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#1 Alloy Wheels

Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2023 12:13 pm
by simon
There are a few car enthusiasts on here, does anyone have any experience/advice with leaky alloy wheels?

It's a 2016 Micra and all four wheels had a rim seal a year ago because the alloys were corroded and leaked slowly needing topping up with air every few days. It only lasted a few months before they started leaking again.

Options look to be:

Redo the rim seal every six months or so for £60. Would be a bit of a pain and it can't be a good thing repeatedly grinding away corrosion.

Have the wheels repainted/powder coated for £200 which should give another 6 or 7 years. But I imagine they'd want all the wheels at the same time and somehow we have to get the wheels to the refurber without dropping the car on the ground!

Find some steel wheels from a scrapyard.

Thoughts?

#2 Re: Alloy Wheels

Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2023 12:21 pm
by ed
I had exactly the same problem with a mondeo a few years ago. I think I may even have winged about it on here.

After having the tyre garage re-pasting the rims a couple of times I gave up because the remedy only lasted a couple of weeks. I finally bought a replacement set of rims from a local scrapper, which were good until I disposed of the car.

#3 Re: Alloy Wheels

Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2023 12:23 pm
by andrew Ivimey
Now you may think that cheap steel wheels are the answer but they are NOT.

When I bought the bag of bits that, in a fit of enthusiasm, the dealer described as 'a car' U was offered the alternative of alloy wheels fir 1200 extra. As this was nearly a tenth if the whole car I suggested gently that he was pulling my plonker and I'd take the standard proletarian steel ones as was my wont.

Ever since then they have leaked; too cold, too hot-, wrong kind of leaves, one wheel resting on the curb etc etc. It has been explained to me that steel is crap because they are soft steel and, always leak. Should have bought the alloys.

I don't altogether accept this argument as cars have used steel for donkey's years so now they just use crap to fleece me further.

I'm cutting my nose off to spite my face, I suppose.

Beware cheap steel wheels and beware cheap steel wheels from the breakers yard....

#4 Re: Alloy Wheels

Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2023 12:23 pm
by andrew Ivimey
Ah I see that Ed has a happier tale.

#5 Re: Alloy Wheels

Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2023 12:42 pm
by Nick
Can you get tubes in your wheel size?

#6 Re: Alloy Wheels

Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2023 12:43 pm
by pre65
Nick wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 12:42 pm Can you get tubes in your wheel size?
I'm fairly sure tubes are not recommended in tubeless tyres. :(

#7 Re: Alloy Wheels

Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2023 2:22 pm
by simon
Thanks chaps. I suppose there's no guarantee that new-to-me uns from the scrapper would be any better than the ones we have. Might be worth considering cheap new, if they are cheap and any good. S'pose it depends to some extent on the price differential.

#8 Re: Alloy Wheels

Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2023 2:55 pm
by Neal
sorry don’t useinner tubes, there could be issues

#9 Re: Alloy Wheels

Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2023 3:25 pm
by Ali Tait
Agree with above, just buy another set of rims from a scrappy or ebay.

#10 Re: Alloy Wheels

Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2023 5:09 pm
by ed
in my case it was all about corrosion.....it wasn't difficult to go through the rims at the scrapyard and select a set that didn't have any signs of corrosion....

I suppose it boils down to how many micras are in your local scrapyard..or which vehicles have the same wheels as a micra.

#11 Re: Alloy Wheels

Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2023 6:42 pm
by Ali Tait
I bought from ebay a spare set of alloys with winter tyres- a necessity living in Scotland with a bmw when I visit my mother in the Cairngorms on a regular basis. When they needed a new set of tyres it was cheaper to buy another set of wheels with nearly new tyres than to replace the tyres on the existing set with new. They were nicer wheels too. :-)

#12 Re: Alloy Wheels

Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2023 8:45 pm
by jack
Odd as it may seem, I've literally been dealing with a damaged alloy wheel this last weekend.

It has a crack in it which leads to a slow leak and a flat tyre overnight. 2005 Volvo V70 D5 estate. Being fair, due to the age of the wheels and extensive corrosion, getting the beads airtight in any of them is a challenge.

There's an alloy recon place near me that will acid strip, weld, reshape (remove dents, kerbing etc), sandblast & powder coat for £60 a corner. Had a long talk with them on Saturday. First wheel goes in tomorrow - takes about 3 days.

They have a tonne of work on at the moment - say it's the busiest they've ever been. Roads are in v. Poor state around here.

As a consequence of coming out of the house on Sunday morning and finding the tyre flat again, our trip to Solihull for a family wedding reception couldn't be in the Volvo (the wretched car I just replaced the alternator on)... We had to use the old kids car runabout... A 2004 Nissan Micra K12!

380 miles round trip, all motorway, in the rain, in a tiny Micra.

Mind you, unleaded was only £1.41 ltr up there 😀

#13 Re: Alloy Wheels

Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2023 6:40 pm
by jack
Should get it back at the weekend. Apologies for poor photos - light was awful and it was raining...

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#14 Re: Alloy Wheels

Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2023 3:58 pm
by lindsayt
Most tyre fitters just paint some whitish gungy liquid round the inside of the alloy rims where the tyre will mate with the wheel.

There's a place in my village that do tyre fitting as a side to their main business. First time I went there I saw that the fitting lad spent 20 minutes per alloy wheel cleaning and preparing the inner rim with a file and wire brush.
Never had any issues with tyres slowly losing pressure with anything fitted by them. Unlike everywhere else I've used.
So that's why I use them every time, even if their price is £5 to £10 more than the cheapest possible deal.

A lot of the wheels on my cars are quite scabby and corroded on the outside. That's all cosmetic. The main thing is that they are true and square and the mating surface with the tyre forms a good seal.

I think it's all common sense, when you think about the engineering principles.

#15 Re: Alloy Wheels

Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2023 4:02 pm
by andrew Ivimey
I'd like that kind of service here in Hobbiton though.