[gischethans]

I suffered rim damage yesterday, thanks to a tree stump on an interior rural road. It was on a slight bend in the road and I don't know how it even hit only the rim. We heard a reasonably loud sound followed by a hiss of air going out. I did not lose control and could safely stop the car.

This also happened to be my first experience of changing the wheels - I knew it only by theory until yesterday.

Now my questions are,

• Is it possible to repair this damage? Would it be reliable after that?
• I have tyre protection insurance from Digit. I checked with them if it would cover my damage on Twitter but they didn't call me back yet
• I called them up separately and was told rim damage can be covered under the zero depreciation cover that I have. The agent was not clear about tyre protection and its impact on NCB. A normal claim would impact NCB.

Mods, please merge with a suitable thread if this doesn't warrant a new thread.

[saket77]

It's a tubeless tire as I can see. If you wish to run it 'tubeless', I would recommend to change it. Else it can be hammered and brought back to shape and relocated to the rear axle, preferably with a tube in it.

[Kosfactor]

A steel rim is inexpensive, I recommend replacing it rather than trying to repair it. There will be dealers who only sell used steel rims in your city, often from vehicles who have swapped their steel wheels for alloys, it will be cheap to purchase.

[revvharder]

Replace the rim, you can get a new rim from MGP for around Rs.1000 or you can get a used one for even cheaper, check tire dealers nearby.

[parsh]

Originally Posted by gischethans

Now my questions are,

• Is it possible to repair this damage? Would it be reliable after that?

Been through that on my Innova, done that and using realigned wheels without any issues since ages.

That is the beauty of the Steel Rims.

It is not just hammering. Hammering is used only to get it into decent shape first. After that, proper realigning wheel shops should have access to realigning pressing machines. It works without any issues if you do not want to lose your original wheels which can be recovered and can find such wheel shops.

Had costed me about 250 per wheel, realigned 2 wheels.

• I called them up separately and was told rim damage can be covered under the zero depreciation cover that I have. The agent was not clear about tyre protection and its impact on NCB. A normal claim would impact NCB.

If you claim from insurance, it will by default be the material and service being availed out of insurance service and it should impact your NCB unless there are specific clauses excluding it. You should get crystal clear clarity from them on the impact.

[gischethans]

Originally Posted by parsh

Been through that on my Innova, done that and using realigned wheels without any issues since ages.

That is the beauty of the Steel Rims.

Thanks, @parsh and others. I am not sure if I can find a tyre shop that can fix the rim in my small town but I will certainly try as it is the original rim. Yours were also tubeless tyres, right?

While I missed adding it above, is it necessary to get wheel balancing/alignment done in this case - i.e., after fixing the rim / replacing it? I would think it is necessary but wanted to be sure.

[parsh]

Originally Posted by gischethans

Yours were also tubeless tyres, right?

While I missed adding it above, is it necessary to get wheel balancing/alignment done in this case - i.e., after fixing the rim / replacing it? I would think it is necessary but wanted to be sure.

Yes Tubeless only.

Try checking specifically with wheel, alloys shops if Tyre shops don't have the facility.

Yes you would need wheel balancing necessarily after fixing or replacing. But not necessarily alignment.

If you choose to replace, replace with brand new one. You will never be sure what the Second hand wheel has been through, you will not be able to notice all issues with it, if it had been mended in any way etc.

[vrprabhu]

I guess you will be having a full size spare of the same size.

My suggestion is to use the spare wheel in place of the (damaged) one and get the repair done when you visit Udupi/Mangalore.

Also, don't think steel wheels are expensive (as compared to alloys); if you don't want to repair, you can buy a new one. Steel wheels can be repaired with the right equipments - I had done it once (long time ago) and did not face any problem subsequently.

[gischethans]

I have an update from the Digit team -

You can register a claim under your tyre protection cover only if there is a crack or if the rim is broken. Soft dents and bends are not payable.

Note: If the claim is settled under the Tyre Protect addon then NCB won't be impacted.

[Turrrb0]

Does anyone reckon that the damage on this wheel can be repaired?

[r24x7]

Originally Posted by Turrrb0

Does anyone reckon that the damage on this wheel can be repaired?

I had a similar looking case
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...ml#post5288482 (Went over a nasty speed breaker at high speed | Now what?)

As part of routine WA and WB , they just hammered it back to shape and I was not charged anything extra. I had no loss of air or had any vibrations.

[Dr Alpha]

I had a similar kind of dent in the front left wheel during a monsoon drive in Maharashtra on the way to Thoseghar waterfal the very first day l entered Maharashtra from Tamilnadu. A stream of water submerged a huge crate like pothole hiding it from my view which I realised only after going through a heavy thud. A local wheel alignment shop guy hammered it back into shape and rotated it with a tyre on the rear axle. Completed the 10 day drive across Maharashtra without any issues. Once back from the trip checked the rim with my trusted alignment guy and the rim continued to serve me without any issues.
That’s the advantage of steel rims, can be hammered back into shape

[shipnil]

Originally Posted by gischethans

[*]Is it possible to repair this damage? Would it be reliable after that?

Yes, it is possible to repair the rims and not by hammering. There are machines that have rollers that bring the rim back in shape. But the machines are not available everywhere. Only few shops would have it.

I went through one rim bent incident and got it straightened. It is posted here. https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-...ml#post3596443 (What are the consequences of a slightly deformed steel rim?)

[gauravanekar]

I am a big fan of steel rims precisely for the same reason. I am prone to bending rims repeatedly, that's just how I drive.

I have reshaped the rim through the pressing machine and used it with tubeless tyre for thousands of kilometer with no problem, even the wheel balancing does not go off too much.
If am planning for a long drive like Jaipur-Bangalore or something of that sort, I inspect rims, balance test and if any wheel looks bad I just replace it with OEM FOrd steel rim which is economical and gives peace of mind.

[arjunsatheesh]

My Honda Amaze suffered a similar event. My trusted tire shop fixed the rim and told me the tubeless tire was also fine. I did, for peace of mind, swap that rim with my spare wheel even though it drove well.