(allegedly) – We had a flat on Saturday which I took to a tyre place after some vigorous track pumping action. It turned out it had lost air owing to the alloy wheel being corroded. After a clean up it is again holding air, but looking at the other wheels I can see that this is going to be a recurring problem (undoubtedly late on a wet night in a hurry to get to an aiport or whatever).

Is there any way of avoiding this apart from taking all the tyres off and cleaning up, or do alloy wheels just suffer from this?

Thanks in advance

I had this on an old 5 series. As the corrosion is pushing the bead off the lip of the wheel I can’t see how you’re going to sort it without removing the tyre. Could be wrong though, sure someone will be along in a minute

This is caused by numpty tyre fitters using the clip-on weights. They knack the lacquer on the wheel, allowing road salt to corrode the alloy and therefore leak.

Avoid by insisting they use stick-on weights when they balance the wheels.

That would explain why the corrosion appears in one place, but given every wheel is affected not much that I can do now, I suppose.

I binned a set of alloys on an old Merc and replaced them with a set of steelies from eBay for this very reason. Bummer.

Is there any way of avoiding this apart from taking all the tyres off and cleaning up, or do alloy wheels just suffer from this?

Alloys aren’t really very practical wheels. They leak, they’re soft and the inner edge of the rim deforms very easily. Personally I think its a shame they’ve become so widely fitted on ‘ordinary’ cars, their not suited, best left as optional extras and add-on bling.

happened to me on a mk3 golf. it always had slow punctures on all wheels. took it to the local tyre place and they removed all the tyres and wire wheeled the rims and refitted again for about 30 quid, which i thought was reasonable. fixed it too, and lots better than having to fix a flat at the dead of night in the rain!

Each tyre will need to come off, the fitter should then use a flappy wheel to sand down the inside and outside of the lip on each inside edge of the rim (heh…rim) and also use the proper sealant that gets brushed on to help fit the tyre ans seat it.

As the air lines in garages up here are 40-50p, it soon adds up and cheaper in the long run to get it sorted. Or just keep it topped up and remember to get it done when you get new tyres.

Thanks all. Looks like something to live with then. I’d never heard of it before.

Cheers

But check the wheel aren’t cracked.

Yup had it on the wife’s BBS wheels – had them refurbed and they’ve been fine

They can also go bad around the valve seat.

Some alloys are very corrodey, too- the ones on my mondeo (a ghia x) are terrible.

Now I don’t neccesarily recommend this, since the corrosion leakage could be the harbinger of a worse failure, but with the old car I stuck a little stans sealant into the one leaky wheel and it sorted it out very quickly.

I had slow punctures from corroded wheels which I sorted with one of those emergency puncture repair kits (latex in an aerosol) and its held so far. Works on your bike so…

I too have a mondeo ghia x (51 plate) and I just blow them up with a track pump every couple of weeks

+1 for liquid sealant. Might not endear you to your next tyre fitter, though!

I wondered about Stan’s. Thought it might throw the balance off.

Rover wheels are bad for corrosion but can’t remember the oem manufacturers name.

our golf did this too ….

quarter can of sealnflate in each wheel. quick drive- job done

tire fitter didnt care when i got new uns fitted