Factory Chrome Rims...air Leak?

[imtheking]

bought some OEM factory 16 inch chrome wheels from ebay for my 1998 gs300. payed $150 for all 4 wheels. Yea, a great buy. So my wheels come in today and they look good. Everything is fine. Of course they are used so you can see a few scratches and peeling here and there. But for 150, why complain!

I took to a local rim shop to put them on and he said he cant because the chrome on the inside of the rim where the tire will go around has peeled so if I install these tires, they will eventually leak air. He only took 2 of the rims out of the boxes and showed the peeling.

I took to another shop that my friend owns and he said yes they are peeling but the rims he had on his honda accord were in worse condition and they havent leaked air or anything. He said the other guy has a point but its 50/50. I left rims with him and he said he can clean them up a bit and put them on my car tomorrow. Maybe use a sealant.

Anyone ever heard of something like this before. Since when does chrome peeling cause a tire to leak air?

[imtheking]

sure enough, after installing these, they leaked air. So word of advice, dont buy used chrome wheels

[stroked4.6]

sure enough, after installing these, they leaked air. So word of advice, dont buy used chrome wheels

Did you file a complaint with ebay? You should contact the seller first and demand a refund especially if he didn’t mention this defect.

[92Lex]

I doubt that they'll leak much air...if any at all. I mean, the tires are going to make a very tight seal once mounted. Plus, rubber is pliable and it should contour to the rims uneven surface. I just think that the chrome layering used to coat rims are so thin that it wouldn't really matter.

[imtheking]

Well, we installed one rim and it was fine. Soon as we put on tire on 2nd rim and filled with air, you could hear the air leaking....hissing noise.

The ebay add did say the rims were used and no refunds. I know this is mean, but I reposted the rims right back on ebay. I didnt say they leak air. I just said chrome is peeling and rims are used...being sold as-is.

Local rim shop said these cant even be repaired. Oh well. What can I do.

[92Lex]

Howcome they couldn't re-spray the wheels? Was the rim cracked?

[SKperformance]

To get the wheels to seat and not leak it needs to have a wire brush or scraper to pull the chrome off around the bead seat. Once done it will not leak. Another option is to use green slime which is added to each tire and will hold the air perfectly.

[imtheking]

To get the wheels to seat and not leak it needs to have a wire brush or scraper to pull the chrome off around the bead seat. Once done it will not leak. Another option is to use green slime which is added to each tire and will hold the air perfectly.

I just emailed the seller and he said that he had the wheels on his car with 245/50/16 tires. I have the stock 215/60/16 tires on my car. I have the same exact wheels on my car now in silver. He said he took these off 2 days before he listed them on ebay so I dont know. He might be lying...this is probably the reason why he took them off in the first place...air leaking

The mechanic at my friends shop said there is no hope for these wheels. (2nd mechanic who told me this) Then again, we didnt even try to clean them using a wire brush or use any sealant etc. I just called him and Im taking my car back there to get some work done so we are going to make one more attempt to try to fix the wheels. This time we will clean and use sealant.

[SKperformance]

Get a wheel shop to put it on a lathe and it will remove the chrome from the bead seal and it will be perfect. I have a set of sc430 wheels with the same problem ,it is an easy and cheap fix.

[imtheking]

Get a wheel shop to put it on a lathe and it will remove the chrome from the bead seal and it will be perfect. I have a set of sc430 wheels with the same problem ,it is an easy and cheap fix.

Hmmm..ok. Well the first shop I went to was a custom wheel shop. they are the first ones that told me there is no hope for these.

I'll go to another wheel shop like Mr. Tire or Merchants and wont even tell them there is a problem. I'll just have them put these on for me and see what they say.

[imtheking]

Since these came off a 99 GS400, does the tire size make a difference? I currently have 215/60/16 on my 98GS300 and wanted to use the same tires.

The 99 GS400 calls for 225/55/16. Is this the reason why they might be leaking air?

But whats funny is, we put on one rim and it didnt leak air.

[SKperformance]

The tire sizing does have a slight problem to cause it to leak air but you need to find a wheel/rim repair shop not a seller of wheels.

Ask a wheel shop for someone who repairs wheels or look in the yellow pages.

[imtheking]

Called a wheel repair shop and they told me over the phone that chrome cant be repaired. I would have to get them re-chromed at $350 a wheel!!!

[anthonyiez]

i'm with SK here. once all the chrome is removed from the bead and a good bead sealer lathered on, they should be fine. i've never had a problem with old chrome wheels after cleaning the chrome off and sealing them properly.

