epricedright Posted June 5, 2007 Report Share Posted June 5, 2007 I had a nail or ? cut my tire which caused a slow leak and while Costco was replacing the tire, they noticed my chrome wheel was rusting on the inside some. There were 2 rust spots about 1/2" diameter that were about 1/2" - 1" from the bead line on the interior of the wheel (inside the tire). It wasn't that bad they said, but is this typical? I was suspect something else was wrong as when it sat on a certain spot, I could hear the air leak out really fast, and it wasn't where it was cut. They thought that might have been where it was leaking from, due to perhaps driving on it while it was low causing the tire bead to go in some. They said rust spots on the interior of chrome wheels are common. Unfortunately my wife took it in so I wasn't able to see the rust spots myself. These wheels were new 2004 Deville pull offs I purchased from Cardio-doc for around $800 for the set. They recommended a guy here locally that can true it up and replate it for around $100, although they weren't certain about the price. Does that sound about right? The chrome on the outside is still like new. Couldn't I have them pull the tire off and then I could sand it down and paint it on the inside with rust-oleum or ? Wouldn't that be as good? I'm worried if they were replated, the chrome may peel. The good news is it's holding air now and the Michelin X radial was replaced for free due to it being unrepairable. Gotta love Costco. Not sure how long it will be though before that rust spreads and causes problems again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted June 5, 2007 Report Share Posted June 5, 2007 If anything, I would just sand them a bit and paint them with a rust converter that seals the rust with an epoxy like coating. I just did that to a set of garden tractor wheels. My daughters previous '99 SLS was leaking at the bead real bad. The tire store just wire brushed it and put some type of sealer on it and remounted it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epricedright Posted June 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2007 What rust converter are you referring to Larry and where have you purchased it? That's what Costco did, used some "black gook" my wife said, and mounted it. They sanded/wirebrushed it first but did say they weren't sure how long it would be before the rust came back. The funny thing is Costco uses Nitrogen and common sense told me that would help prevent any corrosion being it has less moisture. So much for that thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted June 5, 2007 Report Share Posted June 5, 2007 Something like this is what I use. http://www.farmandfleet.com/catalog/produc...0304013&p=1 Should be able to buy it at Kmart, Walmart, AZ, almost anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epricedright Posted June 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2007 Something like this is what I use. http://www.farmandfleet.com/catalog/produc...0304013&p=1 Should be able to buy it at Kmart, Walmart, AZ, almost anywhere. Thanks Larry! So I can use just that and no paint is necessary? Do you think I should do it now, or just wait till when/if it leaks again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted June 5, 2007 Report Share Posted June 5, 2007 No need to paint. It is a polymer coating that turns black when it dries and seals the rust. I don't know if I would bother at this point. How much damage can it do inside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epricedright Posted June 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2007 I agree. I'm thinking/hoping the tire sealer may even seal/stop the rust. Thanks again Larry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cardio-doc Posted July 1, 2007 Report Share Posted July 1, 2007 Sorry I'm only seeing this post for the first time, now. If you fill your tires with typical gas station air pumps, ALL CHROME WHEELS FLAKE/CORRODE AT THE BEAD. ALL OF THEM. Why? Because only better mechnics have condensation leak-down systems in their air lines. All others do not, and condensation/moisture gets trapped inside your mounted wheel/tire, where it eventually begins to corrode the chrome. No worries on wheel structuraly integrity as aluminum (what the wheel is made of) does not corrode). Yes, they may begin to leak air eventually, but it is common practice to just remove the tire, go at the afflicted area with a wire brush, and spray with either primer or a polymer. This area isn't seen when the tire is mounted and this will fix the afflicted area. But to re-chrome a portion of the wheel unseen? Absurd. I get this question once or twice a year. It was time. Many happy and safe miles to you on your beautiful chrome Cadillac wheels. cheers, ~Doc --- Direct Performance on Ebay CaddyInfo.com Cadillac Conversations Blog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sal.carceller@cox.net Posted July 13, 2007 Report Share Posted July 13, 2007 I had a nail or ? cut my tire which caused a slow leak and while Costco was replacing the tire, they noticed my chrome wheel was rusting on the inside some. There were 2 rust spots about 1/2" diameter that were about 1/2" - 1" from the bead line on the interior of the wheel (inside the tire). It wasn't that bad they said, but is this typical? I was suspect something else was wrong as when it sat on a certain spot, I could hear the air leak out really fast, and it wasn't where it was cut. They thought that might have been where it was leaking from, due to perhaps driving on it while it was low causing the tire bead to go in some. They said rust spots on the interior of chrome wheels are common. Unfortunately my wife took it in so I wasn't able to see the rust spots myself. These wheels were new 2004 Deville pull offs I purchased from Cardio-doc for around $800 for the set. They recommended a guy here locally that can true it up and replate it for around $100, although they weren't certain about the price. Does that sound about right? The chrome on the outside is still like new. Couldn't I have them pull the tire off and then I could sand it down and paint it on the inside with rust-oleum or ? Wouldn't that be as good? I'm worried if they were replated, the chrome may peel. The good news is it's holding air now and the Michelin X radial was replaced for free due to it being unrepairable. Gotta love Costco. Not sure how long it will be though before that rust spreads and causes problems again. A few years ago I started a thread on this board (see: http://caddyinfo.ipbhost.com/index.php?sho...amp;#entry58334 ) I had this same exact problem and came up with a fix, take a look at the thread and the solution (pictures included near the end). Bottom line: with age (mine are from 1993 Seville) these chrome plated rims peel along the bead causing air leaks between the chrome