Wheel Rims Coating Problem
 

Well guys I did a search here in the forum, searching for other drivers with the same situation I have but it seems that almost everyone changed their wheels.

Here is my situation, 2 to 3 months ago I was at my detailer shop where they wash all my cars for 7 years. And they noticed some black spots on my wheels. One of the (only the driver side) is the worst, the other ones has the same pattern paint problem. The look like if the silver coating is wearing out, not even peeling or bubling, just wearing out leaving the black primer or first coating Nissan used to paint the wheels. Most noticeable parts are inside the hard sections of the wheels.

Well I took it to the dealer and they took pictures, send it to Nissan and Nissan said that is not cover under warranty because they are sure is a strong chemical I used that messed up the wheels. Weird to say I received the letter from Nissan and it only says:

"Nissan carefully considered your request during a review of all the available facts pertaining to your specific situation. It is our understanding that the need for repairs to your wheels was not due to a defect in materials or workmanship, therefore the repairs are not covered under the terms of your new vehicle warranty."

But when I called them they said is a chemical I used.

These are my arguments:
1. I always take the car to the same Detailer Shop, they use car products that are designed to not damage the car. They have take care of me for 7 years and never had this problem not even with my previous cars.
2. I owned the Z for a year now, and since they one my detailer people are the ones taking care of it. This problem started 2 to 3 months ago. I will considered that if they mistakly used a wrong product it should have noticed way sooner.
3. The coating problem on all 4 wheels is inside the hard to reach sections, the coating, the shining, the texture of the whole rim is not affected, if a strong chemical did that to certain areas it should have damage the face of the wheel which always recevie most of the product you use to clean them.
4. The center cap on the wheel is chrome plastic, and they are all four in great conditions as well, so the strong chemical damage the rim but not the center cap? Same with the Calipers, they are intact, no discoloration, of pealing, not coating damage, I have never take the wheels of the car, so the suppose "strong chemical" has been use on the whole wheel and not just certain areas.
5. I went to a dealer and found 2 cars, with completly different wheels with the coating problems, exactly on the hard to reach areas.


Still I will like your opinion guys:

http://i462.photobucket.com/albums/q...5-13085800.jpg
Look at the end of that leg and inside the triangle.

http://i462.photobucket.com/albums/q...5-13085753.jpg
Do you see that black shadow line?

http://i462.photobucket.com/albums/q...5-13085737.jpg
Just showing that the condition of the wheel is still good.

http://i462.photobucket.com/albums/q...5-13085641.jpg
http://i462.photobucket.com/albums/q...5-13085435.jpg
Look inside the triangle, that black spray condition

http://i462.photobucket.com/albums/q...5-13093828.jpg
This is the one at the dealers, dont know if you can see the black line in the border of the leg. I mean the whole edge. Some of the rims for this same car dont have that black edge.

Sorry for the bunch of pictures. I know is difficult to see as well. I also have a lot of people that are telling I am too picky, and maybe some of you will think the same. I do respect your opinion if thats what you will post, but please understand my point that I am planning to keep this car for as long as I can and this is not a $5,000 car, even if it is, I will be picky too :D

Sorry for the long post. I need to go to different dealers to find cars with the same wheel to see if they are showing the same problem.

recently i had to repair my curb rash, the person said our wheels have a two layer paint, the first layer is a black layer, the second layer is a silver layer, but it is thin/translucent enough to let some black show through, he called it ghost chroming. I think what you are seeing is probably some paint imperfections on the silver layer, but since its clear coated on top, it should be good?

One thing I can tell you is that the 350Z where worst, you could not look at them bad. The 370Z Sport Pkg wheels have a little better finish however I have found some blemishes on them, not like you describe.

One of the things is never let your brake dust bake on the rims and wash your rims (soap & water) before you wash the rest of the car.

Last but not least, bring the issue to your service manager. If you don't get a response them got to FB.

Go to FaceBook under Nissan North America, do a friend request and go to the Discussion Thread and open a Topic, your will get a message real fast, believe me.

Also PM me, I have some email addresses that will get you some answers and results if you cannot get your issue resolve at the lower level.

I must be blind, cause I have no idea what you are talking about. Can your throw an arrow or two down on the pics?

I took it to a guy that those powder coating and he told me the same thing after seen them. He said theres two layers and maybe he silver one didnt catch up right on those difficult corners and with the heat of the wheel and enviroment the first black layer started to show up. Thanks for your input.

Yes i went to service manager at the dealer and they do beleive is a wheel problem, they even got surprise that Nissan doesnt want to cover it under warranty. Nissan wants me to call BBB cause they stated in the letter they wont do anything.

Yes anything you can give me will be awesome, I also will try the idea of FB and see what happen. Thanks for your input.

At some point Im glad you cant see anything, cause Nissan made a full desicion based on pictures. I will edit the pictures to point it to the places. Im heading to work now but I will do that. Thanks!

