Pissed over new aluminum wheels in winter

[carymccarr]

Got these for my winter setup. New OEM Ford aluminum wheels (22”) with Blizzaks.

One month, and one snowfall later, this is how they look.

Who designs and manufacturers such prima-donna wheels?

I’m assuming the spotting is from salt. First off, I thought aluminum is non corrosive. Second, why design wheels for a truck that don’t maintain their appearance after a single month in winter?

I’ve had aluminum wheels in our Acura and Volvo and they never stained like this after years of winter use.

WTF is going on here?

Sorry fellas, just venting. I can buff out the spots with aluminum polish but who has the hours to spend on this?

You could probably get them cleared for cheap by one of those rim repair shops. Of course getting your $$$ is the first/best option.


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[Shantheman73]

So, an update. I don't believe these are genuine Ford wheels. They appear to be replicas. I got them from a top-rated eBay seller with 100% positive feedback, and 5-star ratings on Google and TrustPilot.

Still, for $1300 for a set of four new wheels, there is no way these are genuine OEM wheels.

Probably Chinese knock-offs (even though they have the Ford part# stamped on them).

Our 2018 Expedition came with brushed aluminum wheels (which I use for my summer setup), and 3 winters in, those wheels are not showing such spotting at all.

So, as others have remarked here, these are probably uncoated Chinese knock-offs. Kinda makes you wonder, why cut the last step and not clearcoat them?

At this point I can either get a quote from a body shop to sandblast and pain these wheels black OR

sell them as they are for a few hundred bucks, and get OEM wheels for considerably more.

For a winter setup, I'll probably paint these.

BTW, someone had asked how the Blizzaks run: The only winter tires available in this size for 22" wheels were not rated Extra Load. Which means, I probably shouldn't be towing with my winter setup as I'll be exceeding the tire weight rating.

With that said, the road noise is higher (as can be expected), but the OEM all-seasons are such rubbish in snow. With these Blizzaks I can roam freely on snow-covered Vermont roads and not have to worry about a thing.

Thanks everyone for your feedback.

Actually...I’ve bought Ford wheels off eBay from trusted sellers, and several times they were OEM that were ‘refurbished’. Meaning...the seller got them in used condition, and then spent time polishing the crap out of them to make them look shiny and new...but in the process they polished the clear coat right off.

Several times I’ve had to either clear coat them myself or just keep them away from salt as much as possible because they absolutely showed corrosion within days. (Just like your picture)

Unfortunately i also found this out the hard way. Those resellers mean well...but their priority is making them look new and getting us to buy them. Their polishing process gets them shiny! But it removed the clear coat that protects them long term.


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[Phillip White]

Frankly I would not have been surprised if you had said these came directly from Ford since I have come to expect Ford to go the cheapest route to get their vehicles out the door.
If it weren't for the fact that I need to drive these Expeditions due to the weight and number of clients I need to drive around I wouldn't touch them - ever.

 

[eburnside]

I don't post much but this caught my attention and it occurred to me that if these are Chinese knockoffs they may not be safe. Hopefully the other guy is right and it's just that the reseller buffed the coating off, but I'd want to know before letting my family ride on 'em.

 

[Gregg Eshelman]

Ideally aluminum used as brightwork on a vehicle should be hard anodized *and* clearcoated, or at least hard anodized. Ford used to used anodized aluminum in the 1970's when they started using soft stamped aluminum for trim. Highly polished aluminum sheet was used, with dies that wouldn't cause scratches on visible areas. Dunno if the anodizing process was before or after stamping, but the stuff is so soft if the anodizing gets scratched it's impossible to get polished to look good.

So if you want the wheels to really stay looking good, see if there's a plating shop that also does aluminum polishing and anodizing. They would mirror polish, chemically clean, then anodize. During that process they could be colored so the color is embedded in the aluminum oxide coating. Then they could be sprayed with a super tough clear urethane.

 

[NyackRob79]

Well, just an update. eBay refused my claim, stating that the posting was "OEM-spec", and not OEM genuine. I should've known better. Probably a seller that works with a Chinese factory that makes impostor wheels based on OEM designs. Probably scan them with laser and copy them down to the smallest detail, including Ford Part# stamped into the inner rim of the wheel.

No sweat. I paid $380/wheel, vs OEM being $1100/wheel. Should've known there's a catch.

Thanks for your input everyone.

 

[NyackRob79]

Ideally aluminum used as brightwork on a vehicle should be hard anodized *and* clearcoated, or at least hard anodized. Ford used to used anodized aluminum in the 1970's when they started using soft stamped aluminum for trim. Highly polished aluminum sheet was used, with dies that wouldn't cause scratches on visible areas. Dunno if the anodizing process was before or after stamping, but the stuff is so soft if the anodizing gets scratched it's impossible to get polished to look good.

So if you want the wheels to really stay looking good, see if there's a plating shop that also does aluminum polishing and anodizing. They would mirror polish, chemically clean, then anodize. During that process they could be colored so the color is embedded in the aluminum oxide coating. Then they could be sprayed with a super tough clear urethane.

Thanks for your suggestion. I may call a local body shop to see if they could remove the tires off these wheels, sandblast them, and paint them with matching metallic paint, then clearcoat them. But something tells me it won't be worth the price.

 

[5280tunage]

Well, just an update. eBay refused my claim, stating that the posting was "OEM-spec", and not OEM genuine. I should've known better. Probably a seller that works with a Chinese factory that makes impostor wheels based on OEM designs. Probably scan them with laser and copy them down to the smallest detail, including Ford Part# stamped into the inner rim of the wheel.

No sweat. I paid $380/wheel, vs OEM being $1100/wheel. Should've known there's a catch.

Thanks for your input everyone.

Wow, did eBay say anything about tracking the seller moving forward? Making sure they have verbiage that states they aren't OEM but are like OEM? They used to care a lot about that, it's the same thing with people selling purses that are "Louie like".

 

[carymccarr]

Well, just an update. eBay refused my claim, stating that the posting was "OEM-spec", and not OEM genuine. I should've known better. Probably a seller that works with a Chinese factory that makes impostor wheels based on OEM designs. Probably scan them with laser and copy them down to the smallest detail, including Ford Part# stamped into the inner rim of the wheel.

No sweat. I paid $380/wheel, vs OEM being $1100/wheel. Should've known there's a catch.

Thanks for your input everyone.

BS. I’d take another swing at it. They aren’t OEM “spec” as no OEM would spec out their wheels not to be clear coated.


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[Gumby]

I just went with 18 inch steelies down from my 22's and used Blizzak DM-V2. If I curb a rim or I don't get to washing the salt, grime and other crud off the vehicle for a week or more due to the extreme cold, I'm not too concerned about the pitting etc. I get that people want a nice look though, so there's that side...