Two718s

My 718 Cayman S is only a year old and I just managed to hit a pothole badly enough to bend *both* left-side rims. They are 20" Carrera S wheels. This is just 2 months after taking a nail in the left rear tire that required both rear tires to be replaced at 5K miles.

The prices to replace them are fairly staggering. I can get parts from Suncoast + a local indie shop install for about $3,800. (Dealer wants $5,300.) Or, I could spend $5,900 and get 4 new 20" wheels + tires included from Suncoast, installed at the indy shop (Custom Alignment in Mountain View CA, which I found after reading through some threads here.)

So my question is: The good folks at Custom are suggesting that we send both wheels to Pacific Rim (well-regarded shop) for repair. That's *a lot* cheaper, probably $800 for the repair plus install + alignment. But I'm reading about Porsche prohibiting wheel repairs beyond cosmetic refinishing? So that has me a bit concerned.

Any consensus on this? The wheels are not cracked, to my knowledge (local dealer inspected it today.) The car is driveable -- it's just got a noticeable rhythmic vibration. Leaving it alone isn't an option, so I have to repair or replace. Any thoughts on how y'all would handle this?

Many thanks in advance

Tonydec

It depends on degree of bend, and if it caused wheel to also go out of round. Can't speak to Porsche 'prohibiting' wheel repair, but I had all 4 wheels straightened on my Audi Avant 18" wheels with no ill effect. Same thing, pothole and vibrations started. Took it in and all 4 were bent, 3 to minor degree but while I was there I went ahead and had them all done. It ended up being less cost than replacing just 1 wheel.

jpayne

Last fall I had an “off course excursion” at Road Atlanta and bent the left rear wheel on my 987. (Also broke the half-shaft.) Took the wheel to a well known local (Atlanta) wheel repairer. They examined the wheel, determined it could be straightened and did so. I don’t know about Porsche prohibiting it as my local dealer uses this same repair place. My wheel was bent on the inside and did not require refinishing so the repair cost was quite reasonable.

Two718s

Update: took the car to Custom Alignment in Mountain View, CA. They removed both left wheels and shipped to a local repair shop. While the car was up, they also noticed that the right front wheel was bent :-0 (I've never hit a pothole with that wheel so I have no idea how it got bent).

Anyhow, two of the 3 wheels were straightened. The left front was beyond repair. So now I have a new left front coming from Suncoast. Will have to repaint all 4 wheels so they actually match, color-wise. And then get an alignment.

So basically that's a $2700 pothole, once all is done.

Lessons for the future:
1. Buy wheel and tire insurance
2. Maybe don't order 20" wheels on a car that might be driven on, you know, actual real-world roads 🙁

911mhawk

These type? Find some used and you'll have an extra maybe too.
Repairing all depends on degree liske some here have said already.
I'd be skeptical in a car that regularly goes 100+ in traffic and on roads with trees and other cars and in the wet and has people in it.
https://rennlist.com/forums/market/1179270

Kitc2246

Believe you can fill a claim with Caltrans. Is the pothole still there? You need pictures..

Bxstr

Agree that in the future, you can try and find a used wheel. OEM wheel prices from Porsche are high. There are always people trying to sell stock wheels after they upgraded to aftermarket.

In general, I have no issue repairing a wheel, just make sure it can safely be done.

FrenchToast

Porsche likely "prohibits" the wheel repair as any wheel repair is usually going to weaken the material in some fashion. Seeing as Porsche is a high-performance car, I would imagine the straightened wheel would not meet the same high-performance criteria.

Yes, it can be repaired. Some shops are surely better than others. I would never use a repaired wheel in a performance environment though. You don't have a lot of sidewall to play with on a 20" wheel. There are more forces going through a 20" wheel than a 19" wheel, assuming the rolling diameter is the same.

A cast wheel probably reacts differently to repair than a forged wheel, etc. etc. I don't know enough to comment about that. If you want a wheel that has factory quality, you'd need a new one.

ldamelio

A couple of thoughts:

1) Why not insurance claim? I trashed one 20" Carrera S painted wheel (and tire) on a pothole last year and placed a claim (Grange, my auto carrier, not a wheel/tire coverage) and was just out my deductible.

2) OEM wheels are horrendously overpriced. Have you thought about Apex or similar? With a sale, I got 4 SM-10 wheels with center caps for less than the price of one OEM. Granted, they were smaller (18" fatties for track use) but the $ difference was staggering. Quality is excellent. Reuse your OEM center caps for the factory look.

HarmonyJim

I bent the front left rim on my 2007 RS pretty badly from a pothole on Hwy 99. The wheel company that I used in Fresno, Ca straightened it better than it came from the factory (we pulled the other front for a comparison as to the runout). Never had a problem with it since (about 6+ years and 30k miles).

lemonsquare

Just wondering. Do you do track days with that repaired wheel? I just learned I have a slightly bent rim for a pothole. They were able to balance it out but I'd get it trued before hitting another HDPE.

orthobird

Check this out::

thought the slow leak was from a nail

took it in to replace the tire

650 dollars later they tell me it will not hold air

they then tell me rim is bent

so I told them to remove the tire

i ended paying 650 for this.


can this be repaired?