Wheel Worm

[RichDavies82]

There we have it ladies and gents, after 8 months my wheels look complete sh1t!

What’s the best thing to do in this situation? I knew I’d be the victim of the dreaded worm but I thought it would be a few years and not 8 months!

To say I’m annoyed is an understatement! All four wheels have started to look like this.

Should I go back to Camper King and demand that these should be replaced or am I stuck with getting them refurbished and just getting them done in a block colour

 

[sparkywig]

Good luck with that.
One of mine had lacquer peel after 7 months, and when I contacted the supplier I was told they only had a 6 month warranty. But I could buy another wheel at a discount.

 

[DaveD]

The expression "not fit for purpose" springs to mind.

 

[Paynewright]

Thats disappointing - its the only reason I wouldnt buy wheels that have a lacquered turned face or a car that has them.

Go look at the small print for the manufacturer in question before you go into battle!

You could always switch to steels!

 

[DaveyB]

Unfortunately that seems to be the case for all diamond polished alloys regardless of manufacturer. The wife’s Volvo has exactly the same problem.

 

[Mooncat]

If that picture is from the o/s side of the van, the 'worms' are all starting on the leading edge of the spokes so will most likely be from salt spray and other road debris.......i.e. no chance of any warranty. Looking at the tyres I'm assuming this was a low budget set of wheels?

Edit - ignore the bit about leading edge - just seen the brake caliper! That is a strange place for the worms to start.

 

[Tourershine]

Through my experience of diamond cut wheels, any company I've moaned to about this problem have made it very clear that they are not designed for winter use. I won't buy them anymore, and I wouldn't bother paying to have them diamond cut again, because they will just so the same.

Just powder coat them all one colour.

 

[.50]

Agree with T above.
Just stay away from ANY diamond cut wheels.

 

[dubber36]

It's just how it is with cheap, aftermarket wheels. I had one of the first sets of so called RS8s on my Leon Cupra back in 2002. They were like that after a few months.

I'm had OEM diamond cuts on various other cars since. They have fared much better, but still succumb to the worm in places.

The only real option you have is to have them powder coated all one colour. Choosing a colour that suits that design is a whole different matter tho'.

 

[RichDavies82]

I’ll have a moan about them tomorrow to CK and see where it gets me. Steels are a route I’d like to go down but if only there was anyone on here that has a Pearl Black van with 19” banded steels??

 

[hmluk]

If that picture is from the o/s side of the van, the 'worms' are all starting on the leading edge of the spokes so will most likely be from salt spray and other road debris.......i.e. no chance of any warranty. Looking at the tyres I'm assuming this was a low budget set of wheels?

Edit - ignore the bit about leading edge - just seen the brake caliper! That is a strange place for the worms to start.

Looks like the offside rear to me so would be the leading edge.

 

[Tourershine]

I’ll have a moan about them tomorrow to CK and see where it gets me. Steels are a route I’d like to go down but if only there was anyone on here that has a Pearl Black van with 19” banded steels??

Not if you purchased that persons said wheels

(not that they are for sale)


(but everything always is)


Ps, they aren't. Yet

 

[RichDavies82]

Looks like the offside rear to me so would be the leading edge.

Yes, it is. That’s the worst but the other three aren’t far behind!

 

[Shredder]

It's just how it is with cheap, aftermarket wheels.

Unfortunately, this also happened on my factory option Range Rover wheels (the 22 Turbines) after about the first 1.200 miles !! .... along with some brake dust pitting !!! You buy a Range Rover as you think it will be bomb proof. Land Rover told me to stick it when I complained !!! They know how well I look after stuff as well.

Neighbour had much worse on some expensive split rims where his wheel faces were diamond cut too. The worming and peeling was really bad on his. Particularly around the bolts on the split rim. The Autoglym guy said it is wheel cleaners that get into damaged areas or poorly finished (laquer) parts of the rim. Wheel cleaners are acids or alkalis which are obviously very caustic, so need lots of rinsing. The worst scenario, if you have your car cleaned at the local £10 hand car wash, they'll be banging on 100% acid to get your car as clean as possible as quickly as possible

I make sure I clean cars regularly enough so that they only ever need foam and bodywork shampoo. It really does help keep things nice, no harsh cleaners.

 

[RichDavies82]

Well, it turns out that I’ve had a result! Camper King have offered to replace my wheels with the same or different ones altogether. Apparently they have a 1 year warranty...! Great service if this is the case.

 

[Dannyb6467]

Well done to Camper King. Nice to see a company taking responsibility for its goods and customers.

 

[Village]

In an ideal world any new wheel would be properly sealed asap, but that applies even more so to diamond cut wheels. The ones on my skoda were sealed immediately, and survived 80k. I should have redone them long before that, but didn’t and now they are starting to turn

 

[Tourershine]

In an ideal world any new wheel would be properly sealed asap, but that applies even more so to diamond cut wheels. The ones on my skoda were sealed immediately, and survived 80k. I should have redone them long before that, but didn’t and now they are starting to turn

Worming is normally down to the lack of lacquer on the edges of the polished face. The polishing process would normally remove the face of the wheel, then this is all lacquered, but because the edges tend to be so sharp, the build up of top lacquer on the corners is very difficult, leading to tiny stone chips which in turn let's water under the coating. You often find a polished wheel that seems to last longer, will have a slightly less aggressive edge.

 

[Village]

Worming is normally down to the lack of lacquer on the edges of the polished face. The polishing process would normally remove the face of the wheel, then this is all lacquered, but because the edges tend to be so sharp, the build up of top lacquer on the corners is very difficult, leading to tiny stone chips which in turn let's water under the coating. You often find a polished wheel that seems to last longer, will have a slightly less aggressive edge.

Makes sense about the sharpness of the edge; thanks for boosting my knowledge!

 

[RattyMcClelland]

Any OEM manufacture only really offers 6 months warrenty on diamond cut wheels.
I don't touch wheels full stop but I'm a smart repairer so I see it on all vehicles when I assess damage, Bentleys, Porsche, Ferrari, all normal cars...they all white worm. Its inevitable and cant be be stopped.