A steel rim with a significant dent on the inner sideDriving with a bent rim is no fun at all. Besides the strange noises and vibrations, dents or bends on a wheel can prematurely wear out suspension and steering parts if left unnoticed, since damage from a pothole can be way worse than expected. If the dent is significant enough for the tire to lose air pressure, driving with a bent wheel can potentially cause blowouts, which takes skill and a bit of know-how to avoid crashing and stop safely. It's possible to repair these dents, but if the damage is too severe, it's better to replace your wheel entirely.You should start thinking about buying a new wheel if you find cracks running through the spokes, if there are two or more cracks on the barrel or outer lip, or if the wheel can't seal the tire and maintain air pressure. The same is true for extremely sharp dents, or if whatever caused the dent was enough to collapse the wheel inward. In short, you'll need to replace it if your wheel sort of looks like a Pringle than a part of your car.But a bent rim is not the end of the world. For lighter damage, wheel and tire specialists use heat and advanced wheel straightening machines to make damaged rims round again. It would typically cost $75 for mild repairs, with prices over $200 for a full restoration. That's way cheaper than buying a new rim or a set of aftermarket rollers, which could be as much as triple the cost. Bent rim signs, issues, and risksA severely bent and damaged wheel on a sidewalkThe wheel repair technician will ultimately have the final say if your car's bent rim is repairable. Minor dents, specifically on the barrel or outer lip of the wheel, are easily repairable if the surface remains intact and if there are no visible cracks on the metal. Cosmetic damage or shallow cracks can also be repaired, but only if the damage is not bad enough to affect the integrity of the wheel.If the damage doesn't seem that bad, you might think it's worthwhile to put off repairs and drive on that bent rim. But it's better to err on the cautious side and have the damage assessed and repaired at the soonest possible time, even if the dent is small enough not to cause air leaks or a drop in air pressure. At the very least, you should only drive for short jaunts or until you reach a service center. In some cases, slight deformations along the wheel edge won't cause immediate problems, but that doesn't mean you should let it be.If you need more reasons to have that bent wheel checked out, know that even slight dents can affect the wheel alignment (issues with that could cost you more than a new tire) and cause irregular wear. Dents will also affect the wheel balancing, steering feel, and handling of your ride. Have a mechanic or tire shop inspect the tires, wheels, and undercarriage after impacting a major pothole. In some cases, the hit may not be strong enough to dent the wheel, but it could bring the alignment out of whack or mess with the balancing. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox, and add us as a preferred search source on Google.