Folks,

For the past few weeks (well, since I bought the car) I've been losing air pressure in one wheel inconsistently. Sometimes 2 days, sometimes a week.

Took it in last week to have it diagnosed, they couldn't find anything.

Took it in again today, and they pulled it apart, and found a crack in the rim of the wheel. It's about 3/4 of an inch long, and maybe 1/32" wide.

Can this be repaired?

Is this a common failure with these wheels (factory 17" non-sport from '04).

Thanks!

 

No, not common at all. Older chrome rims are known to have leaking issues at the bead or where the tire meets the rim. Chrome starts to peel. I would probably look for a nice used wheel on eBay or just swap out the spare in your trunk.

 

You're better off just swapping the spare. Or that cracked wheel can be welded back together so you don't face the same issue again. And no one wants a flat spare sitting in their trunk.

 

I would not think about welding a crack in an alloy wheel. toss it and get a new one.

 

Done it lots of times. It won't be a problem.

 

A hairline crack is likely from metal fatigue in the wheel. This was a more common problem when alloy wheels were originally introduced in cars. If it were me, I'd carefully inspect all of the other wheels for similar cracks. You don't need a wheel to separate while driving. If they all appear solid, pick up a matching used or new wheel from eBay or a place like OEM Wheels.