This article originally appeared in the April 2023 issue of THE SHOP magazine.
As a car wash owner, Ryan Stewart was frustrated with having to pay for damaged car rims at his sites. That led him to learn the art of wheel repair, and it blossomed after a long journey into the mobile business Rim Repair Rx in Phoenix.
Stewart has always been infused with an entrepreneurial spirit. Mix that with a love for automobiles and an artistic streak, and you have someone with the passion, patience and ability to help return wheels to like-new condition.
He began honing his skills at age 15 as a car detailer. Business grew, and he eventually ended up owning a series of car washes in Arizona.
His car washes were older units, and the wheel tracks occasionally damaged a customer’s rim. He would pay to have the wheels repaired and, after a few invoices, decided to learn the procedures himself to save money.
Stewart attended a weekend workshop on the repair process 17 years ago and was then set to go with a new business, Rim Repair King, specializing in fixing scrapes and scratches on alloy wheels.
REPAIRS ON THE GO
Stewart will be the first to admit his early repair efforts were less than perfect. He discovered that there was an art to the repair process and schooled himself over time.
(Ironically, after gaining proficiency, his car washes never damaged another customer’s rim, he notes with a laugh.)
Eventually, Stewart sold his chain of car washes, along with the rim repair business. Later, when the new owner of the car washes stopped offering the rim repair service, Stewart started back up with a new name, Rim Repair Rx, as a mobile service.
His vans are self-contained, with all the tools and supplies needed to repair wheels on-site. Technicians typically work at a client’s home or jobsite to do the repairs. Once finished, customers are reminded not to drive the vehicle for an hour and not to wash it for 24 hours.
Stewart’s standardized customer contact protocol is 100% text based. His website (rimrepairrx.com) features a phone number for customers to text pictures of damaged rims. He then texts back a quote for the repair.
If the potential customer agrees, a location for the repair is set. Stewart’s team groups repairs into geographical regions and then confirms appointment dates and times.
Communicating mainly by text “doesn’t gum up my time,” Stewart explains. “People are pleased by the texting process. It doesn’t waste my time or the consumer’s time.”
As a bonus, Stewart doesn’t have to hear a long story about how the damage occurred or pay for staff to sit and wait for phone calls. Sending photos makes the process faster, easier and more accurate.
The Rim Repair Rx fleet consists of four vans that canvas the Valley of the Sun doing repairs as needed. And, fortunately, Stewart doesn’t have to worry too much about employee retention—he has a true family business, as most of his staff are his relatives.
The vans are equipped with compressors to run grinders, sanders and other pneumatic tools used in the repair process, including airbrushes for painting, and do not require electrical or water hook-ups.
Stewart has also perfected a way to repair chrome wheels without sending them out for expensive replating.
A DRIVE-UP SITE, TOO
In 2020, Stewart added a 2,200-square-foot shop for drive-up business that sits behind a car wash that he used to own. Customers can drive to the location and have their wheels repaired while they wait inside.
The drive-up site also has special machinery to fix bent rims, and Stewart is looking to expand and move the storefront to an area with better visibility.
Many consumers are unaware that a damaged rim can be effectively repaired and assume they need to buy a new one. While working on a customer’s rim, Stewart and his team are often approached by potential customers who had no idea the service was an option.
When COVID struck, business increased. Stewart reasons that people had time to obsess over their cars and finally get those long put-off repairs completed. The Rim Repair Rx team could easily adhere to the 6-foot rule of social distancing and still get the jobs done.
Overall, the business has its up and down periods, Stewart notes, but it is hard to predict when slow times will occur. When winter visitors flock to Arizona, the business experiences a slight uptick in service calls.
Stewart, showing his entrepreneurial side, has considered franchising the business. He is often contacted by others considering starting a similar venture.
He also realizes that wheel repair skills are an art and “took time to perfect. There are so many variations in rims and colors. It takes an eye and experience to master.”
Over time, he learned the processes and techniques by trial and error. He advises others to “stick with it and perfect the craft.”
The wheels of business keep turning.
