Chrome bubble on wheel, warranty?

pesj · May 23, 2010

One of my wheels has a spot about the size of a dime where the chrome is starting to bubble, eventually will flake/peel I'm sure. Are wheels covered under warranty? Just wondering.

SpartaPerformance · May 23, 2010

I'm 90% sure they're not due to the fact they are subject to a lot of abuse, environment, climate, heat etc...

pesj · May 23, 2010

I'm sure the dealer would say that, but you could say the same thing about the entire car's paint, or windshield, motor etc etc.

SpartaPerformance · May 23, 2010

Exactly I believe that paint and glass aren't under warranty either, especially after a few years.

stanmckinney · May 24, 2010

Ask. All the dealer can say is yes or no.

05Blackstang · May 24, 2010

I wouldn't think that the wheels would be under warranty for the chrome bubble. Paint bubbling then yes it would be under warranty. I would just get some after market rims that are the same size you are running know.

stanmckinney · May 24, 2010

Ask the dealer first. My goodness. If the dealer will take care of it, you are out nothing. Why wouldn't anyone ask first?

walter · May 24, 2010

I got the driver's side door handle replaced under warranty at 35,999 miles because it was bubbled and the paint flaked off and turned black. I walked away with a shiny new handle and a smile. Two weeks later I grab the passenger's handle after a nice soggy rain and the paint flaked off and left the inside of the handle black. DOH!

pesj · May 25, 2010

stanmckinney said:
Ask the dealer first. My goodness. If the dealer will take care of it, you are out nothing. Why wouldn't anyone ask first?

because I'm lazy and would rather ask people I don't know (who have no ability to fix my problem)

Seriously, you are right though I'm going to ask. Another one of my wheels has curb damage from the PO. I really like the wheels, so might have to just buy 2 OEM to replace the current ones.

stanmckinney · May 25, 2010

Depending on the type wheels you have, you may be able to get them from newtakeoff.com
I had to replace a fanblade wheel on my 2007 GT (I now have a 2010 GT) a little more than a year ago. I got the wheel for about half the price from the dealer. I scraped the wheel in a drive through at a bank.

AvalancheSVT · May 25, 2010

its a warranty issue. a bubble in a finish (chrome or otherwise) is a factory defect. the dealer should fix it.

walter · May 25, 2010

stanmckinney said:
Depending on the type wheels you have, you may be able to get them from newtakeoff.com
I had to replace a fanblade wheel on my 2007 GT (I now have a 2010 GT) a little more than a year ago. I got the wheel for about half the price from the dealer. I scraped the wheel in a drive through at a bank.

Sorry to hear that, here in Houston there's an excellent wheel repair and refinishing shop that could have fixed that for really cheap with a day's turnaround. You should look into good wheel repair/refinish shops in your area they can save you a lot of money if you get a good one.

pesj · May 25, 2010

good point Walter, I'm going to search for places to re-finish my wheels.

053vstang · May 28, 2010

I used to be a service advisor at a Ford dealer. We warrantied chrome wheels for bubbling and pitting all the time.

As long as your under the base warranty you should be fine.

stanmckinney · May 28, 2010

Before buying a new wheel, I checked with my local body shop guy. He said he could fix my wheel but NOT for what I was able to buy a new one for.
As I said, I got a great price on a new one. Check all prices before repairing or buying. You might be surprised.

pesj · Jun 9, 2010

UPDATE

Update, as I took the car to the Ford Dealership today.

walter said:
Sorry to hear that, here in Houston there's an excellent wheel repair and refinishing shop that could have fixed that for really cheap with a day's turnaround. You should look into good wheel repair/refinish shops in your area they can save you a lot of money if you get a good one.

I called a local shop that was recommended by the Ford Dealer, they do rim repair. They basically said they can't do anything since the wheels are chrome.

053vstang said:
I used to be a service advisor at a Ford dealer. We warrantied chrome wheels for bubbling and pitting all the time.

As long as your under the base warranty you should be fine.

The service manager took at look at two of my wheels. The 1st one he said he could get replaced no problem under warranty. The second had similar discoloration/chrome issues, BUT, since the wheel had a bit of curb damage (from previous owner) he said warranty would not cover that wheel.

So, I can get one wheel, but I'd like to have two. I think I'll just search for someone selling a complete set of 4 used ones, just like the kind I have already.

JKidd · Jun 9, 2010

[The service manager took at look at two of my wheels. The 1st one he said he could get replaced no problem under warranty. The second had similar discoloration/chrome issues, BUT, since the wheel had a bit of curb damage (from previous owner) he said warranty would not cover that wheel.

So, I can get one wheel, but I'd like to have two. I think I'll just search for someone selling a complete set of 4 used ones, just like the kind I have already. [/QUOTE]

Why wouldn't you accept the wheel from the dealer and buy on new one on your own? See if the manager would remount your tire for you? Seems like that would be better than buying 4 used rims - possibly in worse shape than your current set - as opposed to getting two new ones for the price of one.

pesj · Jun 9, 2010

it's still on the table as an option.

Although, I'm wondering how a brand new wheel would look next to a wheel that was 2.5 years old? I dunno.

4bangstangvert · Jun 9, 2010

How sure are you that they are chrome? I could be wrong or maybe someone added the chrome version, but I'm pretty sure all stock CS wheels are actually coated polished aluminum. Depending on the damage and if you feel up to trying it, you may be able to clean them up a bit on your own: I nicked the lip on one of mine last summer so I hit it with a few different very fine grit sandpapers, polished it up, and then touched it up with some clear. It's not perfect but you'd never know if I didn't tell you.

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