Wheels Peeling

[gcjazz12]

Is this peeling of the paint on the wheels common? 2002 Qx4.

What can you do to fix it?

[miamiheat3332]

Wow thats pretty bad.. I never seen factory wheels do that, usually the coating wearing or something but not bubbling.

If you want to do it the right way, get them powder coated. If you want to do it the cheaper way, sand them down and get silver wheel paint ( or other color if you want to change it ) and then paint+clearcoat them but if you get new tires it will probably chip off around the edges. If you dont know how to do it, look it up theres alot of how to's online.

[gcjazz12]

I find a few different wheels within two hours of me on car-part.com for about $100 or $150 a piece. I thought about getting these wheels as replacements instead of going through the sand paint time consuming process, or powder coating expensive process. Anyhow - all the people/ car places selling these wheels tell me the same thing - they have bubbles or paint removing off their wheels too.

Salt is brutal on these cars... I'm assuming that's why all four wheels are losing their factory paint. Maybe I've hung onto it for to long, but really seeing a lot of problems recently with the QX4. Still, I want to keep fixing it back to the way it was.

Does anyone know what the paint color for the wheels on the 2002 QX4 painted wheels is? It would need to match the cap that goes in the center or I think I wouldn't want to even give it a try.

[Alfredo24.pr]

My sister's 2000 4runner rims have the same problem. I think its lack of cleaning or bad weather. Do you wash the QX4 rims often?

[gcjazz12]

I'd have to say I clean the car often. I generally like to keep the car looking clean and shiny. Ive been looking at other cars lately ... Nice cars, beaters, it doesn't make a difference, never see paint coming off the wheels like I do on the Qx4. I suppose that if dirt would make paint peel then the whole vehicle would be in trouble if I wasn't cleanining it right? Maybe it's hot brake dust... Who knows...

[zach7685]

The wheel degreaser will do a number to the finish on wheels if not properly rinsed. one of the many reasons my car never goes to fundraiser car washes....

[jnoyes85]

My 2001 qx4 did the same thing. I'm lucky to have access to a tire machine, sandblaster and a friend who was doing powder coating at the time. I went with matte black and then left the center caps silver, but plasti-dipped the infiniti logo. Looks alot better than that bubbling/chipped paint. Paid 25 a rim for the powder coating, and did everything else myself. (forgot to do the spare though...)

[gcjazz12]

Picked up 4 new wheels in town today at a used auto parts shop I found on car-part.com. They are in pretty good shape. The paint on my original wheels is peeling so bad it really looks awful now. Talking with the guy at the wrecker yard he looked at my wheels and said the same thing as Zach7865.. The degreaser in car washes, said there is acid that wears away at the paint... I will stay away from the auto washes now. He also said to preserve the used wheeles I just purchased to put wax on them periodically.

Anyone have any suggestions on wheel waxes to use on the QX4 silver painted wheels?

And the best suggestion he gave me yet was to take my peeling wheels and get them reprinted by a pro, and put my tires on them, then put winter tires on the ones I just bought that Ill be protecting. It was nice the thought of having two sets of wheels!

[THatfield]

It was obvious the dealer I bought my QX from in Buffalo had repainted the rims. I don't really care for the tri-spokes so the search is on for some nice Pathfinder OEM's.

[gcjazz12]

New wheels!!! Love the way the wheels pop on the Q.





I'll be using this wheel wax to keep this set protected... Goodbye peeling wheels!
http://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Ultimate-Pr ... B000IMB5CC

[K03sport]

I think it is the cheap wheel painting process that Nissan uses. My '04 PF has the same thing, however, my '04 VW GTI, which has seen the same wx doesn't have this issue on the wheels.

Granted, my '04 wheels aren't as bad as the ones the OP posted, but there is bubbling in and around the (6) spokes in various places. My GTI wheels (15 spoke) show no signs of corrosion aka bubbling.

Everything I'm noticing about Nissan is they use the cheapest method of production/finishing they can, yet, still charge a premium and the car lasts half as long as the competitors.

AFter we are done with this PF, I don't think there will be any future Nissans in the family.

[THatfield]

Nice looking new wheels. I found some nice aftermarket ones I'm going to hook up here when the money comes in.