DIAMOND CUT WHEELS - 6000 MILES - CORRODING

[GTIPPKEV]

Hey Folks looking for some advice.

Just bought a one owner 69 plate GTI PP Registered 31/12/19 with 6000 miles on it.

The standard Milton Keynes alloys are all starting to corrode and wondered if i would have any chance of VW replacing them?

The car is obviously just out of warranty 2 months.

The alloys are in perfect condition with all of the factory wheel weights in place so have never been refurbed in fact the previous owner says they have only done 1500 miles as he fitted other wheels to the car during his ownership.

Am i wasting my time with VW???




 

[Adam T7]

I would imagine you will struggle.
I washed mine a couple of weeks ago and noticed a tiny piece of white worm close to the rim where I must have nicked it and not realised. I hand wash mine and only use a ph neutral cleaner like Dragon Breath.
If the wheels on yours are all corroding I wonder if the previous owner has used an acidic wheel cleaner (like Wonder Wheels of what ever the rubbish is called now) that has damaged the lacquer finish?

[SRGTD]

There’s no harm in trying. However, from what I’ve read on various forums, I do get the impression that since Dieselgate, VW take a firmer line on warranty claims these days, so it may be more difficult to get things such as alloys replaced.

You’ve said the the alloys on your car are in perfect condition. As @Adam T7 has suggested, they may have had harsh cleaning products used on them in the past, especially if the car was regularly washed by one of the many hand car wash places. Those places tend to use harsh cleaning products as it’s a way of removing dirt quickly, meaning they can maximise the number of cars they clean and so generate more income. A tell tale sign of harsh cleaning products having been used on diamond cut alloys might be a cloudy appearance on the diamond cut surface. Alternatively, if the previous owner had the tyres transferred from the Milton Keynes / Parker alloys to their alternative set of alloys and then had the tyres refitted when the OEM alloys were put back on the car, there’s a chance the tyre fitters may have damaged the wheels (quite common) and corrosion has set in.

I personally dislike diamond cut alloys. If they’re on a car all year round IMHO the diamond cut finish isn’t really durable enough to stand up to winter road conditions. They’re also easily damaged by over zealous tyre fitters or poorly maintained tyre changing equipment.

Good luck with trying to get them replaced by VW. If VW decline to replace them, then the cost of a top quality refurbishment is probably around £100 - £120 plus VAT per wheel.

Please keep this discussion thread updated with developments and the outcome.

[Adam T7]

Diamond cut look superb IMO, but totally agree on their suitability to UK road and driving conditions. After nearly 20k over 50 months I’ve got one tiny piece of white worm, but my car is cosseted and only ever hand washed by me. When they do eventually start deteriorating, not really sure best way to go? Get them re-cut or replaced? Parker’s would look terrible powder coated IMO.

[SRGTD]

Diamond cut look superb IMO, but totally agree on their suitability to UK road and driving conditions. After nearly 20k over 50 months I’ve got one tiny piece of white worm, but my car is cosseted and only ever hand washed by me. When they do eventually start deteriorating, not really sure best way to go? Get them re-cut or replaced? Parker’s would look terrible powder coated IMO.

My car also only gets hand washed by me; 3 bucket method (the usual 2 bucket method plus an extra one for the wheels), lambswool mitt, warm air blower and drying towels, plus an assortment of detailing brushes and wheel woolies.

I had a mk6 Golf GTD from new and 2 of the diamond cut alloys succumbed to white worm at around two years old. No harsh cleaning materials were ever used on the wheels - basically a good quality ph neutral shampoo and I clean my cars regularly enough to not need a specific wheel cleaning product. I inspected the wheels after every wash for stone chips - if there were any, they were attended to immediately. I applied wax and sealant every couple of months to provide protection against the elements. In spite of this, white worm still happened. Given the choice of diamond cut or powder coated, I’d always choose the latter although I appreciate some people like diamond cut alloys; we’re all individuals and like different things.

Agree that Parker’s wouldn’t look great if powder coated; certain designs of alloys work better with powder coating than others. Alloys with slim spokes generally work well with powder coating IMHO; alloys with wider spokes don’t work as well. A few years ago, forum member GolfTi had the diamond cut Austin alloys on their GTI powder coated in a two colour finish to replicate the diamond cut look. It was more expensive than a diamond cut refurb because of the added time and labour costs involved in precision masking up to create sharp edges between the black recessed sections and silver face on the wheels, but the end result looked very good IMHO and no issues with white worm. Link to the discussion thread (with pictures) at the link below;

https://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=286595.0

If your wheels haven’t been refurbished before then I’d be inclined to go the refurbishment route. Bear in mind that diamond cut alloys can usually only be refurbished a maximum of two times because the refurb process involves removing a layer of metal from the face of the wheel when it’s re-cut; more than too refurbs and there’s a risk that the re-cutting process will have removed too much metal and the structural integrity of the wheel might be compromised.

[Adam T7]

Your cleaning routine is very similar to mine, separate buckets and mitt for the wheels, two bucket method for the paint work following power washes and snow foam.

I’ll get the wheels re-cut when the time comes and hope I get another 4 years out of them😂

[symonh2000]

Diamond cut wheels look great for a while but IMO are more hassle than they are worth on our salt covered roads.

The only long term solutions are to paint a solid colour or replace them.

No wonder why so many Golfs have black wheels.

[sjw]

Yep, good luck with VW. Mine started whiteworming in the middle and I still didn't get anywhere. My wheels are absolutely awful now to the point where I'm not even sure if they're salvageable.

[clubsport]

He who dares.......

It's worth a shot with VW, I previously had a 2013 PP GTI.
Bought privately, after about 6 monthsI was unhappy with the slight appearance of whiteworm on the Austin wheels. I took it into VW with 6 months warranty remaining to consider replacement.
VW suggested that 3 were bad enough to replace, I countered that I would be back in a few months with the other wheel, why not save time for both of us and change all 4?

Result, 4 new Austin wheels from VW!

If you don't ask....?

[P6GTD]

I recently saw a Mk7.5 advertised on either Cinch or Cazoo where the Parkers had been refinished in monotone dark grey. Looked absolutely awful and brought out how “chunky” the Parkers are.
Mind you having had Golf’s with Austins and with Parkers, I have the impression maybe Parkers are more robust.

I have learned to love my Parkers…..

However…….I still wish VW had continued with Austins as the standard GTI wheel. So elegant.