Lexus 2001 Rim

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

My Lexus RX 300 (2001) kept loosing tire pressure and I took it to my trusty mechanic. He couldn’t find anything wrong with the tire itself but said the rim is getting rusted and thats the reason the air pressure isn’t holding.
Couple months later I noticed low tire pressure in all 4 tires and had taken it to nearby Discount Tire store. The guy who pumped air also said the same thing, namely, the rims are getting rusted and I should consider replacing them.

That brings me to the question: What is a reasonable cost for used rim for Lexus 300 RX 2001?
Any recommendation as to where I can look for ?

2

I’d look at new rims from a tire shop, or a place like Tire Rack. How old are the tires?

3

+1
Even Costco is selling aftermarket rims in their tire department nowadays.
The only brand of rims that they sell is Velox, but I seem to recall that this is a good brand.

Velox Custom Automobile Wheels | Costco

4

you are probably better off getting aftermarket rims, because it will cost you more money getting new original rims.

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5

Rims can have a wide range of prices . Go to all the wheel and tire shops web sites near you and you will have an idea of what to spend . Salvage yard rims might have the same problem you have now and will not have a warranty.

6

Do you live in an area that uses salt? It’s a bit unusual for all 4 wheels to suddenly start losing air. Might the TPS batteries be going dead?

7

I found nice looking rims for my daughters RAV4 @ Pep Boys for a bit less than $100 each. A local independent shop installed sensors for about $70 each. The original rims had all rusted and the tipping point was the area around one TPMS was non repairable. Looking @ similar vintage RAV’s I see some pristine original rims and some horribly rusted. I guess it depends on what production run or vendor the rims came from.

Shop around the till you find a style and price you like, buy new, don’t waste time or money buying used rims. But if you insist on used, contact a local recycling yard (junk yard)

8

But make sure they’re direct fit and don’t require a spacer ring, because those become irritants when you have a shop rotate/replace tires.

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9

This is uite common in our area and the remedy is to remove the tires, use a rotary wire brush and paint the bead area with an epoxy paint.