Odd alloy wheel problem...?

motorguy

Ok, this is a bit of an odd one.

I scuffed the edge of an alloy wheel on my car last November. As there was no spare, i bought another refurbed alloy, swapped it on, and then got my original refurbed. Bearing in mind it was just the outer lip of the rim.

I'm assuming they skimmed the alloy and re-laquered it.

So, i got the alloy back, mint, as new and kept it boxed in the garage. The same garage as the car sat in all winter too, whilst the car also endured winter roads, water, rain, snow, salt, etc. Wheels on the car have remained perfect, however the refurbed wheel that was boxed and sitting in the garage is suffering from "spidering" on every spoke?

Have i recourse with the refurbisher, or could this have been caused by perhaps the small amount of constant dampness the wheel might have got over the winter sitting in an otherwise dry garage?

natlol

Is it rough to touch and therefore corrosion under the laquer? If it's corrosion it is odd how it has only penetrated the face.

motorguy

natlol wrote: »

Is it rough to touch and therefore corrosion under the laquer? If it's corrosion it is odd how it has only penetrated the face.

Its definitely under surface. It would be fairly typical alloy wheel corrosion of a diamond cut alloy.

However, this has happened with a wheel sitting a garage, just after a refurb,

Wheel was corrosion free before the refurb, corrosion free when it came back from the refurb (where they would have taken that top surface off and relaquered it) and now 4 months of sitting in a garage its like that.

natlol

It is very odd isn't it. I had a repair done on a diamond cut wheel and it looks ok after 12 months of being on the car and that was during the winter. You would have thought being off the car and stored would have been a much easier time for it. I wonder if they just lacquered the face and somehow moisture has got in through the sides of the repair.
Either way I would ring them as it shouldn't have done it this soon.

jeradon

Are the wheels clear coated?

Scrapit

Tried cleaning them? A decent fall out remover might take it off.

Gloomendoom

It will be under the lacquer.

droopsnoot

Paint finishes tend to be thinner on sharp edges - that's why if you're compounding paint you need to pay special attention to corners in case you rub through the top coats and down to primer. I wonder if the lacquer is so thin on the edges that it's allowed moisture in? In any case I'd definitely ask the people who refurbished it - it might get a little damp in your garage, but it would have been expected to stand up to far more had you fitted it to the car.

ETA - they look as if the outer flat surface has been "diamond cut" - which looks as if it's left tiny grooves along the outer surface, a bit like on a vinyl record. If that's the case (and not just the photo on here) maybe the edges of those grooves are where the "spiders" are starting. Definitely worth asking the company, as it's not been all that long, and in some circumstances wouldn't be unusual to have alloys refurbished in winter to fit to the car at the start of summer.


EATA - another thought. They haven't put a clear plastic coat on the flat surface, that they would intend you to remove before using the wheels? I don't know if wheel people do that, but maybe it's a dual-purpose temporary protector and masking for while they paint the spoke edges. Don't pull at anything, but again, ask them.

motorguy

droopsnoot wrote: »

Paint finishes tend to be thinner on sharp edges - that's why if you're compounding paint you need to pay special attention to corners in case you rub through the top coats and down to primer. I wonder if the lacquer is so thin on the edges that it's allowed moisture in? In any case I'd definitely ask the people who refurbished it - it might get a little damp in your garage, but it would have been expected to stand up to far more had you fitted it to the car.

ETA - they look as if the outer flat surface has been "diamond cut" - which looks as if it's left tiny grooves along the outer surface, a bit like on a vinyl record. If that's the case (and not just the photo on here) maybe the edges of those grooves are where the "spiders" are starting. Definitely worth asking the company, as it's not been all that long, and in some circumstances wouldn't be unusual to have alloys refurbished in winter to fit to the car at the start of summer.


EATA - another thought. They haven't put a clear plastic coat on the flat surface, that they would intend you to remove before using the wheels? I don't know if wheel people do that, but maybe it's a dual-purpose temporary protector and masking for while they paint the spoke edges. Don't pull at anything, but again, ask them.

Yes, diamond cut, and i suspect when they re-cut it and then lacquered it, tiny little pinholes have been left at the edge of the diamond cutting once they lacquered it and damp has got in

motorguy

Just to update, got to the refurb place on Friday and they had a look at the wheel.

Wholly agreed it shouldnt have happened and now have the wheel back whilst they look at it, understand what happened, then redo it and make sure it doesnt happen again.

Absolutely no quibble with them about it too.

Result :beer: