Hi! The wheels on our 75 have been chromed in the past, and it is now peeling and pitting, and has led to one flat tire. Can the chrome be safely media blasted off, or are these wheels done for? I noticed Performance won't accept previously chromed wheels as cores for exchange. Thanks, Dusty

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75 450 SL

They have to chemically strip the old chrome and its a fairly toxic process so many plating shops won't touch previously chromed wheels because they can't rechrome them unless the old stuff is removed completely. This is one reason I avoid chrome wheels (hey! I still have a set of chromed wheels on my 300TD I shouldn't say that!)
One way to get them to hold air is to paint the chrome wherever its peeling with liquid rubber. This is something a good tire shop can do, around the bead area, they can seal it up and unless it has huge areas missing it should make the wheel useable.

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'95 E320 Wagon my favorite road car. '99 E300D wolf in sheeps body, '87 300D Sportline suspension, '79 300TD w/ 617.952 engine at 367,750 and counting!

I was very happy with chromeyourwheels.com's work and their chrome removal price is not terrible (my wheels weren't chromed, though). My wheels look great and I plan to keep them that way (meticulous maintenance at least once a week, hardly any rain, certainly no snow). I would NEVER get chrome wheels for a daily driver, at least not around here.

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86 560SL
With homebrew first gear start!
85 380SL
Daily Driver Project

http://juliepalooza.8m.com/sl/mercedes.htm

Thanks for the help! I'm not so crazy about chrome wheels myself, but it's my wife's car, and I like to sleep with her.... I'll definatly check out that chrome shop.

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75 450 SL

LOL

BIG PIMPIN' with the BLING BLING!

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2006 BMW M5 "Heidi" @ 109,000 miles
2005 MBZ C55 AMG "Lorelai" @ 165,000 miles
1991 MBZ 300E "Benzachino II" @ 165,000 miles
1990 MBZ 500SL "Shoshanna" @ 118,000 miles

(On the hunt for a good used M103 engine as of 6/10/23, PM me if you have one to sell!)

but why would chromed wheels cause your tires to lose air pressure? Is the peeling chrome breaking the seal at the edge of the rim. I've never heard of this before.

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" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

Yup, that's it. Chrome is just a "varnish", really, and it deteriorates, if not very carefully kept up. With some peeling and pitting, the tire doesn't keep a good seal, and a slow lead developes. I've had the same problem with the painte steel wheels on my boat trailer, salt water corodes the rim at the tire seal, next thing you know, a slow lead starts.

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75 450 SL