I just had a tiny puncture of some kind in my 050's sidewall, I bought the replacement from the tire rack and needed a mounting/balancing of the new tire.
The shop I went to had the shop foreman supervise the work after I explained how
particular I am about the wheel not getting damaged. Anyway it got some scraping of the clear coat on the outer edge, the rest of the wheel was fine. Is it possible to have the mounting done without damage? They put some nylon sleeves on the contact points of the mounting bar, but it still gouged the wheel. I can only imagine how bad the damage would be at a regular tire shop with a kid doing the work.

 

its all about the worker...a good service technician can mount and dismount tires without scratching or leaving marks on wheels. the tech should've just been more careful.

 

yeah a good tech can mount tires so there arnt even marks on the inside of the rim from the mounting arms.

some good shops have the touchless machines too.

 

It's not always about the techs...it's about the machinery as well.

I have a Snap-On mounting machine at my shop with a bunch of accessories made for not scratching aftermarket wheels. Obviously, you have to know what you're doing, but the tools help.

 

If the tire machine is designed to not mark the rim it can be done.

 

It is up to the tech. Even so called "touchless" systems can sometimes appear like a brutal process.

 

Old style machines will mark an alloy wheel no matter who is operating it. Stretching low profile tires on any wheel isn't a touch free process. The tire inside diameter is smaller than the outside diameter of the wheel. Something has to stretch the tire slightly to get the tire over the wheel lips.

You will need to join a 12 step program if you think you can keep wheels is new condition and drive the car. Rock chips, brake dust, and dirt are all facts of life.

 

I used a touchless tire install for my wheels; though it wasn't exactly touchless. However, the mounting required a lot less human touch/tool touching and they let me stand there and watch them mount the tires.

I doubt you live in the michigan area but if you do I can get you the address and the name of the owner of the shop if needed.

 

I would be interested if they are in SE Mich., particularly in the Ann Arbor area.