Wire Wheel Survey
Discussion
For those of you who have experience of chrome wire wheels I would like to ask your help with building up a picture of their durability against corrosion.
I purchased a set of MWS wires (chrome rims/stainless spokes) for my Mk2 but within only four months all wheels were showing pitting and rust in the rim channels. The wheels carry a two-year cosmetic warranty, however, MWS will not honour this because they claim I did not maintain the wheels adequately, by allowing brake dust and water to remain on the wheels for too long and this has caused the corrosion.
The four-month period was entirely during the summer so road salt was not a contributing factor. I cleaned the wheels every 2 or 3 weeks (depending on use) with Bilt Hamber Autowheel, a soft wheel brush, hosepipe and microfibre to dry. I am shocked that this regime appears to be so inadequate, never expecting chrome wheels to be so delicate. But are they really this susceptible or were my wheels possibly substandard?
So my questions to you are:
How often do you clean your wires and if they have become rusty how long did this take to appear?
Are any of you prepared to admit to having left brake dust on them for more than a few days and did the wheels suffer?
I purchased a set of MWS wires (chrome rims/stainless spokes) for my Mk2 but within only four months all wheels were showing pitting and rust in the rim channels. The wheels carry a two-year cosmetic warranty, however, MWS will not honour this because they claim I did not maintain the wheels adequately, by allowing brake dust and water to remain on the wheels for too long and this has caused the corrosion.
The four-month period was entirely during the summer so road salt was not a contributing factor. I cleaned the wheels every 2 or 3 weeks (depending on use) with Bilt Hamber Autowheel, a soft wheel brush, hosepipe and microfibre to dry. I am shocked that this regime appears to be so inadequate, never expecting chrome wheels to be so delicate. But are they really this susceptible or were my wheels possibly substandard?
So my questions to you are:
How often do you clean your wires and if they have become rusty how long did this take to appear?
Are any of you prepared to admit to having left brake dust on them for more than a few days and did the wheels suffer?
That’s terrible. I put chrome wires on my MGB about 20 years ago and I am pretty sure I got them from MWS. I tried not to take it out in the rain but got caught a few time’s, but in the couple of years I had it after I put the wheels on I never even had a spot of rust. There must be some sort of guarantee?
The MWS response does not surprise me for I had a negative experience of them back in the 1980's.
You have to love your car & love cleaning to want chrome wire wheels. Fine if you're a concours enthusiast but they take an immense amount of caring for & never ever stay pretty glittery & twinkly for long even if you load them with masses of wax.
You will never get that rust removed entirely without having the wheels dismantled.
I was 'into' the classic car scene for many years & loved having chrome wires but I bought a set of painted ones with a set of tyres keeping the chromes for summer & for shows.
You have to love your car & love cleaning to want chrome wire wheels. Fine if you're a concours enthusiast but they take an immense amount of caring for & never ever stay pretty glittery & twinkly for long even if you load them with masses of wax.
You will never get that rust removed entirely without having the wheels dismantled.
I was 'into' the classic car scene for many years & loved having chrome wires but I bought a set of painted ones with a set of tyres keeping the chromes for summer & for shows.
That's appalling. Personally I don't like chrome wires but it's a personal taste. My only experience with them is that my brother bought some for his Healey 3000 and after 4-5 years they still looked fine. If you have a tame solicitor perhaps a 'Without Prejudice" letter to the chaps in Langley might help.
p.s. a Mk2 what?
p.s. a Mk2 what?
Are they over 12 months old now ? If not you are still in a position to get a full refund even if MWS says no. If they offer two years warranty then you should still be in a position to get a refund. The chrome should be good for a few years but it obviously isn't in your case..
If you can, buy all stainless steel wires, more money but no issues with corrosion and they should last longer than the car !
If you can, buy all stainless steel wires, more money but no issues with corrosion and they should last longer than the car !
No way would they show rust like that within 4 months (4 years perhaps!). My only suspicion would be the wheel cleaner, is it one of those that turns cherry red? Great news for alloy wheel cleaning but chrome... not so sure. Even on alloy wheels leave it too long before rinsing and you'll wish you hadn't.
Find someone else who has bought chrome wheels from them and see if their opinion is like yours? Doubtful. Cleaner aside, that rusting shouldn't happen unless they were faulty and/or the cleaner didn't help.
Find someone else who has bought chrome wheels from them and see if their opinion is like yours? Doubtful. Cleaner aside, that rusting shouldn't happen unless they were faulty and/or the cleaner didn't help.
WJNB said:
The MWS response does not surprise me for I had a negative experience of them back in the 1980's.
You have to love your car & love cleaning to want chrome wire wheels. Fine if you're a concours enthusiast but they take an immense amount of caring for & never ever stay pretty glittery & twinkly for long even if you load them with masses of wax.
You will never get that rust removed entirely without having the wheels dismantled.
I was 'into' the classic car scene for many years & loved having chrome wires but I bought a set of painted ones with a set of tyres keeping the chromes for summer & for shows.
You have to love your car & love cleaning to want chrome wire wheels. Fine if you're a concours enthusiast but they take an immense amount of caring for & never ever stay pretty glittery & twinkly for long even if you load them with masses of wax.
You will never get that rust removed entirely without having the wheels dismantled.
