I got the 17" cross spoke alloy wheels on my 2001Y BMW 530i Touring refurbished 15 1/2 months ago. This was considerably more expensive than I thought it would be because they are "two part" wheels and they have recessed bolts around the rim which had to be removed then reassembled. Also adding to the cost was my remote location which added carriage. They apparently were stripped, the kerb makings ground out, wet laquered and baked, etc, etc and they did look tremendous when they came back.
I noticed on the two front wheels that the corrosion is returning (there are some greyish flaking sorts of marks). What could have caused this? The car only has done 4000 odd miles in the last 15 months, it gets mini valeted monthly. It is kept in a gravelled parking area when not in use and none of the wheels have been kerbed but i guess that it is possible the laquer could have been pierced by a stone chips.
The guy that oversaw the work said that there were no guarantees and that the refurbishment would probably not last forever, but I am a bit disappointed that it only lasted 15 months.Is there a flaw in the wheels or in the process? What would be a reasonable position to take on this?
Many thanks
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Unfortunately a lot of wheels that have fancy diamond cut finishes just don't last and start to show signs of corrosion quite quickly. My 18" Mondeo ST wheels are showing signs of corrosion after 16 months from new - I'm going to have a go at the dealer and see if I can get them replaced under warranty. If not, I intend to get them painted or powder coated for longevity.
What do you use to clean them? Any of the strong acid or alkaline wheel cleaners really need to be avoid with anything other than painted wheels.
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Does powder coating come in 'clear', that could be an answer??.
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We use "clear" powder coating. It is "normal" colour powder coating without the colouring pigment
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I am not sure what the valeters use to clean them but I could try and fined out. Could you explain the difference between painting and powder coating and what I had done. I assumed my wheels were painted the alloy colour?
Thanks
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Yup I'd check what wheel cleaners are being used some are incredbly aggressive.
Paint is a liquid sprayed on & possibly baked on. Powder coating is powder that is sprayed, sometimes with electrostatic attraction on to the wheel & then baked, forming a plastic coat. If Powder coat is chipped then the water gets underneath & very soon degrades the finish. This is why I don't powder coat chassis or suspension parts when refurbing cars.
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I've had diamond cut & lacquer finish begin to fail within three months. Having checked with suppliers other than the one who did the job, I find that they are not far from recommending against it because of its vulnerability, and if you can get a warranty it is unlikely to be for more than three months. I was warned about this a while ago, so should have heeded the advice, and next time it will be a painted finish for sure.
And, I have to say, that when I acquired the car in question when it was four years old and had done only 19k, the original MB factory finish was failing on all the wheels, although I chose to live with it for a while. It's a W124, so it pre-dates the later quality issues.
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got to agree with the chaps that suggest the acids used to clean your wheels ,these need to be put on and literally washed off straight away ,wheels have to be well coked with brake dust before i use the stuff.
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Some cleaners are so aggressive that the cleaning should only be done off the car otherwise you'll have trouble with your calipers and discs.
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Thanks for the comments. What about my second point. I was not in fact warned against doing the work nor given options on what could be done versus how long would it last. It seems from the feedback that it is quite feasible that it could fail within 15-16 months but it was expensive (£850 all in including VAT) and at this cost, I had hoped for more than 15 months. This may be more a hopeful argument rather than a realistic one
Apparently I could have got new replacement wheels for £1500-£1600. Would they have lasted longer? To be honest, if I had been told that this could have happened within 15 months I would not have been able to justify it and would not have gone ahead.
It may be one to write off against experience.......
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I noted in this thread warnings about acid cleaners,I did not like the sound of these so used that old and trusted cleaner GUNK,it works fine and is very safe to use.
ndbw
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No need to use anything. Once the wheels are clean, apply a bit of polish (I like MER but there are many others).
The brake dust then just 'floats' off, or at worst a very gentle wipe with your car cleaning cloth or sponge gets them sparkling again. I would use these acidic cleaners very sparingly - they do what they say on the bottle but perhaps a bit too well...
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Could one consider wheel refurbishment as a regular 2year job , considering salt used on roads during winter and acids for cleaning them ? This assumes you like your car to look just right.
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