The girlie and I went out to eat dinner tonight, and on the way there...hit a very deep pot hole that came out of no where. Bent the living sh*t out of the front rim. Its still holding air, but looks like complete hell. The bumper and sideskirts are ok, and I dont think the suspension is messed up other than it being out of alignment. I'm calling the town hall Monday morning and raising a huge b**** storm and demanding that they pay to replace the rim. If they dont, well...thats why I keep my attorney on retainer! So f*cking pissed right now! mad.gif

That really sucks man. 02.gif I had a similar problem last year. My city is soo bad for potholes and the city will only pay for any damage if the city has marked the pothole. So if your dumb enough to hit one with a big sign infront of it, they'll fix it. But if you hit a pothole you dont see, your SOL. Which is the opposite of what it should be. Good luck with the rim man!

that sucks man...hope everything works out

let us know how it goes! Next time I hit one I will raise hell too

I don't get it, what does girlie have to do with pothole story?

was she distracting you?

I've heard this happen to several people locally. I've been told that there have been times where the city will pay for a replacement rim.

^^ That's good. I never heard of that. Best of luck Visionz. Hopefully everything turns out well for you. Could I request a pic?

Well, I have good news and I have bad news.

First...the good news! I called the town, who then directed me to the state highway department. The state was very nice to me over the phone, and they said they'll cover the repairs. They're mailing me out a claim form today, and when I get it...just fill it out, send back receipts, and within 10 business days, I'll receive a check in the mail as re-imbursement for the new rim.

Now the bad news....I've called every place I know of, and NO ONE has a single 17" Azule Speed 5 in Gold Gloss, with a 4 lug pattern. I emailed Azul directly also, to see if they have one laying around in their factory, and havent heard back yet. I can get a black or silver one, but no gold. Which means if I go that route, then I would have to paint it, or have it powdercoated. Such a huge pain in the ass. There are no places around here that do rim repair for aftermarket rims either. So having it bent back into shape is out of the question. I just hope that Azul comes back and says they have one, or can tell me which distributor of theirs has one in stock.

^Have you checked on ebay? I have the same problem with my Rotas, they are impossible to find and last time a rim cracked on me I got whatever color they had and was going to repaint it. But then I decided to stick with that color anyway (flat black) and paint the other rims, lol.

I found a company up in British Columbia that sells them. I also found a guy on ebay that has them, but in 5 lug. I sent both companies a message telling them what I'm looking for, in hopes they can help me out. I even sent an email to the manufacturer (Azul) themselves. I can get the rim right now in black or silver, but I'd rather not have to go through the issue of having it powdercoated.

Last but not least, I found a guy who travels around the city and does rim repair for dealers. If I cant find a replacement rim in the next couple of days, I'll go to this repair guy. He charges $150-$200 to fix the rim back to specs. So we'll see what happens. I have a few options at least....just not happy about them. *lol*


EDIT:
Called them and a couple other places. Everyone said Azul discontinued the gold color since they hardly sold. Silver and black are everywhere, but no gold. So, I'm debating right now on 2 things...

1. Have the rim bent back to shape by the guy I know.
Pros: Original rim, original color
Cons: Rim may not be "true" and could cause vibration or shaking at high speeds

2. Buy a brand new silver rim, and paint it to match the others.
Pros: Brand new rim with no issues
Cons: May not be able to match it 100% perfectly with paint, and cant find anyone locally who does powdercoating

What to do, what to do.... sad2.gif


DOUBLE EDIT:
So I said screw it and bought a new rim. I got it in gunmetal, but it doesnt really matter since its going to be re-sprayed. I just hope I can get the paint to match. I might just have to scrape a tiny piece off of the back side of one of the others (where you cant see) and take it to a paint supplier to get the exact shade. The new rim will be here in a week, so it'll be a fun project to do I guess.