Repairing cracked alloys

[Brett Dikeman]

On Jun 5, 2006, at 10:46 AM, Andrew Duane wrote:

> One of my tires had developed a slow leak lately. It turns out not to
> be the tire, but the wheel. There is a crack about 1.5" long near the
> edge of the bead. What are the chances for welding/repairing this?

I was once told alloy wheels cannot be welded, especially in the bead/ 
edge area....but apparently there are a lot of places that do it,  
though that doesn't mean it is safe.  My guess is you need to find a  
place that does a lot of wheel repair, and hence can afford the  
proper equipment.  However, by the time you get done with shipping  
both ways and the repair bill, you might be looking at the cost of  
buying a new or used wheel.

> I hate to have to shell out for a new wheel.....

Post on Audiworld A6 forum + the marketplace here...lots of people  
upgrade.  You might, for example, be able to find a set of A6 V8  
wheels the owner doesn't like/need anymore.  Keep an eye on  
craigslist as well, as people put snow tire packages up. You can also  
try the Audiworld NE forum; mention you need one.  Perhaps someone is  
using a set of the OEM wheels for snows, and wouldn't mind letting  
you put  'deposit' down and using one until you've got a replacement,  
if you mount/unmount the snow, etc.


B