Wheel House Alloys

Alloy wheels are susceptible to cracking ( and bends ) if driven over kerbs, potholes or speedbumps. The larger the wheel and the lower the tyre profile the greater the risk. Wheels with low profile tyres have less ability to absorb impacts and therfore protect the actual alloy wheel itself from structural damage. It is the tyre side wall that flexes to absorb any impacts and effectively smooth out an uneven road surface therfore cars with very low side walls have much less ability to absorb impacts - they may look great but they provide much less protection for your alloy wheel and a bumpier ride.

Typically when an alloy wheel is cracked it occurs on the inner rim. If your alloy wheel suffers a crack on the front face it is unlikley it can be repaired - the front face of an alloy wheel (with the spokes) provides most of the strength and rigidity to the wheel and front face cracks are therefore not safe to repair.

It should be noted that a wheel with a single large crack extending well beyond the rim itself, or a wheel with multiple cracks, or a wheel that has previously been welded may not be safe to repair. We will look at cracked wheels on a case by case basis and if we believe it is not safe to repair a wheel we reserve the right to refuse.

Alot of cracked wheels are also bent. It is important to rectify the bend first as this will affect the size of the crack.

If your wheel suffers an impact that causes a crack the commonest sign will be a slow puncture.

Some cracks can be very fine and hard to visualise on the vehicles so we may need to remove the wheel from your car to assess it. Occasionally we only see cracks once we have stripped the paint from a wheel.