[Oldcarguy]

Originally Posted by jakeru

A reputable local wheel repair company I used to do the TIG weld repairs for wheels like this would have probably been able to repair that crack, as long as it doesn't extend around the corner and past the tire seal safety bead. If so, their insurance wouldn't have covered it, and so they wouldn't have been able to repair it.

Although the crack can often extend further under the paint, the visible extent of the crack looks far enough away from the safety bead that I think in all likelihood, this should be safely repairable by a professional wheel repair outfit. So, I think you have a good plan. Hope it goes well for you. Those slow air pressure leaks can really be annoying.

Good luck, and by the way, any idea how this damage happened?

Hi Jake, thanks for the info. I’m talking to Elite Wheels of Albany (‘only’ an hour and 45 mins from me). From the pictures they think they can do the repair. In addition, I’ve decided to have all four wheels xrayed (or whatever it is they do) for cracks, roundness, etc and refinished. At some point in the car’s history someone had the wheels redone and they did a terrible job on the prep and paint (especially the Seal Gray centers).

The wheel inside surface was very dirty when I bought the car, so the PPI missed the crack. That tire/wheel has had a slow leak ever since I bought the car, so the crack was there prior to my purchase. There are no signs of an impact or prior repair and the wheel does not appear to be out of round, so who knows what happened. Other than the paint, the other three wheels visually appear to be fine after cleaning. I’ll post a follow up after Elite examines the wheel.