On alloy wheels the most common problem is corrosion on the bead seat: the oxide layer stops the tyre sealing against the rim and causes a clear loss of pressure within weeks. The second common cause is a pothole strike — a rim edge bent too little to see by eye will still leak, and that same buckle throws the balance out as well. A crack is a different category: a cracked alloy rim is not repaired by welding, that rim has to be replaced. We take the tyre off to check; the rim is tested with soapy water and the source of the leak is marked. If the corrosion can be cleaned up and put right, it is dealt with on the same visit.
- Corrosion on the bead seat: the most common cause of a slow leak
- A pothole buckle causes both leaks and imbalance
- Leak located with soapy water
- A cracked alloy rim is not repaired — it is replaced
Common questions
My tyre keeps going flat — is it the tyre or the rim?
If there is no puncture and the valve is sound, the rim is next in line. Once the tyre is off, soapy water shows where the leak is within minutes.
Can a buckled rim be straightened?
Slight buckles can be, but that work needs a bench and cannot be done on site. A cracked rim is never straightened — it should not be used.
What we do
