Wheel Straightening FAQs

Can I get a crack in my alloy wheel repaired?

Unfortunately, once a wheel is cracked, we cannot repair it, and depending on the size and location of the crack would also not ordinarily recommend it to be repaired.

The only way to repair a cracked alloy wheel is to weld the crack, therefore covering the crack in new metal. If the crack is small and within the main body of the wheel, not on an edge, then welding may be acceptable if you can find someone who is recommended for welding alloy.

However, if the crack is on an edge, which is more typical, we would recommend you replace the wheel rather than have it welded.

This is because the temperature needed to weld the alloy makes the structure of the surrounding metal more brittle, meaning very often, as the edges of the wheel are under more stress, we see a new crack will appear directly next to the weld after a short period of time.

Bringing just your wheel is fine.

However, so that we can balance the tyre and wheel assembly together, on the wheel straightening is complete, you should bring the wheel down with the tyre still on, else you may find you have a vibration issue afterwards.

To straighten bent or buckled alloy wheels, we use a specialist piece of equipment that first spins the wheel against a runout gauge to ascertain the location of any damaged areas.

Once the sections of damage have been marked, they are carefully heated, all the time checking the surface temperature with an infrared thermometer, as a specific temperature range is needed for the straightening to begin.

Once a particular spot of damage is at the correct temperature, the wheel is slowly pressed back into shape using a hydraulic press affixed with various different-shaped heads, depending on the direction the wheel is being pressed in and the area of the wheel is pressed.

This process is then repeated until a final spin against the runout gauge shows the wheel to be back in shape.

The process varies depending on the number and severity of flat spotted or bent areas on the wheel. Generally, however, you should allow for around one hour from start to finish.

Our wheel straightening service can remove bent, buckled or flat-spotted areas of your steel or alloy wheel in 99% of cases, making your wheel spin true once again without any wobble or bumping while driving.

In most instances, the flat spot or buckle will be on the inside of the wheel, as this is not supported by the spokes, like the front face of the wheel, and so is much more susceptible to damage.

On the odd occasion that the damage occurs on the more rigid front face of the wheel, straightening is still possible; however, we may not be able to remove the flat spot fully, as we must be much more careful in applying force in this less flexible section of the wheel to avoid cracking.

No. Wheel alignment is the process of aligning the vehicle's wheels with each other and the vehicle's chassis, and is therefore unaffected by having one of your wheels straightened, since when alignment adjustments are made to the steering and suspension components that the wheel affixes to.

You will, however, need to have the newly straightened wheel balanced. However, this is included in the price.

Yes, the heating process necessary to make the wheel pliable enough to straighten will cause the paint coating on the wheel to fail.

In the rare occurrence where the wheel straightening is required on the front face of the wheel, this will mean you will likely want to have a wheel refurbishment/respray once the wheel has been straightened.

However, if the buckle or flat spot needing straightening is on the inside edge of the wheel, which is far more common, we will spray the wheel to seal it once the straightening is complete. As it is on the inside edge, this will be almost unnoticeable unless looking for it, so most customers do not then opt to pay for a refurbishment afterwards.