Has anyone ever had a rim repaired by Wheels America? I damaged one of the rims on my daily driver, and I was wondering how good of a job they do. I have concerns about strength and reliability of a damged rim that has been repaired. They give a lifetime guarantee, but I wouldn't want to have a wheel let go at 65 MPH on the expressway.

Aluminum is very easy to weld and when done by a code welder will work well.

The wheel should be evaluated by someone to check for out of round or bent, besides being cracked/broken.

A local welding shop here welds aluminum wheels frequently. He does not machine them.
A good machine shop can machine the wheel / weld and make it look like new.

Unless its an extremely expensive aftermarket wheel,its been my experience that the cost to have it repaired often exceeds the price of a replacement wheel.My wife has a habit of using the wheels on he car as curb feelers,so every wheel has curb rash.Two different places here in the Valley(Los Angeles area) wanted more to fix the damage on each wheel than the wheels cost new from the dealer.

Unless its an extremely expensive aftermarket wheel,its been my experience that the cost to have it repaired often exceeds the price of a replacement wheel.My wife has a habit of using the wheels on he car as curb feelers,so every wheel has curb rash.Two different places here in the Valley(Los Angeles area) wanted more to fix the damage on each wheel than the wheels cost new from the dealer.

ditto on the cost. had same experience helping friend with stock BMW wheel.

The wheels aren't cheap, and this place specializes in wheel repair. I'm an engineer, and I know that welding aluminum changes the properties enough to lower the strength within one inch of the weld in structural applications, hence my concern.

The wheels aren't cheap, and this place specializes in wheel repair. I'm an engineer, and I know that welding aluminum changes the properties enough to lower the strength within one inch of the weld in structural applications, hence my concern.I was not implying that your wheels were cheap,I was only offering my experience.Even the Chrome ZR1 wheels on my 2000 Camaro SS which has the "Chrome" bubbling up and peeling,the break even point of having them stripped and replated or polished is close to the cost of just replacing them with something else.The wheels on my wifes Mustang are 18" and cost less from Ford brand new than they want to fix the curb rash.Even less expensive if she got "take off wheels".

Where are you located? I use a shop in Tampa, FL that welded, polished and balanced the wheels on my NSX. They came out better than new. PM me if you want the address and phone number. Jerry

Chicago. Thanks for the heads up, but the shipping will kil me.