i have a '99 eclipse GSX and just hit a killer pothole/crater

it banged up 2 of my alloy wheels, with one of them very very bent up and twisted around the rim now & i need to replace/fix it - btw these are the stock mitsubishi wheels that came with the car, 17 inchers, 10 spokes (in 5 pairs)

i am just starting to investigate now what my options are - fixing? finding a used one? finding a new one?

i found a local junkyard that said they can get me a "refurbished" wheel - for $225!!!! ouch

i'm not sure how much a wheel costs new from mitsu but i would imagine somewhere around $500-800??? i did call the local mitsu dealership and left a message with their parts dept but they have not returned my call :-(

does anyone have experience with this type of thing and can get me pointed in the right direction? is there a good place(s) to find used wheels for "good" prices? or new ones? or how do you find somewhere that might try to fix it??

any advice appreciated, thanks!

- jon -

p.s. i am in the philadelphia, PA, USA area

Call a local bodyshop, ask about their wheel repair. Fish out where they send their wheels and then call the wheel repair place directly. It is the cheapest way. Bodyshops have wheels repaired everyday.

wow, that is a GREAT idea & not one i thought of!!! i just had my car in for a 3 day dent/scrape repair so i know a shop that i JUST USED

thanks very much for that lead

- jon -

Yep. I picked up some BBS Alloy rims cheap ($50). Two were questionable. I took them to an alloy wheel shop. They charged me $150 to fix both. I saw the same rims advertised on Ebay for $700. I think I got a deal.

Depending on the extent of the wheel damage, it can be repaired. Good luck.

i guess i 4got to post up here about how i made out

i called the body shop and they steered me to a place that they work with who both supply and recondition various parts, including wheels

i took my wheel to them and they said that it was too badly damaged to be repaired; however they steered me to a wheel/hubcap junkyard place who supposedly had a reconditioned eclipse GSX wheel

i went to the junkyard place and sure enough, they had a recon wheel, which they wanted $100 for (i bought it since up to that point the cheapest wheel i could find was $250!!!)

they also told me that for $50 they COULD fix my old wheel - despite the other place saying it could not be fixed!! and at some point i may go back and have that wheel fixed

all of this took me about 2 days (6 hours or so) of running around since these places were about 1-2 hours each way from my house, but i guess it was worth it

- jon -

p.s. the junkyard place that stocks tons of wheels etc is called something like "HUBCAPS" and is in easton, PA - if anyone is in the eastern PA area and looking for a wheel, they may be your best shot