Dave788

Hi all,

Just one week into my new Audi ownership, I encountered my first mishap. Long story short, I had an oversized fast food cup in the cup holder that I thought was wedged in enough to stay put. It wasn't and it jumped out of the cup holder and into my lap going over a bump. While reacting, and car still moving, I hit the curb and jumped it. Immediately yelled some select profanities and cut the wheel to get off of the curb. Attached is a pic of the damage.




Couple questions-

1- You can see the gouges in the side wall of the tire. Is this a safety concern? Tire pressure is holding.
2- Is the wheel worth repairing or should I replace with a one? Cars only a week old and less than a thousand miles on it, so I'm leaning towards replacing unless repair is flawless and 100% safe.
3- I hit the curb hard. I drove another 100 miles after the incident without noticing any vibrations or pulling. Should I still have the alignment checked?
4- Is this something insurance may cover? If not, anyone replace an OEM wheel and familiar with the cost?

Thanks for your help.. still very pissed with myself. Ironically this is the first car I skipped the wheel protection on since I've never had to use it in the past.

Dave

blorzoga

Uhhh, that is definitely not safe. You need a new tire. The wheel can probably be repaired to like new.

Sebec Veritas

This is some curb rash I had when my car was about 2 months old, last December. Had the wheel repaired, and they did such a good job, I can't even tell the difference. Know that an OEM wheel replacement will be pretty exepnsive.

When uploading this photo just now, I just now noticed there was some minor tire sidewall damage where it says "2916". It hasnt caused me any issues in the 9 months since. Your case will be different of course.

JorgeGortex

I can't speak for the rim, but the tire is a safety hazard as it is. It needs to be replaced, and I'd not drive it at highway speeds until I did. I would have a front end alignment check done when the wheel work is completed and you might want your Audi dealer or shop to give the suspension components a once over as well. Can't hurt and could save you more troubles down the road. I have no idea whether insurance would cover this.

Mike60564

The tire is toast and the wheel appears to be cracked. If it were my car, I'd replace the wheel too.

Insurance deductible stays the same.

Dave788

Thanks all- I had 250 miles of highway driving today and survived luckily. No pulling or vibrations but I agree about getting the alignment checked. I have another work trip on Sunday so I'm going to call the service department tomorrow to see if they can fit me in..

bob m

I would get a new tire immediately and have the wheel looked at professionally. Just because the tire has held does not means it's safe to drive on - especially at highway speeds.

rdA4WtQ5

Tire is history, replace with exact same tire, wheel is cosmetic only and you got off easy with that. If it was me I would pretty up the wheel my self and decide if that's good enough. Thanks to my wife driving 18" 40's on her A3, I have gotten pretty good at smoothing the roughness and touching up with matching paint so its hard to see it was ever damaged.

kurtatx

RIP Tire. Put the spare on and make sure there's no damage to the rest of the wheel (there probably isn't)

stanj

The photos aren't grand but I'd also say the wheel has a crack in it. That's the last thing you need.