TIG Welding · From $200/wheel bare
Cracked Rim Repair & TIG Wheel Welding
A cracked wheel doesn't mean a new wheel. Professional TIG welding rebuilds the crack to original strength — pressure-tested, balanced, and backed by a 5.0★ shop that repairs wheels all day, every day.
Where the crack is decides the repair
Impact cracks usually start where you can't see them with the wheel on the car: the inner lip and the inner barrel, behind the spokes.
Inner lip & inner barrel
The back edge of the wheel takes the hit when a pothole squashes the tire against it. Low-profile tires leave little sidewall to cushion that, so the lip can crack instead of only bending. Cracks here are usually repairable: ground out, TIG-welded and pressure-tested.
Bead seat
The bead seat is the ledge the tire seals against. A crack here tends to show up as a slow leak long before anyone sees it, and the weld has to be finished smooth so the tire can seal again.
Spokes, face & hub
These carry the weight of the car and bolt the wheel on. A crack here is judged case by case, and some can't be made safe. Send a photo and Brandon will tell you straight whether it's a weld or a new wheel.
The TIG Weld Repair Process
Crack Assessment
We inspect the crack's location and depth. Inner-barrel cracks are usually repairable; cracks through spokes or mounting faces are evaluated case-by-case — we never weld a wheel that can't be made safe.
TIG Welding
Aircraft-grade aluminum is TIG-welded into the prepared crack, rebuilding the area to original structural strength — not a surface patch.
Machining & Smoothing
The weld is machined and smoothed so the repair area matches the original wheel profile.
Pressure Test & Balance
Every welded wheel is pressure-tested to confirm it seals, then balanced before it goes back on your car.
Repair vs. Replace
Most tire chains will only sell you a new wheel. The math says repair:
TIG weld repair at AZ Rim Repair — same wheel, restored strength ($200 first crack bare, +$50 each additional)
Assessed in person and priced then. An OEM replacement wheel is often hard to find in stock.
Is it worth welding a cracked rim?
For a crack in the inner lip or barrel, usually yes. You keep the wheel that already matches the other three in size, offset and finish, and a single crack on a bare wheel is $200. A crack through a spoke, the hub or the mounting face, or a wheel with several cracks plus heavy corrosion, is judged case by case: if it isn't worth repairing, you hear it before any work starts, not after.
What cracked rim repair costs
The price depends on how the wheel arrives, not on guesswork over the phone.
Bare wheel
Tire already off
first crack, +$50 for each extra crack on that wheel
Wheel with tire
We dismount, remount and rebalance
first crack, +$50 for each extra crack on that wheel
Whole vehicle
We pull the wheel and put it back on
per wheel for the first crack, +$50 for each extra
Two cracks on one bare wheel: $200 + $50 = $250. If the wheel is severely damaged, for example a chunk of metal is missing, the owner assesses it in person and gives you the price then.
If your tire has Fix-a-Flat or sealant in it, there is a $50 cleanup fee when we dismount it - the sealant gets into our equipment and damages it.
What does it cost for a bend or curb rash? See rim repair cost, with every confirmed price.
A slow leak is often the first sign
A cracked rim rarely announces itself. More often a tire drops a few PSI every few days, the pressure light comes back a week after you fill it, or a tire shop finds no nail in the tread. A hairline crack in the barrel can seep mainly when the wheel is loaded and warm, so the tire looks fine in the driveway and is low again by the weekend.
Not every leak is a crack. A bent lip can break the tire's seal, and corrosion on the bead seat can let air past it. The inspection tells you which one you have, and that matters: a crack needs welding, a bend needs straightening.
Sealant poured in through the valve can slow the leak for a while, but it does nothing to the crack, which keeps growing under load. Why no-weld fixes don't last.
Can I drive on a cracked rim?
A crack is the metal already failing, and cracks grow under load. If the tire keeps losing air, you can see the crack, or a new vibration came with it, don't keep driving on it: get it inspected first.
Cracked Rim Questions
Is a TIG-welded rim safe to drive on?+
Can you fix a cracked rim without welding?+
How much does cracked rim repair cost?+
Do I have to take the tire off before I bring the wheel in?+
Is there a fee if my tire has Fix-a-Flat or sealant in it?+
How can I tell if my rim is cracked or bent?+
How do rims crack in Arizona?+
Crack won't fix itself
For a quote you can rely on, send:
- ✓The whole wheel, face on, in daylight
- ✓A close-up of the crack, and of the back of the wheel if you can reach it: cracks often hide on the inside
- ✓The size printed on the tire sidewall (in 245/40R19, the 19 is the wheel diameter)
- ✓Whether the tire is still on, and how many cracks you have found
Serving cracked rim repair in Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert and Phoenix. Text a photo of the crack for a free assessment.