Replacing Rims
Anyone who has hit a curb at high speeds (i.e. me) knows the damage it can do to a car’s rims and tires. There’s a slim to no chance any dent to the outer surface of a rim can be fixed. You’ll more than likely need to replace it.
Having my car towed to the dealer since I have yet to acquire a regular mechanic, they estimated $242 for a new rim, plus additional expenses for mounting and alignment.
Here’s the low down. Most factory OEM parts can be found conveniently online. Dealer’s purchase these same parts and charge extra for profit naturally, plus the hours for labor and additional fees. You can save some money by purchasing the parts yourself. Be careful though about taking the part back to the dealer. They will certainly raise their rates on their hourly labor and or fees recognizing they lost money on a sale. A later post will explain such an experience.
So a web-search for “Mercury Cougar OEM rims” led me to Wheels and Rims where I found a replacement rim for $190.35 (shipping included). A quick trip to Discount Tire and $30 later for mounting and balancing, I was good to go.
Total Savings: $51.65 at least
