Sport wheels or Spotted wheels?

[lrattner]

I have had my Elise for about 6 months and I have the sport wheels. After the 1000 miles service at the dealer I noticed that the wheels seemed to have some of the clear worn off. It appeared like spots and shreaks on the flat surfaces. I showed it to the dealer and they said that they had the same problem with an Aston Martin. It seemed that some detail product they used did that to the wheels. They sent a wheel cleaning and refinishing company over to my office to reapir the finish on the wheels.
That repair lasted about 2 weeks. I called the dealer and told him the problem. He said he would get back to me. Well 6-8 weeks later I called them back and asked to know what they were going to do about the wheels. They said they would have the refinishing service come back. The service came back but the guy said that he would not be able to repair the problem.
I called the dealer again. Again it took several weeks to get a response. They said that they would replace the wheels. I said fine, just tell me when. The service advisor called me yesterday to tell me that someone from Lotus would be at the dealership tomorrow and could I bring the car by?
That would be fine if it wasn't for all the patients and surgeries I have booked for tomorrow.
I am getting a little p. off with this run a round.
I would guess you might know the dealer based on my location.
So, if the dealer is reading this post....Please get on the stick!

[Vantage]

A lot of dealers use acidic wheel cleaners to save scrubbing time. Getting it as close to spray and rinse as possible makes it easy for them.

But it probably eats into the anodized finish, which is not that durable to begin with. That's why Lotus switched to regular painted wheels. Seems difficult to repair anodized wheels once they reach such a state...wonder if replacement anodized LSS wheels are easy to get? Did they stop making them?

Anyway, happened to Lillie's car too.

- J

[Less Moore]

I've had a couple cars with 'raw' polished aluminum wheels (American Racing Equipment and Centerline). I kept them waxed, never used any special cleaners (mostly just water) and even ran the Centerlines some in salty Ohio winters without much trouble. I did spray them off frequently.
My LSS wheels are the later painted ones and they are probably a better solution. I know that brake dust is corrosive and I think water mixed with the dust is likely causing the spots.
Another 'flaw' I've noticed with the LSS wheels is the shape of the outer 'rim' part of the wheel, in keeping brake dust, gravel, etc. within the 'shoulder' of the outer rim. If this part had a slight taper, more of this stuff would be thrown outward. I've just decided they aren't always going to be perfectly clean.

[Jack]

Actually, the anodized finish is very durable and low maintenance (in my experience) as long as you never use any type of acidic (harsh) wheel cleaner on them. All it takes is one wash with an acid based wheel cleaner and a little sunlight and you'll end up with spots and streaks in the finish. I had the stock anodized wheels on my '78 SC and they looked great for the 14 years I owned that car. On the other hand, a brand new set of Kinesis wheels (with anodized finish) we installed on a GT3 were ruined the first time the owner's detailer washed his car. He, too, thought the wheel finish was defective, but that was not the case.

[perryeyges]

Sounds like the dealer is trying to pass off the responsibility of replacing the wheels to Lotus! Unfortunate since they are the ones that screwed them up with acid. Sounds like the dealer is grasping at straws and trying to figure out a billing source without impacting $$$ themselves(sounds $hitty).
The original anodised wheels are certainly available. If your dealer tells you that they want to replace your wheels with the new updated painted wheels I would insist on exact replacement. I am sure Lotus will continue to stock the anodised ones. I am also sure that the painted wheels are a bit cheaper to source.

[TTP]

I'll buy your old wheels if you are selling them.

[Surferjer]

I LOVE my SSRs more and more every day...

[DetailersParadise]

Yes, acid and anodized do not mix. Once they are etched, there isn't much you can do. The anodized Porsche Fuch wheel was very influencial in the market demand for P21S wheel cleaners.

[MikeAR303]

Mine are ruined as well... but I really don't care because I'm getting them powdercoated black anyway

[raggedy1]

Originally Posted by MikeAR303

Mine are ruined as well... but I really don't care because I'm getting them powdercoated black anyway

mike, what type of cleaner (if any) did you use on your wheels to ruin them?

[Nick]

OK

I was walking back to the dealership (1,000 mile service) and there were a bunch of mechanics runing in an out of the shop. One came to me and asked if that was my BRG Elise!

Ouch a semi hit it. No one was hurt. It was the lug nuts from the semi that hit the back driver side rim and three small scratches on one panel. Probably only $2k in damage.

So, what does that have to do with rim finishes? The lug nuts hit every spoke on the LSS rims and the edge of the rim as well. The plastic clear coating finish is pretty thick. Needless to say I pulled a piece of it off yesterday.

Waxing the rims will help (according to my detailer) in getting the brake dust off. Problem is the wax won't last ever long. So, wax them and often.

have fun

Nick