Aargh - New Rota wheels are corroding!

[miketheman2k]

The pics below are close-ups of my Rota Slipstream wheels. They've been used for only 2 months from brand-new, they've been cleaned every week without fail and only driven shortish journeys in that time.

The near-side rear wheel is far worse than the other 3, but they are all showing signs of corroding.

Is it road salt that has caused this? Where do I stand legally in terms of replacement / refund? I personally think this is complete s**t, but should I have expected a polished surface to deteriorate so rapidly, even when looked after?

Comments welcome.

 

[Kolin_Mc_Reay]

I don't know where you stand on terms of refund/replacement!
But road salt is a killer for wheels!

Over winter on my fiesta I have a 2nd set of wheels which I put on, they're powder coated black alloys, they can withstand the punishment!

Other than that......

That is a complete t**t though!

 

[ben_p]

council wont do anything. but get on to the copany, but ubt they will do anythig, they will blame it on you (washing etc) shame have you got any pics of the whole wheels?

 

[Middo]

i'd def push for a replacement set. rota are meant to be high quality wheels and should withstand corroding for at least 2 months! I assume you've cleaned them regularly?

 

[miketheman2k]

Ben, I don't have any whole-wheel pics that show the damage. They still look good from a distance!

I wouldn't expect the council to do anything - road salt is something they use in the UK, and if these wheels can't cope with that, perhaps they shouldn't be sold in the UK, or sell them with a warning?

 

[Middo]

they shuold be able to cope with it thats the point, my wolfraces have a polished lip and theres no corrosion what so ever and Stokes probabaly the most salty place in britain! My wheels were also a damn site cheaper than rotas. I've never seen them in real life do they have a true chrome lip or is it polished?

 

[Turkish]

bad luck fella. I'd get on to the supplier, road salt wont do them any good but if they've not been damaged and are only a couple of months old then they shouldnt be like that already.

 

[thedoc]

What have you used to clean the wheels?

 

[miketheman2k]

Its polished, and they've been cleaned (with nothing stronger than car wash soap) every weekend without fail.

 

[Gary G]

not good....get on the phone Mike

 

[MRBILLYUK]

Its got nothing to do with the council and the salt on the roads . Sounds like either the rims are pretty delicate and not very resistant to normal wear and tear on British roads or maybe a bad batch , i'm not a wheel expert . I would get on to the place you bought rims asap as 2 months normal use and they are corroding is not acceptable .
Are they just polished , not painted or lacquered ??
Also i would be a little bit conservative with the truth about you cleaning them every week . Alot of alloy cleaners can f*ck up your rims cos they are acid based .So i wouldn't mention that your a bit over zealous with the cleanin' .
I would think that the rims have some sort of gurantee i.e. 12 months as is standard in the UK for most goods .
Imo you should be entitled to a replacement or refund as stated in the " sale of goods act " .If you read the sale of goods act it also states that it is the responsibilty of the seller , NOT the manufacturer to sort out the problem .

http://www.dti.gov.uk/ccp/topics1/facts/salegoodsact.htm

MrBillyUK !

 

[Middo]

if they're just polished, its a fault with the wheels... get onto them and give them some grief!

 

[miketheman2k]

Thanks guys - I've emailed them in the first instance so they can see the pictures and read the information. I'll let you know how I get on dealing with rarerims.

 

[Gary G]

Good luck mate, hope you get on better than i did lol.

 

[miketheman2k]

What happened with you Gary?

 

[Ali]

Get shot of them pronto mike.

 

[MRBILLYUK]

Get shot of them pronto mike.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Not very constructive ! Don't you think he'd be better off trying to get the matter resolved ? i.e . replacement rims or refund . He's probably paid alot of of money for em , whos gonna want to buy em if they are sh*gged ,and for how much ? A hell of a lot less than he paid for em no doubt and then he'd have to buy some other rims .
Sort it out with the sellers , they have a responsiblity to their customers to sell goods that are of a satisfactory quality .

MrBillyUK !

 

[y0z2a]

hot water and soap did this???

/y0z

 

[rmccardal]

Mike, you been using that dove soap again ?

