Ugly corroding Chinese wheels

[Leveret]

Are car makers deliberately supplying their cars with poor quality wheels these days? This is a photo of the worst wheel on Mrs L's Peugeot 2008 Allure Premium, bought new in October 2019. It has done a mere 37,000 miles. Never been in a car wash, cleaned only with rainwater. Cancerous white tentacles of corrosion, protected by what appears to be a covering of hard clear material, is spreading unchecked, as there seems to be no way of checking it. These 'designer's dream, a pain to clean' are stamped on the back 'made in China.'




Her last car was a Mk1 Ford Focus, and at over 140,000 miles and 20yrs old the wheels were still pristine, like this one I found by the side of the road some time ago which makes an excellent hanger for the garden hose.

[ARH]

The wheels are diamond cut. At a basic level it's what happens when you apply a paint finish without a decent primer.

[Bluevanman]

Diamond cut with a clear coat over the top,they all end up like that

[Xenoous]

Diamond cut wheels are the worst. Hate them for this exact reason.

[_Rodders_]

It's salt.

I take mine off in winter, they're nearly 5 years old and essentially still perfect. Hard to judge how many miles they've done but around the 25000 mile mark.

[Drive Blind]

that's quite good for 6 years on a diamond cut finish, I've seen them wrecked in 2 years if the winter salt gets to them.

[Drive Blind]

also - comments incoming on your near 7 year old tyres ...

[andy43]

You can get them refurbed and diamond skimmed. For several hundred quid. Then you can watch them do exactly the same again, but in half the time. Repeat the process three or four times then you’ll be told the wheels are scrap. Genius

[_Rodders_]

andy43 said:

You can get them refurbed and diamond skimmed. For several hundred quid. Then you can watch them do exactly the same again, but in half the time. Repeat the process three or four times then you ll be told the wheels are scrap. Genius

Yep. Although I imagine if a company said we can redo it and it'll last twice as long but it costs twice as much no one would buy it because that's the world we live in.

Realistically you're best option if you're not going to do what I do and take them off in winter is just get them refurbed to make it look good for sale.

[brillomaster]

For this reason I will never have diamond cut wheels. They just are not fit for uk roads.

Luckily, easy enough to get get them powdercoated. Paid £250 for all 4, including collecting the car in the morning, and dropping it back off with fresh wheels in the evening. Couldn't have been easier.

[Alex_225]

Bluevanman said:

Diamond cut with a clear coat over the top,they all end up like that

Exactly this. Standard diamond cut, laquered wheels all last a few years at best, few stone chips and the water gets under them and they get white worm where it lifts. Tends to tarnish faster when they get kerbed.

Only solution I've come across is when they are refurbished the lacquer is powder coated. I had a set done on my S Class this way and 2 years down the line they still looked like new. Apparently the finish should last as well as a normal set of power coated rims.

[lowdrag]

In 1996 I bought myself a new Jaguar X300 for my 50th.The lacquer fell off so often I had three new sets under warranty. Loads of problems such as gearbox problems, windows going down and not back up an other niggles. Don't think you are alone!

[Leveret]

Thanks for responses, much appreciated. 'White worm'.....never heard of it but a very apt description. 'Diamond cut' seems a somewhat misleading description of a manufacturing process so abysmal that cosmetic refurbishment is required after such a short time. Presumably it is cheaper than Ford's process, whatever that was. Anyway, as long as they remain round with leakproof rims that's not going to happen. It's a utilitarian runabout, not an ornament, and so will need to retain its wheels during winter. I expect it to last as least as long as her last car did (Mk1 Ford Focus Est, 21yrs).

[delta0]

As others have said diamond cut wheels this is normal. I had my wheels resprayed when this happened.

[MDMA .]

Drive Blind said:

also - comments incoming on your near 7 year old tyres ...

Looks like 7 years worth of brake dust on the wheels too.

[Spare tyre]

Does the dealer clean the car?

[Olivera]

In my experience OEM diamond cut wheels don't corrode and will look perfect for a long time.

They do corrode when they get kerbed to fk breaking the lacquer, and also quickly when given a stty backstreet refurb with a ste lacquering process.

[Robertb]

I’ve just had my refurbed diamond cuts done again under guarantee a year after they were done.

Definitely winter salt damage is a thing; I will make sure I wash them down even if I don’t do the rest of the car.

I will powder coat them next time, the only reason I did not is one wheel is new and the OE finish has lasted fine.

[LightweightLouisDanvers]

brillomaster said:

For this reason I will never have diamond cut wheels. They just are not fit for uk roads.

Luckily, easy enough to get get them powdercoated. Paid £250 for all 4, including collecting the car in the morning, and dropping it back off with fresh wheels in the evening. Couldn't have been easier.

If i could choose not to have them i wouldn't, unfortunately the next car im looking at only comes with diamond cut wheels but when they start to look st they'll get refurbished and painted or powder coated in one colour, ideally shadow chrome.

[Chubbyross]

I was just thinking this morning how awful diamond cut wheels are. I have them on my family workhorse, a Skoda Octavia. They look terrible - like you're corroded and nasty. I will never have them again. I'm amazed companies like Bentley still fit them to their cars. They always remind me of Hot Wheels cars.