I recently bought some different wheels that had a small crack welded. I was going to have Les Schwab put my tires on the rims, but I found out they were unwilling to touch them due to the weld, and they said that they are a liability, dangerous, and no other major tire outlet will touch them. When I bought them, the guy showed me the weld, and I didn't think much of it. Have any of you ever delt with this before? I may have to fork out more cash to get a brand new rim to use in place of the one with the weld.

 

i dont blame them for not wanting to touch them. I wouldnt even drive on rims that were "fixed" by a weld.

Lets see you can either take the chance of driving on the rim ( if you can find a place that will put them on )and risk having it break when or if you hit a pothole and possibly crash.

You want to cheap out with safety?

 

if there was enough force applied to the rim to crack it, the metal structure has been compromised. they might have welded where it was leaking but its almost impossible to tell how far the crack has actualy spread. i wouldnt use a rim like that for anything but a low speed spare tire. unless the guy who did the welding is extremely skilled and knows how to get full penetration thru the thick rim, which is very hard, then there is still a crack there and there is still a weak point.

 

I had no idea welds weren't safe. From what I read about it online after finding this out, no accident has been the result of a rim failing due to a weld, but there is no way to verify the quality of the weld. It's frustrating, but it looks like I'll have to shell out another $550 for two more brand new rims.

 

Thats because welding rims is something people shy away from. Especially if a shop doesnt want to mount a tire for liability reasons. It must be a big crack.

 

take the wheels to a proper repair shop, they will re-weld it really well, and then machine it all down so it looks perfect as well as balances, should only cost a few hundred, cheaper than getting all new wheels, and a lot safer too

 

It has to be done by a reputable repair facility that tests and re-certify the wheel for DOT safety. Check these guys out. The in-truck re-paints vary in quality depending on the person who does it, but cracked wheels are shipped out and welded at a central location. After they are done, it comes with a warranty and a safety certification. Most OEM wheels aren't worth having welded and refinished, but I've seen many high-end, aftermarket wheels repaired this way.

Http://www.mobilewheelrepair.com/remanufacturing.html

 

I'll look into this. If it turns out to be cheaper than buying two new ones, and tire outlets will touch them, then I will definitely have this done. THANKS!