 

[miketheman2k]

...and I've been drinking this water too?! :dead:

Yup, I drive to and from work during the week, then get a very standard looking sponge and dip it in very normal soapy water and wash the wheels.

Rarerims have responded to my email - I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[Gary G]

well it took them ages to sort my spiggot rings out and apparently the machinest is next door! lol.

Hope you get it sorted mate

 

[BenR]

Stone and any sort of grit can put a pinhole in the thin laquer and any water/salt will corrode ally rather fast, especially when it gets under the laquer.

 

[thedoc]

what's happening with the wheels mike? Heard anything?

 

[miketheman2k]

Yes, I've been talking to Rarerims (via email) and so far it looks promising. They have got the wheels serial number and are tracing the batch with Rota to find out more. I gave them the info yesterday morning, so I'll chase them again tomorrow if I haven't heard anything.

 

[theduck]

good luck mate, hope they sort it

 

[BRUN]

tbh i wouldnt use wheels of this kind as winter wheels

yes they should last more than 2 months, but most wheels of this kind come with no warranty at all, not even a week

 

[miketheman2k]

I'm pretty sure items on sale in UK are covered by laws which state they must be fit for their purpose. The purpose of these wheels is to be strong, light and look good. Unfortunately 2 out of 3 isn't good enough and hopefully Rota will agree.

 

[BRUN]

i work for Motor World mate, and i know for a fact that wheels of a special finish usually have very limited/no warranty, as the conditions here in the UK are far from favourable for fancy wheels, they are sold mainly for summer use or show only vehicles

chrome wheels definitely generally speaking have zero warranty, once you have them they are yours, end of story

yours however should be different, they should have some kind of warranty but it wont be 12 months, possibly 3-6 months

2 months is a bit of a joke though, and im not having a go, just preparing you for the worst, does sound like your getting it sorted though

 

[rarerims]

With regards to this corrosion situation, it is a little odd for a few reasons:

a) This is our first set ever with this problem :S - we have sold several thousands SETS with polished lips.

b) its only the back wheels, not the fronts.

c) No others from that batch of 100 have had problems.

If you look at the corrosion, it does look like there have been chips made in the laquer.

We have agreed on a refund, on the proviso, that when we get the wheels back, there is NO tyre fitting damage/kerbing to the wheels in question.

As stated above, 'special' finishes do not enjoy the same warrenty as 'plain' wheels, however we are prepared to refund out of goodwill.

We would replace, but as this is the only set that has done this, and only the rear two, it kind of suggests to me, that there is something about the particular circumstance that is causing this problem.











Gary - Apoligies for the spigot situation, our machinist is a little :sleepy:

 

[toms_cup]

Gary - Apoligies for the spigot situation, our machinist is a little :sleepy:

pmsl!! love the honesty

Tom

 

[rmccardal]

Matt ??? Julian ???

Have you got those bloody Track R's in yet ?

With regards to this corrosion situation, it is a little odd for a few reasons:

a) This is our first set ever with this problem :S - we have sold several thousands SETS with polished lips.

b) its only the back wheels, not the fronts.

c) No others from that batch of 100 have had problems.

If you look at the corrosion, it does look like there have been chips made in the laquer.

We have agreed on a refund, on the proviso, that when we get the wheels back, there is NO tyre fitting damage/kerbing to the wheels in question.

As stated above, 'special' finishes do not enjoy the same warrenty as 'plain' wheels, however we are prepared to refund out of goodwill.

We would replace, but as this is the only set that has done this, and only the rear two, it kind of suggests to me, that there is something about the particular circumstance that is causing this problem.











Gary - Apoligies for the spigot situation, our machinist is a little :sleepy:

 

[miketheman2k]

Julian/Rarerims, thanks for your help in this matter. As you mentioned, it is difficult to know the exact cause of the problem. All I can say is that I've driven in normal conditions, on very normal roads and cleaned them when they're got dirty and unfortunately this has been the result.

Rarerims' good customer service has been evident from the start of this problem and I would happily recommend anyone to buy wheels from them - I may well be back for another set in the future

Cheers,
Mike

 

[Middo]

Always nice to see companies complemented for customer service, i know i always use recommended companies

 

[Ali]

Good service that!!!!

 

[Kolin_Mc_Reay]

good that!