car got hit.... in the wheel?
 

so i was filling my car up and while i was looking away some punk in a pickup with a tow hitch backs up and hits my left rear wheel on one of the spokes. the car shifted but did not move. he hit hard enough to leave an almost half inch gouge in the rim itself he didnt contact the brake caliper or the rotor but could there be any serious damage that im not seeing? what steps should i take? :ah:

I personally would remove the wheel and take it to a wheel rejuvenator. They will be able to insure there isn't a crack, it's true and repair it so you won't be able to tell the difference.

There should be one in your local area, if you can't find one ask any dealership or auto body repair shop.

How much would that cost?

Also, do I have to worry about any damage to suspension or drive train?Al

It should cost about $100. Take it off and remove the tire to make it easy on the shop. I'm pulling all four of mine this winter for a freshening-up.

I'd be very concerned to damage to the CV joints, wheel bearing and halfshaft. Also, I'd have the alignment checked. Make his insurance co. pay for it.

:cheers:

thanks for the input guys. this guy has statefarm i wonder where they will make me take it to get looked at.

Don't let them "make you" take it anywhere. Your the victim because their clients negligence. You have the power, take it where you want and have everything checked then send them the bill.

Also, no second hand or aftermarket parts. You have the right to replace everything with new OEM parts.

You'll have to get an estimate from reputable shop. You'll also have to make your car available for them to estimate. The shop can choose to deal with the ins estimator or not. You can choose which one you take your car to for the work though. You don't have to pick the cheapest, it's your choice. If the insurance estimator really low balls the repair the reputable shop may say go pound salt and we won't fix it for that and you will have to pony up the money then take offending driver to small claims court. Speaking from experience, State Farm are a** holes. A few yers ago I got rear ended and they (SF) wanted to put used parts on a very very clean vehicle my wife drove. I refused, and had to pay the bill myself and then sue the driver for the bill. The court awarded me the whole bill and then SF ponied up the money. I didn't want to go through my insurance company as your insurance company has the right to negociate for you. Someimes your ins company will also cheap out so they can get it done and move past. Lastly, CA has a law (needs updating because things cost so much more now than 20 years ago) that if you have more than $500 (I think) damage you have to report it to the DMV or they can yank you drivers license. If you report it, keep all you paper work when you settle as the DMV will put a point on your record just for being involved in an accident and you will have to petition it to get it back off your record. No Kidding. And that point can affect your insurance. I was at a red light and got rear ended and they put a point on my record.
Ken

Also, don't know where in CA you are but if in So Cal, Velvet Touch is located in Escondido and they do a pretty good job. They do all the work for Keystone and a lot of the high end body shops and dealers. they have mobile units that go all over so cal but their base shop is in Esc. and they have some pretty nice equip in house.
Ken

That's not the way it works.
You take it to where ever it is that you want to take it, and then send them the bill if there are any damages that need to be repaired.

The first place I would take it to would be an alignment shop.
Have them put it up on the lift, and see if the alignment is still in spec, or if it was knocked out.

If it was knocked out of spec, then can they put it back into spec.
If they can, then the guy only owes you for an alignment, and for the wheel repair.

If they can't put it back into alignment, then the shop needs to determine what is causing the alignment to be out, and the guy gets to pay for all that work, too. Could be damaged control arms, wheel bearing, ball joints, tweaked frame, etc.

BC.

yeah unfortunately im not in SOCal im up in the monterey bay area. ill just have to talk to State farm tomorrow and see what they say, i know of one other place besides the porsche dealer who is good with porsches but. would the porsche dealer even be a good choice?

if you're not paying for it ( and why should you? ) i would think the dealer would be a good choice. 2 years / unlimited miles warranty on their parts + labor. most independent's will not give you that. the best i've gotten is the std. porsche warranty on the parts and 1 yr on the labor.


that being said however, if you have an independent you know and trust i would choose that over the dealer. i would not take it to a general repair shop though. either an independent who deals ( only / mostly ) with porsches or the dealer.

i talked to the independant repair guy i know and he said that the only way really to know if there is damage is to go to an alignment shop. and go from there.

Yup, that's exactly what I said.
Good luck.

BC.

to be honest blade it was new to me i thought my guy would be able to do the align as well... when he said he couldnt i was kinda suprised... thanks for the help and everyone else. im on my way now to see what the problem is. for all of you in the monterey bay area im going to newton brothers ill let you know how the service is and if i would recomend them in the future.