New member, questions to follow
 

Hello all,

I posted almost this same thing over at pistonheads.com, and they kindly pointed me here for a U.S.-based forum.

I'm new to the community here, so of course I'm probably going to lead off with annoying questions. I promise I have done things like peruse the FAQ, etc. I have also ordered a guide from http://www.astonmartinreview.co.uk/ based on recommendations I found.

Anyway, I have a 2012 Rapide which I've had for a couple of years here in the U.S., and I just added next to it in the garage a 2012 DB9 Volante Sport Edition (apparently 1 of 60 made that year).

One of the reasons I'm registering right now to post is that the DB9 I just got has a dented right front rim which needs replacement. The local AM dealer is quoting over $2500. $2500 for one wheel. Is that because it is a "sport edition" wheel? The description of the 19" wheel seems to be "10-spoke forged wheel with a gloss black and diamond turned finish. This is then individually machined on a 5-axis milling machine to produce a ‘pin-stripe’ along each spoke which is then painted gloss black". It seems a rather high quote to me given that I picked up a spare set of 19" wheels for my Rapide off of eBay for less than $1500 for the set of 4!

I've found astonmartinbits.com -- I imagine they can get a better price for me. Thoughts? Alternatives?

I should be able to get one. I'll have a price on Monday if that works for you.

How badly damaged is the wheel in question? Can you post a picture? Wheels can be repaired, to a certain extent. Fyi.

+1 to wheel repair. I'm not sure if there are certain wheel types that can't be repaired (I'm sure there is a limit to the extent to which repairs can be made), but I'd absolutely reach out to a wheel repair shop before I spend that kind of money on a wheel.

Repairing structural damage can be questionable. Hopefully, it's cosmetic. Need a picture.

Stupid me didn't take a picture while the wheel was off the car.

The damage is on the inside lip. It is dented, but not a sharp, angular dent -- more of a rounded dent, if that makes sense. It is not dented enough that the tire seal is completely broken. However, it is dented enough that the tire is losing a very slight amount of air at that point while driving, to the tune of 2 or 3 psi a day. I suspect that what is happening as the wheel flexes while driving, it sometimes loses a little bit of the seal, allowing a little bit of air to escape.

Tomorrow I'll see if I can somehow get a picture without going to the trouble of taking the wheel off the car.

One question I have is whether that is a fair price for such a wheel from the dealer. I still may go the repair route, but if I don't, I'd at least like to know whether I'm getting ripped off or if they're really just passing along roughly the cost from AM to me.

Here are pictures -- looks minor to me:

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...26f8f04db6.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...7a0c0fad30.jpg

I'd absolutely hit up a wheel repair shop for that. I've used Wheels America in the past.

Yea. That's pretty minor. Shouldn't be a problem for a good wheel repair shop. Now you just have to find one. Your dealer wanting to replace the wheel is just LOL. What about the tire? Is it damaged too?

The tire wasn't damaged. I already found a close-by repair facility that agreed to help me out with a quick fix this afternoon. 30 minutes, and it was as good as new. $120 for the fix.

Thanks for all the advice!

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Congrats on the car and getting the wheel fixed.

That was fast and reasonable for a change. Post up some pictures of your pair of Astons.


Regards,

Will post pictures soon! Just dropped the Rapide off for annual service but just got the DB9. Love them both but somehow the Rapide feels more polished than the DB9 even though both are 2012. (Not saying unpolished is a bad thing...The DB9 feels more raw which is pretty awesome.)

I must say that Aston service costs are quite a shock having been accustomed to several Lotuses (Lotii?). I had 3 different Esprit V8 twin turbos and an Elise and for the times I owned them, maintenance was not much more than a BMW. At least so far, knock on wood, I haven't had anything horrible happen with the Rapide.

Here's the DB9:

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.6sp...a6a4c1fe35.jpg

Big brother Rapide is in for annual service at the moment!

Great color and car, and glad you repaired it instead of getting a new wheel, bents like those are so common in the north east. I get at least 1 bent wheel a winter back when I drove a sedan.