and the rim (not the chrome and the tire). My solution was to take a high speed angle grinder with a wire 4" wheel and just remove ALL the chrome from the beed, I also used a DA air sander as well. Then, if you wish you can spray paint the beed area with a good quality spray paint. However, I did not spray my rims and its been almost 2 years since the repair and I only added air to the wheels once. Before the fix I was adding air every other day! Another issue: if you ever used Fix A Flat (as I had done) you are in huge trouble! Whatever is in this stuff is highly corrosive! the 2 rims I had used this in where in far worse shape (see pics at the end of the thread above). This stuff caused extreme pitting to the inside of the rims. Luckly for me I was able to just Wire Wheel and DA the hell out them and they survived. My rims where in good (not super) shape on the outside, the car is a 1993 after all, and I just wanted to get a few more years out of the car and the rims. The solution seems to have done the trick. IMHO: I think it is a far better idea if wheel makers could somehow (I know this may not be easy) not chrome the beed area or the inside of the rim. However, I think it's just way simpler for them to chrome the entire wheel. Hope this helps and good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted July 13, 2007 Report Share Posted July 13, 2007 We had a sprited discussion a while back, here is the post to it http://caddyinfo.ipbhost.com/index.php?sho...l=chrome+wheels Never use the fix a flat it causes rust I love costco also. If you get your tires rotated and balanced often I think it would minimize this problem. Its possible that putting moisture laden air into the tires causes this. I am due for a rotate and balance at Costco... I just noticed that Sal referred you to this thread also... Mike As Sal mentioned, I am sure there is something that they can apply to the bead before chroming that would stop the chrome from getting into the bead area. Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epricedright Posted July 14, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2007 Thanks Larry,Doc, Sal and Mike. More bad news. Both front wheels began leaking; the new Michelin and the older one (2 years old w/15k). I took it to another Costco location this time thinking it was the "Bozos" at the first Costco that goofed. I've had some problems with them in the past - I believe they bent one of my rims when they installed my Michelins, they said I had a slight dent on the inside of wheel...huh? They were like new, and I did not hit a chuck hole. They also gouged one of my center caps with a screw driver and I've had problems with them getting my balance correct. Well anyhow, they put both wheels in a dip tank and noticed both wheels were leaking at the bead seal. I put one of my spare wheels in the trunk thinking if the bead seal was leaking, I'd have them dismount the tire and install my spare so I could work on the wheel at home this time. They convinced me though that they could fix them by wire bushing and using bead sealer...Not. One is still leaking, so I'm gonna take it back and have them dismount the tire so I can wire brush/sand and paint the bead area myself. I imagine the other wheel will leak again in time as well. Btw, I've never used Fix-a Flat. I've always known that stuff was bad news. The comment an01sts made in the other thread concerns me: "In addition, bead sealer is bad news because it dries out/detoriates the rubber. NEVER, NEVER use bread sealer, and it's only reseved for the half *smurf* mechanics of whom only want to get the job out of the door. Moreover, bead sealer doesn't allow the tire to bite the rim, causing the tire to slip. To keep it complicated, you cannot simply mount and remount tires becaus it destroys the bead. Tires are designed for once on and once off. After 3 or 4 mountings, they are probally destroyed. In other words, you might find a fresh set of tires as a cure to the problem because the fresh rubber will adhere to a lot rougher surface than you'd expect to hold air." I'm not looking forward to removing the bead sealer from the wheel and tire. I bet that's gonna be a PITA! They said they put the bead sealer on "THICK" - I should have them remove it. I didn't know the wheels were made of aluminum either, so there should be no rust, pitting possibly, but not actual rust. I'm wondering now what paint to use now? Someone mentioned a ceramic based primer? I'm thinking their tire changer screwed my chrome up on the bead...what else could cause this? Costco uses Nitrogen (low moisture) and the wheels and tires are only 2 years old, with one tire being brand new. The Costco mgr there said certain brand wheels were more prone to this than others. I'm thinking the leaks are due to the chome flaking in the bead area due to being nicked/gouged with the tire changing tool. What do you guys think? I'll be sure to take some before after pics. Hey Doc, do you have any singles...just in case? I have the 2004 Deville wheels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epricedright Posted July 14, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2007 I was just thinking it's awful peculiar how the 2 wheels that have bead leaks are the ones where the tires were removed. One was removed to repair a nail hole, the other tire was replaced when it had a "mysterious" unrepairable cut at the corner of the tread. The other 2 wheels that have been untouched hold air perfectly. I need to see what type of tire mounting machine they use. To think they may have possibly screwed up my wheels is really pissing me off!!! There's this one employee at Costco who's a major F*** up that I've had big problems with in the past. If I see him working, I come back another day. He was there when my wife took the car in to have the tire checked that was previously patched for a nail hole that was leaking air (probably the bead-but they didn't catch it that visit). After leaving there, she drove straight home (2 miles) and as soon as she got home, the other front tire was going down...fast! Now that tire was fine beforehand and was supposedly not worked on. We had to go out of town that night and being they were closed I aired it up (and had to air it up several times on the road). When we returned, she took it in and they discovered the mystery slit on the corner of my tire. It was a peculiar wide thin slit (nearly invisible) like it was cut with a razor. Luckily, they replaced the tire at n/c, but now I have this bead leak. Arrrgggg!!!! Sounds like I need to speak to management. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted July 14, 2007 Report Share Posted July 14, 2007 If they are aluminum there may be corrosion, but no rust so the product I linked above will not help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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