How to tell if my car alloy wheels have a lock?

[cartyre]

Thanks, I have had it into a a garage twice and the verified theres no slow puncture and couldnt find anything wrong with it. But I have since been told the alloys are corroded and the tires are new and treds are great.

[paintman]

Alloys losing air where the tyre meets the rim due to corrosion in that area is an old & common problem.

Usual course - or at least with the tyre fitters I use which isn't KF or any of the chains - is to wirebrush the affected area with a brush on an angle grinder.
This alone can often solve the problem as it removes the loose bits.
If it doesn't then a sealant is used, I can't remember the name but it's black & brush applied.
Once the tyre Is fitted & pressurised both places dunk it in a tank of water to ensure the job's jobbed.
Have had quite a few done over the years - usually just the brushing - & have had no problems.

If your wheel nut caps look like plastic hexagonal silver mushrooms then the tool that comes with the car looks like this:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Peugeot-Citroen-Wheel-N...
You push the two legs over the cap lip & pull them off.
Tools on 307 saloon (we currently have two) are usually in a plastic tray in the spare wheel well & the estate in the plastic container in the spare wheel under the boot - you have to drop the spare to access them using the wheel brace on the nut in the boot, the brace is behind a flap on the vertical side of the boot space.
These pics might help: https://haynes.com/en-gb/car-manuals/peugeot/307/2...

Edited by paintman on Sunday 14th January 15:28

[steve2]

Also get the tyre fitter to check the valve, mine kept going down and although the fitter cleaned up the rust it was only on the second visit he checked the valve which was leaking

[paintman]

Good point.
Mine always replace the complete valve assembly - ours are all normal valves not the pressure sensor type.

[227bhp]

A handy little image for you to save and treasure:

[bongtom]

I really worry about the future of humanity.

[KungFuPanda]

cartyre said:

Thanks, very helpful.

Now I am only interested in getting the corroded part of the alloy fixed so it fits properly and stops the tyres loosing pressure. So Im only interested in getting the part of the alloy fixed so tyres wont loose pressure and I have alloy booked in for a refurbishment which is expensive, could I not just ask them to save money and only fix the part that needed to be fixed as Im not bothered about the out side or any other parts getting done that will make no difference to solviing the issue I am trying to address?

You sound like an absolute nightmare customer. The refurbishment place will take the tyre off the wheel and sand blast and acid dip the whole wheel prior to refurb and repainting. They won't just mask off the bit you want fixing as it is too time consuming. Either get the whole set of wheels refurbed or buy new wheels. on a 2005 307, a new set of wheels will probably cost more than the car.

[cartyre]

KungFuPanda said:

You sound like an absolute nightmare customer. The refurbishment place will take the tyre off the wheel and sand blast and acid dip the whole wheel prior to refurb and repainting. They won't just mask off the bit you want fixing as it is too time consuming. Either get the whole set of wheels refurbed or buy new wheels. on a 2005 307, a new set of wheels will probably cost more than the car.

Its this kind of attitude that allows bad customer service by KungFuPanda....A customer who is not experienced in alloy wheels asking if its possible to simply repair the corroded part rather than paint and refurbish other parts is a very good question actually. For me who is not experienced in alloy wheels for me is like someone asking can someone repair the light in my fridge and they say we will refurbish the fridge but I ask is it ok if you just fix the light in the fridge rather than refurbish, clean etc the rest of the fridge? a perfectly reasonable honest question and such a awful attitude by KungFuPanda suggesting I sound like a nightmare customer is a disgrace to the forum for those who come asking for help and advice honestly and kindly.

[paintman]

The cheapest option is what I've told you.

Edited by paintman on Saturday 20th January 18:50

[cartyre]

Thanks,

Im having so much trouble with my front car tyres.

I noticed they were going flat, just slowly and not completely, about 3/4 to what they should be, they were going down much faster than they should have been. They never go completely flat just to about 1/2 flat if I left it more than a couple of weeks or so.

SO I have had it into 2 different garages and they said they checked the tyres and can find nothing wrong with them, no puncture, no slow puncture, nothing. They changed the tyre valves incase that was the issue, but again the tyres after just a couple of days were slowly loosing pressure. SO I thought right Im just going to get brand new tyres put on, so had it in garage and was told theres nothing wrong with these tyres they are brand new and its probably the alloys that are corroded that are causing them to loose pressure.

So then paid for the alloys to be refurbished and repaired for leaking rims.

Then had them pumped up again right after, now I have noticed they have lost pressure already again after just a few days.

WHat should I do? Im so tired of this.

[PositronicRay]

cartyre said:

Thanks,

Im having so much trouble with my front car tyres.

I noticed they were going flat, just slowly and not completely, about 3/4 to what they should be, they were going down much faster than they should have been. They never go completely flat just to about 1/2 flat if I left it more than a couple of weeks or so.

