My car had 'brake service' done today, when I picked up my car, all 4 forged aluminum wheels were very badly spotted. Large & Small dark spots and drips.
The wheels were 100% perfect when I dropped off the car.

Immediately talked to the service manager, they assured me they only use very light detergent and have never had this problem happen before.

I do believe them, I also only use Palmolive dish soap mixed in a bucket of water to clean both my car/tires & wheels and have NEVER had an issue.

Here are my thoughts as to what might have happened :

1. They did a road test, and while the wheels were still hot, they washed the car and the hot wheels reacted with the soap.

2. They sprayed a chemical on the brakes/calipers and it stained the wheels - or when they did a road test it leaked and sprayed over the wheels.

I am at a loss as to what happened and they are blaming me (but very tactfully and indirectly). Please help me with your suggestions

 

i am no car detailing genius... but using palmolive to clean your car isn't the best thing to do... because since it is a high-alkali detergent, it strips any wax/polish of your paint. it is only good to use when you are going to wax your car... i have always heard of staying away from high-alkali wheel cleaners because they cause spotting. just my $0.02...

 

if they are polished wheels you can use Mothers Billet polish and a little elbow grease and that should take care of the problem.

 

Find out what kind of material your wheels are constructed of, including the lips. Some Volk wheels have an anodized lip. You CANNOT polish them or expose them to any harsh chemicals. Authorized Volk dealers will stress this point when you buy the wheels. I had a detailer damage my Volks a few weeks ago and he ended up having to pay me $1,200 for a new pair of wheels as they are unrepairable. I talked to a few Volk dealers as well as Mackin and Tru Wheel. All said the wheels cannot be returned to original condition without costing more that the price of the wheel. Your wheel might be constructed similarly. Mine have a rainbow appearance and drip marks etched into the lip. Make them own up to their responsibility. They should repair it or pay for replacements.

 

Sorry to hear that. Dealers usually do not like to take blame for anything. Have they offered you any type of repair as compensation?

That's why I keep my stock wheels, and I'll put them back on when I need to bring it in for servicing. They will never see my aftermarket rims. Call me crazy but I've heard of these horror stories way too often.

Hope things work out for you! Good luck!

 

This is a very common problem with the stock wheels that come on the G35. If you do a search you will find lots of people have had the same problem.

It is most likely caused by an "acid" based cleaner that the dealer used to clean the wheels after the brake service....although the dealer will probably insist they didn't do it.

If your rims were perfect before taking the car in for service, I'd say the dealer is 100% responsible and you should go after them.

I know for a fact because I work for a dealer that you can win a fight against them. The CPA (consumer protection act) is a very good tool for comsumers in Canada, as they almost alway side towards the consumer rather than the dealer.

Let me know if you need help with the CPA as I have quite a bit of knowledge on it.

The rims cannot be fixed without re-painting them. I know from experience.

Good Luck!

 

pics please



please stop using dish soap on your car. Thanks.

 

That is pure BS. Reasons:
1) I took my car to the dealer with the stock 17s. When I got the car back the wheels were very clean as were the brakes. Clearly they used very harsh cleaners to accomplish this. Unfortunately, if you use these same cleaners on the Coupe 18s or Coupe 19s, it ruins them. That's why there is a TSB regarding this. And why I tell them I run coupe 19s and to be careful when washing.

So clearly they used some type of wheel cleaner and screwed up the wheels. I would think any idiot that's washing the car would notice some expensive arsed wheels and be careful. I'd make a big stink about it. At the very least, you might be protecting some other guy from that idiot.

Do not use this. As others have said, it strips the wax off. Use normal car wash.

 

That is why you NEVER let the dealer wash your car. And ya seriously stop using dish soap to wash your car.

 

[QUOTE=prog35]This is a very common problem with the stock wheels that come on the G35. If you do a search you will find lots of people have had the same problem.

It is most likely caused by an "acid" based cleaner that the dealer used to clean the wheels after the brake service....although the dealer will probably insist they didn't do it.

---------------
Appreciate your advice
Unfortunately I search two other G35 forums and did not find similar 'explanations' to yours re: acid based brake cleaner damaging wheels. Almost all complaints were attributed to:
1) brake dust
2) tire/wheel cleaners
3) Commercial soaps
4) combination of the above while the vehicle's wheels are hot (ie after driving).
However, I like your explanation as it makes the most sense in my case - the wheels were 100% NOT spotted/stained/tarnished when I dropped it off, and TOTALLY stained when I went to pick up the car- and my car was in for 'full brake service' - which would lead me to believe that it had something to do with the brake service. Again, the only flaw in this argument is that the wheels are off when the brake service is done, so something used on the brakes/rotors must have been still 'wet' when they put the wheels back on & washed the car. If you happen to have read any specific reports like this I would appreciate if you could point me to the URL where you read this - many thanks again. Marc

 

Check this thread out:

https://g35driver.com/forums/showthr...ht=black+spots

 

+1....

 

This is why you NEVER go to the dealer.

 

When I picked up my new g35 for the first time the dealer had sprayed tire dressing all over the tires and wheels so when I got home the brake dust settled on the wheels and ruined them. Thanks for that !