I was 'into' the classic car scene for many years & loved having chrome wires but I bought a set of painted ones with a set of tyres keeping the chromes for summer & for shows.
It’s a perfectly valid criticism, but your ability to hold a grudge is impressive
nigh on forty years!Madpierre said:
I cleaned the wheels every 2 or 3 weeks (depending on use) with Bilt Hamber Autowheel
I really like Bilt Hamber products but autowheel is not, in my opinion, good for regular use. I’d go so far as to say maybe once every six months.I say this because one of its main actions is a ferrous metal remover. To do this it essentially accelerates corrosion.
Fine on a well sealed surface but otherwise you are causing yourself problems. My understanding is that chrome is slightly porous. Putting those two together I’d only be looking to use car shampoo for regular cleaning.
RichB said:
That's appalling. Personally I don't like chrome wires but it's a personal taste. My only experience with them is that my brother bought some for his Healey 3000 and after 4-5 years they still looked fine. If you have a tame solicitor perhaps a 'Without Prejudice" letter to the chaps in Langley might help.
p.s. a Mk2 what?
A Jaguar Mk2 p.s. a Mk2 what?
Thank you for the responses. You are generally confirming my thoughts that whilst chrome wheels are time-consuming to keep in perfect condition, the plating should not be stripped by brake dust within a few short months and they can be left out in the rain (not that I did).
The fact that no one else has reported such serious corrosion issues with MWS wheels certainly suggests that mine are faulty. I will pursue the claim in every possible way until a satisfactory conclusion is reached and report back
The fact that no one else has reported such serious corrosion issues with MWS wheels certainly suggests that mine are faulty. I will pursue the claim in every possible way until a satisfactory conclusion is reached and report back
aeropilot said:
dandarez said:
My only suspicion would be the wheel cleaner, is it one of those that turns cherry red?
OP said in original post he used Bilt Hamer Autowheel, which is non acidic and OK for use on CWW. I'm a Bilberry user and prefer that to any other wheel cleaner.
However, with all of these that turn 'berry' colour and as you point out state they are safe to use on a wide range of surfaces, do usually add caution with 'a small scale trial should be carried out before use.'
If the wires in question were the slightest bit faulty or coating thin, and you leave this stuff on too long...
Still, should never have happened, 4 months to that state?
I would not be palmed off, and would be wanting a 'full' refund or better, replacement wheels.
Madpierre said:
For those of you who have experience of chrome wire wheels I would like to ask your help with building up a picture of their durability against corrosion.
I purchased a set of MWS wires (chrome rims/stainless spokes) for my Mk2 but within only four months all wheels were showing pitting and rust in the rim channels. The wheels carry a two-year cosmetic warranty, however, MWS will not honour this because they claim I did not maintain the wheels adequately, by allowing brake dust and water to remain on the wheels for too long and this has caused the corrosion.
The four-month period was entirely during the summer so road salt was not a contributing factor. I cleaned the wheels every 2 or 3 weeks (depending on use) with Bilt Hamber Autowheel, a soft wheel brush, hosepipe and microfibre to dry. I am shocked that this regime appears to be so inadequate, never expecting chrome wheels to be so delicate. But are they really this susceptible or were my wheels possibly substandard?
So my questions to you are:
How often do you clean your wires and if they have become rusty how long did this take to appear?
Are any of you prepared to admit to having left brake dust on them for more than a few days and did the wheels suffer?
Jeez that’s bad.I purchased a set of MWS wires (chrome rims/stainless spokes) for my Mk2 but within only four months all wheels were showing pitting and rust in the rim channels. The wheels carry a two-year cosmetic warranty, however, MWS will not honour this because they claim I did not maintain the wheels adequately, by allowing brake dust and water to remain on the wheels for too long and this has caused the corrosion.
The four-month period was entirely during the summer so road salt was not a contributing factor. I cleaned the wheels every 2 or 3 weeks (depending on use) with Bilt Hamber Autowheel, a soft wheel brush, hosepipe and microfibre to dry. I am shocked that this regime appears to be so inadequate, never expecting chrome wheels to be so delicate. But are they really this susceptible or were my wheels possibly substandard?
So my questions to you are:
How often do you clean your wires and if they have become rusty how long did this take to appear?
Are any of you prepared to admit to having left brake dust on them for more than a few days and did the wheels suffer?
The wires on my MK2 are at least 20 years old. Minimal corrosion, get cleaned once a year, after winter. Only had to change one, about a year ago, from MWS, because old one was distorted after breaking some spokes hitting huge pothole at around 70mph. Scary moment.
How often did Chrome wire wheels get cleaned "back in the day", when they were pretty much a standard wheel option?
I suspect that in the majority of cases, not that often, but the wheels weren't renowned for corroding after only 4 months!
If wheels can't cope with having brake dust and water on them after only 4 months, then I'd say they're poor quality, shoddy wheels!
Looking at the pictures of the corrosion underneath the chrome in the opening post, those wheels were going to corrode no matter what care was taken of them!
I suspect that in the majority of cases, not that often, but the wheels weren't renowned for corroding after only 4 months!
If wheels can't cope with having brake dust and water on them after only 4 months, then I'd say they're poor quality, shoddy wheels!
Looking at the pictures of the corrosion underneath the chrome in the opening post, those wheels were going to corrode no matter what care was taken of them!
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