velocity12

I brought my 2002 SC into NTB to check a slow leak in a tire.
The tire checked out fine but the manager said that the rim was corroded and probably the cause of a poor seal. He said this is often seen on Lexus and other high end cars. Anyone ever experience corroded rims that have this effect?

IS0LD0UT

iTrader: (1)

I had the same problem with a set of chome wheels on my old es300. Running chrome in the winter was not a good idea.

e-man

Totally normal. Have them take off the tire, clean up the inside edge of the rim, and reseal it. It shouldn't cost more than about $15. You should be good to go.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

yes, i think that's the right way, clean it up, sand and smooth it out, and put the tires back on. that's the only right way to repair it

and i think this mostly happens to chrome wheels? not sure if it happens to normal alloys as well?

though personally, i am not sure about the part on "often seen on Lexus and other high end cars". if you maintain the wheels right, they should be durable. if you don't, then even the alloy wheels on civic will go bad

prex

I'm having the same problem (my SC430 came with "Driv" aftermarket chrome wheels) - chrome is peeling off on the outside too, have to put air in rear tires appx once a week now. Can't wait to have factory wheels put back on and things as they are meant to be.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

can the chrome plating process be only done on steel or can it be done on aluminum also

Eternity3G

ALuminum is no problem. You figure most aftermarket wheels are made of aluminum...

GS300Rich

I had this happen to a set of wheels I had. Had them on for 2 years no problem and then started having problems holding air. Got worse and I was having to fill them up every other day Luckily my iForged wheels came in and sold these to a friend. He had the whole wheels rechromed and they work and look like new

Xevuhtess7

the corrosion/buildup of junk happens on wheels of any material. just clean it up, remount the tire and you're good to go

PERRYinLA

The "cleaning up" part can be a chore.
There was quite a bit of corrrosion on the inside lip of my chrome rims, right where the tire contacts it.
If it is significant enough to cause air leakage (as mine was), it may not be enough to just wire-brush it.
I also needed to sand the lip with emery sandpaper, and then apply several coats of primer to get it smooth enough to seal up against the tire.
It was not the sort of job I'd entrust to just any shop- it takes time to do it right, to get it smooth enough to seal up and to keep the corrosion from reappearing (and in my case, there's still no guarantee that it won't). And most shops don't want to spend that much time.
I ended up having a Firestone shop remove the tire from the wheel, then I took the wheel home to perform the steps described above myself.
The next day I returned to the shop to remount the tire.

I posted full details and pics on what I did in the Tires/Wheels forum:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/the...with-pics.html

chrispy

iTrader: (21)

I had a set of cheap chrome OEM style 16's that were on my ES300 back in the day. The chrome started corroding and leaking air slowly so I got sick of it and got some SC430 alloys.

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

you answered your own question actually...

how many Civics come with chrome wheels?? Chrome wheels are typically a higher end fitment for higher end cars...

it can happen to any wheel, steel, aluminum, etc, however, chrome plated wheels are the most common, because it's not just corrosion on the chrome, sometimes the chrome just works its way loose from the base layer of metal...

anything can be chrome plated, even plastic... the key is to get a coat of zinc and or nickel down first... very very few aftermarket wheels are steel, and even fewer are chrome steel anymore... there is only a couple companies that build them, and they are typically for trucks and off road fitments...