Do I win a prize for being first?! Whiteworm

[JoeGTI]

Out of interest, did you have any protection, sealant, wax etc on your wheels?

I honestly don't believe this makes a blind bit of difference. If it's going to happen, it'll happen and no amount of sealant will combat a stone chip or a careless monkey with a tyre wrench. As many MK5/6 owners would testify...

[andrewparker]

You may be right, although I have ran Monzas IIs for 8 years, protecting every 6 months, and never had a problem.

I have a GTD coming in 4 weeks and I'll be doing exactly the same.

[SRGTD]

Don't be fobbed off by your dealership if they refuse a warranty job because they're worried about getting reimbursement from VW. If you have whiteworm originating from a place with no lacquer damage then you have a legitimate case.

You shouldn't have a problem getting a replacement under warranty. I'm getting 2 of my diamond cut 18" Charlestons replaced this Friday on my 33 month old mk6 GTD. Dealer just took photos, and ordered replacements.

VW should ditch the lacquered diamond cut wheels and go for paint instead if they can't make the lacquer finish resist oxidation of the alloys themselves.

Agree; I really wish they would ditch them. Unfortunately, it's not just a problem that affects VAG diamond cut alloys. I've seen a number of examples of whiteworm on other vehicle brands where manufacturers persist in fitting these wholly impractical wheels.

[Skinnee D]

I recently had an orig 18" Mk7 GTD wheel replaced under warranty with almost identical corrosion under the lacquer in the same places.  Dealer just needed some photos from me to get it approved and order the wheel which took a couple of days. The 3 year warranty should cover this.

[JamesR27]

That's bad news soon.

I have had my mk5 and mk6 wheels replaced under warranty and I used Jetseal 109 on them every 6months and then they were waxed with the car.

I was hoping as the length in time was a lot longer in the mk6 they would have had it sorted.

I like the look of the wheels but I do wish they would stick with a black inner and titanium colour or something painted.

[Beddie]

Imo with a diamond turned/polished finish it's not a case of if but when sadly...
Even VW themselves saw sense with the MK4 anniversary wheels and ultimately sent out the replacements in a painted finish..
Here's hoping the ed40 continues the ed30/35 trend of having durable painted wheels 

[Mark V GTD]

Well - VW are aware of this and they have retained diamond cut/laquered wheel finishes out of choice. I would imagine that in the grand scheme of things the 'enthusiast' sector who notice such problems are a very minor proportion of the total customer base and as long as VW contine to be prepared to provide replacement wheels if this corrosion occurs its fine with me.

[SRGTD]

If you need to get replacements under warranty, inspect them very carefully for damage after they've been fitted before you leave the dealer. Just because they're new doesn't mean they'll be in perfect condition.

I had 2 warranty replacements fitted to my mk6 GTD last week and I inspected them with the service manager; both were damaged!  Whether they were damaged before or during fitting, I don't know, but the marks on one of them certainly didn't look like it would have been caused by careless fitting.

They're ordering me 2 more and the service manager said they'd make sure they are perfect before I go to get fitted (again).

Given the choice between painted / powder coated alloys and diamond cut, I'd take painted / powder coated every time.

[andygou]

Imo with a diamond turned/polished finish it's not a case of if but when sadly...
Even VW themselves saw sense with the MK4 anniversary wheels and ultimately sent out the replacements in a painted finish..
Here's hoping the ed40 continues the ed30/35 trend of having durable painted wheels 

Sadly, it not just diamond cut wheels which seem to suffer. In recent years I've had both MX-5 and JCW Mini painted wheels do the same within the warranty period. I guess its a paint/lacquer quality issue.

[Starfox]

On my recently purchased 2011 GTD Golf all 4 wheels are showing signs of white worm (one of them is IMO particularly bad) but my car is out of warranty (March 2011).  I assume there is no chance (or not point in even trying to ask) for the local VW dealer to replace these under warranty?  I have the car booked in for Air-Con regas on Friday so I was considering asking then.

Frustrating that it seems so easy to get them to replace it and the previous owner did not request this change!