Chrome Wheel Deterioration Issue In The Eastern U.s.

[PCW]

I have a 2001 LS430 with factory chrome wheels and I live in the Northern Virginia area. About 2 months ago I noticed that one of my tires was losing about a pound of air about every other day and assumed that I had a small nail or bad value in the tire. The first trip to my local Lexus dealer (the tires were under a road hazard warranty with my local dealer) showed no nail or any leak when the tire was submerged in a pail of water. So I thought maybe my tire pressure gauge was faulty so I purchased a new one and started monitoring the pressure in all tires everyday for a approx. 2 weeks. Again I was still losing about a pound of air every other day in the same tire.

So I made an another appointment at my local Lexus dealer and requested that the head Tech work with me to locate the leak. He said that he had heard that in the Eastern U.S., over time, chrome wheels will begin to deteriorate where the tire seals against the wheel and that air would slowly escape at these spots. He said it has to do with the chemicals in the air from the harser winters we have vs the West. So he dismounted the tire from the wheel and sure enough, at various spots on both sides of the wheel, there appeared spots that looked like big discolorations that were crusty where the chrome was deteriorating. He then used his power wire brush to buff out the spots and then remounted and rebalanced the tire. I then checked the pressure for the next week and no air escaped. So realizing that all 4 chrome wheels were the same age I then went back and had the Tech dismount the other 3 wheels/tires, and sure enough, they were also deteriorating, but hadn't reached the point of losing air pressure yet. So he buffed off the bad spots on the other 3 wheels and all is now back to normal. Obviously I had to pay the labor charges to have this work done but it was well worth the cost.

[1990LS400]

It happens more than just in the Eastern U.S. -- it's anywhere salt is used on the road. I've read that using "fix-a-flat" compounds in tires will trash chrome wheels even quicker that salt.

The reason it took so long to happen on your LS430 might be because not all that much salt is used on roads in your area. Here in Kansas where I live, chrome wheels would be pretty well trashed after three or four winters. I store my chrome wheels for the winter and use painted wheels with my snow tires.

[03whiteLS430]

Same issue here in Texas, just paid $50 to have each wheel fixed. 03 LS430 with OEM chrome wheels from Houston that I bought a year ago.

[ksteckel]

I live in Indiana and the same thing has happened to my wheels. Bottom line is if you live where there is salt on the road, don't buy chrome wheels. Regardless of what anyone says, they will pit. Typically chrome wheels first start pitting where the tire bead is (which is probably why you are losing air). I've been there too and the only thing I can recommend is to use alloy wheels, unless you plan on not driving the car in the winter or running through the car wash after every snow. But even then that doesn't always work. If you really like chrome there is a company in Detriot that has a new method of chroming wheels. They have a 5 yr/100,000 mile warranty against pitting and peeling. The website is www.uswheelexchange.com. Check it out, it may be the way to go.

[Don33]

I have a 2001 LS430 with factory chrome wheels and I live in the Northern Virginia area. About 2 months ago I noticed that one of my tires was losing about a pound of air about every other day and assumed that I had a small nail or bad value in the tire. The first trip to my local Lexus dealer (the tires were under a road hazard warranty with my local dealer) showed no nail or any leak when the tire was submerged in a pail of water. So I thought maybe my tire pressure gauge was faulty so I purchased a new one and started monitoring the pressure in all tires everyday for a approx. 2 weeks. Again I was still losing about a pound of air every other day in the same tire.

So I made an another appointment at my local Lexus dealer and requested that the head Tech work with me to locate the leak. He said that he had heard that in the Eastern U.S., over time, chrome wheels will begin to deteriorate where the tire seals against the wheel and that air would slowly escape at these spots. He said it has to do with the chemicals in the air from the harser winters we have vs the West. So he dismounted the tire from the wheel and sure enough, at various spots on both sides of the wheel, there appeared spots that looked like big discolorations that were crusty where the chrome was deteriorating. He then used his power wire brush to buff out the spots and then remounted and rebalanced the tire. I then checked the pressure for the next week and no air escaped. So realizing that all 4 chrome wheels were the same age I then went back and had the Tech dismount the other 3 wheels/tires, and sure enough, they were also deteriorating, but hadn't reached the point of losing air pressure yet. So he buffed off the bad spots on the other 3 wheels and all is now back to normal. Obviously I had to pay the labor charges to have this work done but it was well worth the cost.

Yesterday I noticed that one of my tires was down to 23 psi from 30. I inspected and soaped the entire tire and found nothing. Then I read the board. A couple of members told of their tires leaking where the tire meets the rim due to corrosion. I removed the tire and laid it flat and then poured a soap solution in the bead grove. Within seconds there were tiny bubbles. I marked the spot.

I deflated the tire hoping I could inspect the area. I managed to safely pry the bead down a little and found no corrosion. However, I found a small bar-code label exactly where the leak was and where the tire meets the rim. I carefully removed the label, re-inflated the tire and the leak was gone. This is a 2002 with 97K in so Cal. The tire is a Michelin Primacy from Costco.