SO I have had it into 2 different garages and they said they checked the tyres and can find nothing wrong with them, no puncture, no slow puncture, nothing. They changed the tyre valves incase that was the issue, but again the tyres after just a couple of days were slowly loosing pressure. SO I thought right Im just going to get brand new tyres put on, so had it in garage and was told theres nothing wrong with these tyres they are brand new and its probably the alloys that are corroded that are causing them to loose pressure.

So then paid for the alloys to be refurbished and repaired for leaking rims.

Then had them pumped up again right after, now I have noticed they have lost pressure already again after just a few days.

WHat should I do? Im so tired of this.

Google porous alloy wheels.

[AdeTuono]

This guy has to be a troll, surely? Rarely has such ignorance been displayed on PH. And I've been here years and years.

And the username?

[paintman]

Take wheel off.
Lay it on the ground.
Strong solution of soapy water on the area where the tyre meets the rim.
Bubbles means poor seal.
Turn wheel over & do other rim.
Spray on the wheel itself bubbles here is new wheel time.

Wait till other half is out.
Part fill bath.
Remove wheel.
Put in bath same way as if it was fitted to car.
Check that water covers lower part of wheel as well so that any leakage in the wheel itself will show.
Rotate slowly looking for bubbles.
Bubbles on rim is poor seal.
Bubbles on metal of wheel means new wheel time.
Clean the bath.

If the bubbles are where the tyre meets the rim I've told you twice how to deal with it.

Edited by paintman on Thursday 25th January 09:23

[silentbrown]

cartyre said:

I noticed they were going flat, just slowly and not completely, about 3/4 to what they should be, they were going down much faster than they should have been. They never go completely flat just to about 1/2 flat if I left it more than a couple of weeks or so.

How are you measuring the "3/4 flat" and "1/2 flat"?

Also, are they only going flat at the bottom?

[227bhp]

cartyre said:

WHat should I do? Im so tired of this.

[cartyre]

silentbrown said:

How are you measuring the "3/4 flat" and "1/2 flat"?

Also, are they only going flat at the bottom?

Yes only the bottom part. Correct. WHat does this indicate?

When I measure "3/4 flat" and "1/2 flat" I am just meaning based on what I can see from observation as an estimate. The guy at the garage . well all the garages just said sorry Miss theres nothing wrong with the tyres, no puncture or slow puncture.

Edited by cartyre on Thursday 25th January 12:04

[cartyre]

AdeTuono said:

This guy has to be a troll, surely? Rarely has such ignorance been displayed on PH. And I've been here years and years.

And the username?

How rude, I dont appreciate that at all. This is a genuine issue I have with my car tyre that I am trying to fix and have spent alot of time and cost in trying to fix it.

Some people here just want to laugh and mock and make derisory remarks at me. Surley this should not be allowed on the forum, are there no moderators able to stop this?

Thanks paintman, this is something I could request a garage to do.

Edited by cartyre on Thursday 25th January 12:09

[silentbrown]

cartyre said:

silentbrown said:

How are you measuring the "3/4 flat" and "1/2 flat"?

Also, are they only going flat at the bottom?

Yes only the bottom part. Correct. WHat does this indicate?

When I measure "3/4 flat" and "1/2 flat" I am just meaning based on what I can see from observation as an estimate. The guy at the garage . well all the garages just said sorry Miss theres nothing wrong with the tyres, no puncture or slow puncture.

Good grief. Let's start at the very beginning...

You should have learned how to check (and adjust) tyre pressures as part of your driving test, assuming you've taken it recently. "from observation" is not helpful, because the tyre can be dangerously low long before you can "observe" anything, and driving around with very little pressure in the tyre can terminally damage the tyres.

Buy yourself a cheap pressure gauge and learn to use it. The ones on garage air pumps are notoriously inaccurate, and readings vary from garage to garage. Check pressures regularly (maybe weekly). Pressures are usually measured in pounds per square inch (PSI) and should be within a couple of PSI of the figures shown on the sticker which is normally just inside a front door. Make sure you read the correct values for car loading and your tyre size.

How old are the tyres, by the way - Do you have any idea?

[cartyre]

Yes tyres have only done about 3,000 miles at the very most.

I bought the AA Digital Tyre Pressure Gauge and after a few days trying it on the tyres I couldnt get the hang of it, it kept making air come out of the tyres rather than read the PSI and the readings were different every time I tried it on the same tyre, just seconds after the other reading.

[DuraAce]

cartyre said:

Yes tyres have only done about 3,000 miles at the very most.

I bought the AA Digital Tyre Pressure Gauge and after a few days trying it on the tyres I couldnt get the hang of it, it kept making air come out of the tyres rather than read the PSI and the readings were different every time I tried it on the same tyre, just seconds after the other reading.

Quality trolling I have to say!

Get a garage or any adult with any competence or coordination to take the pressure readings and report back with them.....