Pissed over new aluminum wheels in winter

[NyackRob79]

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?

 

[Matthew Abrams]

That doesn't seem right to me. I have 22's on our Limited and have had moderate exposure to Salt and snow this season with no issues to the finish. Any possibility that the clear coat was bad on that set you bought?

 

[99WhiteC5Coupe]

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?

Hard to tell from photograph - but if the spotting that is shown is corrosion, and not simply salt that must be washed off, I would contact the Ford business that you bought the wheels from and invoke their warranty coverage for new parts.

 

[Aerogt01]

If you use metal polish on these - Does your cloth turn black? That would mean the wheels are not clearcoated as they should be.

 

[NyackRob79]

That doesn't seem right to me. I have 22's on our Limited and have had moderate exposure to Salt and snow this season with no issues to the finish. Any possibility that the clear coat was bad on that set you bought?

I mean, I don't think these aluminum wheels have a clearcoat. It's just polished aluminum the way I see it. Clearcoat would show swirl marks after hard scrubbing. These wheels don't.

I even tried magic eraser (super fine sandpaper) to no avail. The spots just won't come off. Granted, I didn't wash the truck after driving on salt-covered roads, so this has been sitting on the wheels for about a month, but still.

I might take it to a detail shop, have them polish them all out, and then apply some sort of coating.

Just not cool. I never had to babysit wheels aside from cleaning the brake dust off them. Real pity.

 

[Aerogt01]

I've only ever heard of aftermarket wheels not having clearcoat, and maybe a few "high polish" wheels. This is definitely not the norm.

 

[Plati]

https://www.aluminumhandraildirect....rrosive,unsightly corrosion: a powder coating.

 

[Shutterbug57]

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?

Aluminum absolutely corrodes. It won’t rust, but it will corrode. OEM wheels are clear coated. If you have washed these wheels, it is likely they have a manufacturing defect. Are all 4 like this or just this one?

 

[99WhiteC5Coupe]

I mean, I don't think these aluminum wheels have a clearcoat. It's just polished aluminum the way I see it. Clearcoat would show swirl marks after hard scrubbing. These wheels don't.

I even tried magic eraser (super fine sandpaper) to no avail. The spots just won't come off. Granted, I didn't wash the truck after driving on salt-covered roads, so this has been sitting on the wheels for about a month, but still.

I might take it to a detail shop, have them polish them all out, and then apply some sort of coating.

Just not cool. I never had to babysit wheels aside from cleaning the brake dust off them. Real pity.

Are they genuine Ford wheels?

 

[NyackRob79]

If you use metal polish on these - Does your cloth turn black? That would mean the wheels are not clearcoated as they should be.

It does. Turns black real easy. I never thought they were clear coated.

 

[Janky]

Interesting, I've been up in the snow a few times and that's not happening to my 22"s. I'm not sure here in the PNW, I suspect they might tend to use less salt and more sand and other stuff.
How did the Blizzaks handle?

 

[MHay]

From what I can see from the pic I don’t think these are OEM Expedition rims. Maybe this particular style of Ford OEM rim doesn’t have a clear coat?

 

[5280tunage]

From what I see on the pic, I think they are the same ones I have, OP, are those on a platinum?

 

[Deadman]

My 2018 Platinum wheels have 2 winters of Northern, WI salt on them. I did ceramic coat them, but they look like new yet.

 

[Aspen03]

Unprotected aluminum wheels with salt left on them for a month is essentially abuse and you kind of got what you should have out of the situation. I don't even let my 17 year old 2nd gen w rusted out rockers and 230k miles go that long with salt on it, weekly wash at a minimum throughout winter months.

As mentioned aluminum corrodes just fine under the right circumstances, salts always attack metals, even stainless will rust with enough exposure to it. You can polish them but it'll just happen again unless they're protected either by clear/ceramic or constantly applying some sort of wax/wheel protectant and regular washes.

Fwiw theres a reason a lot of people rock steelies with snow tires in the winter, its harsh on just about everything and also rather pointless to have nice wheels covered in slush and salt residue since they'll still look terrible even if you spend $10k on them.

 

[NyackRob79]

Are they genuine Ford wheels?

They have a Ford part number stamped on back. It would seem unusual for a knock-off to go through the length of producing a fake and skip a minor step like clear coat.

Unprotected aluminum wheels with salt left on them for a month is essentially abuse and you kind of got what you should have out of the situation. I don't even let my 17 year old 2nd gen w rusted out rockers and 230k miles go that long with salt on it, weekly wash at a minimum throughout winter months.

As mentioned aluminum corrodes just fine under the right circumstances, salts always attack metals, even stainless will rust with enough exposure to it. You can polish them but it'll just happen again unless they're protected either by clear/ceramic or constantly applying some sort of wax/wheel protectant and regular washes.

Fwiw theres a reason a lot of people rock steelies with snow tires in the winter, its harsh on just about everything and also rather pointless to have nice wheels covered in slush and salt residue since they'll still look terrible even if you spend $10k on them.

Yeah, shit me not. The Acura/Volvo wheels definitely had a clearcoat now that I recall. These just seem like raw aluminum. I'll buff out the spots, and most likely have them painted black.

 

[NyackRob79]

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.

 

[5280tunage]

Not sure how they were described on the eBay site, but selling them as Ford OEM wheels, if in fact they are replicas is against eBay policy, you could certainly report them. If you paid via PayPal, you might be able to use their buyers guarantees to get some money back. Just a thought. I've had so many issues lately with knock offs on eBay and Amazon for that matter, even on Amazon, things that say they are coming from a US shipper but 4 weeks later they are stuck in chinese customs, etc. Such a pain, all good things are easily abused these days.

My only concern about the sand blast and paint is whether they will hold up to that even, just depends on the quality of the material, but if they are just used for winter, that might be worth it. The alternative would be some steel wheels as was suggested in another post, definitely cheaper.

 

[JamaicaJoe]

E-bay has a strict policy against counterfeit items. You may be able to get all your money back. You may be asked for proof you destroyed the wheels.

Have a dealer write a notarized letter explaining that the wheels are indeed counterfeit.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

 

[Plati]

You can report it to the FBI,
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) | STOPfakes.gov - Intellectual Property Rights Resources and Assistance

You could also report it to Ford who has a Team of people who go after $hit like that.

http://www.fordbrandprotection.com/

At minimum ... post a review if thats possible.
and contact the seller