Wheel delaminating?

[leonfr89]

Hello

Can anyone with a cupra leon or similar allows say whether the wheels are a mirror or more of a brushed finish. As below can't work out if this is just a film that was meant to be peeled off before delivery (the door sills had this) or whether it's just started coming away? Car is a cupra leon V1.

The later underneath is not damaged, just shinier

 

[James_R]

Which wheel is it?

 

[leonfr89]

Front left

 

[James_R]

Used car?

 

[leonfr89]

It's an ex dealer car. A year old.

 

[James_R]

I'd be pretty confident that it's lacquer peel that's occurred as the result of a wheel refurb. With the N/S/F wheel being the most commonly caught on kerbs.

 

[SRGTD]

@leonfr89 - The alloys on the Cupra Leon V1 are diamond cut (described in the brochure as ‘18″ ‘GARBI’ alloy wheels Machined in Sport Black / Silver’), so what you’ve described as delamination would appear to be the clear coat lacquer having lifted and come away from the diamond cut surface. There’s also a small white spot on the very right hand edge of the diamond cut section; difficult to tell from the picture, but that could be the start of white worm corrosion as a result of small stone chip that may have broken the protective lacquer surface.

As for the delamination / lacquer peel; as @James_R has said, that wheel may have been refurbished and the refurbishment was of a poor quality and hasn’t lasted. Alternatively, if that wheel has had a new tyre fitted, it could be the result of tyre fitter damage; the very edge of the rim along that section might have been slightly damaged by a tyre fitting machine or a tyre lever and it’s now developed into a more extensive area of damage.

To get a good quality professional refurbishment of the wheel, you’re probably looking at a cost in the region of £100-£120 plus VAT.

Diamond cut alloys aren’t renowned for good durability of the diamond cut surface and many (most?) succumb to white worm corrosion after 2-3 years, especially if they’re on a car used as a daily driver during the winter months. They are also quite susceptible to tyre fitter damage. I personally really dislike diamond cut alloys; my car has them but I would never have them by choice, although manufacturers persist in fitting them to many of the cars in their vehicle range. Mine alloys are carefully inspected each timeI clean my car and any stone chip damage is repaired there and then in an effort to keep white worm corrosion damage at bay.

 

[Loadmaster748]

If the car's that young I'd take it back to the dealer and ask them to at least contribute to the refurb. Needs to be done soon as it will only get to appear worse as the time goes on, particularly in this weather.

 

[SRGTD]

If the car's that young I'd take it back to the dealer and ask them to at least contribute to the refurb. Needs to be done soon as it will only get to appear worse as the time goes on, particularly in this weather.

@leonfr89 - If the dealer does agree to contribute to the refurb costs, I’d use a company such as Lepsons who are reputed to be one of the best, and their results are said to be equal to - or better than - OEM factory standard (https://lepsons.com).

If the dealer offers to get the wheel refurbished a second time rather than make a financial contribution towards the refurb, I would decline their offer. Assuming they’d use the same company they did the first time, the first refurb hasn’t lasted so there’s a very good chance a second refurb would be of a similar low quality to the first and only last for a very short time.

 

[Seriously?]

@leonfr89 - If the dealer does agree to contribute to the refurb costs, I’d use a company such as Lepsons who are reputed to be one of the best, and their results are said to be equal to - or better than - OEM factory standard (https://lepsons.com).

If the dealer offers to get the wheel refurbished a second time rather than make a financial contribution towards the refurb, I would decline their offer. Assuming they’d use the same company they did the first time, the first refurb hasn’t lasted so there’s a very good chance a second refurb would be of a similar low quality to the first and only last for a very short time.

I was chatting to the service guy at my trusted BMW Indie for my car recently when a Lepsons van turned up to deliver some refurbed rims.
I asked him if they always used them; he said they have tried others but always go back to Lepsons even though they're not the cheapest. By far the best quality-wise in his opinion.

 

[SRGTD]

I was chatting to the service guy at my trusted BMW Indie for my car recently when a Lepsons van turned up to deliver some refurbed rims.
I asked him if they always used them; he said they have tried others but always go back to Lepsons even though they're not the cheapest. By far the best quality-wise in his opinion.

I’ve fortunately never needed to use them, but they get excellent reviews on other forums. They used to have just their Gillingham premises but now also have a second premises in Wolverhampton.