How much should I expect to pay to repair wheels leaking at rim?

anewman

Got some 15 year old Alloy wheels which have brand new tyres on that started going flat all the time. I had one repaired for which I think I paid £15 a while ago. Apparently the issue was corrosion/lacquer flake leading to air coming out between the tyre and rim. The repair involved removing the tyre, treating affected area, refitting, new valve, and balancing. The fitter said this tends to happen when new tyres are fitted as the old ones mould themselves into the rim. I therefore suspect the other two have the same issue. Was planning to have the wheels refurbished as that would also cure the problem but cannot justify the likely cost of that.

Are there any DIY repairs I could attempt that are likely to work? (I.e. sludge stuff, or letting the tyre down fully and pushing it inwards away from the rim to try sort the rim myself). Also is £15 a bit over the top? (I.e. should I be looking for another garage?)

Thanks in advance.

photome

Many years ago I used to fit tyres and we used to charge the price of a puncture repair for your problem. I dont know how much a puncture repair is though but hope it gives you an idea.

Empty_pockets

£15 is about right, haggle to £10 if it's multiple wheels.

Hintza

If you get it repaired. I have had two attempts to seal a new tyre on a brand new rim and it still has a very slow leak..........grrr.

So price should be of secondary importance to getting the job done right.

davemorton

Would it not just be worth getting them refurbished as from my experience, it is £30(ish) to get that done, so in the long run would prove more cost effective.

Paradigm

Had the same problem while on holiday in Cornwall & took it to a tyre place in Liskeard....

Remove tyre, sort the wheel & refit £6.33 & not a problem since, bargain

Premier_2

I buy my tyres from f1autocentres who offer free puncture repairs on tyres they sell.

When one of my tyres developed a leak around the rim, they happily sealed it for free. :T

anewman

davemorton wrote: »

Would it not just be worth getting them refurbished as from my experience, it is £30(ish) to get that done, so in the long run would prove more cost effective.

Yeah I was thinking that but I will probably scrap the car in the next year. Also I doubt I would get the money back if I had them refurbed when it comes to selling them on as they're only standard 13" Skoda alloys. So it boils down to £60 versus £30 or hopefully less. If I knew I was going to use the wheels a few years then it would probably be worth it.

rev_henry

You could just have a look on ebay for a set of secondhand wheels with good tyres already on? (that don't leak!) Shouldn't cost too much for a set of 13 inch wheels, especially if they're only steel.