alloy wheels paint blistering

[nim]

i have a w210 e240 less than five years old and all four alloys are blistering i have taken it to the dealers and they have come back with the offer of four new alloys 50% off this will cost me £417 the point is these wheels where defective from day one when they where put on the car in the assembly line so why should the customer have to pay mercedes for there crap alloys anyone with a similar story please leave your story.

 

[Blobcat]

Quite hard to prove, it depends upon cleaning chemicals and any curbing that may have occured. As it is now well out of warranty 50% is not such a bad offer. You could have them refinished - Pristine Alloys I think is the recommended place.
When did you first notice the alloys blistering?

 

[television]

If you have been using a wheel spray cleaner, this will attack the lacquer.
Any finnish without pigment is not very strong. Do not use Wheel cleaners.


Malcolm

 

[television]

As Blobcat says Pristine Wheels do a very good job, they did the ones on my last car, average cost £250 it depends on the style. MB and BMW use them fo all of their wheels, its possible that the ones you were offered have been there.
5 years is not bad for lacquered wheels anyway.
Malcolm

 

[nim]

thanks Blobcat for your advice think i will take it up always nice to know there are people out there who are will to help

 

[philharve]

Alloy wheel corrosion - repair/replace?

Hi All

I have corrosion on all 5 alloy wheels. It's occuring underneath the paint and is worse around the centre of the wheel and around the spokes. The corrosion resembles rust on steel in that the initial starring turns to bubbling at the centre of the corrosion and then spreads outwards.

I have put in a claim to MB but if successful it is likely I will be asked to pay a percentage of their cost. But should I pay anything on alloys less than 7 years old and which have suffered no damage? Sounds like the familiar MB quality problem to me -cost cutting.

I believe my alloys are beyond repair but they suit the lines of the car and I would like the same again. However, I would be willing to consider other designs if they have better corrosion resistance.

Any member tried fitting a different design of wheel to a W202 C230K?

How common is alloy wheel corrosion anyway? I'm primarily interested in MB wheels.

REGARDS

Phil

 

[ernieh]

Unfortunately, corrosion of the alloys seems to be all too common these days. Mine were replaced without quibble after less than 2 years due to corrosion on the leading edges of the spokes and also from the centre badges. On the original wheels, the spoke edges were sharp and 'unfinished' whereas on the new wheels, the edges have been smoothed. Hopefully these will last longer. A quick walk around my local dealership's used stock showed that most of the cars over 18 months old had the same problem.

Incidentally I had exactly the same problem with my last car, a Passat (52 Plate) with corrosion in exactly the same places again due to unfinished edges. In this case, only the supplying dealership was prepared to replace them under warranty; my local dealership blamed stonechipping.

Hope this helps.

 

[television]

MB are now doing away with the diamond turned weak finishes now and going for the powder coated black chrome effects, these should last well.

 

[arm 33]

rubbish alloys

I have AMG 5 spokes on my clk320 convertible and they lasted about a year from new. The polished aluminium finish on the edges dulled down and i am getting the top coat flaking off on the centre . Just what you expect on a £250 alloy wheel!

I dont know how merc get away with it i tell you

 

[rogdogg]

The AMG wheels are particularly poor quality and the ones with the polished and lacquered rims are the worst.Mine were a £1600 option and were deteriorating after 18 mpnths.Dealer said ity was stone chipping which it wasn't as the 'spidering' was on the flat surface and around the valve.

 

[The Rock]

The AMG wheels are particularly poor quality and the ones with the polished and lacquered rims are the worst.Mine were a £1600 option and were deteriorating after 18 mpnths.Dealer said ity was stone chipping which it wasn't as the 'spidering' was on the flat surface and around the valve.

My polished rim 18" AMG wheels on my W210 are awful. Embarrasing, even. But at 8 years old there's no chance of a warranty claim. However, on my wifes SLK, MB replaced all 4 wheels, admittedly with refurbished ones, free of charge, after 3 years, and we didn't even buy the car new. Top service.
Rock

 

[philharve]

Hi All

I have put in a claim to DC for a new set of wheels because they are corroding from the inside out. They are originals. You don't expect them to corrode on a car not yet 7 year old. My indie disagreed. He showed me the wheels on his new CL500. Botheration, I thought!

He warned against refurbs and said he could get an identical replacement set from MB for my C230K for about GBP600.00. But why should I have to pay? However, considering how much alloys cost these days, GBP600.00 is probably a good deal. Pity they will start to corrode as soon as they are fitted to the car. Can you get money back on corroded wheels like you used to be able to get on empty bottles? (Showing my age again)

REGARDS

Phil

 

[jools182]

I think a lot are bad quality

Mine look like they are about 100 years old, not 6 years

my brother also had problems with his on his A class

Cost cutting I think :roll:

 

[Blobcat]

I think a lot are bad quality

Mine look like they are about 100 years old, not 6 years

my brother also had problems with his on his A class

Cost cutting I think :roll:

The only marks on my W210 wheels were due to parking :-( On the other hand my wife's 2005 Honda Accord wheels whilst they have never been curbed or the tyres changed they are looking quite bad. I don't use any chemical cleaners so when it is due for a service I will be asking Honda to look at replacing them. These are just regular 15" alloy wheels nothing special - Honda even use clip on weights on the outside :evil: