lennybrew

I paid an obscene amount of money for these great looking AF 122 wheels. Too bad they leak air and the fix isn't covered by the manufacturer. Who knew buying 3 piece Asanti wheels for over $3,000 was such a money pit? What a scam! At first I thought it was the tires so I purchased new ones. I put the new tires on and they were all flat by the next morning. This really bummed me out.

I called Lexani/Asanti several times for help and they told me that "They don't interact with the general public" and then gave me the number for some company that wanted to charge me $175 per wheel. F that. DIY SPECIAL!

Here's what you need:
Take apart the wheel
1) Torque Wrench (If you don't have one, buy it a home depot for $70. It's worth it.
2) 5/16 12 toothed ratchet socket ($3.99) Home Depot. If you call Lexani they tell you that "its a special tool that is made specifically in Italy for them. But that's complete BS. It's sold at Home Depot and will take off the 40 bolts on the rim.
3) Ratchet set extension ($10) Home Depot.
4) Greased Lighting or your favorite metal cleaner and degreaser ($5)
5) Scotch Brite Pads ($2.89)
6) Mineral Spirits ($4.99)
7) Exacto Blades (5.99)
8) 200 Grit Sandpaper
9) A handheld wrench and adapter if you don't already have one
10) Replacement Metal Valve Stem (Autozone) $2.99
11) 100% Clear Silicone Caulk

STEPS
1) Start by having your tires dismounted by a pro. Most people will do them for like $10-15 each.
2) Take your exacto blade and score the silicone sealing that is holding the rim together. Dig deep and try not to cut the wheel. After a couple rounds it will start peeling off.
3) Connect the Torque wrench to the front part of the rim with your 5/16 adapter. Connect to the back of the rim with your extension and whatever adapter fits on the bolt. I think its 11/16ths.
4) Loosen the bolts in a symmetrical pattern. If you're having trouble, go buy some "Liquid Wrench" and douse the bolts. The penetrating oil will make them a lot easer to remove. DO NOT MESS UP or LOSE THESE BOLTS
5) The parts should come aparts pretty easily after this.
6) Get your degreaser out and spray THE INSIDE on the wheels down to remove the dirt and grime. Scrub it with the Scotch Brite and immediately rinse with water.
7) Remove all of the excess silicone from the previous hack job.
8) Take your sandpaper and brush up all of the non chrome parts of the wheel so you can have a great seal.
9) Put the wheels together and make sure that everything lines up and that there are no pieces of silicone or dirt anywhere. Clean out the eye holes with a wire brush or whatever you have handy.
10) Put a bead of silicone on all the parts that are going to touch each other and press inner barrel and lip together.
11) Put screw in place to make sure that you have it alligned properly
12) Start pumping in the silicone in a uniform and controlled manner along the outer seam. Go two inches at a time. Make sure that it fills in the crevices and wipe it smoothly with your finger or a spatula.
13) Drink a beer after you finish and call it a day.
14) Go back the next day and apply another silicone layer on top. Make sure its smooth that all the potential leaky points are spoken for.
15) Install your new valve stem
16) Drink Beer
17) Wake up torque the bolts back on with 32 lbs of pressure. Use a criss cross pattern. Make sure to clean the bolts and nuts with degreaser and a wire brush before you do this. You can purchase new nuts at any speciality autopart store thats not autozone.
http://www.virginiawind.com/tips/torque_wrench.asp (Here's how to use a torque wrench)
18) If you're paranoid like me, put a piece of duct tape around the seal before mounting the tire. Nothing gets through duct tape!
19) Repeat from STEP 1, feel like a real man, save $500+.

Does anyone have a solution for the peeling chrome on the lips? These rims really aren't made to last. I think they look a lot better on showroom cars on the net.