I've seen this same effect on the Infinite rims. It is indeed caused by a type of acidic chemical that Detailers utilize. If used correctly it has no ill effect on the rims, but if left on for more than 20 minutes, or they fail to wipe the area afterwards, the results is that the chemical eats through that painted layer. When I get back home, I will try to remember to locate the pics of the rims that had a similar problem as yours.

The finish on the wheels is generally pretty good but there are some blemishes. If you use crappy wheel cleaner or tire dressing products this can also damage the wheel surfaces. Not to mention brake dust left to sit on an unprotected wheel can do damage as well.

Thanks TipsZ what it concerns me is that only 1 Wheel look like something dripped, but the other three doesnt, they are only discoloring on hard edges and corners. And yes you are right, I spoke with my detailer people and they told me the same thing that the chemical cannot be left too long or when the wheel is hot. Thats why they always wet the wheels first to cool them off, then they spray the chemical and wash it all wheels first, then they continue with the car. But yes please if you find pictures I will like to compare.

That was exactly the same problem with mine. Only one of the 4 wheels was affected. Just as you mentioned it looked like the place I used to go to "dripped" the chemical onto the rim and just forgot to wipe / clean it. Eventually, (after much arguing) the detailing shop had my rim repainted (took to the delearship to repair to original finish and charged to the detailing shop).

does your detailer place use those wheel cleaner balls you put on a drill or powered screw driver? if so, those can cause such problems. it appears they polished (ununtentionally) too much.

It's possible they used a metal polish or cleaner wax to detail your wheels thinking that they were simply polished aluminum. Metal polish will very quickly take the top layer of paint off of the wheel exposing the black basecoat underneath. It is very, very easy to remove the top layer of paint from the RAYS wheels. Having learned my lesson, I now don't clean them with anything but a very plush microfiber towel and detailing spray.

When one of my wheels was damaged by cleaner wax (and before the dealer agreed to warranty it) I took it to a local wheel refinisher and they said (as was mentioned above) that the wheels had a "ghost chrome" finish. They quoted me $120 per wheel for a refinish which seems reasonable to me.

No they dont, they use a special wheel cleaner that is diluted with water. I never leave my car for wash, I am always there watching them do it. I try never to step away from my car, not even at the dealers I always find a way to stand in a corner and watch what they are doing.

No, never wax them, all this time and on all my cars is always rinse with water, cleaner and wash it out.

Use a proper wheel sealant to take care of them. :)

Guys I just got a call from BBB that Nissan accepted they will powder coat my wheels as a goodwill. So lets see what happen. I will keep you post it.

I didnt know that existed, can you throw me a PM with brand and product

Sorry .. I completely forgot about this thread . .I will try to remember to upload those pics once I get home ..

No problem TipsZ. Right now I am still waiting for Nissan to call me to make an appointment for powder coating. BUt BBB wants me to wait 30 days. :/

I hadn't seen your pictures before -- I really don't think you have a problem. IMHO it's highly likely that the cure (the refinish) will be worse than the disease. Here's what mine looked like after using some very mild cleaner wax on them. That top silver layer is THIN -- don't ever use any (even mildly) abrasive cleaner on the RAYS wheels!!

http://home.earthlink.net/~kfscoll/images/Zwheel1.JPG

http://home.earthlink.net/~kfscoll/images/Zwheel2.JPG

That would explain why the OP said that the inside of the wheels had the most damage. +1 rep

They used wheel acid and either sprayed it on without wetting down the wheels first or left it on to long. I use the same on my sport wheels every week at my detail shop but never have a problem because I rinse them off after less than 1 minute, Thats all it takes with the acid. Have to very careful with that stuff! Your looks like a classic case of wheel acid damage left on to long. I would hit the detail shop up with a bill to repair the damage they did.

That happens to OE coatings of Nissan wheels. My 07 G35 sedan had exactly the same problem. Claying the crap out of it seemed to help a little, but didn't completely cleaned them off. Also, I think it's the brake dust that gets baked into the wheels that causes this problem.

I thank you all for your individual inputs. Like I said I am always with the detailing guy when he washed my car and I know and see the process. Now been open to your opinions what I can think is that maybe even that he cleaned it fast maybe the mixture of the product was too strong. I also called a Power Coating Expert and as soon as I explained the situation he mentioned to me something that can also be possible.

He asked me if I ever washed the car in one of those touchless or automatic machines. He told me that some of those places are using such a strong acid that damage the rims, and since the machine is on timing, either sometimes they dont clean right, or as soon you enter the car to those machines they apply the acid first with the rim hot instead of applying water first and cool down the rim. From the whole year that I owned the car I will say I got the car 2 times trough those touchless places, as a fast clean getaway.

1. So I will agree with everyone, if possible that the mixture from my detailing people was wrong (which I doubt since they always wash all my cars trough the years, they are only 2 guys, so is not that a bunch of people working on my car)
2. I am more incline to the touchless machine and their wheel cleaner and that Nissan used a very thin coating, since I've never seen this problem on any of my other cars.

