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				Wheel corrosion repair
			 
			I'm looking for some suggestions on repairing the corrosion damage on my FX35 wheels. It's pretty much limited to the area around the metal valve stems. I'd like to do something on the cheap, but I'm afraid that the stems need to be removed for the repair to survive a Wisconsin winter. Obviously the paint wasn't sealed in this area originally. Of course I would need to remove the tires from the wheels to remove the stems. At that point I may as well have the entire wheel refinished, but I fear that the new finish may not survive the process of remounting the tires. Here's a couple of pictures of one wheel, they all look pretty much the same.    | ||
|  05-13-2014, 12:38 PM | 
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| Registered | 
			That looks like rust. Are those painted steel?
		 
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|  05-13-2014, 05:48 PM | 
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| Registered User | 
			
Get them powder coated.  They will survive anything.
		 
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|  05-13-2014, 06:31 PM | 
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| Registered | |||
|  05-13-2014, 06:56 PM | 
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| Driver | 
			I do not do this stuff for a living, but looking at those wheels, I'd guess that the proper way to do the repair is to dismount the tires and valve stems, clean off the corrosion down to bare aluminum, and then repaint/powdercoat/chrome/PVD or however you want to cover them.  Then reinstall the tires.  That corrosion is going to compromise the seal at the valvestem, and you're going to develop slow leaks.  I think if you do something on the cheap, your repair is not going to last.
		 
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|  05-13-2014, 07:13 PM | 
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| Control Group | 
			How much to refinish a wheel, and would that compromise the strength of it?
		 
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|  05-13-2014, 08:42 PM | 
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| Registered | Quote: 
 I don't see why media blasting and paint would compromise the strength. I have read some mention of powder painting (400°F) altering the metallurgical characteristics of the aluminum, don't know if that's true. | ||
|  05-14-2014, 04:49 AM | 
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| Registered Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Honolulu, HI 
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			Got to couple of car dealers and ask who they use for wheel repair.  Most wheel repair guys can fix that in their work vans.  They can even match the paint, but the mobile repair guy here hates doing that finish.
		 
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|  05-14-2014, 05:16 AM | 
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| Still Doin Time Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Nokesville, Va. 
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			I have one word: Wheel Collision Center Bath PA- Excellence in Refinished/Used Factory OEM Aluminum Alloy Wheel Rim Sales & Alloy Wheel Rim Straightening Repair Refinishing & Recycling! - www.oemfactoryrimwheel.com Excellence in Refinished/Used Factory OEM Aluminum A   they are w/o a doubt the best place, service and price. You'll need to dismount the tire and send it to them. Anything else is just a temp repair
		 
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|  05-14-2014, 05:18 AM | 
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| Registered Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: SE Pa. 
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			Wheel Collison Center is great, but they're local to me.
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|  05-14-2014, 08:05 AM | 
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|  05-14-2014, 08:41 AM | 
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| Control Group | 
			I was thinking of the corrosion weakening the rim.  Given where that is, I would be suspicious of something internal, rather than external.  Wet air that then condenses, or something like that.
		 
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|  05-14-2014, 08:57 AM | 
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| 300hp 1800lbs is the goal | 
			Galvanic corrosion?  Is that valve stem making any metal on metal contact? Perhaps on the inner surface of the wheel? Aluminum is one of the worst, especially if stainless is touching it. Looks like rusting steel to me, but I really doubt any infinity would come with steel wheels. You're not the first with this problem... FX35 oem wheels corrosion on google pulls up same isssue with someone else. 
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|  05-14-2014, 01:21 PM | 
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