DrComputer

After two months of owning my GS430 I was washing it on a weekend and noticed bubbles in the sidewalls of the two right side tires. I also noticed that one of the wheels on the same side had a chip missing. Having read about other 430 owners having porosity problems with the wheels I called my dealer and took it in.

The dealer told me that the tires were damaged by hitting potholes and that they were NOT covered under warranty. Since I was a "good customer" they made a deal with me that I would pay for one tire and they would pay for the second tire and wheel. I forked over my $450 and they replaced the two tires and the one rim.

Now for the kicker.... I just brought the car in for its first service and the dealer says "By the way, the tire on the left rear side now has a bubble too and the wheel is also damaged." I was furious. How can a new car that is less than 4 months old have 3 out of its 4 original tires damaged by potholes? I live in Los Angeles and our streets aren't that great after all the rains this year.. but I don't make it a point to aim for potholes. I called Lexus Customer Service to complain (at the dealer’s request).

Has anyone else had problems with their GS430 tires and rims? I can't believe that Lexus would use tired and rims that are so soft that any road hazard would damage them.

foofighter

if you hit a pot hole or something on the road just right, it can happen. you check your air pressure regularly?

lexuslover

i live in san diego, same type of roads - some areas have bad potholes, and i don't mean to hit them, but sometimes do if they are hard to see. i have not had 1 bubble in any of the tires. and the rims are fine to the best of my knowledge. i exchanged my original graphite 5-spoke for 5-spoke chromes 2 months after having the car, but even then i didn't experience any porosity.

how are the rims damaged other than porosity? are they cracked or bent??

DrComputer

Tire pressure is fine (I do check it). And yes, two of the rims with tires that have bubbled have bent. Like I told my service writer, I'm sure I have hit a pothole or two in the past few months (sometime you just can't avoid them). But... these tires and rims shouldn't be so fragile that they bubble (tires) and bend (rims) when you hit a small pothole. I could understand maybe one tire or rim having a problem... but three.. that just seems too coincidental.

foofighter

well it happens a lot more than you think...the guys on the R32 forum has had them happen a lot w/ their OE Goodyear F1 tires. I dont know what one can do though to avoid things like this

Ex996

Keep digging, man. That doesn't seem right that an OEM wheel would get beat up that easily. I would think you would know in your heart of hearts how much of a potholer you are. I bet Lexus corporate would go out of their way to make you happy!

DrComputer

Well, coprorate called back and they are talking to the dealer and "investigating" the problem. We'll see what they come up with. I don't care if they want to replace the tires with a different brand (just not run-flats) and replace the rims with something else. I just don't want to have to keep buying tires and rims. I'll post what they say.