Ahh! tis down to electrolysis, between alloy wheel 'n' steel/iron studs, me knows about this i do!! :-)
cheers
Billy
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Some alloys have sharp edges which is a natural weak point for paint protection and subsequent corrosion. Next time you are in halfords take a look at their wheels and you will find no sharp corners and the same level of finish both inside and outside the rim (behind the spokes). Unlike, in my case the wheels fitted to my Honda which I had sprayed with an extra few coats of lacquer on the inside of the rim for extra protection.
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Ahh! tis down to electrolysis, between alloy wheel 'n' steel/iron studs, me knows about this i do!! :-)
And sharp edges, me knows a bit about paint protection on oil rigs, I do!! ;-)
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The bubbled up area is not in the centre near the holes nor at the wheel rim. It's on the spokes towards the inside of the wheel and seems to have started on the fairly sharp, i.e. not rounded edge.
Thanks for the views - I might now take it up with the dealer as contrary to my previous style I plan to keep this car a while longer. That's a very long story in itself and best left for another post, but basically I couldn't find a car that suited me better than what I've got.
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and seems to have started on the fairly sharp, i.e. not rounded edge.<<
o.k, the points go to Mal!! he knows about this he does! ;-)
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I am aware of 2 owners of Chrysler 300C vehicles with alloys that have corroded around the hub area and who have had the wheels readily replaced under warranty.
I would certainly recommend that you request replacements from your dealership whilst your vehicle is still under warranty.
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So far I've had 4 sets of alloys from VAG and BMW dealers under warranty for premature corrosion. It's a cut and dried warranty issue if there is no obvious physical damage.
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I've got a set of corroding alloys on my Focus ST170. They were only 2 years old when I first complained about them but I got fobbed off by two Ford dealers and also Ford Customer Serives. They basically wouldn't do anything about them and stead fastly said that Ford only give 12 months warranty on its alloy wheels.
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...They basically wouldn't do anything about them and stead fastly said that Ford only give 12 months warranty on its alloy wheels...(quote)
Does the warranty specifically indicate that?
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I don't know but this is the same song being sung by both Ford itself and its dealers. As they put it the three year warranty only covers certain components for certain lengths of time, and as each year passes various components drop off this list of items covered by the warranty.
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On my Accord I had one wheel (Penta alloy) that had a small 5p size bit of corrosion on it and Honda replaced all 4 without any argument whatsoever
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I dont suppose its caused by you caring about your car so little you'll wash it only twice a year thus allowing brake dust to corrode the alloy?
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That may have something to do with that, they tend to do better when washed a little more often. :-)
However, it's still a warranty issue with a decent company and they should replace them, my Uncle had two sets on his Celica, the quality of those wheels was dire.
Blue
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Have I understood this right: cars are equipped with wheels made from a material that is attacked by a substance with which it will come into daily and intimate contact in the course of normal, careful use? So one vital safety component is engaged in destroying another? And this is considered a Good Thing?
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A neighbour with a Celica also had his changed, he didn't even ask for it to be done - they were changed at a service.
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This always make me laugh, a colleague went on holiday for 2 weeks and her car was parked under some trees whilst she was away and on returning her 2 year old Focus bonnet's paint was peeling off (like tin foil) in places. She took it to Ford thinking it would be covered under warranty only to be told "sorry, this was caused by outside influences and was not covered by warranty" They quoted £600 to rectify!
She asked him to clarify outside influences and it would appear to be snow, acid rain, hail, bird poo etc. i.e. anything that was falling out of the sky. So be careful if you want to drive your car outside LOL
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MichaelR - "I dont suppose its caused by you caring about your car so little you'll wash it only twice a year thus allowing brake dust to corrode the alloy? "
That's a tad unreasonable of you. It's my car, bought with my own cash and always serviced on the dot (if not before). It gets a wash when it's serviced which makes around 3 times a year for a formal wash - so to speak. It gets the occasional winter hose down (and under) and it doesn't half rain a lot in this island. Can you imagine the washing effect of 50mph in rainfall - probably better than a jetwash!
I think I last polished a car about 20 years ago - there really is no need. I always wash off bird poo and the like immediately but as for pampering the body ..... well, I'm not much into this modern male grooming business.
I think a visit to the dealer about the wheels is called for and I'll make sure I'm prepared for the fobbing off.
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MichaelR - "I dont suppose its caused by you caring about your car so little you'll wash it only twice a year thus allowing brake dust to corrode the alloy?
That's a tad unreasonable of you.
How? It seems factually correct to me. You rarely wash your car, and as a result, the corrosive brake dust is left to fester on your alloys for months at a time. This begins to corrode them, in much the same way that bird lime left on your paintwork for months will damage your paintwork.
I think I last polished a car about 20 years ago - there really is no need. I always wash off bird poo and the like immediately but as for pampering the body ..... well I'm not much into this modern male grooming business.
There is no need to 'pamper' it excessively - 20 minutes a fortnight with a sponge will keep the paintwork in good condition, and more importantly, prevent your alloys from corroding.
