Leaky alloys on my 1994 C250. Any home repairs recommended?

[pcman_jh]

The alloys on my C250 D are starting to show their age by leaking at the rim of the tyre. I was advised they were starting to go when I last had new tyres fitted, but they're now needing more pressure added every 6 weeks.

Is there a home fix, like squirting in TyreWeld or even the windscreen-leak sealer fluid, that anyone can recommend. Or, do I have to bite the bullet and have the rims shotblasted with all the hassle this brings in trying to find someone who has the tyre removing equipment and shotblasting kit under the same roof?

Another option would be buying new alloys - what's the approx cost?

 

[andy_k]

DO NOT put tyre weld in - that stuff is evil. Same for introducing any sealants, fluids etc into the tyre.

I'd suggest a rim refurbish was in order and will cost a lot less than a new set of wheels.

When I had a set of rims done on my old Rover SD1 I picked a set of steel wheels up from a scrap yard to use whilst the alloys were away - the place I used wanted 10 days but did them in 4

Another option (assuming you have an alloy spare) is to get them done one at a time - if not it may be worth investing in a single rim and tyre second hand to get you through the rerfurb.

HTH

Andy

 

[Arnie]

you can try one of the following:

http://www.wicked-wheels.co.uk/index.shtml

www.mercedesperformance.co.uk/pdfs/ alloy%20wheel%20refurbishment.pdf

http://www.nickells.co.uk/websites/awr/wheels.html

 

[kid-jensen]

Andy_k

What's your objection to tyreweld?

I've used it for years to fix slow punctures with no problems, worked a treat......

 

[jack-n-gill]

You could fit inner tubes as a belt and braces measure. Even if you get a puncture the tyre will still act like a tubeless and deflate slowly.

 

[andy_k]

my objections to tyreweld

1, it stuffs the valves as the mayonnaise it leaves in the tyres sets solid and wraps itself around everything
2, should you try and get the puncture repaired then it's a lot more work as the inside of the tyre is full of gunk and getting patches to stick is a lot harder
3, it's only intended as a temporary repair and is only "speed rated" up to 50 mph - if you have an accident as a result of a high speed blow out with that stuff in the tyre your insurance company could reasonably refuse to cover you
4, it upsets the balance of the tyre
5, in the case of a leaky rim you are using a product that is designed to seal tyres (distributing itself by centrifugal force) - that will not seal the rim

As a "get you home" emergency fix for a tyre it's ok but for anything more permananent - avoid it like the plague.

Andy

 

[Orlando 300E]

Have to agree with Andy_K, -tyreweld is bad news for an attempted permanent repair.
A quick fix for a porous alloy, is a sand down of the flaky area within the rim, and then slap on a suitable varnish/paint -doesn?t need to match, its covered by the tyre.
I have not done this personally, was advised this by a friend, as a stop gap instead of getting the rims refurbished.
I did end up getting each wheel sent of individually to get blasted & painted -4 weeks without a spare!
It was a cheap job, cost £25 a wheel to get done at the local go faster tyre depot. There were a few problems with the rims when they came back -colour match was very poor in comparison to the original. Also I don?t think they used a good paint or did not lacquer the wheel -because I splashed petrol on one and it left a dark stain that would not come off.
Try considering new rims -if your current ones are flaky, its a high chance that they will also be a bit bent & buckled!
I ended up getting my hands on a set of nearly new rims off a current S class for only £200. They hardly needed any lead balance weights, and transformed the quality of the ride. Only problem was they were 16? rather than the standard 15? ?new boots were also required.
Good luck
O.