NOTE: Let me tell you guys that the thin layer could be a major factor, because I went to 2 dealers and I found 370z, with different type of wheels, with exactly the same problem. Maybe not as bad as mine cause those cars are parked, but definitively with the same coating discoloration on the edges and hard areas of the wheel. Even one of the managers from the dealer finally agreed with me cause I showed him the cars park at their lot and they help me with Nissan. Thats why they decided to powder coat the wheels what they called "good will"

Up to this point I haven't receive any calls from Nissan.\

THANK YOU ALL. I WILL KEEP YOU UPDATED.

Ok Guys, finally I got a call from Chris at Nissan USA, informing me to take the car to a Longwood Nissan, here in Florida. They will keep the car for 2 something weeks and ship the Wheels somewhere for re-coating. I hope they don't mess them up more than what they are or at least it last longer than the stock paint.

I always wondered why there was some sort of slight black dots on my rims, It was driving me insane thinking it was break dust. But now I know what it is..Luckily it's more on the inside lip than the outer part of the rim.

Yes Nick, exactly the same black dots I am having on my wheels. And yes they are more noticeable on the hard parts of the wheel, mostly in the inside edges and inside curves of the wheel.

But mine since I wash it often I guess, the coating started showing up faster.

Even when I went to the dealer and saw cars that are parked there never been out of the lot, it shows the same behavior.


But finally my car is at the dealer. Wheels are getting coated again :tup:

I'm happy everything is working out for you! I hope that I never have to go to the dealership for such a problem. I'll be happy if it just stays the way it is. I suppose in the future I'll either powder coat them or just get aftermarket rims.

Thank you. Yes it has been quite a challenge, but again I have to thanks BBB, cause they always know where to pull the right string.

I have the black dots too. It's just the nature of the game with these wheels, I've only ever used eagle 1 wheel and tire cleaner.

Well guys I finally got my BumbleZ back. It took 2 weeks to work on the wheels. I have to admit that the wheels look cleaner and this time since it was painted by a professional instead of a mass production pain they look amazing and is the whole wheel. Not just the front like the factories. Meaning the interior of the wheel got also painted.

I hope they last longer than the original. I have faith that this job was well done, but only time will tell.

The color I noticed is not the same, is a a darker grey but the Rep told me it may happened, because they cant match the Nissan color, which is ok with me, now I have an excuse to pain the handles to a darker gray color.

Here is a pic:

THIS IS THE ORIGINAL WHEEL
http://i462.photobucket.com/albums/q...5-13085737.jpg
http://i462.photobucket.com/albums/q...5-13085451.jpg

THIS IS THE AFTER POWDER COATING
http://i462.photobucket.com/albums/q...6-19102912.jpg
http://i462.photobucket.com/albums/q...6-19102921.jpg

Thanks for everyones opinion and support. Im a happy camper for now. Until another battle with Nissan's Warranty :)

Wheel cleaner balls are a complete waste of money as they just cannot reach the various knooks and grannies that comprise different styles of wheels without having to put excessive pressure onto the ball to make it get into those spaces with the polish.

IMO wheel polish is a waste as well and really only makes a difference on chromed wheels.

I just wash my wheels using Stoner Window Spray (aerosal) and it cleans and shines them at the same time. And they look as good as new!

Window Spray o_O

I just wipe my wheels down with Blackfire Deep Gloss Spray Sealant (same stuff I use to detail the rest of the paint) and it shines the wheels while keeping them nice and slick. These wheels are easy to clean and don't need cleaner balls or harsh chemicals. Just a nice microfiber towel and about 2 minutes per wheel and you're good to go.

Stoner's Invisible Glass Aerosal Spray

I believe you and I have the same problem, I noticed some spots on the rims for the drivers side that looked like splashed black paint, at first I thought it was tar so I used bug/tar remover and nothing....then I used a small portion of metal polish made for rims and it actually made it worse, good thing I only tried it on a small section.....so now I'm stuck trying to find a place that will repair this and I agree with you our 370z's are not $5,000 cars so its OK to be picky....check out the pic, this is after I used the metal polish...

OMG that is worst than mine. You wont be able to claim that with Nissan like I did. Well the Nissan rep that took my wheels, took them to a friend of his that has a business located in Jacksonville, FL and latetly I received the copy of the bill for the labor and it was around $600 for all 4 wheels, so I think that is a cheap fix if you want to keep yours.

The factory wheels have a two-stage paint on them -- it's black under a metallic silver paint -- that's called "ghost chrome." That's what gives the wheel its unique look but that's what also causes the black spots to appear when the wheels are damaged.

DO NOT USE any type of abrasive polish or cleaner on the wheel. The top metallic layer is EXTREMELY thin and extremely easy to polish off (ask me how I know).

If you can convince Nissan to repaint your wheels that's probably your best bet. A professional aftermarket powdercoat would almost certainly be more uniform and more durable than the factory wheel finish.