Rim Corrosion

[Scott]

I have a 2017 with the handling package and thus the nice rims. I bought the car used with a little over 15K miles. I have one tire that is loosing up to 10 lbs per week. I went to Discount Tire and they said that there was corrosion on the rim causing the leak. The tire was fine. So, they said they cleaned off the corrosion and put on a new valve stem. Well, it is still leaking. I have to take it into the dealer next week to have the APIM replaced and am having them take a look. Is anyone else having this issue? Any thought as to whether or not it would be covered by warranty - or maybe a partial coverage?

[drolds1]

I have a 2017 Sport with 15K miles as well.  It's a lease, so I have it since new.  There's no corrosion at the rims (or anywhere else on the wheels).  Do you know the history of the car?  When they cleaned off the corrosion, did they also apply sealant?  What did the valve stem have to do with this issue?

I don't think you'll get anywhere with warranty coverage on this unless there's a specific manufacturing defect.  The warranty excludes environmental causes.  Still, this is unusual on such a young car. There may be something else is going on here aside from normal corrosion.  I'd certainly complain about it when you go to the dealer.  You could also call the Lincoln Concierge for starters.  

[bbf2530]

44 minutes ago, Scott said:

I have a 2017 with the handling package and thus the nice rims. I bought the car used with a little over 15K miles. I have one tire that is loosing up to 10 lbs per week. I went to Discount Tire and they said that there was corrosion on the rim causing the leak. The tire was fine. So, they said they cleaned off the corrosion and put on a new valve stem. Well, it is still leaking. I have to take it into the dealer next week to have the APIM replaced and am having them take a look. Is anyone else having this issue? Any thought as to whether or not it would be covered by warranty - or maybe a partial coverage?

Hi Scott. Generally speaking, and assuming there is no damage to the wheel (pothole, curb, other contact etc), the wheel should be replaced under Warranty. 

Here is my personal experience from my 2007 Lincoln MKZ which had the "chrome clad" wheel option: I had corrosion and chrome flaking.  Next oil change, I brought it to the attention of the Service Department at my Dealership. All four wheels were replaced about 1 1/2 years into the Bumper to Bumper warranty.  Three were replaced again, at about the 3 1/2 year mark. Same reasons.  Which is probably part of the reason why "chrome clad" wheels are a rarer sight on new cars nowadays.

If your experience is like mine, your Dealers Service Department will need to take photos and send them to Ford to get the go ahead to replace. If there is resistance to offering warranty replacement, be polite but firmly insistent.

In my case, once Ford received the photos, the replacement was allowed and the Dealer ordered the wheels. No problems and they were replaced with no discussion needed.

If you do have any problems getting the warranty replacement at the Dealership, do as drolds suggested and call Lincoln Concierge.

Let us know how you make out and good luck.

[Scott]

Thanks for the thoughts! I actually had two rims replaced on my 2017 MKC under warranty, so I know my dealer is willing to work with me. I can see no damage at all on the rim - no road rash or anything. And, the drivers rear wheel is also loosing air, but not as fast or as much as the front. I am not sure why Discount Tire replaced the valve stem. Maybe it was just a precaution and easy to do since they dis-mounted the tire. I am not sure how they cleaned the corrosion or what they did to seal it back up.

Good idea to check with Lincoln concierge if the dealer balks. I will let you know how it works out.

[LONMON]

I have an auto repair facility. At our shop many times we find a white powdery corrosion forming between the rubber and rim sealing surface (or bead) of aluminum wheels. I believe aluminum wheels react with moisture stuck between the rubber and wheel and cause the corrosion build up over time. We usually remove the tire and use a wire wheel installed on a 90* die grinder to remove the corrosion. We then apply bead sealant to the rim before reinstalling and balancing the tire. In 95% of the cases this cures the issue. The dealer may however take the "shotgun" approach and just replace the wheel. That will certainly take care of the issue as long as there is no overlooked issue with the tire itself. Good luck!!

[Scott]

Well, I got the car back from the dealer yesterday. They had it for two days to replace the APIM, and then had to order another part (FCIM)at the last minute. The first day they called to say that they could not find any leak. I told him again that I know there is a leak because I am adding about 5 LBS every 3 or 4 days. When I picked it up he had bad news. The rim has a crack, and he showed me a video of it bubbling when they sprayed soapy water on it. They can have the new rim installed in a couple of days - total cost - $1,037.38! I about passed out. I asked  if he could help me out on the price and he is looking into it. He also mentioned the possibility of finding a used one. I am also going back to the dealer that sold it to me the end of last November to see if he will help out. It has been leaking since I got it, but with all the big pothole problems around here I am not sure he will go for it. I am going to also check around myself for a used rim. 

[fusionff]

Pick up one of these, and have the tire swapped out at a local tire shop or dealer.  Or maybe you'll be able to find one cheaper.

One

Two

Edited March 14, 2019 by fusionff

[Scott]

Thanks for the links! There is a place in town that does rim repair/welding. They have good reviews, although there are only 5. They said it would run around $150 to repair it. The crack is on the inside, so there would be nothing cosmetic. Has anyone had a repair done like this? Thoughts???

