Pekkle

Yesterday my tired went completely flat with no apparent reason, took it to firestone and got it replaced, and after a few hours the tire went flat again. But I didn't recall I have hit any thing recently, pot holes or any type of things that will hurt the rims.

I have did some search on this form and most people say rim repairs will be decent enough, but I can't take a chance on cars that can go beyond 120mph. Now my questions are, can I tell if the Rims has been repaired for cracks? Reason I ask is because I wanted to buy an used OEM RIM and I wanted to make sure that RIM was not cracked and repaired before. Also does anyone know or have any experience how much a new rim at dealer are going for?

I was considering aftermarket rims, but I barely got my tire replaced and I didn't want to pay another $3k for rims and tire again. What you guys think?


Edit: As I am searching for Rims, there are many different offset: such as 38 and 39. What is the correct offset for 2007 E550 front and back?

vettdvr

Normally you can look at a rim to check for cracks. Alloy rims don't dent easily and when dented can crack. If the rim looks good / round no dents it is probably ok. There is always a chance of a crack but probably will be ok. That 's the risk of alloy rimx vs steel.

Porosity can be a problem on a cast product but I doubt that is your problem.

I would buy a used rim that passed MY visual check.

Pekkle

Hello Vettdvr,

I saw the crack today, it was on the inside lip right next to a dent. The crack is actually bigger than a hairline, so I guess that's why my tires run flat right the way.

I am leaning toward getting a good refurnished rim from http://www.allfactorywheels.com/prod...22-65432-.html just not sure if that is a wise decision or not.

Flash Gordon

My car had a crack rim for no reason a couple of years ago. It was welded for $130. Lasted until 1/2012. It developed another crack on the same wheel. I thought about replacing just the one wheel, but the cost is too much. So I replace all 4 of them with the after market rims from Tire Rack. They look better than the orginal ones. You can use the MB center cap for the new rims, ask Tire Rack. Be very careful when searching for online rims. Some of them look so darn good online, but these sellers had a lot of complaints with poor quality stuff that they sell, and you will have a hard time to get your money back. Go with Tire Rack because they stand behind their products.

jcat

why not just get the rim fixed? As long as the repairer knows what they're doing a weld will be just fine.

Pekkle

Flash Gordon, Thanks for the suggestion. I searched thru TireRack for Rims, but it's hard to tell what it really looks like without seeing in person, so I am not sure if that is a good idea with Rims and Tire costing about $2500 shipped.

Jcat, Thank you for your suggestion. Originally I was going to go for repairs which is a lot faster than waiting for a new set of rims, but at the end I opted not to fix it because a lot of forum members doesn't have good luck with it, and it feels like a ticking bomb that may go off at any time. Since I take clients out almost daily with my vehicle I didn't want the risk. But having say that, I am actually thinking of repairing the Rim and use it as a spare. What do you think? I am just not sure if the compartment is going to fit a full sized spare.

Taylor-Made'90

Hey Peck, here's another alternative to consider. One of my alloys developed three hairline cracks. And every few days I was putting air in my tires. The guy at my local tire shop told me to do this - and it worked.

Take the tire off the rim.
Go to Autozone or any decent parts store and get some 2-step silicon (the kind that come in two tubes, that you mix to form the silicon.
I cleaned the area where the crack was (inside lip) with rubbing alcohol.
Then I applied a nice layer of the silicon over the crack (total surface are about the size of a quarter) and let it 'cure'.
Put the tire back on and it held.

And that was two years ago..

No need to buy another rim (just yet) or have it fixed (which always throws the balance off).

Try it. It'll work.