Volk GT-V's Stained by the dealership carwash...

[enkrypt3d]

Well after my car was serviced, the numbnuts that washed the car used some harsh chemicals on my rims and didn't rinse it off... so it sat in the sun and baked on... I have tried to scrub it off, but no luck....

So the dealership has offered to repair them, but I want to be sure that they are repaired back to the factory spec...

Are the Volk GT-V's clear coated or anotized? I'm talking about just the lip not the center part since these are 2 piece rims... Anyone know for sure?

Thanks in advance.

Here is a picture (Its high res to show the damage)

http://www.enkrypted.com/IMG_0868.JPG

 

[HIJACKER]

Well after my car was serviced, the numbnuts that washed the car used some harsh chemicals on my rims and didn't rinse it off... so it sat in the sun and baked on... I have tried to scrub it off, but no luck....

So the dealership has offered to repair them, but I want to be sure that they are repaired back to the factory spec...

Are the Volk GT-V's clear coated or anotized? I'm talking about just the lip not the center part since these are 2 piece rims... Anyone know for sure?

Thanks in advance.

Here is a picture (Its high res to show the damage)

http://www.enkrypted.com/IMG_0868.JPG

Correction - you're talking about the RIMS are damaged, since they are two piece WHEELS. Piece 1, rim - Piece 2, spokes and hub.

I would see if you can just purchase replacement rims and get an estimate from a Volk dealer.

 

[enkrypt3d]

Correction - you're talking about the RIMS are damaged, since they are two piece WHEELS. Piece 1, rim - Piece 2, spokes and hub.

I would see if you can just purchase replacement rims and get an estimate from a Volk dealer.

Yea that's what I said above - they are 2 piece. I'm talking about the lip or the barrel as its sometimes called.

 

[NO TKTS]

Yea that's what I said above - they are 2 piece. I'm talking about the lip or the barrel as its sometimes called.

The wheels are anodized, easily damaged, and difficult to repair. A detailer damaged my Volk GTC wheels and the repair job was not acceptable. I ultimately had to replace the wheels.

 

[enkrypt3d]

The wheels are anodized, easily damaged, and difficult to repair. A detailer damaged my Volk GTC wheels and the repair job was not acceptable. I ultimately had to replace the wheels.

Yea that's what I'm thinking of recommending them... I only bought these about a year ago so yea they were in near perfect condition. :biggrin:

 

[Hapa88]

Yes, it looks like the anodized part has been damaged. The fix involves stripping the anodized layer and repolishing the wheel. You end up with bare aluminum and you'll end up having to polish them every other week because they'll tarnish and dull. Unfortunately it's nearly impossible to re-anodize them (or bring them back to "factory spec"). . .

BTW, which dealership did this? I'll be sure not to go there. .

 

[synth19]

Never allow a dealership to wash your car! As others have said, the GTV's have the dreaded anodized clearcoat. At this point, you need to strip it out, repolish, and clear. Any legit wheel repair place can do that. I have had several buddies who have done this before and honestly, not much of a difference from the naked eye. Don't sweat it, and lesson learned.

 

[RYU]

BTW, which dealership did this? I'll be sure not to go there. .

My same question. Thanks

 

[enkrypt3d]

Unfortunately it was Cerritos Acura... its not john martins fault it was whoever washed my car and let it sit in the sun and whatever chemicals were on the rims just baked on and now its just fuct.......

They offered to repair them for free but I don't think they realize that it can't be sufficiently repaired... :redface::frown:

I will continue to bring my car there just won't let them wash the car again... soap and water only!

 

[nsxotic911]

I had Volk GT-C's with nice wide lip. Beautiful wheels, if you don't EVER drive the car. After having this exact same thing happen (well, it was I that did it, put a cleaner on it that's too abbrasive + a LITTLE bit of brake dust) and boom, the wheel looked like crap! (there went $2300.00+) and completely defeated the purpose of having a fast n furious style "whow! Look at that Volk wheel maaan!" reaction.

Needless to say, I got the wheel repolished and then sold them...

IMO - Volk selling these tyes of wheels within warning, and those vendors that sell them without warning to us (me first) consumers, is just about negligence.
Everyone that wants to buy Volk wheel should earn from this - don't buy them - that is, the ones that have these bs anodized lip that are more fragile than.. [fill in the blank]

Or, if you buy them, don't drive the car.. or be 10x more anal about protecting the lip than you think you are. It's inevidable though, the more you drive it, the probability tha you will damage them exponentially reaches 1.

You've been warned.

 

[angus]

I don't know if I would go that far , this anodized fiish is used in many other industries as well as automotive , it is VERY GOOD if taken care of properly , but almost impossible to replicate locally.

If one were to heed the warnings that come with the wheels and only use soap and water then problems would probably never arise.

I own numerous japanese wheels with anodized lips , some are volks , some enkei , blitz , etc. and I have not EVER used anything but soap and water to clean them .

The only real answer here is to replace them , any other fix will result in a substandard outcome.

Sad but true...

 

[enkrypt3d]

Yes I was well aware of this issue when I bought these rims and had always instructed the car washes to use only soap and water... and I assumed that Cerritos Acura would know this since they deal with so many NSX's... but I guess this guy just wasn't paying attention...

Maybe I should replace them with something else.... ugh

The thing I love about the volks is that they are light and extremely strong... what other wheels have these qualities?

