Hi Guys, I'm new here, so sorry if this post is not in the right place. I have a 2008 G37S with about 100K miles. I bought it used about 5 years ago and it's running pretty well except for one issue. The low tire pressure warning light keeps coming on, no matter what I do. The front 2 tires lose air constantly.

I've taken the car to multiple tire shops as well as the dealer multiple times. I've had the TPMS replaced and reset, bought TPMS seal kit, and had the tires/bead checked for leaks and remounted, but it didn't help. The problem returned in a week or two. The front tires are new, but they leak air at a rate of 15 psi per week, so each week I am putting air back in. The car is garaged and I live in MD but drive daily in all weather.

At one visit, the dealer looked at one front wheel and said there was alot of corrosion that was causing the problem. He wirebrushed it smooth and that helped for a couple months, but again the problem returned, now in both front wheels. He suggested that the only solution was probably to buy new wheels. I'm OK with doing that, but wanted to see if you guys agreed, vs having the wheels repaired and sealed against corrosion.?

Also, if I go with new wheels, I'm just looking for a reasonably priced replacement for the stock wheels, and I'd like to keep the existing tires I have. I'm not trying to mod the car and don't need high end custom wheels, so I don't know if I should contact some vendors in the marketplace.?

Any advice would be much appreciated, Thank You

 

Before ditching the wheel ditch the tires.
I just had this same issue with my volk wheels. They said oh too much corrosion on the 800 dollar volk. Turned out the brand new 150 dollar tire was the problem yet showed no signs of trouble. I demanded a new tire and bam problem solved. Wheels are built to last decades. My bet is the sub 100 dollar tire.
02 good luck

 

Do you know if any of the places have checked where it's leaking with a dunk tank? That would allow you to know for sure whether it's the wheel or tire.

 

Not true at all. Discount tire dunked mine 10 times with no leak found. It only leaked when the wheel tire was on the car the weight of the car caused the tire to change pressure and leak.

 

Another possibility could be minor bends in the wheel that everyone is missing. Especially if it's the 2 front wheels. Do you hit alot of potholes and whatnot?

 

Definitely check for bends

 

Thanks for the feedback. Both 'new' front tires are leaking - here's what they are:

BFGoodrich*g-Force COMP-2 A/S

However, my old tires were having a similar problem with leaks, so I assumed it's wheel related.

 

I've had this same issue on many cars due to the horrible road conditions here in NJ. My best guess is bent wheels. Even the slightest bend can cause this and if found can be fixed for fairly much cheaper than buying an entire set of new ones.

And those tires are actually pretty decent. Especially according to reviews written on them.

 

I know when you centerpunch the end of a curb on a race track you get catastrophic wheel failure. I kept the wheel to use as a garden hose "reel".

The OE RE-050 tires om my car needed air every winter due to pressure loss. The Potenza S-04 Pole Positions on the car now don't leak. Except when introduced to a nail...

 

I took the car to a local rim shop (Rim Renew)
They think it's caused by corrosion and can fix all four rims for $400 total. Since it's cheaper than buying new rims, I think i'm ging to give that a shot. They offer a lifetime guarantee on the work.

 

Fix all 4 for what...? If it's only the front don't mess with the rear.
Also, you can also look at this as an opportunity to upgrade wheels as well. I know it's more costly but better than dealing with this potential issue down the road.

 

I second venom. Put that 400 toward a quality set

 

Actually $400 will buy a cheap set of wheels at discount tire.

I don't know of any sub $100 summer only tire, unless bought used, so doubt it's the tires. We had this issue ongoing on our old car - '04 grand prix. One or two of the tires would lose air every so often. Grinding down and resealing the bead would help for a few months then would leak again. We solved the problem by selling the car

The wheel repair place will clean up the bead (and other curb damage) then repaint the wheels. Not really sure i'd be investing money into wheels for a 9 year old car.

This is what I use for snow wheels - MB Wheels Alpina custom rims

They have a sale on with $100 rebate if you buy 4. So might actually get it close to $400 after tax.

 

Thanks for the advice.

>Fix all 4 for what...? If it's only the front don't mess with the rear.

If the front have corrosion problems, the rear is probably gonna suffer a similar fate soon enough. They're both the same age and have driven in the same conditions. Also, the shop gives a discount for all 4, so if I only do the fronts I pay $250, or $400 for all 4.

My preference would be to go with a new set of wheels, if the price differential wasn't that much more. Problem is I don't really know where to start, when looking for wheels. I did some searches online and looked thru forums, but quickly realized I didn't know what I was doing when it came to price, quality and options. And it looked like wheels + shipping + mounting was alot more money.

However, these look fine to me and a good price, thanks! Are they specific to winter use for some reason?(MB Wheels Alpina custom rims), but I don't know if there are any drawbacks to not having different sizes on front and rear, like the originals. For instance, is handling affected? Can I just bring my current tires over to the new wheels?

Original 10 spokes:
Front Wheels: 19"x8.5". Bolt pattern 114.3 x 5 Offset +43
Rear Wheels: 19"x9". Bolt pattern 114.3 x 5. Offset +45

How much is typical to pay for new wheels (assuming not high end)?

Thanks

 

replace valve cores?