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Am I lucky or just wierd, but I've never had any type of corrosion on any alloy wheel - nearest I got to it was corroded chrome wheel nuts on the C-class (replaced under warranty) Mind you, I always watch tyre-fitters like a hawk, thoroughly clean my alloys and regard kerbing as a mortal sin.
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Lexus had a problem with the lacquer flaking on alloys a few years back, and had to replace a load under warranty. Alloys are mostly made by the same people judging by the stamp JML on the wheels.
Audi should replace under warranty, regardless of your lack of cleaning.
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snipquote - PU
I had an IS200 a few years back as a company car, the Lexus dealer replaced all of my alloys at the cars service without even asking me because of premature corrosion at 18 months.
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As someone who cleans wheels everyday of the week I can vouch for the fact that even wheels cleaned regular without acid do corrode although neglect certainly speeds the process up.
Japanese alloys are notorious for laquer issues as are Audi and BMW ( the various shiny finishes they put on the M3 alloys are terribly fragile ), Mercedes do have the odd issue, but its usually over five years old.
Ford and Vauxhall are actually quite good for some reason with VW not suffering too often.
LandRover, Jaguar and Peugeot also dont see too many issues, nor do Renault.
For some reason, laquer quality varies wildly from make to make, but as a certainty, avoiding anything with large numbers of spokes ( less edges the less surfaces for it to start corroding, sounds silly but multispokes seem more prone ) and anything with a specialist finish.
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Lexus replace no questions asked and I would presume Audi would do the same.
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UPDATE
This morning I first cleaned the wheels, then drove to the Audi service department and extremely calmly and gently suggested I had a corrosion issue on 3 out of the 5 wheels.
A chap came out, took a look and said "Mmmm.... I need a second opinion" Then a manager type came out and looked at them for all of 30 seconds and said it was definitely a warranty issue (even though my car is 2 years and 10 and a half months old).
They've immediately put in a request for 3 new wheels and will phone me when ready.
Service ? - Brilliant Service !
As other posts suggest, the more "upmarket" marques don't seem remotely bothered about replacement under warranty. Of course, taking into account the price I paid for my fancy Skoda and the hundreds extra spent on servicing it, I've already paid for a fair few new sets of alloys by now anyway.
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It may have something to do with quality control at the manufacturing stage. Mrs E has had an MX5 from new. Now 4.5 years old, the wheels are in perfect condition. I have never sprayed any type of cleaner on them, they seem to shed dirt quite easily when washed. The car has been used in all conditions and has covered just shy of 20k miles. So, well done Mazda.
Contrast that with my Mondeo. Bought at 8 months old in 2004, by winter '05 the wheels were showing some corrosion but only around the valve seat. I need to point out the wheels were blemish free when I bought the car and nor had I kerbed them. This was when the car was around 18 months old having done 20k miles. After much haggling with Ford customer service they relented and replaced the wheels ( probably because of all the other trouble I had with this car, another long story.)
Fast forward to now and the wheels have corroded in exactly the same place. But this time it would not be so easy to argue, as a famous chain of tyre quick fitters have made them worse after a tyre change. But the bottom line is Ford seem to have some kind of quality control with alloy wheels certainly those fitted to the Ghia X anyway. My old Zetec was sent on to it's next owner with the wheels in factory condition, although they did not have the same high gloss finish as the wheels on my car.
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>>Ford seem to have some kind of quality control with alloy wheels certainly those fitted to the Ghia X anyway.
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Not so with my 98 Mondeo Ghia X model. Unknown life up to 80K three years ago and now at 110K+. ( It appeared to have been a business car)
The wheels just get a soapy hand wash n brush about once every month of so and I think they are in a pretty good state.
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Service ? - Brilliant Service ! As other posts suggest the more "upmarket" marques don't seem remotely bothered about replacement under warranty.
Seems a straightforward claim to me and no reason at all why they should not replace them. It will not cost the dealer a penny, in fact they will make a small profit; Audi (UK) will pay and it will ultimately be clawed back from the supplier.
Problems arise with some warranties that exclude certain items after the first year (e.g. Renault I think) and Ford warranty where the first year is with the factory and years 2 & 3 are from an insurance policy which the dealers subscribe to.
I think people need to realise that dealers like any job they get paid for, so warranty work is something they will happily take on if they think they can claim back from manfr. Wheels corrosion is usually straightforward.
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Of course taking into account the price I paid for my fancy Skoda
Of course my guessing is that you've enjoyed the Audi a lot more than you owuld have enjoyeed a Skoda :-)
Blue
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I don't know why anyone would enjoy owning an Audi over a Skoda unless it was a high end model. If Skoda made a car with over 400bhp and 4 wheel drive that was cheaper than it's Audi equivalent I'd take it over my RS4 any day.
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Sometimes in life you get a result. I clouted an invisible kerb on the mega floods day when the entire carriageway was a river with no obvious edge. The alloy wheel was pretty scratched up.
But, today I got rid of it when the dealer fitted my 3 new and very shiny wheels under warranty. How long until I kerb one?
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