Steel Wheels starting to show rust

[jtodd]

I know Kari had this problem and got her dealership to warranty them, but does anybody else have this problem, and if so, what was the resolution. The service mrg. at my dealership supposedly has an email out to someone about my problem, but she said this is common. My response was "you have used cars out on your lot older than the 2 yrs. old my Vibe is, and they don't have rust showing on their wheels. " We'll see what her response back from her email is. Just hoping anyone else can shed some light on their problems and warranty fixes.Thanks, Jeff

[Mavrik]

surface rust happens but are you losing your paint on your rims exposing the metal to the elements?

[Kari]

Mine started rusting when the paint started to fade really badly...the dealership told me over the phone that if the wheels showed signs of "pitting" they would be replaceable under warranty. Although I'm still not sure what exactly those signs would have been, it was kind of a sandblasting effect that led to the rusty areas.

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by jtodd »but she said this is commonSilly GM, just because something is "common" doesn't mean that it is supposed to be happening!

[jtodd]

the paint on mine has faded to a silvery/grey and the next discoloration is rust.

[jtodd]

Kari, do you still have the pics of your rims?

[Kari]

They're in this thread: http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=19085

[mcgusto82]

damm. those rims are rusted!!!

[jtodd]

Yep, that what mine look like. Your best looks like my worst, but I give it till spring when I can replicate your worst look! The car was purchased in Feb. '04 and has 46k miles on it, mostly highway, so yea, I don't think it should have happened this soon! Thanks for the thread. I tried searching, but couldn't find it.

[JohnC]

Mine quickly faded so bad that I painted them within 6 months of buying the car. "Luckily" the conti's were worn out by then so it was easy to paint them. They still look good even though they have been out behind the shed for the last 6 months (got new rims).

[jtodd]

Is this brush on only? Is it only available on the web? also, the srevice manager's "email"still hasn't been answered and its almost been a week!Thanks for the info!

[ToolGuy]

Unfortunately coatings are something auto companies can get cheap with and have.See what happens at the dlr but otherwise I would pull them off, clean them real good using Mothers Rim Cleaner and on a nice sunny day scuff lightly and re-spray them or use a sponge brush on them. Rustoleum paint will work just fine too.

[binary]

Instead of spraying these rims with black paint... they should have powdercoated them for just a few cents more.Problem solved.I had steelies on my 76 caprice - and those didn't rust anywhere except where the bolts spun the coating off 20 years later.

[jtodd]

Thanks for all the tips. Still no "response" to the service mgr.'s email to her "supervisor". Monday, I'm going to tell her I'm calling The GM 1-800 number for unresolved warranty issues and see her response, or see how fast her "email" gets answered!!

[thumble]

jtoddPlease keep us up to date on your story. I recently (two days ago) purchased a used, 2004 vibe with 24,000 miles and slightly rusted wheels.At the time, I noticed there was some sand in the car, which was originally from Ga. I figured it had been at the beach, and maybe it was due to the salt water. But now I wonder if the rust is not due to something else.I would be interested to know if the service department helps you, and how the rust is covered under the warranty.

[Baltovibe]

Quote, originally posted by thumble »I recently (two days ago) purchased a used, 2004 vibe with 24,000 miles and slightly rusted wheels.At the time, I noticed there was some sand in the car, which was originally from Ga. I figured it had been at the beach, and maybe it was due to the salt water. But now I wonder if the rust is not due to something else.Flooded Cars from the Katrina Hurricane are making their way back into the market. Maybe your car was one of the victims?http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/01/27/hur ... S/....html

[thumble]

Thanks for the suggestion Baltovibe. I made sure toget the carfax report and check that the car had notbeen salvaged. I'm just hoping that was enough.Also, my dealer offered to spraypaint over the rust on the wheels. But I told him I wanted it removed first, and he said no problem.

[jtodd]

They told me nothing could be done due to Michigan's "winters". I just pulled the wheels off, sanded them, and repainted them with Rustoleum paint.

[zionzr2]

Well I'm at 30K and my wheels are showing rust! I hope the dealer will treat me right and replace or repair them. I'll probably go in tomorrow.Update: Wheels will be repainted next month.

[Tubaryan12]

When my Hyundai Elantra steel rims rusted I didnt even consider calling the dealership to complain. For a problem this easy to fix ($5 rattle can of paint and an hour of my time) there is no way I want to go anywhere near a dealership and waste that much time trying to get this solved. Besides...the paint job you do will probably be better than the one on the new rims anyway.

[zionzr2]

I now have nice black steelies again.they removed preped and repainted my steelies.

[jasonvibe]

everything painted black on these prematurely rust. Look at your drive(half) shafts. They should be powder coated. But NUMMI does things cheap.Cheap paint..rust in a year or 2 in the snow belt is common. Just poor quality. This is my take on this type of paint. My steelie rims used one season (4000 miles) already have rust. Not a lot but it's there. There car was washed religously in the winter.

[HighMileVibe]

just cheap paint - resprayed mine with RustOleum HammerRite paint since it has a rust preventer in it - spray right over rust.I have some 1995 Honda steel wheels that still dont have any rust - it is all in the coatings.