I really like these:

http://www.scienceofspeed.com/products/exterior_performance_products/NSX/Advan/AVS_series/ModelT5/

And these:

http://www.scienceofspeed.com/products/exterior_performance_products/NSX/Advan/RS/

Whats the difference between the RS & RZ?

 

[otoro]

That's a pretty common issue among Volk wheels w/lips. Whatever chemical the dealer used, it was too strong for the clear coat to handle.

Here's a simple DIY/Fix by stripping the clear and using AL polish. I haven't tried this myself, so go about it at your own risk. Just trying to help.


http://www.my350z.com/forum/repairing-and-detailing-diy/167656-volk-gt-7-diy-stripping-clearcoat-and-al-polish-on-lips.html

 

[derelict]

Dude that sucks! Those wheels look so nice on your car, too. I always get so nervous when other people wash my car for this exact reason.

Whats the difference between the RS & RZ?

I love the look of the RS! It is on my "shortlist" of wheels I'm deciding on. :biggrin: AFAIK, the only difference between the RS and RZ is the spacing of the spokes... the RS is an evenly spaced 10 spoke and the RZ is a split 5 design...

 

[Acura NsX Pilot]

Never ever let the dealer wash your car IMO ..... the guy uses the same wash and wash bucket that he used on the last ten cars to wash yours ,,, his only mission is to make your car look clean as fast as possible because he has 20 more cars after yours to do

 

[davidf]

Sad thing is, Years ago I tried my best to purchase a replacement barrel for my 10.5 GT-7 on the Z but had zero luck. This puzzles me about Makin Ind! Seems that would be the ticket.

 

[TitaniumVtec]

Wow, this is terrible!!! Between this and the sand-blasting thread, I am almost to the point of believing everyone's an idiot!!!!!! They should buy you new wheels and keep your old one. They can refurb and sell, to recoup a little of their loss.

I damaged the clear on one of my Volks accidentally, so I'm curious to see how this turns out.

Good luck!!!

 

[synth19]

I agree. I have had several sets of volks and never had issues just using soap and water. For some extra shine, you can use a non-abrasive wax such as "Wheel Wax." And the problem isn't just with volks. If the dealer did the same thing with another set of wheels with an ordinary clearcoat, OP would have had the same issue. Generally speaking, you need to be careful with anything with a clearcoat.

I don't know if I would go that far , this anodized fiish is used in many other industries as well as automotive , it is VERY GOOD if taken care of properly , but almost impossible to replicate locally.

If one were to heed the warnings that come with the wheels and only use soap and water then problems would probably never arise.

I own numerous japanese wheels with anodized lips , some are volks , some enkei , blitz , etc. and I have not EVER used anything but soap and water to clean them .

The only real answer here is to replace them , any other fix will result in a substandard outcome.

Sad but true...

 

[davidf]

I believe there are many out there that are'nt aware of Volks "clearcoat". I've read threads where guys use aluminum polish trying to bring out more shine on Volk's.:frown:

 

[Ponyboy]

I've had a similar "stain" situation happen to my powdercoated TE37s with Adam's Green Wheel Cleaner. Was supposed to be super gentle but it still etched my wheels beyond repair. That said, Adam's did send me some polish to buff out the etching at no cost to me but it only made the wheels matte and darker.

I have to get them repowdered this winter sometime. Consider it a lesson learned about wheel care: use only basic soap and water. And wax those babies as much as possible.

 

[synth19]

I believe there are many out there that are'nt aware of Volks "clearcoat". I've read threads where guys use aluminum polish trying to bring out more shine on Volk's.:frown:

That's just plain stupid. Aluminum polish will eat any clearcoat, not just the anodized clear coat. Even mothers and some other abrasive polishes now have warnings "do not use on clear coated wheels."

 

[synth19]

I've had a similar "stain" situation happen to my powdercoated TE37s with Adam's Green Wheel Cleaner. Was supposed to be super gentle but it still etched my wheels beyond repair. That said, Adam's did send me some polish to buff out the etching at no cost to me but it only made the wheels matte and darker.

I have to get them repowdered this winter sometime. Consider it a lesson learned about wheel care: use only basic soap and water. And wax those babies as much as possible.

And to add.. I also make sure I wipe down my wheels after driving the car in the rain. Say no to water spots! Maybe we all need to just get rotas and stop worrying. :tongue:

 

[otoro]

That's just plain stupid. Aluminum polish will eat any clearcoat, not just the anodized clear coat. Even mothers and some other abrasive polishes now have warnings "do not use on clear coated wheels."

Most of the Z owners have stripped away the clear coat, then use AL polish to bring out the shine. Applying AL polish directly to clear coat is just asking for trouble.

For most of my wheels, I have had excellent results with Mother's FX wheel cleaner.

Here a brief review:
http://www.iwsti.com/forums/detailing-car-care/169928-p21s-gel-vs-mothers-fx-wheel-cleaner.html

 

[enkrypt3d]

Thanks everyone for the tips and concern... I'm going to see if the dealer will just end up replacing them... but I'm sure it will take a few weeks for SoS to ship them from Japan as I doubt they have these in stock...... grr

 

[angus]

Yes , I would think the best thing would be to get them to replace them and maybe help them out by posting the old ones here on prime for them to recoup some of their loss.