Greg Nichols
New member
don't do anything to the wheels take them back and have them re chrome them.
Cheers,
GREG
Cheers,
GREG
Are these wheels ruined?
- Thread starter s.o.m.SS
- Start date
gav'spurplez
New member
how many miles are on the car ?? i cant imagine that the brake dust was soo bad that they had to use a harsh cleaner, BUT we are talking about a dealer's possible mistake here....
30k but the wheels aren't the orig wheels. I imagine they are a year old if that.
xconwrathx
New member
StadiumDetail said:
I agree, unfortunately I used to be a dealership "detailer" for a local GM lot and the wheel acid we used required thick rubber gloves up to your elbow and a face mask, otherwise your lungs would burn for the rest of the day. Not joking.
gav'spurplez
New member
s.o.m.SS said:
Try and clean them up the best you can and see how they turn out...
hopefully they gave you a deal on the since it is late in the summer car season and you can take your savings and buy new wheels...if it comes to that
I agree with those that say take them back first.
If not, and you think it is acid etching on a chrome without clear (which is the best I can tell from the pictures) I would soak them and use #0000 steel wool until the etching disappears. I would then clean and dry the wheels and follow up with some quality metal/chrome/billet polish. I use the Metal Werks Lineup from Wolfgang followed bysome billet polish before sealing them.
I used this one time when i accidentally etched some wheels and everything turned out spectacularly.
*Edit*
RIght after posting this I remembered...The wheels I used this technique on were a High Polished, Uncleared Aluminum. Maybe don't use the technique I offerred without a metaphorical grain of salt.
If not, and you think it is acid etching on a chrome without clear (which is the best I can tell from the pictures) I would soak them and use #0000 steel wool until the etching disappears. I would then clean and dry the wheels and follow up with some quality metal/chrome/billet polish. I use the Metal Werks Lineup from Wolfgang followed bysome billet polish before sealing them.
I used this one time when i accidentally etched some wheels and everything turned out spectacularly.
*Edit*
RIght after posting this I remembered...The wheels I used this technique on were a High Polished, Uncleared Aluminum. Maybe don't use the technique I offerred without a metaphorical grain of salt.
yeah - those wheels are the 2009 "spider" wheels they started putting on Z06's. So the wheels themselves aren't old at all.
I have an 08 Z06 - so no spiders for me. I think the problem is with the dealership using some harsh chemical. If you bought the car used - start looking at the warranty clauses. Even if it is used there still might be something you can make the dealership do.
If you bought it from a GM dealership - you can always escalate it to the regional rep who usually has a lot more pull.
I have an 08 Z06 - so no spiders for me. I think the problem is with the dealership using some harsh chemical. If you bought the car used - start looking at the warranty clauses. Even if it is used there still might be something you can make the dealership do.
If you bought it from a GM dealership - you can always escalate it to the regional rep who usually has a lot more pull.
gav'spurplez
New member
s.o.m.SS said:
no positive results with the flitz huh ??
ouch, that really pisses me off. i guess i'm glad i worked @ a dealer and not...I am way too protective, of my cars, i never want anyone to do anything on them other than my buddy who is a tech...
and of course only i detail them.... i have friends who only trust me with their cars...
did you call the dealer ? i would love to hear the excuse they have for you....
gav'spurplez
New member
keep us posted !
tom p.
Active member
som, I think you've got to quit with the repair attempts. They are going to blame it on you. They owe you a set of new wheels...don't convince them otherwise 
imported_WhyteWizard
New member
That looks like classic acid burn to me. Not only are the wheels toast, most likely, but they may have done damage to your brakes. In addition to that, there's no doubt in my mind the detailer who did that damage didn't handle the material properly from a safety point of view so, no matter how screwed up your wheels are, it's nothing compared to how screwed up he's going to be a few years from now.
In my not so humble opinion, acid wheels cleaners, particularly those having hydrofluoric acid should be outright banned. Here in Southern California, most the detailers don't speak good English, let alone read it, so they have no hope of handling that stuff safely. The damage wheel acids do isn't offset by the speed at which they work. If that had been a car with carbon fiber disks tens of thousands of dollars in damage would have resulted.
Robert
In my not so humble opinion, acid wheels cleaners, particularly those having hydrofluoric acid should be outright banned. Here in Southern California, most the detailers don't speak good English, let alone read it, so they have no hope of handling that stuff safely. The damage wheel acids do isn't offset by the speed at which they work. If that had been a car with carbon fiber disks tens of thousands of dollars in damage would have resulted.
Robert
imported_WhyteWizard
New member
tom p. said:som, I think you've got to quit with the repair attempts. They are going to blame it on you. They owe you a set of new wheels...don't convince them otherwise
WELL SAID.
Robert
pasadena_commut
New member
WhyteWizard said:
Damn straight about the hydrofluoric acid, that stuff is way too dangerous to be used outside of strictly controlled environments. Even trained lab personnel are killed by it from time to time:
FATALITY DUE TO ACUTE FLUORIDE POISONING FOLLOWING DERMAL CONTACT WITH HYDROFLUORIC ACID IN A PALYNOLOGY LABORATORY
FYI, the problem with hydrofluoric acid isn't the acid burn but the rapid absorption of Fluoride ions, which in the body combine with Calcium to form an insoluble precipitate. This reaction rapidly sucks all of the Calcium out of solution, and in a nutshell, not enough free Calcium in the body == death.