My brand new EX rims are full of black marks that don't come off

[emcfrdi]

So i took my EX in to the dealer here in Mississauga and found that the rims on my new car don't come clean. The detailer told me it is caused by an acid based wheel dressing. Now i have not cleaned my car and the dealer won't correct the problem. I have had it now for 32 days... any thoughts as to what i should do?

Thanks.

[mcube3]

Welcome aboard!!I guess you've tried wiping and those black spots are not coming off. I suggest contacting Infiniti Canada ASAP if the dealer caused this problem, and refused to resolve this for you. Good luck!!

[dividedhighw]

I would suggest you write a letter (CC'ing the dealer's Service Mgr) - short and sweet ... state the facts, including what you were told by the dealer (& whom exactly) and ask straight out if Infiniti is going to take responsibility or NOT?! Send it registered.

I've called Infiniti's toll-free help line and, to be absolutely blunt, they're neither helpful, nor empowered ... OK, totally lame, in fact!!

Good luck,David

[emcfrdi]

Thanks to you both for your input.

I did call Infiniti Canada first thing Friday of last week and explained the situation. They basically told me that I purchased the vehicle that way and that they do not have any authority of the dealers to get this resolved.

Talk about ZERO help from head office. I am battling with 401 Dixie at the moment to get this resolved but I don't think that they are going to do anything about it.

The front right rim looks the worst... I can live with the other 3 as they are not noticeable but that front right with the long black streaks... rrrrrr!!!!

[specialist23]

take some pictures and perhaps someone on here will be able to help. odds are you just need something "stronger" to take off the marks.

[dividedhighw]

I did call Infiniti Canada first thing Friday of last week and explained the situation. They basically told me that I purchased the vehicle that way and that they do not have any authority of the dealers to get this resolved.

Talk about ZERO help from head office.

Thanks for posting your experience ... unfortunately, it's consistent with my own take on Infiniti's "help" line. This is the way a "premium" brand deals with its customers?!?

Yes, absolutely take some pictures. Not only might some NICO members be able to help you, but you'll be documenting your case.

Good luck,David

[emcfrdi]

I would love to share photos of my rims but the iServe is not working. Any tips as to how I can upload my pics?

[dividedhighw]

You can upload them to any server, as long as the link to view them doesn't require authentication.

If you want, ZIP your pics, upload them to my email addy using YouSendIt.com, and I'll put them on my server.

Cheers,David

[dividedhighw]

OK - here are pics of emcfrdi's marked up wheels:





I would definitely try some alloy wheel cleaner first. Even though the dealer should accept responsibility, if that fixes it, it would still be your cheapest and quickest solution.

So, any other advice on how to clean these up?

Cheers,David

[emcfrdi]

Thanks for posting the pic's for me David.

I along with a detailer have already tried to use a rim cleaner with zero luck. The rims are permanently damaged and Infiniti will not rectify this problem. I have sent the owner of 401-Dixie Infiniti a letter to rectify this problem by tomorrow. If they do nothing about this then I am going to take them to court whereas I will be expecting full compensation.

[mik3025]

A very similar situation happened on my almost brand new BMW M3 wheels back in 1994. I applied a strong wheel cleaner on a dirty (brake dust) " HOT "wheel and only rinse them off after that i had finished washing the car.The result the wheels dried up and the melting brake dust/dirt encrusted the clear coat. I was very fortunate at the time BMW changed the four wheels ( I never told them about my error but I think they knew!)Both front wheels were identical to yours! the back wheels were about 30% vs the front ones. Do you recall or someone spraying a product on your wheels?There is no doubt in my mind that the wheel clear coat got in contact with a certain product.good luck

[mik3025]

one point I forgot when looking at your picture, check your center cap, they have not been affected! Why, it`s plastic! they do not heat up or keep their heat like iron/metal does! And i remembered back then that my center caps were also not affected. Now i`m 100% sure.

[emcfrdi]

Thanks for your insight...

All I know is that I took me EX through a touch less car wash twice before I noticed this. Infiniti (the dealer) will not even talk to me about this. I have to get a lawyer involved as this is not good business practice and poor wheel design. I have a 2000 Civic with alloy wheels and I have taken the car threw so many car washes and my rims look like new.

Shame on Infiniti for not wanting to help.

Thanks so much though for your experience. I shall keep it in mind for future car washes or any other sort of detailing endeavors.