wheel worries (archive)

i finally decided to take my coupe in to see what was the cause of a slow leak in the right rear tire that i have had for at least 5,000 miles. turns out it was a nail, and it had bent and was scraping off the inside sidewall as well. the tire dealer happened to have a 'pilot' tire in stock, so $320 later i had a new tire place on. but lo and behold they had a new guy do the job and he mounted the wheel wrong and gouged it in 4 places (12 3 6 and 9 clock positions). while i was the one who pointed it out to them, they were quick to admit it was their mistake (this is american tire co). they told me that if i remove the wheel and drop it off to them then they will send it to some wheel company where they will turn (on a lathe thingy) the wheel and remove the marks. i tried to remove the wheel at home but it turns out none of the tire irons i own are the right size for the nuts, and i literally broke a socket wrench trying to take it off that way!

so is it possible to fix such damage on a wheel, or should i insist that they replace the wheel? i will at least make 'my' problem 'their' problem and tell them they need to lend me a tire iron i can use to take the wheel off! i just hope i place the jack in the right location!

i tell ya what's kinda spooky tho- knowing that i have been driving 13o mph+ at times on a tire that could have blown out with that sidewall scraping!!!!!

paul '00 m coupe

Follow Ups:

Push for a new wheel...(m) Scott 23:26 9/30/2001 (0)

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