Wheel lacker problem

[maxg]

I have just got a CL 600 with AMG wheels. Looks nice give it a clean with a jet washer on the wheels, OH OH what’s this white stuff flaking off the chrome part of the rim THE LACQUER. Anyone got any good ideas.

 

[Howard]

Don't clean the wheels with a jet wash ... ( or Wonder Wheels , or any other acidic cleaner )

In fact , don't clean any part of the car with a jet wash except for the under the wheelarches and underneath .....

Warm water , a soft sponge , and Zymol wash is what i use on the wheels and bodywork .... comes up perfect ...

Give the wheels a wax when you wax the car too, it will help protect them and make them easier to clean .....

If the lacquer has already started to peel ( thanks to the jet wash ) , then the only solution is to have them stripped and re-lacquered ...... the diamond cut lips (the chrome part) are notoriously difficult to get lacquer to stick to properly ....

 

[Flash]

white stuff flaking off the chrome part of the rim THE LACKER. Anyone got any good ideas.

Have them professionally refurbished by a reputable outlet BUT do not bother with the diamond cut/polished finish and just instead have the entire wheel painted with a nice glossy silver paint finish.

Personally, I would wait until Spring now before replacing/refurbing your wheels as salt from gritters shall just attack/corrode your wheels if not washed within a couple of days.

 

[Alps]

Have them professionally refurbished by a reputable outlet BUT do not bother with the diamond cut/polished finish and just instead have the entire wheel painted with a nice glossy silver paint finish.

Personally, I would wait until Spring now before replacing/refurbing your wheels as salt from gritters shall just attack/corrode your wheels if not washed within a couple of days.

I tend to disagree, I think the diamond cut finish looks much better, and painting it with silver all over would spoil the look of the rim! Although you do have the added trouble of it corroding again!

 

[Shude]

Although you do have the added trouble of it corroding again!

Not if they are properly lacquered/finished and then well maintained.

 

[Roger Jones]

I composed this yesterday and then pulled it because I suddenly thought "Chrome part of the rim? I'm not familiar with the wheels."

However, the following may still be relevant.

Get them refurbished with a painted finish. It seems from my recent and previous experience, plus the views of several independent sources, that diamond cut & lacquer is an intrinsically weak finish likely to deteriorate very quickly, which is why at least two refurb companies I know of won't give a warranty longer than three months, and one other won't give a warranty at all.

But they could all be wrong and I would be interested in reports from anyone whose new or refurbished diamond cut & lacquer finish has remained 100% intact for longer than a year.

 

[KLP 92]

Not if they are properly lacquered/finished and then well maintained.

I've never seen a set of refurbished lacquered lips lasting more than a year before they corrode again! Personally i have them polished and leave them unlacquered, and autosol them once a week.

 

[aka$h]

Personally i have them polished and leave them unlacquered, and autosol them once a week.

Yes but then you would, you just have way too much time on your hands

 

[Flash]

I tend to disagree, I think the diamond cut finish looks much better, and painting it with silver all over would spoil the look of the rim!

I have seen some AMG Mono Block IIs fully painted silver around the lip opposed to the diamond cut finish and they looked good and appeared to make the wheel look bigger (even though it is not). OEM AMG IVs are fully painted silver with no dimond cut around the lips (from factory) and look good. Sterling silver paint finish or some "designo" silver paint finish makes the wheels look stunning.

 

[Shude]

I've never seen a set of refurbished lacquered lips lasting more than a year before they corrode again!

So what does the factory do that the refurbishers don't?

 

[C240Sport97]

I agree, the Sterling Silver finish makes the wheel look bigger, brighter and more modern

Sterling silver paint finish or some "designo" silver paint finish makes the wheels look stunning.

 

[KLP 92]

So what does the factory do that the refurbishers don't?

Its something wheel refurbishers can't figure out!

No refurbishment can offer any guarentee on a diamond cut/polised finish which has been lacquered. For some reason the water always lifts the lacquer with a few months! I've had numerous company thathave refurbished them, and on a daily car they haven't lasted a year!

Part of the problem is that the lacquer has to be thick and hard on wheels to prevent corrosion caused by brake dust. This way as soon as you get a tiny chip, not visible to the eye the water seeps in under it and lifts it.

Personally i'm currently in the process of using a thinner lacquer on polished wheels, something similar to what is used on motorbikes. I've just had a set polished and then applied this lacquer myself, i will keep you informed on how long this finish lasts for! I've currently put the wheels on my W202 C Class. It gets driven the most and washed the least so should be able to figure out exactly how long the finish lasts for!

I've attached a pic of what a polished wheel looks like when lacquered, its similar to the diamond cut wheel:

 

[Roger Jones]

I bought my W124 Coupé when it was four years old and had done only 19k. The lacquer -- original factory finish, I believe -- was lifting on every wheel, but I decided to live with it for a year or two or three . . .

 

[maxg]

lacquer

What will happen if I just leave the lacquer off .??

 

[KLP 92]

What will happen if I just leave the lacquer off .??

You will have to use a metal polish every weekand polish the lips otherwise they loose their shine.