Wheel Repair - CNC Lathe - Should i be worried about wheel weight/balance?

**tekmo** · 12-14-2014 05:47 AM

I curbed one of my wheels the other day, small scratch but was noticeable

. I have OEM 18'' S-Line 10 spoke Titanium wheels.

Took it to a wheel repair shop and they did repair using CNC lathe, since these are diamond cut wheels. They did the tire balance after repair and I am not really seeing any issues with performance/driving at this time. The scratch is completely gone and wheel looks like brand new, can't tell a difference.

My worry is the wheel weight/balance compared to other wheels, since a very thin layer of metal was taken off using CNC lathe. Wheel shop said not to worry as the amount of metal taken off is very minimal and will have no affect on the balance, but i want to get a second opinion.

Should i really be worried? Does anyone have any experience with such repairs? Perhaps I am better off just replacing the wheel to be safe?

Any feedback is welcome

**Dyim** · 12-14-2014 05:57 AM

Originally Posted by tekmo

I curbed one of my wheels the other day, small scratch but was noticeable

. I have OEM 18'' S-Line 10 spoke Titanium wheels.

Took it to a wheel repair shop and they did repair using CNC lathe, since these are diamond cut wheels. They did the tire balance after repair and I am not really seeing any issues with performance/driving at this time. The scratch is completely gone and wheel looks like brand new, can't tell a difference.

My worry is the wheel weight/balance compared to other wheels, since a very thin layer of metal was taken off using CNC lathe. Wheel shop said not to worry as the amount of metal taken off is very minimal and will have no affect on the balance, but i want to get a second opinion.

Should i really be worried? Does anyone have any experience with such repairs? Perhaps I am better off just replacing the wheel to be safe?

Any feedback is welcome

I agree with the shop. If it drives fine and there is no vibration or shimmy that you can feel at any speed, it is all good.

Otoh, since you sound like you are a perfectionist and if it bothers you, you can certainly spend the $ and get a new one.

**v8a6** · 12-14-2014 09:22 AM

Agree with Dyim.

Repairing a small scratch in the way you described will not make the wheel any less safe. If you want to check that the wheel is perfectly balanced with your current tire, then take it to Tires23, and get them to do a road force balancing. You will get a printout that shows precisely if there are any issues.

Do you have a full size spare with the same wheel? If so, why not swap it with that, and keep this one for the spare, if it really bothers you. Or buy a new one like Dyim says. However, just be ready to go through all this again when you curb the new one in a few months.

**aj6** · 12-14-2014 09:27 AM

Originally Posted by tekmo

Should i really be worried? Does anyone have any experience with such repairs? Perhaps I am better off just replacing the wheel to be safe?

Any feedback is welcome

First of all, I call dibs on the wheel if you replace it. I want it for a project I'm working on. With that said:

You're in that stage that happens immediately post-accident/scratch - the stage where the problem seems way more major than it is.

Heart to heart here... I'm the same way about my cars, but in the end you'll always be chasing stuff like this if you let it bother you. No one else here has a perfect vehicle, my A3 already has a small wheel curb scratch, a few rock nicks in the windshield, and bumper blemishes from normal driving. I also noticed a spot where the leather on the steering wheel got scuffed a bit. I almost got the wheel fixed at first, but after a week or so it really didn't bother me anymore. I know it's there, sure, but it's not harming anything.

The wheel balance is fine on your car. Don't let it get in your head that something is amiss, because you'll always convince yourself that there could be an issue.

**CRL77** · 12-15-2014 05:09 AM

Originally Posted by aj6

First of all, I call dibs on the wheel if you replace it. I want it for a project I'm working on. With that said:

You're in that stage that happens immediately post-accident/scratch - the stage where the problem seems way more major than it is.

Heart to heart here... I'm the same way about my cars, but in the end you'll always be chasing stuff like this if you let it bother you. No one else here has a perfect vehicle, my A3 already has a small wheel curb scratch, a few rock nicks in the windshield, and bumper blemishes from normal driving. I also noticed a spot where the leather on the steering wheel got scuffed a bit. I almost got the wheel fixed at first, but after a week or so it really didn't bother me anymore. I know it's there, sure, but it's not harming anything.

The wheel balance is fine on your car. Don't let it get in your head that something is amiss, because you'll always convince yourself that there could be an issue.

my steering wheel has that spot too. :( mine is from my wedding ring. I'd attempt to blame my wife, but I don't want to test the comfort of the back seat in a camping scenario.