Rim repair: curb rash, cracks and bends
Toronto potholes bend rims and Toronto parking scrapes them. Most of that damage can be fixed for a lot less than a new wheel, and we'll tell you honestly when it can't.
Mon–Sat: 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM375 Danforth Rd, Scarborough
Prices up front
Every service, with the price on it
Same-day service
In and out, not booked out
A quote before we start
You approve the price first
One shop, every job
Tires, wheels, alignment, exhaust
Repair before you replace
A single replacement alloy wheel from a dealer can cost several times what a repair does, and if it's an older or discontinued design, finding one that matches the other three can be harder still. Most rim damage doesn't call for that. Scrapes can be taken out, bends straightened and many cracks repaired, so the wheel goes back on the car and the set still matches.
Every rim gets inspected before we touch it. If the damage is somewhere a repair wouldn't be safe, you'll hear that first, not after you've paid for work that shouldn't have been done.
- Curb-rash repair
- Crack repair
- Bent-rim straightening
- Rim inspection
Price before tax.
Curb rash, crack or bend: one published price.
Call (647) 871-2393 and describe the damage, and we'll tell you whether it looks repairable before you make the trip to Danforth Rd.
Three kinds of rim damage
Curb rash
Scrapes and gouges on the outer lip from parallel parking or a tight drive-thru. Mostly cosmetic, but deep gouges collect salt and start corroding, so they're worth fixing before winter.
Bent rims
A pothole hit hard enough to flatten or ripple the barrel. The tell is a vibration that balancing won't cure, or a tire that slowly loses air because the bead no longer seals against the rim.
Cracks
A hairline crack, usually on the inner barrel, from a hard impact. It often shows up as a slow leak nobody can find. Some cracks are repairable and some aren't; it depends on where the crack is and how far it runs.
Why rims bend in Toronto every spring
Water gets into cracks in the road, freezes, expands and breaks the asphalt apart. Do that through a whole Toronto winter of freeze-thaw cycles and by March the roads are full of sharp-edged holes. Hitting one at speed drives the tire into the rim hard enough to flatten or ripple the barrel. Low-profile tires, with less sidewall to absorb the hit, make it worse.
A bend isn't always obvious by eye. The signs are a new vibration after a hard hit, a tire that keeps losing a few PSI a week with no puncture, or a wheel that won't balance out. If any of those started after a pothole, the rim is worth checking before you blame the tire.
After the rim, check the rest
The hit that bent a rim can also knock the alignment out, so if the car pulls or the steering wheel sits crooked afterwards, book a wheel alignment too. A straightened rim should also be balanced before it goes back on, so the ride is smooth again.
Making the wheels look new while you're at it? Caliper painting finishes the look behind the spokes. And if the rim turns out to be past saving, we fit replacement and aftermarket wheels; see rims and tire packages.
Rim repair FAQ
- How much does rim repair cost in Scarborough?
- Rim repair at Boss Tire is $120, before tax. That covers curb-rash repair, crack repair or bent-rim straightening, plus an inspection of the rim. Call (647) 871-2393 and tell us what the damage looks like.
- Can a bent rim be fixed, or do I need a new one?
- Most bends from a pothole can be straightened, and straightening is usually far cheaper than a replacement wheel, especially on alloys. A rim that's badly kinked, cracked through a spoke, or bent in more than one place may not be safe to put back on the car. We inspect it first and tell you which one you've got before any work starts.
- Is a cracked rim safe to drive on?
- Not for long. A cracked rim can keep losing air, and a crack under load can grow. If you've found a crack or suspect one because a tire keeps going soft with no nail in it, get it looked at soon and keep your speed down until then.
- Why does my car still shake after balancing?
- If the tires have been balanced and the steering wheel still shakes at highway speed, a bent rim is one of the usual suspects: no amount of wheel weights can make a wheel that isn't round run smooth. Straighten the rim, then balance it ($12 per tire).
- Do I need an alignment after a pothole bent my rim?
- Often, yes. An impact hard enough to bend a rim can knock the alignment out too. If the car pulls or the steering wheel sits off-centre after the repair, a wheel alignment ($80) is the next step.
Don't take our word for it
“The guys at tire boss hooked me up with an amazing set of brand new rims. The service was smooth and transparent. His prices are very honest and I would definitely recommend this to friends and family. Even through their busy clientele they provided good response times. Many options and proper time frames when choosing the rims. Thank you tire boss team for the great work.”
“We called to get our muffler fixed and we got in same day the muffler was fixed and at a great price with a warranty! Def recommend and will go there from now on for car fixes! The woman at the desk even brought my dog water! Great place great people!”
“one of the best professional and cheaper services i have got here. i would like to recommend to everyone come here for miffler and catalytic works 😘😘😘”
375 Danforth Rd, Unit 3
Scarborough, ON
Mon–Sat: 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Mon–Sat: 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM · Sunday: Closed
Walk-ins welcome. Call ahead and we'll have a bay ready.
Scraped, bent or cracked?
Call the shop, tell us what happened to the wheel, and we'll tell you straight whether it's a repair or a replacement.
4.8 from 332 Google reviews(opens Google in a new tab)