Hi

I had new tyres fitted on Saturday. The fitter noted that one of my Neptune alloys had a hairline crack. He applied some sealant but said it’s only a temporary fix and that I’ll need to get it properly sorted.

 

Has anyone had any experience of repairing a cracked alloy? From what I’ve read, there doesn’t appear to be a consensus as to whether it’s worth doing. I tried three local alloy refurb  companies – company one said they couldn’t do it, company two said they wouldn’t do it and repairing a crack was ‘inadvisable’. Company 3 said they would do it, but would also need to refurb the wheel. Seemed expensive though - £210. They  get lots of positive reviews on Google.

 

I called my local dealer to get a price for a new wheel, they quoted £334

 

I’m wary of buying a second hand wheel, as could end up buying a wheel that’s in worse condition that the one I’ve got.

 

So the re-furb looks my best bet, but am a bit nervous of how effective a repair would be long term.

 Would appreciate any wheel repair experiences or suggestions

 Thanks

Very difficult to answer as hairline crack could be any length

I assume if it needed sealing, then its on the rim

 

If 2 of 3 declined the job, I would assume they are not comfortable the result would be 100% reliable

Therefore probably wouldn't spend £200+ on a repair

 

Might be worth trying to source one from a scrapper via internet (eb ay etc), and if cheap enough perhaps get 2 as one might be better than what you have.

Failing that, would get a new replacement because you really don't know if that crack continues under the surface

 

As above, with the additional note that any impact hard enough to crack an alloy can easily have left invisible cracks and/or stress raisers in the wheel as well.

As an MOT tester i see lots of cracked alloys (BMW's mostly as alloy wheels and runflat tyres are not a good combination)so my advise is a new wheel, even if you have it repaired it will still be weak and more prone to shattering and/or cracking. If it was me and would source a set of aftermarket alloys that will suit the car or take a look on super skoda.

 

www.superskoda.com

Thanks for the replies.

 

I've found a brand new wheel on eBay for £113. Fingers crossed it's ok - should be delivered tomorrow.