I was getting my tires rotated and balanced at the local Discount Tire and they called me in and said one of my rims (bone stock) was bent and that I needed a new one. Less than a year ago, I had gotten new tires mounted at the same place and then the rim might have been fine. I am not sure how all of a sudden its now bent (so they say). I have not curbed the car and not hit pot holes and I don't remember riding over a bump hard. So, how can the rim bend all of a sudden is what I was wondering. I had them balance and put the tire back on (it was the driver side rear tire which now got rotated to the front). I have driven the car all the way to 70+ MPH and do not feel any shakes.

So, my question is that is it really possible for a OEM rim to just bend for no apparent reason and if it is indeed bent, why am I not feeling it?

 

If you don't feel anything and the car rides good and the tire still holds air, I wouldn't worry about it. If you are still unsure, check another alignment shop.

 

Did they actually remove the tire from the rim b/f they told you you need a new one?

I doubt it.

+1 on the opinion provided above.

If you can't feel it, can't see it, it ain't there.

 

I'm not sure if this will help you but, I had one of my rims bent pretty bad and I rode on it for bout 1 year(without problems). I finaly got it fixed at a specialty shop for about $75.00. It's still way cheaper than getting a new rim. It sound like that shops trying to rip you. Take a picture and shows us. Because I'm pretty sure you don't need an entire new rim. Search around for shops that will repair your rim, I'm 99% sure you can have it repaired at way less cost than purchasing a new rim.

 

Yes. I do not feel a shake at highway speeds. Hence I am confused. They did NOT take the tire off. Infact, they didn't even remove the air from the tire. They were just balancing the wheel and showed me the bend by flicking on the wheel and pointing at some location on the inside. The guy was saying your car won't be smooth any more, your tire will wear out faster on that rim, you will have suspension issues if you don't fix this yada yada yada. I told them to pack it up (after balancing it to the best they can) as is and I will come back if I feel anything.

I pulled out and hopped on the freeway. No shake no bumps nothing. The car is as smooth as it was before the rotation.

Their warehouse has used OEM rims and their price is $125 for one of the OEM 1999 SE Rims. So, its not like they are making a killing on this. I looked at car-part.com and the rims go for anywhere from $50 to $150 for one and like $300 or so for a set of four.

 

Normally the slightest bend ina rim would normally be felt at some sort of speeds.If you arent feeling it, it cannot be that bad. But i agree with above, take it somewhere else and see if they pick it up.

 

Leave it alone, just drive it.

 

tote-agree.

 

If you feel it...go to a junkyard and pick up a rim. The SEs seem to be in there a lot...$125 is ridiculous.

 

if you couldnt notice it bent when they showed it to you spinning on the balancer than youre good