AMG Chrome Rims Leak Air (wtf?)

[cmykdesign]

Anyone else having (had) this problem. Seems I could be a secret shopper for all the service centers in southern cali as I have visited them all at this point. Every 2 weeks most of my tires need more air and every tech has his own opinion, they say its either the chrome or its the weather (hot and cold). dunno... On the bright side I now know which service centers have great customer support 05' E500 sport package

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[my2001s2000]

Are they OEM or replicas?

[E500wanabe]

If the tire has been changed the chrome probably peeled off the bead area which can cause a slow leak.

[KYBENZ]

Do you live in a climate that is prone to ice and snow? The new chemicals(MAGNESIUM CHLORIDE I BELEIVE),that are being put on the road in the Cincinnati area will get into the bead area and every time the wheel gets wet the chemicals reactivate and eat into the chrome.
The best thing to do is to break down the wheel and tire and see if it is corroded there. You can also apply soapy water around the rim and look for air leaks via the bubbles.
Good luck.

[lkchris]

Now you know why Merededes bans chroming its wheels.

[KYBENZ]

Originally Posted by lkchris

Now you know why Merededes bans chroming its wheels.

The chroming process actually degrades the strength of the wheel.

[cmykdesign]

They are OEM that came with the E500 "sports" package purchased at the dealer in Newport Beach CA...

Apparently I was told that MB doesn't send the cars out with chrome wheels and in fact the MB dealership puts these on the car to help sell it. My exhaust pipes are also AMG, so I'm not sure if they put those on as well.

dunno.. but it sucks bad.

[gaazmon]

Originally Posted by cmykdesign

They are OEM that came with the E500 "sports" package purchased at the dealer in Newport Beach CA...

Apparently I was told that MB doesn't send the cars out with chrome wheels and in fact the MB dealership puts these on the car to help sell it. My exhaust pipes are also AMG, so I'm not sure if they put those on as well.

dunno.. but it sucks bad.

Wow! I never knew that. So all those MB's with OEM chrome wheels were chromed by the dealer sending them out and not originally coming with them? Damn, my dad's 02 CL500 has the regular 5 double spoke, star style OEM rims (non-AMG) with chrome. Actually, I used to have a 94 S420 with the OEM 16 inch rims and they where chrome and two of the rims had began leaking air. I had the inside cleaned at the tire shop (forget what they used) before they had mounted new tires on them and it did the trick.

One thing I noticed is that the brake dust comes off easier on the chrome wheels than it does on the brushed aloe/aluminum whatever it is kind that I have.

[cmykdesign]

yes that's what I was told by all the MB service stations, chrome wheels were a dealer add-on. I know! Anyway.. a friend had the same problem on his BMW and told me to go to a tire shop and have them seal the edges or something. Either that or buy an air pump, lol.

[gaazmon]

Originally Posted by cmykdesign

yes that's what I was told by all the MB service stations, chrome wheels were a dealer add-on. I know! Anyway.. a friend had the same problem on his BMW and told me to go to a tire shop and have them seal the edges or something. Either that or buy an air pump, lol.

Lol, I got an air pump from Costco. So useful, everyone should have one IMO. I even have one in my car that uses the cars 12V power. It's really small, but you never know when it will come in handy.

[SAguirre]

You know what they say: “if it does not work, chrome it.” Well that was an old saying when it came to chroming engine parts under the hood. The other one was “Chrome, it won’t make it go any faster, but it might get you laid.”

Regardless of all the old sayings, chrome is known for being a problem on wheels. As it was mentioned before on this thread, the de-icing chemicals can cause real issues with chrome. Sometimes the chemicals get behind the layer of chrome and then it will crack and chip off when the rim is stressed. It looks really bad. It really does not matter what car brand or wheel brand you have, I have heard of tons of people having leaky tires due to the chrome causing a problem in the tire bead area.

Chrome is just flashy and problematic,

Steve

[cmykdesign]

I agree!

[storm]

Originally Posted by cmykdesign

Anyone else having (had) this problem. Seems I could be a secret shopper for all the service centers in southern cali as I have visited them all at this point. Every 2 weeks most of my tires need more air and every tech has his own opinion, they say its either the chrome or its the weather (hot and cold). dunno...

On the bright side I now know which service centers have great customer support

05' E500 sport package

I have CHROME AMG's 19's and on one tire it was the TPS stem pressure sensor was bad..

has Absolutely nothing to do with the chrome,, once the dealer replaced that TPS tire stem air tube, problem went away totally

if it is happening on all your tires or more than 2, than likely either the tires are improperly fitted or its a bead design issue.. because that is strange..

I assume you had the dealer submerged the tires in soapy water to see if there were cracks or leaks or holes in any of them..

general rule is you should lose about 1 PSI a week depending
anymore than 2 PSI and you have a serious problem

its not the CHROME though.. finish has 0 to do with it,, or all chrome wheels would be doing it..

[cmykdesign]

wow, now I am really confused.. because a lot of people even the dealer said it was the chrome. Yes, it is happening on at least 2 wheels. Each week they are both almost flat even when I don't drive for a week (out of town). The other two tires will last about a month before needing air. The dealer has never submerged the tires just inspected visually and said I was okay.

[cmykdesign]

tires are improperly fitted or its a bead design issue

What do you mean by improperly fitted or its a bead design issue?

