Leaky Alloys

[securespark]

Son has a 2018 Hyundai i30 Tourer.

He's had a bit of bad luck with a couple of punctures.

These have continued but the garage is sure there are no punctures and the valves are good.

The other day he went to the garage and they said air is leaking from the front tyres because the alloy rims are corroded.

Never had this before. Never with all the miles I've driven and all the cars I've owned.

Heard of this before?

The thing is, I can't see any corrosion at all and they didn't say it was dangerous to drive the car.

They offered to swap all alloys for non OEM for 899.

I talked to my lad about that and we agreed it would be better to use the original wheels to avoid insurance issues.

He has found he can order remanufactured alloys for his car from Hyundai for £600, with a 2 year warranty.

He did wonder about a second opinion. We do trust the garage, they are part of a chain and have done good work for 3 of us in the family in the past, working on our previous car multiple times with no issues.

 

[ReganAndCarter]

If it's corrosion between bead seat and tyre I would try cleaning up the bead seat carefully, bearing in mind it's alloy. Nothing too harsh, fine grit W&D, or proper alloy abrasive like a fine grade Loyblox. Then liberal dose of bead sealer.

Failing that, alloy wheel refurbishers can refurbish the insides of the wheels for about £50 each. A friend had this done when his alloys we leaking and it cured it.

 

[jj4091]

If you have one of the cheap childrens paddling pools full of water and immerse the wheel in the water you will soon see where the bubbles are coming from.

 

[norseman]

Air leaks can be tricky to cure.
Had this very same problem with my new spare tyre months after it was fitted. The tyre outlet stripped it off the (seemingly unused) alloy, checked the rim, replaced the valve, re-sealed the tyre upon replacement & dunked the wheel in an open tank .. no bubbles from either side or the valve.
Damn thing still loses a whiff of pressure so I have to put a few pounds in it every 6 weeks.

By total contrast I was warned by a tyre fitter, the last time I had a full set fitted to the road wheels, that the alloy rims had signs of corrosion but they (all) will go for weeks without any re-inflation being needed.

 

[Burnerman]

On an 18 plate car, stick with the wheels you have and follow Regans advice......look to see what the tyre fitter is doing too - they deal with this every day.
All people want to do is to fleece you!
Particularly check the valve location for bubbles if the leak is tiny.
Be lucky
John

 

[Stivino]

About 17 years ago a friend inherited a Hyundai from a deceased relative. He took it to Hyundai to have something done. When it was in the garage, THEY brought it to his attention that there was corrosion on his alloys, and the changed them all under warranty.
I don't expect that to happen in your case, it just came to mind when I read your post.
I would have them refurbished at a place like this. I know someone who works there and have had quite a few things done. For £50 a wheel, they come up like new, inside and out.

 

[foxhole]

Had corroded alloys , tyre shop sanded them all before new tyre fitted , seemed fine afterwards.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

If all it is, is corrosion, that is common, and to be expected of alloy wheels. All it needs is the corrosion removed from the rim, where the tyre seals. Alternatively, they can use rim sealant whilst fitting the tyre. They are trying to fleece you, trying to sell you unnecessary new rims.

Exceptionally, alloy rims can develop splits and cracks, but it doesn't sound like your problem. Splits and crack, can be repaired by alloy welding, if the alloys are irreplaceable.

 

[ReganAndCarter]

, or proper alloy abrasive like a fine grade Loyblox.

Looks like Loyblox aren't made any more. I still have one in my tool box, but it's been several decades since I used it to polish up the alloy engine casings on my Superdream.

Modern equivalent now called a Garryflex block - same thing - a rubber block impregnated with abrasive particles.

https://www.diy.com/departments/garryson-gb240-garryflex-abrasive-block-fine-240-grit-brown-garabf/5011367852039_BQ.prd

 

[carmanmemoranda]

If all it is, is corrosion, that is common, and to be expected of alloy wheels. All it needs is the corrosion removed from the rim, where the tyre seals. Alternatively, they can use rim sealant whilst fitting the tyre. They are trying to fleece you, trying to sell you unnecessary new rims.

Exceptionally, alloy rims can develop splits and cracks, but it doesn't sound like your problem. Splits and crack, can be repaired by alloy welding, if the alloys are irreplaceable.

If you go this route, make sure it's done professionally and with guarantee.

From the mot manual.......... Look at (a) especially

5.2.2. Road wheel condition​

You only need to inspect the road wheels fitted to the vehicle at the time of the inspection. If you notice a defect on a spare wheel, you should tell the vehicle presenter about it.

You must not remove wheel hub caps.

You can accept abutting ends on detachable spring retaining rings on wheel rims of semi-drop centre type (identified by the ends of the ring shaped to interlock) as long as the retainer is adequately and safely located in the wheel rim.

Defect reference	Defect	Category
(a)	Any fracture or welding defect on a wheel	Dangerous
(b)(i)	A tyre retaining ring not correctly fitted	Major
(b)(ii)	A tyre retaining ring likely to come off	Dangerous
(c)(i)	A wheel badly distorted or wear between wheel and hub at spigot mounting	Major
(c)(ii)	A wheel distorted or worn to the extent the wheel or tyre is likely to become detached	Dangerous
(d)	A wheel and its fixings not compatible	Major

 

[Mottie]

If all it is, is corrosion, that is common, and to be expected of alloy wheels. All it needs is the corrosion removed from the rim, where the tyre seals. Alternatively, they can use rim sealant whilst fitting the tyre. They are trying to fleece you, trying to sell you unnecessary new rims.

This ^^^^^^^

If you have one of the cheap childrens paddling pools full of water and immerse the wheel in the water you will soon see where the bubbles are coming from.

You probably won’t. Lay the wheel down, use some soapy water and put it around the rim. Wait. If you have a slow leak at the bead, you will see a 'froth' build up. It could take 5 minutes or more. Don’t forget all around the valve and of course, check both sides of the wheel. If you find a leak, see Harry’s post, above.

Here’s a leak I found on my bike. It would take a week or more to start going soft. It took a few minutes to get to this state.

 

[cdbe]

My tyre place cleans them up for a fiver.

You need to find your local backstreet place that does taxis.

 

[Londoner2]

Any tyre fiter can take the tyre off inflate and put it into water ands see if they can spot bubbles. The corrosion on wheel where the tyre sits is common issue, i have it with my 2009 plate mazda, fix is easy, thay take tyre off, clean the edges of corroded alloy, seal it then sela tyre and [ut tyre back on, it will hold for another 2 years.

 

[Rad1o]

I have a bottle of soapy water in a spray bottle in the garage. If I suspect a puncture from the rim or valve I test that first and look for bubbles. Easy test. Rim corrosion - easy fix as mentioned above. Just ask a tyre shop to clean up the corrosion and reseat the tyre.