In historical terms, the invention of the automobile is quite a recent thing. This goes quite a way towards explaining some of the different ways in which we describe the parts and components that make up our automobiles today. For an obvious example; do you say motor car or automobile and would an Englishman know where its hood is? Conversely, could you locate the bonnet on your vehicle? (They are, in fact the same thing – the cover over the front of the vehicle where the engine is usually located).
Confusing Terminology
Some terms like “engine” or “body” are clear to everyone; but, if you look up “rim”, you will be told that it is the outer edge of something that is typically (but not necessarily) circular. That is easy to comprehend for the likes of the “rim of a teacup” or “the meteor crater’s rim”. However; it is not so easy to picture the rim of a motor car?
Explanation
The explanation is quite simple – your car does not have a rim but it does have wheels and some people use the word “rim” as a synonym for the word “wheel”. This is not as silly as it sounds. Wheels are circular; they have a hub in their center to accommodate the axle and, being circular, they will have an outer rim. Today that rim will be shaped to accept the pneumatic tire found on all modern vehicles. Apart from the rubber tire, the wheels will be made of metal, in some designs the whole wheel is in one piece while, in others, the rim will be connected to the hub by spokes or a solid flange/web.
Wheel Damage Repair
For most people the repair that they are most likely to need is the one to repair punctures in the tire. However, in hard impact cases, the metal parts of the wheel including its rims can be deformed or broken. Such car rim repairs can be costly and need to be undertaken by experts – often, it will be simpler to replace the whole wheel.
For the minor damage that could be caused by scuffing the curb during badly handled parking; it is safe and practical for the vehicle owner to effectively touch up and hide the damage. However, it can be a long winded process.
