My wife got a flat tire in the Aspen today. We have the 20" wheels, and she didn't know anything had happened under she saw the TMPS light on the dash come on to indicate loss in tire pressure. She immediately pulled over, and when the guy showed up to change the tire, he found that the rim was bent (he couldn't remove the wheel, so this was the assumption).

She took it to our friendly neighborhood Chrysler dealer via flatbed tow truck, and they confirmed that she needs a new rim. These are the "chrome clad" wheels, and I was expecting maybe $350 max. Instead the breakdown is as follows:

Wheel $804
Tire $165
Mount/Bal $20

I thought this was completely insane, but could only get them to come down 15% off the list price for the wheel. Unbelieveable. Needless to say, I'm getting the bent one back and having it repaired so we have an extra next time something happens.

The service writer kept telling me over the phone how expensive OEM parts are. I explained to him that I can get custom aftermarket wheels for around the price he is quoting for a steel wheel with a plastic "chromed" cover. I guess they know they have you over a barrel unless you're going to change all four to aftermarket.

 

the rim should be under warranty did you hit a curb or something

 

I think the service writer needs a smack in the head! Those wheels aren't that expensive. I looked into the wheels when my mother in-law HAD TO HAVE our Aspen, (because she doesn't like her "old" mini van anymore), for a week while we were on vacation, (stating to my wife that if she so much as marks one rim, or parks by feel, she's buyin). The wheels were around the $450 range, which I thought was a bit high, but they are 20's. On the positive side, for the tire to cost $125... That is awesome!!

 

the rim would not be under warranty was it defective b4 the tire blew out?? no warranty is designed for factory defects not a cust causing something.

 

Thanks Chrysler Tech. I wouldn't have expected the rim to be covered under warranty, as it's 99% likely that the flat and subsequent pavement-to-rim contact caused the damage.

Any idea on whether the $804-15% (total: $683) cost for the wheel is in line with real life, or am I being hosed?

Thanks.

 

$325. at this site.
http://www.detroitwheelandtire.com/s...2008&model=657

 

I dont have access to parts so I dont know how much things are like that call another dealer and ask for parts dept and ask for just the rim price.

 

Yeah, I saw that site and a few others as well, but they are replicas, not direct source OEM. At that point, might as well replace all four with aftermarket wheels.

Edit: I was wrong, those are actually OEM wheels. Oh well, live and learn!

 

silly question.... why do you have to buy the rim/tire on the spot? we have a spare tire....

 

The plot thickens...

I got the damaged wheel back when we picked up the vehicle, and the damage clearly wasn't caused by a flat tire. Big dents on the back side of the lip at 10:00 and 2:00 - ZERO damage on the front of the wheel. I thought it was the company that tried to get the wheel off in the first place before it was towed, but the owner of the company came to my house this evening with a rubber mallet and beat the hell out of the wheel to show me that they couldn't have caused these dents...after watching him work himself into a sweat smacking the lip adjacent to the damage, it's clear that they couldn't have caused the damage.

He took a look at the wheel, and volunteered to take a trip with me to the dealer, because he's positive that they did the damage when they tried to remove the tire from the rim. The damage is exactly where two arms of the rim clamp would grab, and he said the damage can happen when an inexperienced tech sets it up wrong and the third arm of the machine doesn't grab.

I took a look at my service paperwork, and they clearly crossed out the first entry that said "R&R tire" and replaced it with "Need Rim". At this point, I'm going to try to get the dealer to fess up to causing the damage. There's no way driving on smooth pavement and getting a flat caused this.