Warped Wheel
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
From: Ocean Springs MS
Warped Wheel
I go to dealer to get my tires balanced and the tech tells me that my rear right wheel is warped and can not balance it fully to eliminate the vibration. My C6 only has 10K miles on it and the rim itself is spotless. I've never curbed anything but it is possible I hit a pot hole. Anyways, customer service guy states that the warranty does not cover warped wheels. Is this true? Am I a@@ out? Is the only solution to buy a new wheel?
Racer
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 424
Likes: 1
From: WA
Time to call GM and see. If your wheel shows no sign of damages and it it out of round, it came that way and they should give you a new wheel.
You'd have to hit something memorable to "warp" a wheel. a pot hole wouldn't do it unless the car bottomed out on it too while going sideways.
Even then there would be obvious damage to the wheel IMO.
Hope you can get it resolved by GM customer services.
You'd have to hit something memorable to "warp" a wheel. a pot hole wouldn't do it unless the car bottomed out on it too while going sideways.
Even then there would be obvious damage to the wheel IMO.
Hope you can get it resolved by GM customer services.
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 246
Likes: 4
From: Denton County Texas
Pot holes can and will bend wheels. I have seen numerous bent wheels due to road conditions. Contact your insurance company. GM will not pay for a bent wheel even if there is no evidence of impact. Wheels simply dont deform on their own.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 3,307
Likes: 111
From: Tucson AZ
I usually think of warping as something that happens to wood left outside. It would be very unusual for an aluminum wheel to warp. It is possible that it is bent. The question is did it get bent when they originally installed your tires, or did it happen after you purchased the car. It is also unusual for a wheel to be bent with no marks on it.
A very likely possibility is the tire is out of round and that is why it will not balance.
I would insist the car has been this way since new and try to get it replaced. You may need to get someone with more experience and knowledge (not a dealer) to look at it for proper diagnosis.
A very likely possibility is the tire is out of round and that is why it will not balance.
I would insist the car has been this way since new and try to get it replaced. You may need to get someone with more experience and knowledge (not a dealer) to look at it for proper diagnosis.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,078
Likes: 2
From: Northern Virginia
Hopefully they broke the bead, and tried spinning the tire to a new spot on the wheel, or maybe run just the rim on the machine.
With no marks on wheel, and no tire bulging from potholes etc, sounds like a warranty item to me.
With no marks on wheel, and no tire bulging from potholes etc, sounds like a warranty item to me.
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 153
Likes: 0
From: Wesley Chapel, FL
If the rim is warped (or bent) and GM won't replace it under warranty, you may want to try to find someone in your area that can straighten the rim. I've had it done on previous cars. Much, much cheaper than buying a new one. I want to say it cost me about $50, but don't quote me.
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Racer
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 321
Likes: 2
From: Mesquite TX
similar issue
I had a similar issue with my right rear wheel. the dealer wanted $871 to replaced the polished wheel. My vette only has 16000 miles on it. Instead, I bought the chrome exchanged wheels from WCC and put the new Firestone runflats on. the chrome exchange was cheaper than the one new wheel. the only downside is if my rear wheel is really bent, I won't get the $300 core refund on it, but even so, for just a few dollars more than a single polished wheel, I got 4 chrome wheels.
in my case, the dealer claimed that the right rear wheel caused unusual wear on some pinion gears in the carriage assembly. they covered all of that under warranty, but they wouldn't cover the wheel itself.
I was in the same boat, I baby my car and know that I didn't hit anything and there's no sign of scuffs or damage on the wheel itself, but it was a losing battle to get them to replace the wheel.
in the end, I'm still happy, I have some nice shiny chrome wheels instead of the polished wheels.
netcruizer99
in my case, the dealer claimed that the right rear wheel caused unusual wear on some pinion gears in the carriage assembly. they covered all of that under warranty, but they wouldn't cover the wheel itself.
