phone call to my friend Ian and he set me up with Straight Wheels in Schertz, Texas to get the wheel fixed. 

Like any car guy, I was nervous.  Will it color match?  Will I be able to tell where the repair was?  The bottom line was I had nothing to be nervous about and these guys absolutely know what they are doing.  So how do they fix a wheel?  Well, it is pretty straight forward starting with a flame burn off of the existing finish on the wheel.  After that, the wheel is checked to make sure it is straight and true.  If the wheel is bent, more than likely it has to be replaced.  Next on the list is repairs, cracks or missing chunks can be welded and machined while scratches are ground, filled, and machined as necessary. 

After repairs are done, the wheel is checked again to make sure it is straight and true, now it is time for paint.  For the Hyper Black wheel, they lay down a base coat of flat black and then follow it up with a light coat of silver and clear.  The color match was absolutely perfect.  The average costs for a wheel repair are between $85 and $150 plus applicable tax and most wheels are fixed overnight.  I did have the convenience of being able to drive around for two days on my Race Stars drag wheels while the repair was taking place.

Well, $150 later the wheel was fixed.  The repair is so good that I have not had a single person figure our which wheel was repaired.  I’m very happy and it was well worth the money.  Thanks to Straight Wheels for taking care of me. Its good to know that wheel looks as good as it did originally, despite making a simple mistake of striking the curb.

Have any of you had serious damage to your wheels? What have you done to repair them, if you were able to? Let us know, in the comments below.