LS6427

iTrader: (2)

Pictures aren't great but maybe you can tell.

Basically these are raised little hard bumps...like the chrome is bubbling up from inside. You can feel them very easily and they feel like grains of sand stuck to the surface.

Someone said brake dust causes this....BUT I would think if brake dust can cause this then the entire surface would be covered completely with these bumps because brake dust would cover every square inch of the surface. Plus...I basically never have any brake dust....and I wash my car twice a week anyway.
ALSO...look at those few little squiggly lines....looks like pieces of hair under the chrome trying to push its way out.

All I ever use to clean them is basic car soap and water with a rag. These are less than one year old.

What do you think it is.....Manufacturing problem? Chrome is too thin of a cost?

Thanks....





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2JAWZ

iTrader: (1)

Whats the brand of wheels?

LilJayV10

iTrader: (39)

It looks like the wheels were pitted before they were plated.

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

These are OE Wheels. I am getting 4 new ones under warranty.

BUT.....one of their reps said...by looking at these same pictures.....is damage from brake dust. Now I don't see how brake dust can hurt chrome plating. Especially when I wash my car and wheels 2 times a week....and my brake pads pretty much create no visible dust anyway over a few day period.

LiljV10:
I assume if I go to a couple chrome platers they can tell me if was from poor prep before plating.....they should be able to tell...right?

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LilJayV10

iTrader: (39)

That I don't know.

From the pics it "looks" like the pitting is under the chrome. If it was from brake dust the pitting usually has black spots in the middle of it where the brake dust has eaten through.

Brake dust can eat through cheap chrome plating.

Again I could be completely wrong about the whole thing. But that's what it looks like in the pics.

What are you using to clean your wheels? I'd suggest something like Sonax wheel cleaner or CarPro's Iron X. Both dissolve the ferrous metal(brake dust)without damaging the wheels.

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

Soap and water has worked great for the first 6 months....then I started seeing these little spots.

I'll have to go to a couple chrome shops and let them look at it. See what they say. If its from pitting before the chrome then OE Wheels will be sending me a new set for free. If its brake dust then chrome is pretty cheesy......because I wash my wheels twice a week and I have never seen any brake dust on my chrome. And if just a invisible to the eye amount of dust can hurt the chrome then I'll stay away from chrome.

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DwDrummer

iTrader: (31)

That's def pitting no doubt! Sucks but it will get worse with time. Glad your getting them replaced.

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

That's good to hear. I'll be taking it to a few chrome shops to get this verified and two shops said they will put it in writing for me. Brake dust sounded like an excuse just to not have to cover them under warranty.

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LS6427

iTrader: (2)

I had two chrome shops here in lauderdale confirm that it is 100% caused by a poorly prepped surface BEFORE they chrome plated the wheels.

My stepfather is taking it to another chrome shop that does chrome plating for mutli-million $$$ yachts that have to battle salt water 24/7....they said they will be able to give him some kind of x-ray photo (not a real x-ray) to show the pitting spots and imperfections underneath the chrome.

They laughed when I told them the manufacturer said it was caused by break dust.

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