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Post by Custom88 on Jun 7, 2006 22:50:56 GMT -6
I was cleaning my wheels today and noticed that the chrome is "bubbling" near the valve stems on more than one wheel. The chrome will not shine in that area anymore and it's starting to chip. Is there something that can be done to stop the deterioration of the chrome, and what would cause this? I haven't had a car with chrome wheels do this yet.
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Post by MBowen574 on Jun 7, 2006 23:32:34 GMT -6
Uh oh. Sounds like it's time for new wheels either way.
I've never heard of chrome wheels doing this, however. Yours may get more than the average on road salt, but that still seems quite out of the ordinary. See if your warranty will cover it, first off. Then, talk to the guy who refinished Luvmybravada's wheels. That sounded like a decent deal.
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Post by Custom88 on Jun 7, 2006 23:38:43 GMT -6
Uh oh. Sounds like it's time for new wheels either way. I've never heard of chrome wheels doing this, however. Yours may get more than the average on road salt, but that still seems quite out of the ordinary. See if your warranty will cover it, first off. Then, talk to the guy who refinished Luvmybravada's wheels. That sounded like a decent deal. My warranty expired 6/6/06.  I thought about aftermarket wheels long and hard, but they're all way too heavy. I don't want to lose performance. err. Figures I just notice this now. |
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Post by auroralover on Jun 8, 2006 0:30:17 GMT -6
Mine have been doing this for about a year now. Not much, but it's starting. Not on the top prioroty list though......
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Post by 95rora on Jun 8, 2006 9:52:23 GMT -6
You could take it to a chrome shop and see if they can repair it Dont know what they have in your area. Best thing to preven this is a good chrome polish and do it often. Also a nice coat of wax on top of the chrome polish and cleaner helps further preven damage due to road salt and conditions.
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Post by unirok on Jun 8, 2006 10:51:50 GMT -6
Now i see why so many take thier chrome rims off thier cars in the winter months.
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Post by Custom88 on Jun 8, 2006 11:35:23 GMT -6
I went and took a few pictures of what my wheels currently look like. From far away they look great!  Now lets see what they look like up close.... This is what they looked like after polishing the wheels with Mothers chrome polish. the white "speckles" are tiny dimples in the chrome itself and could not be polished out. You can feel the tiny specks with your finger when you rub across them.  Left rear wheel. Notice how the chrome is literally PEALING off of the wheel, and cannot hold a shine anymore. This wheel is leaking air at a rate of around 10 PSI a week.  Left Front wheel. It's starting to peal and will not hold a shine in this spot, but it's not as bad as the other wheel. (yet.)  This is the same wheel in another spot. This rust spot (I assume) will not come out with polishing, and you can feel this one as well. It feels sunk into the wheel and would not buff out...  so.. salvageable? |
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Post by unirok on Jun 8, 2006 12:17:27 GMT -6
Why salvage them? You were posting pics of GXP style rims a week agos so go for those instead.
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Post by Custom88 on Jun 8, 2006 12:19:43 GMT -6
Why salvage them? You were posting pics of GXP style rims a week agos so go for those instead. Weight. Those GXP style rims are 30 pounds each, the stockers are 22 or so pounds (probably less.) 8 pounds is a huge difference, especially when the rim size is larger. (takes more power to rotate a larger wheel, and to brake.) I'm not sure yet. |
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Post by unirok on Jun 8, 2006 13:17:32 GMT -6
Why salvage them? You were posting pics of GXP style rims a week agos so go for those instead. Weight. Those GXP style rims are 30 pounds each, the stockers are 22 or so pounds (probably less.) 8 pounds is a huge difference, especially when the rim size is larger. (takes more power to rotate a larger wheel, and to brake.) I'm not sure yet. Hmmm...I wonder if thats why GXPs feel slower than SSEi. Most SSEis have 16inch rims and GXP has 18. More weight and mass to turn. |
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Post by Custom88 on Jun 8, 2006 13:39:50 GMT -6
SSEi's got 17 inchers.  The SE Bonneville got 16's, like the 3.5 Aurora. |
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Post by luvmybravada on Jun 8, 2006 13:43:26 GMT -6
Hey Custom, that doesn't look too fun. There would only be two things to do and I don't think the first could be done. The chrome in that area would have to be removed and then the area sealed to prevent further peeling. This is what was done to my wheels. I don't think it's possible to do on yours because of the location though. The second thing you could do is send them off to be rechromed but this will probably cost between $700- $1000. Here's a shot of mine damaged and repaired.   |
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scottydl
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Post by scottydl on Jun 8, 2006 16:50:51 GMT -6
Unfortunately, all polished metal will break down over time. You might just have to live with it, unless/until you want to put the money out for replacement rims. I doubt if that outer rust shown is the reason you are losing 10 lbs/week in air pressure... that would be a job for a tire shop to check out (road hazard warranty if you have it). Could be a sliver of metal somewhere between the rubber and metal, or just a bad seal... I've had both happen.
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Post by Mr. Javi on Jun 8, 2006 20:06:51 GMT -6
Hey custom, that would not be covered under your Olds Aurora warranty, assuming you still have a warranty.
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Post by unirok on Jun 9, 2006 12:15:23 GMT -6
Hey custom, that would not be covered under your Olds Aurora warranty, assuming you still have a warranty. His just expired a few days ago... |
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Post by Mr. Javi on Jun 11, 2006 17:49:51 GMT -6
Dang!
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Post by luvmybravada on Jun 12, 2006 11:08:49 GMT -6
What?
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Post by unirok on Jun 12, 2006 12:45:48 GMT -6
Dang = Wow or Damn.............lol |
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Post by Mr. Javi on Jun 12, 2006 18:59:47 GMT -6
That he does not have Warranty for the wheels, that could of possibly been covered under warranty. |
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Post by Custom88 on Jun 13, 2006 13:30:26 GMT -6
I went to the dealer today and the service manager told me that even if I still had the GMPP warranty still in effect, it would not have been covered. He had said that it's a problem amongst ALL GM chrome wheels and because it's so wide spread, the warranty explicitly says that it will not cover chrome wheels for any reason whatsoever.
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Post by luvmybravada on Jun 14, 2006 8:21:27 GMT -6
Well, why doesn't GM find someone else to do their chrome!? Sorry to hear. What are your plans now? Did you find a wheel shop yet?
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Post by unirok on Jun 14, 2006 13:21:54 GMT -6
Well, why doesn't GM find someone else to do their chrome!? Sorry to hear. What are your plans now? Did you find a wheel shop yet? Yes most car and truck rims are made buy subcontracted Rim companies. I paid $250.00 for all 4 of my chrome 18" rims for my F150 so when they do start to peel I am not out that much. |
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Post by Custom88 on Jun 14, 2006 13:26:18 GMT -6
I don't think I'll worry too much about repairing the wheels, now. The dealer informed me that once the chrome starts peeling, the metal is already contaminated and will continue to peal like it is now. By attempting to fix an area like this, it'll probably make the problem even worse.
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The SE Bonneville got 16's, like the 3.5 Aurora. 