[SKperformance]

You do not want them rechromed or the chrome repaired you want the chrome removed from the bead and sanded down to bare metal.

[imtheking]

Ok, I went there and showed them the wheels in person. They said they have seen this before with chrome and will charge $100 per wheel. Sounds like thats exactly what they were going to do....sand down and use bead sealant. Since I am using the same tires i have now, they said I will have to drop off car so they can clean and test for air leakage. I dont know if I want to spend $400 on these.....

[KerryJ]

I feel for ya! I too saw some rims on ebay, the seller refused to remove the tires for inspection/shipping. That was a red flag for me. I have the same problems with my 01 GS 300. The original tires were on the car for over 48,000 mi.! When the kid at the tire shop went to remove the first tire, off came a huge chrome splinter. Fortunately I witnessed the tech who was working on the wheels and noticed he wasn't very careful. I had a more experienced tech, who is a friend, finish the job. Long story short. I use this tire shop religiously and they cleaned the bead on all 4 rims with a steel wheel and wire brush. He had to cut some of the peeling chome from the lip of the rims, and I did have to superglue one of the dangling pieces. They used two coats of bead sealer and I haven't had a problem for six months now. Just know what ever you do that these wheels are on the way out. If mine get me 12-18 more months I'll be pleased. I think $100 per rim for cleaning is a little high, it only takes 10 minutes to clean one rim. I guess if they will stand behind the seal its worth it. I will end my diatribe now, I won't even start on the frustration of a 4.5 year old, $42K car needing $1,200 in rims! I suggest to all my friends with the chromes to dismount the tire and have the bead cleaned annually!

[imtheking]

Thats exactly my problem. Spending money to fix these and having a problem 6 months from now. I don't want to go through that. And my problem has been finding someone who will clean and wire brush these for a cheap price. Its a matter of cleaning, sealing and testing. If they leak air, off with the tire and more cleaning sealing etc...I can clean myself, but there is no way of testing them.

There are some really good wheel and tire packages I found online for like $1000. (18 inch chrome) really nice wheels and brand new in the box. Its still January and we have plenty of time left here in MD till the weather gets warmer. Which is the time I really want to put these on. I might save my money and buy a fresh pair of wheels. Since I only paid $230 (includes shipping) I'll take the loss on these. I might even post back on Ebay and sell them AS-IS. Let someone else take the time to clean these etc...

Is it immoral to post these on Ebay knowing it has this problem? If I state as is, needs cleaning etc, can a buyer dispute?

[SKperformance]

It is not the kind of think i would think highly of for someone to sell something they know has a problem and not disclose it.

I would try and contact another rim shop as using a steel wire brush to the bead seal is usually included by many good tire shops.

For about $40 in dremel bits you could clean up the bead seat yourself as $100 a wheel is a bit extreme in a basic repair.

[imtheking]

It is not the kind of think i would think highly of for someone to sell something they know has a problem and not disclose it.

I would try and contact another rim shop as using a steel wire brush to the bead seal is usually included by many good tire shops.

For about $40 in dremel bits you could clean up the bead seat yourself as $100 a wheel is a bit extreme in a basic repair.

Well, cleaning the rims should be done before wheels are put on anyway. I'm just to lazy to go around and find someone to do this for me. So Im not really "misleading" my ad on Ebay. I would say they have to be cleaned and sanded down. I actually took these to Mr. Tire and they said they would clean it up the best they could and see what happens. When I find time, I'll stop by and have them do this...see what happens.

I wouldnt think to highly of anyone either selling something that is not working etc....but dont car salesman do it all the time :)

[KerryJ]

If you can swing a set of rims and tires that you like for $1000, and the best you can find pricewise is $400 to repair the chromes, I'd be going new. My situation was unique b/c there was no cost to me for reconditioning all four bead seats due to the carelessness of the first tech.

As for ebay, you can advertise them honestly, explain your situation and sell them cheap just to rid yourself of them. You can also correspond with the seller and ask them to meet you half way as the wheels were not in useable condition, unless the ad stated them to be in need of repair or defective. You can always go back and make an addendum to the feedback you left to nuetral or negative if they are not cooperative, most ebayers don't want the neg. feedback!

[anthonyiez]

$100 per wheel??? did that include high performance vasoline as well???

[92Lex]

$100 per wheel??? did that include high performance vasoline as well???

LOL

[SKperformance]

There are also many companies that do wheel exchanges which will swap your rims for a completely refinished chrome set for pretty cheap.

[imtheking]

any good ones you know of?