Wheel Corrosion issues?

kphu

New member
Was wondering if anyone with the 18" 6 spoke wheels experience any bubbles or corrosion on their wheels? I know its a common issue on the wheels of the Lexus GX470.

If you've experienced any of this can you upload some pics?

Thanks,

Ken
 
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powdercoat'em

I had this problem with my 17" 2006 SR5s and instead of getting new rims shipped to AK (obsurdly expensive) I'm getting them powder coated. The bubbling is just the paint and a good soak and sandblast will clean them up and get them ready for coating.
 
Thanks for the reply guys...I may have to rethink my search for 18" limited wheels and determine a plan B.
 
I had this problem with my 17" 2006 SR5s and instead of getting new rims shipped to AK (obsurdly expensive) I'm getting them powder coated. The bubbling is just the paint and a good soak and sandblast will clean them up and get them ready for coating.

I think that's the way to go...based on what the article posted by Andy below suspects the issue to be is poor adherence to the surface so powdercoating should do the trick.


Hey Ken,

Here are about 50 pics

Toyota Alloy Wheels Bubbling

Andy

I didn't notice any 18" limited 6 spoke wheels specifically in the gallery but I think it might just be a matter of time when they will start bubbling...its a shame. :(

Interestingly enough when I bought my GX CPO it had bubbles on the wheels so the dealership said they'll replace them. When they called me to tell me that the new wheels are in I dropped the truck off and a few hours they called me back saying they need to reschedule...apparently the "new" rims in the box that was sitting on some shelf for x # of years started pitting on its own so they had to reorder a new set. No harm to me as I got a nice IS250 as a free loaner.

I have the 18" 6 spoke wheels. No, I don't have that problem. (knock on wood)

I think you should sell your wheels to me before they start. :biggrin2:
 
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Sort of related, I had a brand new Four winns boat with a volvo penta drive that had a factory defect that caused the paint on the drive to do the exact same thing after 6 months. Turns out it was a paint adhesion issue with a batch of aluminum drives. They replaced the drive and I never had the problem again. Looks to me that Toyota has the same issue depending on the batch of wheels.....
 
Mines got them. Then again I have them on my 04 and 05 Toyotas too.

Recent model Toyotas must have the world's crappiest finish ever. Never had any other manufacturer OEM wheels do this.

Let me know if you want pics of them. Pics from the above link is pretty much what to expect, though mine isn't as severe as some of them, but it's bad nonetheless.
 
It seems like this issue is wide spread i.e. i'm seeing the issue on camry, sienna, 4runner, etc. and the entire lexus product line. Its a real shame that they haven't addressed this issue at all.
 
I’ll add myself to the list. I have an 08 that I bought brand new in February and by the time that first winter was over one rim was starting to pit and bubble. Three more winters and all four rims are pitted and the paint is bubbling off. They look horrible. Those of us that live where they use heavy road salt have it the worst. Never had this happen before on any car I owned. Must be some really poor paint. I figured it’s a good excuse to buy some nice new ATX rims.
 
My '04 SR5 has bubbling and at least some sort of corrosion and all 4 wheels....I'm going to refinish them myself soon.
 
The rims on my 2003 Limited are all pitted and corroded...bad. The car was originally living in Denver. Sucks. I guess I'll have to add these to the list of things I need to do on her. Still, she's the best car I've ever purchased!
 
I will take pics and post. All five of my sport wheels are awful. I am debating sanding them and repainting them myself, or just drop off at a shop to have them powdercoat them.
 
My 2004 is having the same issue with the paint or coating falling off the wheels. I had no idea they were painted until it started bubbling up and falling off. My 98 F150 and 90 Jeep Cherokee had aluminum wheels and I never saw anything like this. Any signs of corrosion on those was actually in the metal, not some fake surface coating. All 3 vehicles in SE Texas never exposed to road salt. Still have the F150.
 
Wheel Corrosion

I live in Wisconsin which uses a lot of salt. My Toyota wheels started to flake and peel after a few years and now routinely leak. I have 17" 5 spoke wheels. I don’t see this level of problem with 10 year old Hondas, BMWs or Jeeps.
I am planning to purchase replacements and wonder if Toyota has fixed this problem?
 
Resurrecting this thread rather than creating a new one. I just bought some Sequoia wheels for my 4R and a couple of them have this bubbling as shown in the image below. I understand how this problem can be fixed (refinishing, etc.) and that it will eventually need to be addressed. My immediate question is whether this is a cosmetic problem only or does it affect the integrity of the wheel? I'm getting new tires next week and am trying to decide whether to get the wheels fixed now or if I can wait a while. Not too worried about the appearance part of it but obviously want to be sure there's no compromise on safety.

TIA for any insight.

HTQEuaEl.jpg
 
Resurrecting this thread rather than creating a new one. I just bought some Sequoia wheels for my 4R and a couple of them have this bubbling as shown in the image below. I understand how this problem can be fixed (refinishing, etc.) and that it will eventually need to be addressed. My immediate question is whether this is a cosmetic problem only or does it affect the integrity of the wheel? I'm getting new tires next week and am trying to decide whether to get the wheels fixed now or if I can wait a while. Not too worried about the appearance part of it but obviously want to be sure there's no compromise on safety.

TIA for any insight.

HTQEuaEl.jpg

My OEM limited wheels had the same issue and, due to corrosion on the lip, several of them constantly leaked air. As long as the rim of the wheel is clean and non-corroded, you should be fine.

That said, much easier to fix now than later. Several have refinished them as a DIY projects and I remember calling around to get powdercoating quotes in the $300 range for the set.
 
Resurrecting this thread rather than creating a new one. I just bought some Sequoia wheels for my 4R and a couple of them have this bubbling as shown in the image below. I understand how this problem can be fixed (refinishing, etc.) and that it will eventually need to be addressed. My immediate question is whether this is a cosmetic problem only or does it affect the integrity of the wheel? I'm getting new tires next week and am trying to decide whether to get the wheels fixed now or if I can wait a while. Not too worried about the appearance part of it but obviously want to be sure there's no compromise on safety.

TIA for any insight.

HTQEuaEl.jpg


You could do as I did before I had them all refinished, described in the other thread I linked above, scrape the bubbled areas off and paint with this: Professional Ready Mix Flat Aluminum Enamel Interior/Exterior Paint (Actual Net Contents: 32-fl oz) https://www.lowes.com/pd/Rust-Oleum...or-Paint-Actual-Net-Contents-32-fl-oz/3068165

Not answering your question about safety, but my issues were Discount Tire not being able to get a good seal when mounting tires and they slowly leaked. That could be a safety issue if you aren’t paying attention to tire pressures.


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I don't believe it's a Toyota problem, here in the rust belt LOTS of wheel do this b/c of poor maintenance. My 5 spoke Limited wheels are becoming crusty,but I do plan on getting them refinished. Someone mentioned $300 for a set.HA!!!! I was quoted $320 PER WHEEL. Yes, I've looked around (in the philly area). There is a place in Bath, PA where they supposedly do a good job and it comes with a warranty. Anyway, I've given up looking for pristine rims that are cheap, may as well get them renewed.

I've had 93,96,97 Grand Cherokees (complete crap) and ALL of them exhibited the finish crusting away, thus bubbling up. I truly believe this is the result of how they are taken care off, of course, it also depends on how robust the factory finish it, but there is only so much they can/will do.
 
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