I was in the same boat, I baby my car and know that I didn't hit anything and there's no sign of scuffs or damage on the wheel itself, but it was a losing battle to get them to replace the wheel.
in the end, I'm still happy, I have some nice shiny chrome wheels instead of the polished wheels.
netcruizer99
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,633
Likes: 129
From: San Marcos, Texas
If I were in this situation I would just buy a new wheel and get on with the business of driving the car. It would not be worth the hassle trying to get GM to pay for the replacement for me. Best of Luck!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 2,493
Likes: 1
From: Vancouver
I go to dealer to get my tires balanced and the tech tells me that my rear right wheel is warped and can not balance it fully to eliminate the vibration. My C6 only has 10K miles on it and the rim itself is spotless. I've never curbed anything but it is possible I hit a pot hole. Anyways, customer service guy states that the warranty does not cover warped wheels. Is this true? Am I a@@ out? Is the only solution to buy a new wheel?
I made an insurance claim and the pleasant surprise was that I would be better off paying for it myself (cheap rims I guess) rather than have my rates increase. I received a new rim and the balance seems fine.
Hope this helps.
Red Cell.
Last edited by Red Cell; Oct 19, 2007 at 07:07 PM. Reason: No Reason
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 153
Likes: 0
From: Wesley Chapel, FL
It may not be obvious that a rim is bent. Usually, it'll feel the same as if the tire needs to be balanced.
One way to tell is to spin the wheel and watch an edge. It's usually pretty easy to tell if the rim is bent. (You'll see the edge wobble.)
Obviously, doing this while the wheel is on the car is easier for the front wheels than the back. Putting the rim/tire on a tire balancer and spinning it is another way.
One way to tell is to spin the wheel and watch an edge. It's usually pretty easy to tell if the rim is bent. (You'll see the edge wobble.)
Obviously, doing this while the wheel is on the car is easier for the front wheels than the back. Putting the rim/tire on a tire balancer and spinning it is another way.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
From: Ocean Springs MS
Visually, there are no signs of a bent wheel and I can't really notice any unusual vibrations because the bent wheel is on the passenger rear side but there would have to be some vibrations due to bent wheel. Balancing the wheel would reveal any bend/warp. I'm in the market for some Z06 wheels now. My Christmas list got bigger, but I want my C6 to have a perfect ride.
CF Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 23,313
Likes: 25
From: Tucson Arizona
If you can't get it replaced under warranty, I'd just look for a good used wheel to match (even a new stock wheel couldn't be that expensive). I imagine they're are many who have upgraded wheels and want to sell their old, stock wheels.
Don't worry I'm not offering mine for sale but I still have my stock wheels and tires sitting in the garage. I considered putting track tires on them but I prefer the wider wheels and tires. I doubt there's a huge market for stock wheels but I'll probably just try to sell them at some point (or just mount them for burnout photo shoots
).
Don't worry I'm not offering mine for sale but I still have my stock wheels and tires sitting in the garage. I considered putting track tires on them but I prefer the wider wheels and tires. I doubt there's a huge market for stock wheels but I'll probably just try to sell them at some point (or just mount them for burnout photo shoots
).
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 153
Likes: 0
From: Wesley Chapel, FL
Assuming that you had someone else helping you by driving alongside, it would be impossible to tell if the rim was moving because it's bent or because of the road surface.
For the front wheels, use a jack to lift the front tire/wheel off the ground. Then, spin the wheel by hand. If it's bent, it should be pretty obvious.
The back wheels, however, are a different story. You'd need to lift both of the back wheels off the ground at the same time. The transmission should be in neutral, of course. Then, you'd be able to spin the back wheels by hand.
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 153
Likes: 0
From: Wesley Chapel, FL
If it's a front wheel that is bent, you might get a vibration in your steering wheel. It would feel very much like a tire/wheel needed to be balanced.
If it's a back wheel, you wouldn't feel it in the steering wheel. But, you would feel it in your seat.