“We’ll get you straight.”
Curb Rash Repair in Waldorf, MD
Scraped and gouged wheel lips filled, dressed, and refinished to factory match. The repair lease inspectors and used-car buyers never see.
What is curb rash and why fix it?
Curb rash is the scraping and gouging an alloy picks up against a curb: one bad parallel park, one tight drive-through. It is cosmetic at first, but exposed aluminum corrodes, gouges collect salt, and the damage darkens and spreads under the finish.
It also costs real money at the other end. Lease-return inspectors bill heavily for curbed wheels, and used-car buyers read them as a sign of how the whole car was treated. The repair routinely costs less than a single lease damage charge.
How we repair an alloy wheel
Every wheel gets the same three-stage, in-house process. No wheel leaves until it measures true and matches its mates.
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Assess and measure
The wheel comes off and onto the bench. Every crack, gouge, and bend is mapped, and runout is measured with a dial gauge. This determines what the wheel needs and what it honestly costs.
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Weld and straighten
Cracks are ground out and TIG-welded with aluminum filler; bends are worked back true on the straightening rig under controlled heat and pressure, checked against the gauge.
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Refinish and match
The repair is blended and the wheel refinished to the factory look, silver, gunmetal, or machined face, so it does not stand out from the other three.
Wheel damage we repair every week
Four kinds of damage cover nearly every wheel that comes through the shop.
Curb rash
Scrapes and gouges along the lip. Filled, dressed, and refinished.
Cracked wheels
Pothole cracks TIG-welded and refinished, saving a $600 replacement.
Bent wheels
Flat spots straightened true, ending vibration and slow leaks.
Corrosion
Salt and brake-dust corrosion stripped, treated, and sealed.
How we repair a curbed wheel
The damaged area is sanded back, deep gouges are filled with aluminum-appropriate filler, and the lip is dressed back to its original profile. The wheel is then refinished and color-matched, silver, gunmetal, or machined-look, and sealed under clear coat.
The result blends into the set rather than announcing a repair. For diamond-cut faces we will tell you honestly what is achievable, since a true re-cut needs a lathe pass and not every wheel has the material left for one.
Curb rash repair cost
Typical per-wheel ranges, quoted exactly from a photo, free.
| Repair | Typical range | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| Light scuffs, one wheel | $100 - $175 | 1 day |
| Deep gouges, one wheel | $150 - $250 | 1-2 days |
| Full set, lease-return prep | Quoted per set | 2-4 days |
Lease inspectors commonly charge more per curbed wheel than the repair costs here.
Repair your wheel vs. buying a replacement
Buying a replacement
- $400 - $800 per OEM wheel, before mounting
- Days or weeks waiting on shipping
- Used wheels carry unknown damage history
- New wheel may not match three faded ones
- Old wheel ends up in a landfill
Repairing yours
- Typically a fraction of replacement cost
- Most wheels done in 1-3 days
- Structure restored and measured true
- Refinished to match the set
- Free estimate from a photo
Real wheel repair from the shop
Before
After
Why drivers fix curb rash here
Curb rash is high-volume work at the Waldorf shop, which is exactly why the finish matching is good: we do it daily, in-house, on every common factory finish.
Lease returns are a specialty. Bring the car a week before turn-in and the wheels go back looking like the day you signed.
Google reviews
Live from the Waldorf shop's Google listing.
Curb rash FAQs
Is curb rash worth repairing before a lease return?
Almost always. Inspection charges per damaged wheel typically exceed our repair price, and a clean set avoids the argument entirely.
Will the repaired wheel match the other three?
Yes. Finishes are matched in-house, silver, gunmetal, machined faces and most OEM looks, and sealed under clear so the repair blends into the set.
Can deep gouges really be fixed?
Deep gouges are filled and the lip re-profiled before refinishing. If a gouge is deep enough to threaten the wheel structurally, we will say so at the estimate.
Do you repair diamond-cut wheels?
We repair and refinish them; a perfect mirror re-cut requires a lathe pass that not every wheel has material for. We tell you what result to expect before any work starts.
Curbed a wheel? We'll get you straight.
A photo of the wheel is all we need for a real number.
Serving Charles, St. Mary's, and Calvert Counties from Waldorf and California, MD.