You clipped a curb on a tight Vancouver side street, and now there's a grey scar running along the lip of your wheel. It happens constantly here — narrow parking, high curbs, and a lot of low-profile tires that leave the rim as the first thing to make contact.
The good news: curb rash is one of the most repairable kinds of wheel damage, and fixing it costs a fraction of replacing the wheel. Here's what to expect on price.
What curb rash repair costs
Most curb rash falls into two buckets, and the price follows the depth of the damage rather than the size of the wheel.
| Damage type | What it looks like | Typical cost per wheel |
|---|---|---|
| Light scuffing | Surface scratches through the finish, no missing metal | $50–$150 |
| Deep rash or gouges | Material removed, visible dents or chunks out of the lip | $150–$300+ |
| Diamond cut refinishing | Any rash on an OEM diamond-cut face | Quoted individually |
Two things push a repair toward the upper end. The first is finish type — a diamond-cut wheel has to be re-turned on a CNC lathe and re-cleared, which is a longer process than sanding and recoating a painted wheel. The second is structural damage. If the impact bent the rim or cracked it, that's straightening or TIG welding work before any cosmetic refinishing starts.
For an exact number on your specific wheels, the fastest route is our instant quote estimator — send a few photos and you'll have a price without booking anything.
What actually changes the price
Finish type. A solid painted or powder-coated wheel is the most straightforward to repair. Diamond-cut and polished faces cost more because they require machining, not just refinishing.
Depth of the gouge. Surface scratches sand out. Once the curb has removed metal, that material has to be built back up and re-profiled before the finish goes on.
Number of wheels. Doing all four at once is more economical per wheel than bringing in one, and it guarantees the finish matches across the set — worth thinking about if two or three already have wear.
Structural damage. Bends, hairline cracks, and out-of-round rims add repair steps. We check structural integrity on every repair rather than just covering damage cosmetically.
Repair or replace?
Replacement is almost always the more expensive path. A single replacement OEM alloy typically costs many times what a cosmetic repair does, before you add mounting and balancing — and prices vary enormously by vehicle, so it's worth pricing your specific wheel before assuming. For ordinary curb damage the math rarely favours replacement.
Replacement makes sense in a narrow set of cases: a wheel cracked through a structural section, severe impact damage that compromised the barrel, or a rim so far out of round that straightening can't bring it back to spec safely. We'll tell you plainly if your wheel is in that category — refinishing a wheel that shouldn't be back on the road isn't a service worth selling.
How long it takes
Standard turnaround is 5–7 business days for most refinishing work. Expedited 24–48 hour service is available for urgent jobs and trade accounts.
That's shop time, not waiting time. Most customers drop wheels off, keep driving on a spare set or a loaner arrangement, and collect them finished.
Where we serve
We work out of our Burnaby shop, serving the Lower Mainland directly, with mobile and drop-off service reaching Vancouver Island (Victoria) and the Interior (Kelowna and the Okanagan). We also ship wheels across Canada if you're outside those areas.
Preventing the next one
- Give yourself more room than feels necessary when parallel parking — the rim contacts the curb well before the tire looks close
- Approach curbs at a shallow angle rather than straight on
- Take extra care in wet conditions, where a tire can slide the last few centimetres into the concrete
- Consider protective rim tape or a slightly taller tire profile on wheels you care about
FAQ
Can all curb rash be repaired?
Most of it, yes. Scuffs, gouges, and missing material are routine repairs. The exceptions are cracks through structural sections and severe impact damage — we'll assess and tell you honestly which category yours falls into.
Will the repair be visible afterward?
It shouldn't be. We use spectrophotometer colour matching to replicate the factory finish, and every refinish is covered by our lifetime workmanship guarantee. If our finish fails because of our work, we redo it at no charge.
Do I need to bring the whole car?
No. You can bring just the wheels if you've had them removed, or bring the vehicle and we'll handle removal and refitting.
Is curb rash repair covered by insurance?
That depends entirely on your policy and coverage, so check with your insurer or broker rather than assuming either way. Worth weighing against a repair cost in the $50–$300 range before you open a claim.
How do I get an exact price?
Send photos through the estimator for a fast quote, or book a repair directly if you already know what you need.
Ready to fix your wheels?
Snap a photo, get a price in minutes — or lock in a repair date now.