Wheel crack repair - or replace?

[iamtheari]

I got a set of wheels secondhand. This one is the most beat up of the four, and it has one crack that I was able to spot. I haven't found any on the other wheels yet, but I will look closely before I sand and refinish any of them.

Does anything have suggestions for whether to repair this crack, and who can repair it for a fair price? Thanks.

[schumicat]

that doesn't look fixable. i think most reputable shops would tell you that.

[80-911SC]

make a wall clock or a nice hose hanger out of it .....

[RWebb]

agree

- is that a real Fuchs? see if there is a little fox head on it

[iamtheari]

It's not a Fuchs, real or otherwise. Cup II 9Jx17ET55, part number 993.362.128.00. Anyone have a spare lying around for a good price?

[RWebb]

what was the impact?

[iamtheari]

Source of damage is unknown. This is the condition I received it in. Bought a full set from a forum member as-is, and this is as the one happened to be.

[Raceboy]

This kind of crack happens when you hit a pothole with healthy speed.

And it is repairable, though needs an experienced aluminium welder (wheel needs to be pre-heated in that area so the weld will penetrate good, then machine it flat).

[mrehrer]

I have an OEM BMW wheel that failed in exactly the same fashion. No known cause so the pothole theory makes as much sense as anything. Tire shop said not repairable which I took to mean not worth repairing as doing it right would be hard/expensive. Since I still have it I am curious what it would cost to get a repair done right.

By the way this caused a major blowout at freeway speeds since that part of the wheel is also holding air pressure. When you suddenly need a new tire it is good to check to see if the wheel failing was the actual cause...

[Mr Project]

I had a wheel with a very similar crack repaired recently. It was a (forged IIRC) inner barrel from a BBS RS wheel that happened to come off of a BMW.

I have a local wheel repair shop that knows what they are doing and they were able to affect what appeared to be a very good quality repair, and I've used the wheels a fair amount since then with no ill effects. Cost about $100 with me carrying in the barrel sans tires and not asking them to do any finish work at all...I was refinishing the wheels anyway.

[proffighter]

Repairable for sure, but you need an expirienced welder

My OZ had cracks and were not aligned all around, rebuilt and perfect without any issue since 10 years/ 10'000km

[iamtheari]

I don't trust anyone local to fix this. Lots of welders, but all oilfield types and none to whom I'd entrust my life at 150mph. I'm happy to ship it to a qualified shop if one can be found.

[Winter]

I had a pretty mangled Audi wheel fixed by Woody's Wheelworks in Denver. It wasn't cheap and might not be cost effective in your case. They did an amazing job, and I'm sorry that I don't have any photos to share. The damage was from a rock or pothole, not sure as the wheel set came with the car when I purchased it. You might want to give them a call and see what they say. They're the go to folks in this part of the world and came highly recommended to me. You can find their info with a google search.

[techweenie]

I have a friend with a company that repairs this sort of damage. Truwheel 800-fix-a-rim

[Das Schnell Ei]

As long as that crack is not more than 1" into the hoop they will fix it

Most wheel and tire shops like discount tire or ntb/tire king use a service that will fix the wheel and refinish in 24hrs ..... $150 retail is about the going rate