[storm]

Originally Posted by cmykdesign

wow, now I am really confused.. because a lot of people even the dealer said it was the chrome. Yes, it is happening on at least 2 wheels. Each week they are both almost flat even when I don't drive for a week (out of town). The other two tires will last about a month before needing air. The dealer has never submerged the tires just inspected visually and said I was okay.

the dealers always want to blame chrome,, they are idiots,,
I witnessed them telling a guy with chromes wheels that his wheel shaking was cause he had chrome wheels,, jesus

ended up being a wheel balancing problem the dealers are full of ****.


have your tires submerged in soapy water to test for cracks and leaks

[storm]

Originally Posted by cmykdesign

What do you mean by improperly fitted or its a bead design issue?

what I mean is,, sometimes when a complete idiot mounts a tire on a tire machine, they torque and pry the tire so much to get it on, they can damage the sidewall, or other part where the rim meets the tire..

seen it happen..

the idea that chrome on a wheel causes leaks is the craziest BS I have ever heard,,

there is either a problem with the STEMs and TPS sensors, or cracks and damage in the tires..

chrome rims have 0 to do with it

if he is losing more than 2 PSI a week, then the best solution is to submerge the tires in soapy water, and see if there are leaks, that will show exactly where...if any there are

[2005mb_c230]

[quote=storm;3475654]what I mean is,, sometimes when a complete idiot mounts a tire on a tire machine, they torque and pry the tire so much to get it on, they can damage the sidewall, or other part where the rim meets the tire..

seen it happen..

the idea that chrome on a wheel causes leaks is the craziest BS I have ever heard,,

there is either a problem with the STEMs and TPS sensors, or cracks and damage in the tires..

chrome rims have 0 to do with it





GUYS I KNOW THIS ANIT MY CAR THREAD BUT SINCE YOU GUYS ARE TALKING ABOUT CHROME WHEELS AND PROBLEMS....SO I GOT A MERCEDES C230 KOMP. IT ORGINALLY HAD 16" OEM RIMS. I CHANGED THESE TO 19" CHROME MRR GT1 RIMS....LIKE SOME SAYINGS CHROME DID KINDA GET ME LAID BUT IT ALSO..AS 2 MONTHS INTO HAVING THE RIMS ON MY RIDE POWER STEERING FLUID WENT LOW...IM NOT SURE WHY THIS HAPPENED AND I WAS STRESSING OUT SO I TOOK THEM OFF....IVE TALKED TO THE RIM GUYS AND THEY'VE DONE HUNDREDS OF CARS AND HAVENT EVER SEEN A PROBLEM LIKE THIS...IVE TALKED TO A FRIEND WHO KNWOS ALTO ABOUT CARS AND HE SIAD ITS PROBABLY BECCASUE OF THE RIMS...WELL EVERYONE GOT RIMS ON THEIR CARS INCULDING MB BMW LEXUS AUDIS ETC...SO WHY HAVENT I HEARD ANYONE ELSES POWERSTEERING FLUID GO DOWN? MY OTHER FRIEND GOT A 07 AUDI A4 WITH 20" RIMS....THATS BIGGER THAN MINE AND HASENT HAD ANY PROBLEMS...THE WARRANTY IS EXPIRED..SO WHAT SHOULD I DOOOOOOO PLEASEEEEEEEEE HELP!!! THANKS GUYS IN ADVANCE

[Efivehundred]

So you're saying the power steering fluid level is low because you installed chrome wheels?

[KYBENZ]

Storm, have you dismounted a chrome wheel in a snow belt area??
It can have EVERYTHING to do with it. The chemicals lay in that area where the bead meets the rim and everytime the wheel gets wet from rain, humidity, car washes, etc. it reactivates the corrosive chemicals and eats away at the rim. I have seen dozens of these in Cincinnati.
You need to get all the facts before throwing out the blanket statement that dealers are idiots.
Also I have seen plenty of cars come in with chrome AFTERMARKET wheels that were missing the spacers causing vibration as the wheels were not flush with the hubs, so again get your facts straight.
If any one is in doubt about chrome wheels and leakage around the bead area contact Wheel Creations in California who does most of the chroming on MB wheels. 1-559-233-3654. They will back up why they leak with facts as to why the wheels leak there.
Or you can continue to spout opinions backed up by nothing but your own prejudice against dealership personnel. Hmmmm.......who's the idiot??

[lkchris]

Originally Posted by storm

the dealers always want to blame chrome,, they are idiots,,

Mercedes bans chroming its wheels and has produced tech bulletins to that effect.

[Oliverk]

Originally Posted by storm

general rule is you should lose about 1 PSI a week depending
anymore than 2 PSI and you have a serious problem

you "should" lose 4lbs per month huh? some one apparently forgot to give that memo to every car i've owned

[2005mb_c230]

Originally Posted by Efivehundred

So you're saying the power steering fluid level is low because you installed chrome wheels?

im not sure. but does it make sense if the power steering fluid falls low because of chrome rims? i have no idea why it dropped but as soon as they came off i didnt experience any more of these problems.

anyone know any solution or fix to this or even heard about a similar case?
thanks guys!

[acr2001]

This thread is making me sick.

Your power steering fluid is not low due to chrome rims. MY GOD.

And Storm could not be more incorrect. Chrome peels off / chips around the bead and allows air to slowly seep out. This is a VERY VERY well known problem.

Thread over.