[USCANAM]

Removed all wheels yesterday on our brand new 15 Corvette to paint the hubs before they get dirty (story on that to follow).
When you pay an extra $2000 for chrome wheels, you don't expect to find this

All the wheels were like this.
Using PPG grease and wax remover (body shops use this to clean surface before painting) I was able to get 2 wheel almost clean, and 2 wheel still have a shadow.
Anybody have any idea what this is, and have you ever seen this? At first I thought it might be brake fluid from bleeding the brakes at the factory, but I'm sure this is done with the wheels off, and they surely would catch excess with a tube on the bleeder screw????

Just want a few answers before I call the dealer.
Thanks
Jack

 

[stevette]

My Z51 will be arriving with chrome wheels. Please keep us up to date on your outcome.

 

[glen e]

It would not dawn on me to take this back to the dealer, it's obviously just crud of some sort .....I would use a small orbital and Meguires 105/205, polish them clean, and seal with opticoat or CQuartz.....

 

[johnu]

Appears that a too strong of a chemical was used on the wheels that stained the unsealed barrels.

 

[MikeWag]

It will not come off. I have the same issue. I took it to the CQuartz guys. They tried every thing they had and it will not come off. I was using a chrome cleaner and it stained down deep in the metal.

 

[STUNG]

New DIRTY Wheels !!

WOW! that is certainly not acceptable. I have the blk. painted wheels and have kept the inside of the wheel just as clean as the outside and I have not detected this staining on the painted blk aluminium wheels. Next time the car goes on the hoist at the dealer I will be giving it the once over. Thanks for the heads up.
No Pun intended on the HUD system.

STUNG

 

[USCANAM]

Thanks to the input from MikeWag, I think I know where the problem started.

When you normally clean your wheels with a spray, any cleaner that passed the spokes would not splay out like the stains on my wheels, but would tend to collect more at the bottom of the wheel. That led me to discount the wheel cleaner until I remembered the events when I picked up the car two weeks ago today.

My car was a showroom buy with 9 miles on it. After all terms were established, I hopped in my C5 and went to the bank to get some money. Dealer said they would detail the car while I was gone. When I returned they were just doing the wheels, then they drove it out to the parking lot, where a salesman and I immediately drove it about a mile to the gas station they use for a fillup. Their detailer must have been very generous with the chrome cleaner, and it was still wet on all the wheels when we started to drive, hence the splayed pattern on the wheels.
Being the largest Corvette dealer in New England, I'm sure they will appreciate a call so this doesn't happen again.

Thanks for the inputs, and I'd suggest that when using the chrome cleaner, spray it on a rag first, then apply it to the wheels.
Jack

 

[USCANAM]

Just got off the phone with my salesperson at Paul Masse Chevrolet.
I had sent him the same photo as posted earlier, and after explaining what I was sure was the problem, he agreed with my thoughts and said they would do whatever was necessary to rectify the problem with my wheels.
I explained that I have no intentions to enter the car in a concours, and I was able to clean them up to almost 100%. The reason for my call was to alert him to the problem so he could make their detailers aware of it.
He was very appreciative.
Hopefully, we all learned something! I did...
Jack