I need some help/recommendations. I purchased 20"/21" Aerolarri wheels but unfortunately the tire installer nicked the paint/powder coat on one of the wheels putting the tire on. The simple solution would be to just replace the wheel but talking to Chet at Aerolarri, he does not recommend replacing just one wheel as he cannot guarantee the paint would match since the wheels are hand polished, etc.

I have not talked with the shop yet but was trying to figure out what would be an amicable solution:
1) Replace both the front and rear wheels on the one side so at least the paint would match. Should the shop be on the hook for both wheels? That would run approx $700/wheel or $900/wheel depending on shipping method (boat vs air). Not sure if the shop would go for that. If anything they might offer to pay for one wheel and I pay for the other.
2) Pay another shop to powder coat the wheels which would run approx. $1200 for all four
3) The paint shop also offers ceramic paint for approx. $800 for all four. My concern would be durability, etc.

I'm not sure what the installer will come back with but what would be reasonable? I'm also open to other solutions as well.

As a side note, the wheels look great and Chet has been very helpful.

Thanks!
-Moto

 

Dude this sucks, I don't have a complete recommendation but this is something I am always scared of. I did find a shop nearby that had done good work and not damaged my aftermarket wheels on my other cars but then this guy retired and currently trying to find another shop person to trust. Also with alignments.

 

How badly was the wheel chipped? Do you have a picture?

 

I guess a pic would help. LOL

 

I'm with you. The shop got a bunch of good reviews. It's unfortunate these things happen. I get it. I'm just trying to figure out what is reasonable (in case they're not).

 

I think the installer is on the hook for one wheel. I would have the wheel replaced and take my chances that it would match. If it doesn't then deal with that problem

 

Not helping you BUT for others. First find a competent installer and ask UP FRONT if they will guarantee no marks. At least that they put their "best" tech on the job.

Or do what I just did twice at Discount Tire when I had flats due to nails: 1) took off the C8 rear wheels myself and brought them to the shop and 2) said I want your best tech AND there will be a $20 tip IF there are no marks. Both times Tech looked over my wheels and saw there were no marks and Both times they got the tip! Since I have their tire insurance ($225) in one case where nail was near the sidewall that was a new $400 tire free and the other the nail was repairable.

 

Oh boy.
I think the shop is on the hook for only one wheel.

Overtime chips and road rash will happen.
If you must, my vote, I would replace (or powder coat) only the two on the one side.
All four, IMO that is throwing money away.
The gamble is powder coating/ painting the one wheel and getting a match, which I would not do.

Me? I would do my best to seal the powder coat and touch up the chip with great care, ensuring the repair is smooth in finish.

Good luck.





Good luck.

 

The tire shop should be expected to cover the cost of refinishing the wheel. If the wheel is not structurally damaged, then they’re not going to replace it, nor should they be responsible for replacing multiple wheels because the wheel manufacturer claims the color won’t match.

Discount Tire nicked one of my Z wheels, sent it out for repair/refinishing, and I had it back in less than 24 hours good as new.

 

That is my feeling. A tire shop will call in a wheel refinisher (which they no doubt have used many times before) and they will probably do a good job of matching whatever.

 

Based on the OP’s photo, highly doubt they’re going to replace an entire wheel for that small chip in the finish. Tbh, that wheel finish doesn’t look very durable to begin with looking at how it chipped.

 

At first I thought the shop should be responsible but after noticing how big the chip is it looks like the finish was not applied properly. Its a shame the shop has to step in and fix something that wasnt right in the first place.
Either way, that brand of wheels would be on my "not to buy" in the future. If the wheels are painted then they were not surfaced prepped properly.

 

That sux, especially if you are a little OCD like myself…. A good refinisher should be able to fix it up.

What finish is that? Can they be mounted from the back so that the tire doesn’t roll over the front face?

 

Powder coat all 4 so you would have no issues matching paint.

 

I could understand not guaranteeing the paint won’t match 100% (I’m sure it would or at least not be noticeable) but to be recommended four more is BS.

 

Was it the installer or the mfg's coating? Has Chet been helpful to deflect his responsibility? And why haven't you talked to the installer? You're blaming him for the damage. The longer you wait, the less likely he's going to be cooperative. I'd have been on the phone immediately.

 

The shop admitted that they nicked the wheel during install. Not sure of the quality of the finish of the wheel as I haven't seen it personally. The shop let me know in a text and sent the picture. The plan was to drop by either today or tomorrow to pick up the wheels and discuss it with them.

-Moto

 

Looks like a very tender coating that flaked off under a little stress. Bottom line, something always gets a wheel, like waiting for that first door ding. Touch up as best you can and don’t worry about it; just drive. . . 😎

 

A good wheel repair company can make that either completely disappear or make it next to invisible for about $100, and the tire doesn't even need to be dismounted. It's ridiculous to expect or want a new wheel or a total re-powdercoat. The good ones are masters at blending and matching colors. That's less risky than a do-over.

Even the best of the best tire mounting techs make occasional mistakes, and even the best "touchless" mounting equipment will occasionally hiccup.

You'd be surprised how many new and used vehicles have had minor wheel dings touched up, and the new owner has no idea because they look like they were never damaged. Most all dealerships have a mobile wheel repair shop on quick dial.

 

Regarding "Touchless" - Something that I learned recently: Some Discount Tire stores (in Houston area) have a "Touchless" machine. Some (most?) don't. The machine is Touchless, but it must also be real sensitive/fragile.

I need to change out a Tire Pressure Sensor on one High Dollar wheel/tire. Called my closest DT (done significant business with over the years), told them it was a High Dollar wheel and the Service Writer said, "Bring it on in." When I rolled it into DT (~week ago), the Service Writer that I talked to on the phone saw it and said "Whoa, Now I see what you mean by High Dollar. That wheel deserves our Touchless and it is broken".

Long Story - Made much Shorter: He called ~a dozen DT stores. Most did not have a Touchless and those that did were broken. So, discussed with the Senior Tech. He said (this is my memory/interpretation): "Yea, I can do it, and it will almost certainly be fine. But I can't 100% guarantee that nothing slips, and if it does, it might mark up the wheel. That's the advantage of the Touchless. It has multiple points around the tire that go down a little at a time and if operated correctly, it really can't slip into the wheel. Do you need the wheel/tire now? Is it urgent? Or can it wait till we get our Touchless working?"

I don't have my C8 yet, so No Urgency. With No Urgency, I thanked him for being Cautious. I said I would call in a couple of weeks to see if their Touchless was working. I just called (while writing this) and it is still not working, but they think it will be worked on in the next few days. They called around for me (while I was on hold) and found the one in Texas City is working ~15mi away (not too bad).

So, some DT stores have a "Touchless", but even they rarely use it, since they will just default to their std machines 99.99% of the time. This local DT did not use their Touchless when putting new tires on my Fikse FM5's for my C4 recently - And no Issues. Had I known about the Touchless at that time, I would have requested it (though it probably wasn't available).
Might be worth raising the Touchless question in the future at DT for special wheels.