Acidic wheel cleaner on a painted rim?

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TurboToys

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I am in a bind, i just got my car back from a repair shop. i've had issues with repair shops leaving jobs half done, poorly done, etc. and i end up having to return for issues more than once on the two occassions i have absolutely had to use a repair shop (do my own work completely, paint, etc as long as i have room and time to do it, nothing i have not done yet).

unfortunately with this new debacle, i received my car back for the second time from this shop (they forgot to fix the front bumper which had a crack in it), and it was hard enough to get them to fix the rest of the issues.. my car is immaculate most of the time, even the paint.


problem. i received my car from the shop and after returning it home, i find that after cleaning the rims which are Volk GT-7 rims. with a gunmetal gray center, and polished rim (clearcoat over the polish). i have polished out the rims more than once to get the rim to a super shiny nice finish.l


after cleaning it looks like a splotchy white finish all over it, as well as being a rough surface also. it looks horrible.

i need to know if the cause of this would be an acidic wheel cleaner? do you have any pictures of damaged clear coat?

i can take a few pictures, but i think its self explanitory of the splotchy white effect on a polished surface. i need some pictures of before and after of other rims to show to them if i do decide to go back and see if i can get them to fix it or pay for it.

thanks in advance.
 
could very well be caused by an acid wheel cleaner. hard to say without pics though.
 
here are some pics

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even the calipers looks discolored like something was used to "clean" them.... except that they didnt spray it evenly, almost like they sprayed and let itset, and now there is a line of "clean" on the caliper... first pic is before scrubbing, and send pic is after scrubbing with a stiff brush and soapy solution to make sure it wasnt just road grime since it was snowy out (salt on the road), except this car has not seen any road except to and from the shop.

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for comparison, this is what the same rim pictured looked like before cleaning it before winter this year.

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any help on how to go about telling the shop about this would be appreciated for anyone who has gone through it.


or how you (mike) would like a customer to approach you about wheel damage after coming back to a shop for a (ugh) third time.
 
What wheel cleaner did you use ?

In you description it sounds like you were the one to clean them after the shop had the car, and this was the result from the cleaner you used. is this correct ?
 
If you left the shop, they may not accept that they caused the problem, unless they admit to spraying the rim with a wheel cleaner.

It appears to be damage from the use of the incorrect cleaner. Salt spots, by comparison would not have "streaks" in the finish - they'd be large spots all over the polished lip.

Good luck with them admitting liability. The only proper fix is to have the lip repolished.
 
looks like acid. sucks that they did that. im sure they won't own up to it, but for your sake i hope they make it right. have you tried re-polishing just to see if it would help?
 
i plan on calling the shop and asking what products they use when they "detail" the car on exit. maybe sound like an interested customer, i'll be recording on my phone. if i have to ill take them to court to pay for the damage. the rims are expensive and so is recoating them because you have to take them apart and volk does not release their torque specs for wheels.
 
proudpoppa said:
looks like acid. sucks that they did that. im sure they won't own up to it, but for your sake i hope they make it right. have you tried re-polishing just to see if it would help?
Click to expand...

all the pics are after a brisk polish by hand with ultimate compound and an aggressive pad.

it should not require a ton of polishing if it was simply salt.
 
although i did have the same problem when dealing with the actual repair damage, because they chose to fix only certain areas of the car. and tried to tell me that damage from the accident was prexisting... i hate these repair shops so much, its just a hassle to deal with anyone when they touch my cars. unfortunately sometimes you have to let them.

it just sucks that in order for everything to be ok i would have to do a 30 point inspection on my own vehicle to make sure the repair shop didnt mess things up without telling me.
 
Sounds like you need a new repair shop IMO

Here is a video I find intresting

[video=youtube_share;LxxG4A4OgHI&feature=related] - DIY - how to polish rims[/video]
 
Flash Gordon said:
Sounds like you need a new repair shop IMO

Here is a video I find intresting

[URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxxG4A4OgHI&feature=related] - DIY - how to polish rims[/URL]
Click to expand...

i havent used them before. they are a very reputable shop here in town, large repair shop, very nice facility, lots of employees, they deal with tons of car daily.

issue is you never know who works at a place like that though, and someone could know all about mag wheels and polished wheels, but may have never encountered a rim such as these, and thought that the rim was literally a polished metal with no clearcoat
 
they left the wheel cleaner on to long before washing it off . you have to do one wheel at a time and work fast . like 10 sec and then wash off. and repeat if needed. looks like they put it on all the wheels and then washed them off on there way to long .
 
master detailer said:
they left the wheel cleaner on to long before washing it off . you have to do one wheel at a time and work fast . like 10 sec and then wash off. and repeat if needed. looks like they put it on all the wheels and then washed them off on there way to long .
Click to expand...

that is EXACTLY what i looked like to me, seeing as how the front left is the worst of them all.. and the back right isn't that bad but still has damage.

i know for a fact that left this cleaner on longer on some and worked their way around, i would love to get into their shop and watch their guy "detail" a car...... maybe i can send my girl in for me to take a secret video of how they "clean" a car
 
TurboToys said:
i havent used them before. they are a very reputable shop here in town, large repair shop, very nice facility, lots of employees, they deal with tons of car daily.

issue is you never know who works at a place like that though, and someone could know all about mag wheels and polished wheels, but may have never encountered a rim such as these, and thought that the rim was literally a polished metal with no clearcoat
Click to expand...

Why did they detail your car in the first place if it was only in for repair
 
Flash Gordon said:
Why did they detail your car in the first place if it was only in for repair
Click to expand...

its in their "process" for repairs.

most repair shops will clean your car for you before you get it back. vacuum, clean, wash, etc.

this one just doesnt know how to detail either, they left lots of marks on brand new paint with a buffer.

you have to remember, when they do bodywork and paint, theres a lot of dust involved until the end product is achieved
 
proudpoppa said:
looks like acid. sucks that they did that. im sure they won't own up to it, but for your sake i hope they make it right. have you tried re-polishing just to see if it would help?
Click to expand...
Why don't you call them and tell them you want to buy some of their wheel cleaner so you can duplicate the way the wheels came out.
 
dougaross said:
Why don't you call them and tell them you want to buy some of their wheel cleaner so you can duplicate the way the wheels came out.
Click to expand...

that might work too. ill have my gf call and purchase wheel cleaner from them with a receipt etc... thanks
 
well i have time stamped pictures of the damage the night that i got it back and after i washed it up. have same angle comparisons of the pre accident look of the wheels.

hopefully they will fix the wheels with no problem, and if they deny it, ill let them know that i do detail cars for money on the side , i own more than 800 dollars worth of professional detailing equipment, i know what i am doing when it comes to cars, and that i have before and after shots of the rims as well as enough proof to show that i would never use a cleaner that would damage my rims. and that i will see them in court.

don't know what else to do.
 
maybe you should try color sanding a small area and then polish ? You may not need to have them re clearcoated.
 
buddhadog said:
maybe you should try color sanding a small area and then polish ? You may not need to have them re clearcoated.
Click to expand...

if i somehow cannot get the shop to own up to using an acidic wheel cleaner. then i will do my best to remove the damage. i can sand it if i have to, but there is no point in trying to jump through hoops when someone else damaged my car out of negligence and lack of information.
 
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