[drolds1]

That confirms my suspicions that a 2017 was too new to have corrosion on the rim and that something else was going on.

Yes, OE wheels are absurdly expensive.  That's why I take the factory tire/wheel insurance. It paid for itself on my previous MKZ and my daughter just made back the cost with her Escape when she needed a new tire and wheel.  But I digress.

I had cosmetic damage on a wheel repaired by a wheel repair place and they did an amazing job.  OTOH, I had a cracked wheel that couldn't be safely repaired.  Some cracks that don't affect the structural integrity of the wheel can be repaired. It depends where the crack(s) is and the size of it.  The technician will let you know.  No reputable outfit will risk the liability of fixing a wheel that isn't roadworthy.  When they rejected mine, they didn't even remount the tire to ensure that I wouldn't drive on it.

Good luck. I hope it's repairable.  If not, the above suggestions are good ones.  BTW, the wheel repair places sometimes have good used wheels in stock or have access to them.

 

 

 

[Scott]

Well, after checking around a bit, it looks like these rims are pretty hard to come by. The ones that are out there are already reconditioned, so who knows what kind of damage they may have had.  I decided to take it in and see if it can be repaired. I have an appointment next Wednesday. They said that a repair cost starts at $140. it is on the back side of the rim, so I am not too worried about how it will look. I am more concerned about how long the weld will last.

[Scott]

The rim was repaired today. It was also bent a bit so they straightened that out as well. Total cost was $140. Hopefully this will be then end of that problem.

I was asking them about another rim with a small bit of road rash, and the guy noticed that the tire had a "bruise" on the sidewall. Now I have to shell out more $$ for a new tire ?

Edited March 27, 2019 by Scott
addition

[bbf2530]

1 hour ago, Scott said:

The rim was repaired today. It was also bent a bit so they straightened that out as well. Total cost was $140. Hopefully this will be then end of that problem.

I was asking them about another rim with a small bit of road rash, and the guy noticed that the tire had a "bruise" on the sidewall. Now I have to shell out more $$ for a new tire ?

Hi Scott.  Sorry it cost you some cash, but glad you were able to find a fix that was less than a new wheel.

Keep us updated and good luck.

[drolds1]

That's a fair price and certainly way cheaper than a new or used wheel.

What does this "bruise" on the sidewall consist of to make you feel that you need a new tire?

[Scott]

It is basically a bulge in the sidewall where it has probably been weakened from hitting some of the big potholes around here. I'm hoping that the rim was not bent also.

[Scott]

Tire was replaced this week. They gave me a 25% credit, so it ended up costing $198 out the door. I think I may have a slight leak in the drivers side rear that I am keeping an eye on. I suppose it could be cracked or bent too since it is on the same side as the cracked one that was repaired. :-(

[drolds1]

5 hours ago, Scott said:

Tire was replaced this week. They gave me a 25% credit, so it ended up costing $198 out the door. I think I may have a slight leak in the drivers side rear that I am keeping an eye on. I suppose it could be cracked or bent too since it is on the same side as the cracked one that was repaired. ?

If the other rim on that side is cracked as well, that had to be a hard hit if it was a pothole.  The MKZ's suspension features pothole mitigation.

[Scott]

Never heard of pothole mitigation. ?

[bbf2530]

24 minutes ago, Scott said:

Never heard of pothole mitigation. ?

Hi Scott.  The "pothole mitigation" to which drolds is referring is programming parameters which the MKZ Active Suspension has. Simple explanation: That programming helps to keep the wheel/tire from dropping into a pothole.  Sensors in the front of the MKZ "read" the road ahead and try to adjust for potholes by allowing the active suspension to hold the wheel up in the air momentarily This allows it to sort of float over the pothole, instead of dropping into it. Of course, it has limitations, as you may have found out.

Hope this explanation is understandable.

[drolds1]

5 hours ago, bbf2530 said:

Hi Scott.  The "pothole mitigation" to which drolds is referring is programming parameters which the MKZ Active Suspension has. Simple explanation: That programming helps to keep the wheel/tire from dropping into a pothole.  Sensors in the front of the MKZ "read" the road ahead and try to adjust for potholes by allowing the active suspension to hold the wheel up in the air momentarily This allows it to sort of float over the pothole, instead of dropping into it. Of course, it has limitations, as you may have found out.

Hope this explanation is understandable.

In addition to bbf2530's succinct explanation, here's a short video from Lincoln for visual:

 

On 4/5/2019 at 3:21 PM, Scott said:

Tire was replaced this week. They gave me a 25% credit, so it ended up costing $198 out the door. I think I may have a slight leak in the drivers side rear that I am keeping an eye on. I suppose it could be cracked or bent too since it is on the same side as the cracked one that was repaired. ?

If the other rim on that side is cracked as well, that had to be a hard hit if it was a pothole.  The MKZ's suspension features pothole mitigation.

[Scott]

Thanks!

[MKZMark]

Rather than "reading" the road ahead the sensors read the downward acceleration of the wheel into the pothole, and slow that acceleration so the wheel glides over to some extent. At the same time it preps the rear wheel to do the same when it arrives over the hole. Good stuff.