Something Doesn’t Feel Right …

Here at Webb Welding, we do come across our clients mentioning that they feel a vibration in their seat, steering shaking or the tyres are consistently loosing air. However, this could mean a whole bunch of things, perhaps the wheel is out of balance, could be a bad valve stem or your tyres simply have a hole. On closer inspection, you identify that the problem is occuring directly from the wheel itself.

We have inserted a picture of an alloy wheel below, fairly common on most modern cars today. They are very sturdy but if you drive through a large pothole, you can often bend the wheel. Initially, you will not be able to know what the problem is but you will certainly feel it. Sometimes, you can bend or crack the rim. We offer a service here at Webb Welding where we can straighten the wheel, carve it back to a perfectly round shape and we can also weld the crack.

Identify the Crack

Sometimes the crack can go all the way over the edge and right across the rim and we use a specialised type of remedy called tig welding. If you opt for anything else, the repairs will not last and the already weak wheel will crack again.

So, we will begin the process by prepping the wheel, then tig weld it, make sure that it’s true and round and place it back to factory specifications. We begin by removing all the factory paint and take it back by grinding it down to bare aluminium. The weld is prepped and gouged for true and proper penetration for both inside and out.

A Quote by Benjamin Franklin: “By Failing to Prepare, You Are Preparing to Fail”

Preparation is everything. The prep must go beyond the crack to relieve any pressure and secure its strength when its welded. The crack is now completely gone and secured and we also sand it down till it’s smooth. It is absolutely essential that the prepping must cover both sides, and then we proceed to weld it. On completion of the welding, we will ensure the wheel’s shape is restored.

Then, we meticulously check to see if the wheel is round and not square. Just kidding …

There you have it, one fixed alloy wheel with complete reassurance.

How to Fix An Alloy Wheel?