2004 Rx330 Wheels

[CrystalBear]

Last week I took my RX330 in to have the tires replaced. When the technician took the wheels off the tires he found corrosion and peeling on three of the wheels. He said it was from using Fix a Flat. Has anyone else had this problem? They suggested we rechrome or replace the wheels. One tire would not hold air so he did not put it on my car - he used the spare instead (without chrome wheel). My husband sanded the wheel and we took it back. Technician said it still would not seal/hold air. Our first set of tires had 28,370 mi and our current miles are 53,065. Any suggestions??

[blk_on_blk]

I have RX330 chrome wheels and have noticed some pitting/corrosion on the beauty side of the wheel. I was pretty disappointed to see OEM Lexus wheels showing signs of a poor chroming.

Unfortunately, even with best chroming, Fix-a-flat is caustic enough to eat through it and deteriorate aluminum wheels. Here's a more detailed article on it (below). I'm sorry to say, but I think your wheels are unusable until repaired, meaning getting them sanded, perhaps rewelded, and then chromed again... but with all that work and money, it's probably just better to get a pair of replacement wheels. Here's a guy who does 'chrome exchange'... you send him your wheels and payment, and he'll send you a pair of fully rechromed wheels. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...em=330274711315

The other option is to buy a new set, but then even the non-OEM wheels are about the same price. Last option is to search for some used ones via www.craigslist.org

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but replacement is probably the most economical way to go.

______________________________________________

"The Big Fix-A-Flat Debate

When your tire fails to hold air pressure and there's no immediate source of air around, it's become common practice to run to the truck and grab a can of Fix-A-Flat or any of the other competing “temporary” tire inflator product. While the product does come to assistance and works quite well, it should only be used in cases of extreme emergency as the use of this temporary “band-aid” can actually create a whirlwind of problems for those with aluminum after market wheels.

Now, note that we do mention "aluminum" because the use of this product (if left for a prolonged period) will deteriorate and flake the chrome as well as possibly destroy the seal on three-piece wheels. If left on for way too long, the corrosive properties of the chemicals found ion these cans may also lead to the actual aluminum being “eaten” away. So if you use the product make sure you clean it off and bring it in for service “ASAP”, and again these types of products were built as a temporary fix so it should never be left in.

If Fix-A-Flat is left inside the wheel for an extended period of time, the aluminum wheel itself will also start to deteriorate and eventually begin to leak. This leak will be a slow leak, and in most cases will ruin the tire from under inflation. The only way to fix the leak is to remove the chrome with a heavy brush, have the wheel sealed with silicone (which is a temporary fix) and have it checked periodically.

The simple solution to this problem is very basic. If you have a Fix-A-Flat type product, make sure that you get your tire replaced or repaired as quickly as possible. Make sure that you tell the tire technician or salesperson that you have used the product (it’s a real mess for the tire technician otherwise) and that you would like for that person to clean the Fix-A-Flat product off of the chrome. Even if it is cleaned from the tire, the wheel will need a good “bath”, if you will, to ensure that there are no future problems."

[CrystalBear]

Thanks for the info. This morning I took the car to a different tire place who told me the same thing you said. They checked the other tire and it was holding air - as of now. I will keep an eye on all of them in the event they start loosing air. The chrome is not peeling on the outside - is it a risk to continue to drive with these wheels? Do I have any recourse as far as complaining to Fix a Flat or am I wasting my time? No where on the can does it say anything about having the Fix a Flat fluid removed from the tire or that it is a temporary fix. Thanks again for the update.

I have RX330 chrome wheels and have noticed some pitting/corrosion on the beauty side of the wheel. I was pretty disappointed to see OEM Lexus wheels showing signs of a poor chroming.

Unfortunately, even with best chroming, Fix-a-flat is caustic enough to eat through it and deteriorate aluminum wheels. Here's a more detailed article on it (below). I'm sorry to say, but I think your wheels are unusable until repaired, meaning getting them sanded, perhaps rewelded, and then chromed again... but with all that work and money, it's probably just better to get a pair of replacement wheels. Here's a guy who does 'chrome exchange'... you send him your wheels and payment, and he'll send you a pair of fully rechromed wheels. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...em=330274711315

The other option is to buy a new set, but then even the non-OEM wheels are about the same price. Last option is to search for some used ones via www.craigslist.org

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but replacement is probably the most economical way to go.

______________________________________________

"The Big Fix-A-Flat Debate

When your tire fails to hold air pressure and there's no immediate source of air around, it's become common practice to run to the truck and grab a can of Fix-A-Flat or any of the other competing “temporary” tire inflator product. While the product does come to assistance and works quite well, it should only be used in cases of extreme emergency as the use of this temporary “band-aid” can actually create a whirlwind of problems for those with aluminum after market wheels.

Now, note that we do mention "aluminum" because the use of this product (if left for a prolonged period) will deteriorate and flake the chrome as well as possibly destroy the seal on three-piece wheels. If left on for way too long, the corrosive properties of the chemicals found ion these cans may also lead to the actual aluminum being “eaten” away. So if you use the product make sure you clean it off and bring it in for service “ASAP”, and again these types of products were built as a temporary fix so it should never be left in.

If Fix-A-Flat is left inside the wheel for an extended period of time, the aluminum wheel itself will also start to deteriorate and eventually begin to leak. This leak will be a slow leak, and in most cases will ruin the tire from under inflation. The only way to fix the leak is to remove the chrome with a heavy brush, have the wheel sealed with silicone (which is a temporary fix) and have it checked periodically.

The simple solution to this problem is very basic. If you have a Fix-A-Flat type product, make sure that you get your tire replaced or repaired as quickly as possible. Make sure that you tell the tire technician or salesperson that you have used the product (it’s a real mess for the tire technician otherwise) and that you would like for that person to clean the Fix-A-Flat product off of the chrome. Even if it is cleaned from the tire, the wheel will need a good “bath”, if you will, to ensure that there are no future problems."

[blk_on_blk]

If the Fix-a-Flat can doesn't say anything about it attacking aluminum wheels or not to leave it in, then I would think you have a case. In addition, I highly doubt you are the first person for this to happen to. I would do a little research on the web about pending actions brought against Fix-a-Flat and see if you can get some help from there.

I don't think it's any kind of a safety risk to keep driving on the wheels at the moment. The most that could happen is to have a small leak develop, so just keep an eye on the tire pressure.

One other thing I was going to suggest was to look to a 'plating company' to see if maybe they could replate your wheels for you, but then wheels have what is called 'beauty chrome', and it's a pretty nasty process to chrome something, so many places don't even do it much any more... but it might be worth looking into.

Again, sorry to have bad news... hopefully you'll find a good deal on some replacement wheels or a good rechromer.