17" Web Spoke Bubbling!

[Pamster]

Im not happy I've just washed my Mini and noticed that the coating on one of my wheels looks to be lifting with a bubbling effect. Also the shiney rim has a few marks which look kind of like acid burns. I'm totally baffled as I have not noticed this before and regulary wash my Mini, with the last wash being 2 weeks ago and I'm sure it wasn't there then! I admit to using one of those hand car wash places over winter but if it was due to something they used, wouldn't the other wheels be the same? Has anyone else had this problem?

I've a couple of questions if anyone can help please?

How long are wheels covered under warranty? My Mini was 3 years on 1st March 2009 so I'm guessing I won't be able to claim under this.

Has anyone got one in very good condition that they would be willing to sell?

Cheers

[davyboy]

Snap

Both my rears are staining on the rims

I'm due into the dealer in just over a weeks time and have already told them there is a problem

I've been told there is a known problem and I'm sure there must be other threads about them

I had a Mazda before my Clubbie and in 3yrs I had 3 sets due to corrosion

I say it's worth trying to get new from the dealer or even ask MINI as it's only just out of warranty and must have been there before it expired

Good luck

[sony]

There is a known problem on these but the East european car washes will definitely not have helped. If you had the slightest tiniest stop chip and they stuck their acid wheel cleaner on it it will have probably worked it's way in the rim and finally bubbled.
NEVER use the car washes of that type.

[davyboy]

My car has been into the dealer for work 7 times in the last 5 months and everytime it's been returned valeted, I've only washed it myself

So I'll be blaming the dealers valeters

[Tallpaul]

Those hand wash places can use very strong acid for the wheel cleaner, great for quickly getting them looking good but repeated use will attack the lacquer. Once the lacquer is penetrated alloy can corrode very quickly, particularly if road salt gets in there too.

That said, some wheels are just poorly finished and thin/chipped patches of lacquer will allow corrosion to set in.

TBH, I'd say three years isn't too bad for a set of alloys to last before any corrosion is seen, but that would very much depend on the mileage and driving conditions...

[Pamster]

Thanks. I still think it's strange it's only on one wheel though. The other 3 are fine. I can see that if an alloy is chipped then corrosion can set in but on this one wheel there are quite a few patches starting.

As my Mini has done less than 20000 I do think it's pretty poor that the alloys haven't lasted longer than that.

[davyboy]

hiya

there are some new ones on ebay - Item number: 130293853497

says brand new bmw mini

worth a look

[Martin F]

This is a common problem with two piece wheels. Take a look at any Porsche that is more than 2 or 3 years old and has two piece wheels and you are likely to see the same problem.

[benbow]

I've got some 17'' webspokes that have generally been abused and could do with a refurb. Being Bristol based can anyone recommend someone good?

[scottish_girly]

I used to have the JCW 18 inch polish alloys (sorry don't know the proper name of them) and had exact same problem. Both front wheels were a mess, i managed to get bmw to give me 2 brand new wheels for nothing. But within a year or so 1 of my back ones started to go the same way, I managed to replace it for a cheap price rather than have the bother of getting it refurbished (as I got told as they were polished alloys they would need to be sent away to be done ) But for that reason and hassle alone I would never get those wheels again even though I think they are the most stunning wheels mini has

[benbow]

Is there anything that I can do to them as a temporary fix rather than having to send away? Will Tcut etc work?

Benbow

[scottish_girly]

i'm really unsure, you would need to wait on some clever person on here (not me, me no clever) answering. But from what I had I found that the protective seal had been broken somewhere for water to get in and basically just damaged it underneath. My friend has these 17" web spokes on her cooper S and the "polished" part of these has started to do exactly the same thing so i'm really unsure if there actually is anything you can do apart from refurb?

hopefully a clever person will answer you better than I can

[davyboy]

I had both my rear wheels replace a couple of weeks ago and now just noticed the fronts have a few small marks starting round the small screws

As far as I'm concerned this will always be a warranty claim just make sure you have no curbing as that will be a let out of a claim

[benbow]

Unfortunatly ours are kerbed and corroded so no chance of a claim under warranty. Someone suggested that a bit of a rub down with wet and dry would help??

Does the corrosion affect the strength and structure of the wheel of just the look of the top surface?

Benbow