Corroded rims causing air to leak.

[mycarhascellulite]

My front tire on my 2001 limited edition PT cruiser has a slow leak. I went to get it looked at and they told me, "Eventually you'll need to get new rims" and filled my tire up. They said that my valve stem hole was corroded and may eventually cut the valve stem.

So I did a lot of googling and found out that many other people have this same problem. I don't know what the next step is. Do I contact a Chrysler dealership? Buy new rims? Take it to a tire specialist and have them sand off the corrosion?

I have to make a 200 mile drive tonight and am worried that my car is unsafe to drive on. What would you advise?

[CREWZIN]

You've already Googled and found out that many others have the same problem. Contacting Chrysler after the car has been on the street for 9 years will only result in laughter on the other end of the line.

The best thing to do is have the wheel taken apart and sand down the rusty parts (probably all around the whole rim). Coat those parts with some sort of rust inhibitor. That will probably hold your air leak to a bare minimum and then save up for new wheels.

As far as your drive tonight, it's kinda late to do anything now. Check your spare tire to make sure it's filled up. Read your owners manual to find out how to change your tire if needed. Check to see if you have a tow/rescue policy with your insurance. Pick up a can of "Flat Fix" for an emergency, and lastly, keep checking the tire as you go along. Your better off with a few pounds over inflated than under.

[mycarhascellulite]

Originally Posted by CREWZIN

You've already Googled and found out that many others have the same problem. Contacting Chrysler after the car has been on the street for 9 years will only result in laughter on the other end of the line.

The best thing to do is have the wheel taken apart and sand down the rusty parts (probably all around the whole rim). Coat those parts with some sort of rust inhibitor. That will probably hold your air leak to a bare minimum and then save up for new wheels.

As far as your drive tonight, it's kinda late to do anything now. Check your spare tire to make sure it's filled up. Read your owners manual to find out how to change your tire if needed. Check to see if you have a tow/rescue policy with your insurance. Pick up a can of "Flat Fix" for an emergency, and lastly, keep checking the tire as you go along. Your better off with a few pounds over inflated than under.

Thank you. How long do you think it's safe to go without buying new wheels? And when you say I need new wheels, would you suggest buying the chrome (what I have now) or getting the cheaper kind that won't end up flaking off and causing the same problems?

I've had my car for 3 years and have taken it from 60,000 110,000 miles on it. This is frustrating me enough to get rid of it, but I suppose that wouldn't be the best idea.

[CREWZIN]

Most of your answers depend on where you drive. I've had my chrome (GT) wheels since 2003 (traded my 10 spoke custom 16" for someones 17" GT's) and they are perfect. But we don't see snow or salt on the roads down here in Florida.

If your in a state with salt in the winter and you don't like to clean and wash the wheels every time you take it out in that kind of weather, you should go for the painted wheels.

If you clean off the wheels really well and coat them as I suggested, you should monitor how they are doing as far as loosing air. If it stops the leaking then you can keep them. If not, it depends on how bad the leak is/gets further down the road. If it needs air every other day, then look arond for replacements.

[quicksilverdon]

As Crewzin mentioned, the painted allow wheels hold up much better.
Look at Tire Rack for ideas on prices.
How fast does your tire lose air? Flat overnight? Then you don't have a lot of time.
You can also buy an air compressor that plugs in cigarette lighter, they don't cost much ...

[Mean Green]

As far as I know nobody has been able to fix those poor quality wheels from leaking permanently. Get rid of them.

[Matt42]

Originally Posted by mycarhascellulite

My front tire on my 2001 limited edition PT cruiser has a slow leak. I went to get it looked at and they told me, "Eventually you'll need to get new rims" and filled my tire up. They said that my valve stem hole was corroded and may eventually cut the valve stem.

So I did a lot of googling and found out that many other people have this same problem. I don't know what the next step is. Do I contact a Chrysler dealership? Buy new rims? Take it to a tire specialist and have them sand off the corrosion?

I have to make a 200 mile drive tonight and am worried that my car is unsafe to drive on. What would you advise?

Just out of curiosity, and having nothing to do with the wheels . . . Is the tire a Kumho or a Hankook?

[keybdwizrd]

I have a 2004 PT Cruiser that came with chrome wheels. During the past year three of the four tires were always losing air. I brought it into the shop and they removed and sanded the rims - supposedly to remove corrosion - but this didn't help at all. It got to the point where I was having to put air in my tires every week.

I finally went out and bought new rims from tirerack.com. No air problems since, and I think the ones I bought look nicer than the original chrome ones.

[Chromenut]

Well known problem. Friend of mine here has to air up his tires every day. He's adamant that he's not going to buy new wheels. His have been leaking for three years, but he's an idiot anyway...lol... I'm wondering if this isn't why Chrysler switched to the steel rims that were chrome clad, like my factory wheels. They don't have the same problem. To really fix your problem you need to have the wheels go through abrasive blasting (sand blast) and then an acid bath and a revisit to the chromer. Not worth the cost, as they are a POS anyway. You'd do better buying new.

[chris15]

Yup. One of mine has been leaking for a pretty long time now. No visible damage on the outside of the rim and I've been told it's pretty corroded. The car started up in the northeast, so that's probably the culprit. I've done everything listed short of the blasting recommended in the previous post, but to no avail. The only cheap solution: a cheap air pump with a 12v cigarette lighter cord and a tire pressure gauge in the car with me at all times.

Luckily, my new rims should be here in about a week.