Bent rims?

I recently replaced my Carrera 5 spokes with a diffferent set of rims and tires. The guy I sold the 5 spokes to claims that he went to have them balanced and installed only to find that the two rears are bent and "useless". These rims came right off my car (with PZeros mounted on each) when I had the new ones put on. I never had any problems, no tire sidewall damage or rough ride due to bad balance etc. Why would the rears be bent and not the fronts? Does this sound fishy to anyone????

Was it a local buyer, can you see what he's talking about?

No. I'm in CT, he is CA. He took them to a local tire guy who (in my opinion) may not have the appropriate equipment to balance these rims. I told him I would take them back with full refund including the original freight cost to CA, but I would not pay freight back to CT. Now he's pissed.

Find a reputable local shop near him and have him bring them there to get them checked out & balanced. If there's still a problem, then deal with it. Maybe the place he went to damaged them because they didn't have the right equipment for a rim that size (hence only the rears are damaged).

I would also agree with this.

Should sell your fronts to me, I'm in SF. If they are bent slightly, they can be repaired for $250 each. Some small dent may not be detectable when tire is mounted. If he can take pics of the damage, refund the cost to repair and you'll both come out ahead.

Not sure I would take them back if you had them on your car and they were fine. For all you know he (or the tire shop he used) could have bent them and now you are somehow liable in your mind. I think it would be different though if I was selling them locally or to somebody I was friends with (Rennlisters, etc.). This is definitely a tough sitaution. Which is why most of that stuff sold on eBay has "as-is". If there is a possibility that the rims could have been bent on your car without you being able to see or feel then I would have to agree with Holger et al. Just sounds fishy that ONLY the 2 rear are bent. Sounds like the machine couldn't accomodate them and bent them slightly.

A good solution to the problem might be is to have him understand that when the arrive you'll have them tested at your local rim shop. Once it is deemed that the rims are bent (you'll cover the shipping) if they are not then you'll only refund the purchase price... Seems fair to me..... If he's pulling your leg I'm sure you'll never get them back..... Hope you can I.D. your rims and he's not playing "swap-out" -Eli

It's pretty easy for the rear wheels to get bent and not the front, since they're much wider. The bend is usually on the inside edge, where there is no reinforcement around the rim. I bet all of you have rear wheels that are not perfectly round (I know I do). A slight bend does not render a wheel useless though....so I think this guy is just exaggerating the degree of bend. With good balancing you won't even notice it even at high speeds (unless the bend is significant). Tell him to take the wheels to Wheel Enhancement to get checked out.

Paul is right-on with rear being much easier to bend vs. the fronts. Mostly because there is a load concentration at the inside wheel, near the bead, plus the fact that the nearest structure is about 8 or 9 inches away. Ever notice there are far more rear wheels available on eBay compared to fronts? There is a reason for that Fronts are tough to find when calling around to the junk wheel resellers. The good thing is that there are many great wheel repair places that will bang that thing back true. Typically costs around $80/wheel. I had two rears straightened as they were a little 'lumpy'. No problem for the wheel repair places.. They came back VERY true, even though I was very skeptical..

To fix a bent wheel properly, the paint must be stripped, wheel heated and reshaped, wheel then refinished. This costs $250 each in CA. $100 is for refinishing the wheel alone. If you end up with front wheels available, let me know. I am interested.

How long will a set of wheels last then? Is it advisable to retire wheels after a certain amount of time? I've had my wheels since I got the car new, and it's been almost 5 years. Should I be planning to get new wheels in the foreseeable future?

Metal will fatigue over time. Think about why professional golfers are ALWAYS changing their drivers. Metal fatigue results in decreased structural integrity, loss of distance, etc. Paul....I can't comment on the length of time....but what better reason to get new wheels dedicated for the track!!!