Waited 4 months for these custom wheels. Need your advice.
07-17-2018, 06:36 PM
#2
I ordered these custom wheels for my 964 Turbo (will leave the company name out for now).
They were supposed to be powder coated and also ceramic coated for an extra 350.00
I paid almost 5000.00
When I brought them to a high end Porsche shop with a state of the art tires machine you can see what happened in the picture.
I sent a photo to the company and literally his reply was this " Really you want to do a touch up. I don't think it will be that noticeable. You certainly don't want to do a complete refinish. A local NAP or Pep Boys often have a huge selection of touch up paint. Wish I could do more.It's a bummer. You'll sort it out"
What would you say/do at this point?
They were supposed to be powder coated and also ceramic coated for an extra 350.00
I paid almost 5000.00
When I brought them to a high end Porsche shop with a state of the art tires machine you can see what happened in the picture.
I sent a photo to the company and literally his reply was this " Really you want to do a touch up. I don't think it will be that noticeable. You certainly don't want to do a complete refinish. A local NAP or Pep Boys often have a huge selection of touch up paint. Wish I could do more.It's a bummer. You'll sort it out"
What would you say/do at this point?
11-09-2018, 01:33 AM
#3
Rennlist Member
I am really sorry to see the damage and honestly I always worry about freshly restored sets getting delivered and then damaged by the tire installers. On some sets of Speedlines (Alessio) is the worst because it has a small size center cap the tire guys use the wrong size cone when attaching the wheel either to mount the tire or to balance it can actually hit the opening where the center caps snap in and all it takes is that pressure of the oversized cone being used and it will chip. I have learned over the years to actually not allow paint or powder coating to go down inside the area where the center cap snaps in. Did only (1) center get damaged? Sometimes the only way to really get the right results on damage is to redo the wheel. If the installers did something wrong I have seen them pay for the redo. jdorociak@gmail.com Jim
11-14-2018, 04:24 PM
#5
Well, if they were damaged by the tire changer it is the responsibility of the shop. BUT
The paint looks like it chipped off, which is uncharacteristic for the center-post machine they likely used. Very simply, a cone is pressed down onto the centerbore to hold the wheel in place (rather than claws on the rim like an older machine). A properly painted wheel should not chip there when subject to the clamping wheel (it may mar, which can be buffed off).
Given the less-than-stellar paint application (see below), I would suggest that the surface may not have been prepped recently prior to painting.
I would approach the wheel company and ask for a detailed step of how they painted the wheels.
I think I recognize that wheel, but I won't disclose the name.
Are you saying on the Speedline there is a false lip that is meant to be flush with the cap, but there is a smaller bore inside that should receive clamping pressure? Nevertheless, I would think that properly applied and cured paint should not chip like this. Maybe the corner is too sharp?
Especially around the lugnut area. Where the petal meets the centercap area is masked pretty poorly. Also, the lugnut seat area should typically be left bare.
Even if it is the tire changer's fault, I still would not be pleased with the paint at the lug nut area.
The paint looks like it chipped off, which is uncharacteristic for the center-post machine they likely used. Very simply, a cone is pressed down onto the centerbore to hold the wheel in place (rather than claws on the rim like an older machine). A properly painted wheel should not chip there when subject to the clamping wheel (it may mar, which can be buffed off).
Given the less-than-stellar paint application (see below), I would suggest that the surface may not have been prepped recently prior to painting.
I would approach the wheel company and ask for a detailed step of how they painted the wheels.
I think I recognize that wheel, but I won't disclose the name.
On some sets of Speedlines (Alessio) is the worst because it has a small size center cap the tire guys use the wrong size cone when attaching the wheel either to mount the tire or to balance it can actually hit the opening where the center caps snap in and all it takes is that pressure of the oversized cone being used and it will chip.
Even if it is the tire changer's fault, I still would not be pleased with the paint at the lug nut area.
11-14-2018, 09:15 PM
#7
Tire changers are a necessary evil, even if they use top notch equipment and take their time, crap happens.
The last set of tires I bought were for my ML 350 and bought them through the dealer when they had a discount deal. Spoke to the Service Advisor there and made it it clear that I know there's a premium for doing business with them so I will hold them accountable for vehicle damage as I expect premium results.
So far, after 5 years, the car hasn't been damaged by them, just normal wear and tear.
The the lugs and nuts area will always take a hit, after all, it's spinning metal against metal under pressure and there isn't any paint that can resist that. It can be minimized, maybe wheels should be finish-free at the contact areas and the sockets rubber-coated to prevent damage. No excuse for the damage around the cap.
I would be teed off as well if they damaged my 5k rims, proving that they did it would be tricky unless you had evidence of no damage before the work was done. It's sad that you have to be vigilant and proactive (take pictures of the rims before you turn the car over to them) in life.
The last set of tires I bought were for my ML 350 and bought them through the dealer when they had a discount deal. Spoke to the Service Advisor there and made it it clear that I know there's a premium for doing business with them so I will hold them accountable for vehicle damage as I expect premium results.
So far, after 5 years, the car hasn't been damaged by them, just normal wear and tear.
The the lugs and nuts area will always take a hit, after all, it's spinning metal against metal under pressure and there isn't any paint that can resist that. It can be minimized, maybe wheels should be finish-free at the contact areas and the sockets rubber-coated to prevent damage. No excuse for the damage around the cap.
I would be teed off as well if they damaged my 5k rims, proving that they did it would be tricky unless you had evidence of no damage before the work was done. It's sad that you have to be vigilant and proactive (take pictures of the rims before you turn the car over to them) in life.
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11-21-2018, 07:22 PM
#9
Hard to tell from the pictures, but it may be that the black part of the wheel is powder coated. The tan colored part of the spokes definitely looks to be painted. If it chips this easily most likely it’s going to be an ongoing problem. If there is a quality wheel refinishing or good paint shop near you, stop in for an opinion.