Keeping the tires in good condition is important if you want to maintain the quality and longevity of your car. However, accidents might happen that damage your rims and place you in search of a rim repair service.
Rim damage can pose serious risks to your safety if the rim is compromised. But how do you know when your rim needs repair? There are a few tell-tale signs that will help you identify whether your rim needs urgent repair.
Regular maintenance of the tires greatly helps in checking whether your rim needs repair. This is crucial as it will help ensure driver safety and prevent undue accidents and mishaps. Rims are quite costly to replace and easy to damage. Therefore, you should exercise caution when driving to prevent untimely rim repair service, thus saving you repair costs in the long run.
How to know when you need rim repair
Your rim may need repair when you feel a vibration emanating from through the steering wheel. This vibration is due to the impact between the rim and the tire, cutting through it and almost hitting the road.
You might also need rim repair when you hear a pounding sound when driving. This shows the rim’s intentions of cutting through the vehicle towards the ground.
If your car shows an unusual change in gas mileage, this might be a sign there is a problem with your tires or rim. The rim might be bent, crooked, or broken. This is extremely dangerous and requires urgent rim repair services.
The vehicle might also be pulling towards one side. If this happens, one of the rims might not be entirely round thereby having some damage. The pull of the vehicle to one side might cause a drag, therefore, making it dangerous to navigate the road.
Altered vehicle handling can also be a tell-tale sign for urgent rim repair. Visiting a car dealer or mechanic is important if you suspect any foul play on your rims.
Causes of rim damage
It is best to conduct regular maintenance checks on your tires to determine whether your rims need repair. You might not always visibly see the damage to the rim to know that it needs repair. The rim can be damaged due to several reasons:
- Car accidents
Minor or major car accidents can cause the rim to break or be bent. When in an accident, it is advisable to investigate the status of your car to check whether the rim is straight and intact.
- Uneven roads
Some roads, especially on off-road terrains, can cause the rim to be crooked and damaged. The presence of potholes does not help the situation as one wrong move can cause damage to your rims.
- Curb driving
Driving along a curb may cause damage to your rims. Slight or major bumping on the road can also wreck the rims however substantially. Parking along considerably tall curbs may also graze your rims making them uneven and damaged.
How a rim can be damaged
Now that you have established that your rim needs repair, you need to know how your item has been damaged to be able to properly budget for the repair. The rim can be damaged in several ways:
- Bent wheel
When the wheel is bent, there is a high probability it can be straightened out and fixed. Bent wheels are a result of rim damage. The rim can be visibly bent, thereby giving you an indication of the problem, or choose to bend inwards therefore not giving any indication that it needs repair. However, you can tell your rim is bent if happen to lose control of the tires, experience a bumpy ride or notice your fuel is decreasing more than usual. Most bent rims can be replaced unless severely damaged, which might need a rim replacement service.
- Wheel Refinishing
Wheels tend to accumulate dust and grime after continuous road usage. Therefore, you might need to service your car to get rid of the excessive dirt and dust that has accumulated over time. Lack of service can make the rim accumulate rust and corrode therefore becoming uneven on the wheels. This might pose a dangerous risk and compromise the condition of the tires.
- Alloy rim repair
When you discover your rim is damaged, employing an alloy rim repair is one of the quickest ways of ensuring you get your rim fixed. This can be done at any car service shop or local mechanic. It is way more affordable to repair a rim than to buy a new rim altogether.
What happens during a rim repair service
You have scheduled an appointment with your mechanic for rim repair. What happens next? The mechanic can employ either of the several types of rim repair service depending on the condition of your rim.
The mechanic will first analyze the damage and determine the best course of action. In the event the rim is too damaged to be fixed, a new rim will be required. It is important to budget for a new rim repair service to anticipate possible rim replacement.
However, constant tire maintenance can help prepare you for any rim repair services, and ensure your car is not faulty.
Trends in rim repair services
The rims market is constantly developing to new and modern designs inspired by technological advancements. The onset of the automated wheel rims market is set to grow rapidly due to the ever-increasing demand due to the rise of economic growth.
With a CAGR of 4%, this market is rapidly growing to attract middle-class consumers to invest in automotive wheel rims that aim to revolutionize their vehicle and give it a new look. The interest in vehicle aesthetics has also facilitated the growth of this market, as consumers are focused on finding the very best for their cars.
The size of rims in the market is also set to diversify depending on the model and preference of the consumer. Larger sizes have made an entry into the market, making consumers steer away from traditionally sized rims and adopting diverse rim specifications.