Let me first start off by saying I'm not a car guy nor do I know anything about them or Volvos.

I took my 2008 Volvo S40 for a routine oil check at my local mechanic. My mechanic said overall the car looked good but that one of my wheels had a bend in it (he never showed me the bend and when I looked at the tire I couldn't see anything from my view). He didn't seem to show interest that he could fix it so I took it to a local tire store to get it looked at for their opinion but I also had the tire store do a tire rotation while I was there. I told them which tire the bend supposedly was at as well. When they were done, someone just handed me the keys telling me but I never was told what they found regarding the bend? I went up to the person I spoke to and he had to go to the back in the garage to ask the person that checked my car. He said the bend was minor and nothing serious that needed to be fixed (but keep in mind my tires are alloy so not even sure they could have fixed them since they weren't steel. Plus I'm not sure if when he said they didn't need to be fixed if he meant just now or should still be fixed in the future). The person I spoke to said they also balanced the tires to "0" as well. But after leaving, I got nervous because they didn't say anything to begin with regarding the bend, maybe the person in the garage got confused at which tire to look at since they did a tire rotation?

Two days later, I was anxious that the tire store might have gotten it wrong so I took it to another tire store for a second opinion and confirmation. The second tire store said the actual tire had 2 bends in it and that another tire had a bend as well (so my mechanic and the first tire store missed this apparently?). But the mechanic from the second tire store sat down with me and explained that the bends weren't serious enough to need to fix or buy new wheels in his opinion....unless you are just constantly going over potholes from here on out. They said they sprayed some chemical on it too and that there was no leakage from them or anything. He said they also balanced the tires and everything was fine. But they also said because they are alloy, they couldn't fix them unless they were steel.

So my question is...can I give this a rest and just be assured that everything is fine and that I don't need to fix them at all in the future? I assume lots of people have some bends in their wheels for their different vehicles, correct? Obviously I will listen and always keep an eye out on the wheels but I've been quite worried about this a lot whether I need to keep getting more opinions or get this fixed because it will be an issue later or get worse? Is this a common occurrence for other Volvo owners with their wheels? Has anyone else had a bend in their wheels? If so, is it always super serious that needs to be fixed or have you just let it be and everything was fine? Is a bend in a wheel always super serious or can it be a minor thing that doesn't do any damage? Both tire stores said it wasn't major for mine but just want to make sure it won't get worse and that it's not bad to begin with since I never saw it. If it's purely just a cosmetic issue, I'm ok with that.

By the way, I don't know if it helps but my wheels look exactly the same as this picture:
http://2-photos7.motorcar.com/used-2...388-9-1024.jpg

Thanks!

 

Are you feeling any vibrations at highway speeds? A bend won’t get worse, it just causes a flat spot that if bad enough you will feel at high speeds (or any speed I suppose if that severe). I had a bend in a wheel of mine and could have cared less, besides that I felt the vibration and it was bad enough that a simple wheel/tire balance would not have solved it. If you feel nothing, leave this one alone and save the money.

 

I wouldn't worry about it unless you feel a vibration.

 

I haven't felt any vibration but I'll keep looking out for it. Thank you both.

 

I just bought a 2008 S40 that had a bent rim on the rear right wheel. I paid $100 to have it fixed. Runs like a charm. I didn't feel any vibration on the highway (then again, I hadn't driven it much), but since I just recently purchased the car, I decided to fix it anyways.

If it really starts to bother you or if you notice anything happening to the tires, just take it to "Rim Renew" or other similar services.

Sincerely,

sublimeswell

 

Thanks but I should still be ok not fixing my two wheels especially if I don't feel any vibrations right?

What's the best way to find out if we feel vibrations? Drive it faster on highway speed of like 75 MPH? That the only way?

 

Yes, take it to 75 mph constant speed and see what you feel. If you don't feel anything, then I guess you don't need to have it fixed.

I didn't feel anything on mine but still had it fixed. But then again I just bought the car and wanted to bring it up to good condition.

Anyone else have any ideas?