ImStricken

hey twister, i went back and zoomed into your pic and i can clearly make out signs of oxidation.

this is directly resulted to no protective barrier on the clear-coat away from UV rays, oily puddles, salts, dirt, rusty brake dust, etc. WAX YOUR RIMS!! lol

i googled "paint oxidation" and you can see the pics are almost identical:




your gonna get swirles from a dry, non protected clear-coat, and rain stains from the same: non-protected clear coat


i cant stress this enough. YOU HAVE TO PROTECT YOUR CLEAR COAT FROM THE HARMFUL UV RAYS, AND SALTS, DIRTY RAIN WATER, PUDDLES, MIST FROM CARS IN FRONT OF YOU DURING RAINFALL, AND ANY HARSH CHEMICALS YOU EXPOSE YOUR CAR TOO.

yoyokata

my rims have started to do that a little. I'm not leaking air but the finish does seem to start bubbling.

aLexGS350

iTrader: (5)

ouch...i'm glad I live in CA

ImStricken

oxidation will happen just as fast under UV rays(if not worse) in the California sun, than the few times per year east coast residents get salt during winter.

harsh chemicals, UV rays, rain water, dish washing soap, salts, following a vehicle that's kicking up filthy, oily mist from the road surface during rains, bird poo, tree sap, etc will all damage your vehicle's clear-coat no matter what region you live in(some area's have more uv, some have more salt- doesn't really make a difference.) if you neglect your car's clear coat, all of the above listed items will absolutely destroy your clear-coat, eventually getting down to your body paint/ rim powder-coat, and then down to the bare metal surface.
brake dust will enter any opening between the paint and bare metal causing the build up of rust; which loves to grow and eat more material as it grows.(that's the bulging & bubbling you get)

READ WHAT I WROTE ON PAGE1

Road Rage

I see this all the time from "Yankee Cars" as we call 'em down here. It does seem the pre '08 models suffer it more often. If you're on the original tires them most likely any leak is comeing from the bead not being sealed. If your tires have been replaced at some point then my guess is the installer DID NOT change the fit kits. That would be a new stem seal, washer, and sleeve for the valve stem. The seal gets dry and brittle leading to leaking. And no amount of tightening will resolve it. The tighter you make it the more it will crumble under the tension.

Soapy water sprayed onto the valve stem will tell you if this is your leak source.

ImStricken

"yankee cars" because more folks down south wash their own cars, do basic maintenance in their own driveways, and more men are MEN. up here above the 'mason dixion line' men get a flat tire and go frantically searching on their iphone for an APP for that lol.(jk)

but in all seriousness many many guys are using car washes up here and the amigo's power-washing the rims right before the car goes into the car-wash are using heavy degreasers and harsh chemicals to get the brake dust off. those yankee's then get into their car and drive off not even thinking anything of it.
as i discussed on page1 - many car company's and rim manufacturers are using very soft paints that look amazing, give it that gun-metal magnesium look. but those clear-coats cant take the abuse of degreasers and harsh chemicals, nor dish-washing soaps. many guys found that out with the G35 & G37 which came made by Enkei went to go use Rim Cleaner and took the top coat, and paint right off:


rims are getting very expensive and gentle powder-coatings, and paints put on them; similar to that of car body panels. RIMS ALONG WITH YOUR CAR NEED TO BE WAXED TWICE PER YEAR!

worker

Last week I saw my wheel pop and peel like this too. small but noticeable.