Hello: I have a 2010 Civic EX-L and have lately been experiencing slow tire leaks,currently in both the driver's side tires. On occasion,the shop has found a screw/nail in the tread,but most of the time they have sanded the rim,and that was it. I soon have leaking again. What could be causing these leaks besides punctures? Thanks!

 

I assume you have alloy rims, based on the year 2010??

When they "sanded" the rim, did they apply sealant around it? I've had this done once or twice for corrosion around the bead of a rim, and the tire shop put some kind of black rubber stuff (like glue??) around the bead.

Another possibility that you can check out is the valve stem. Open the cap & use soapy water to check whether you get air bubbles through the valve. A new valve core is like a dollar & easy to replace. Air bubbles around the base of the valve stem means it leaks there. Got TPS sensors? Either way it probably needs the tire removed in order to replace the whole stem.

Anyway, I'm moving this over to the Tire/Wheel section.

 

My car is too old for TPS sensors,and yes,I have alloy rims.I am not sure what they did after sanding the rims,I will ask when I take the car in yet again on Saturday. Funny,a leaking valve stem was the cause of one of the past leaks,and I will check the tires later today for valve leakage. Thanks for you input!

 

The majority of my own experience with slow leaks, is bits of metal or glass embedded in the tread. Verified by using soapy water & looking for bubbles.

Sometimes it takes awhile for that stuff to work through the tire & cause a leak. So you drive through a patch of broken glass, all on one side of the car, and after a few days you get a leak. Fix that, & wait for the next little bit of glass to make it through.

It's a real PITA, but take off the wheel & go around the tread poking at everything stuck in the tread. You may be surprised to find a few more pieces of glass that will take another week or so to get deep & cause a leak.

 

Thanks,Jim. I will ask them to check for this when I take the car in on Saturday. It is too damned cold here to do anything myself,-22C,and I park in an unheated garage.

 

cast aluminum wheels are notorious for small leaks. I have seen where people have even said that it leaks through the metal itself. I am not too sure about that, but I believe its a common enough belief that GM has a procedure for the repair.

Here I found a brief description about it.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/car...12293/4297504/

 

Actually, the 2010 Civic does have the TPMS system and TPMS wheel sensors.

 

My owner's manual says U.S. models have the TPMS feature,but I have a Canadian model,which doesn't have it. The good news is the garage I took my car to seemed to have fixed the problem. No more slow leaks on the driver's side tires. The other tires seem to be okay as well.