Clear coat chipping / peeling

[jedigesus]

Has anyone had the clearcoat of factory rims chip or peel. I have 17" rims on my 09SES with this problem. Started after 1 year of driving. I also live down a dirt road. The dealership said it was due to stone chips, therefore not warrantied.

[Sponsor]

[10FOCISES]

I am currently having this problem too. I noticed the chips after the first longer road trip I took after purchasing the car back in May. I'm well out of warranty, so the dealer obviously wouldn't be any help. Ideally, I just need to touch up the missing paint spots. Not sure if they make a touch up paint for the wheels?

[jedigesus]

Here is a pic.


Its just the clear coat that is peeling, not the paint.

[gtferrari]

A chip is a chip. Not a peel. That is due to poor surface preperation and cure time. This is a ford problem not a gravel road issue. Take it back to them and contact fords customer care.

There's a ford rep who trolls this forum too.

[gtferrari]

I live on a gravel road too and like to pretend im a rally cross driver. Always sliding around the curves and into my drive, yet my wheels look flawless (cept where the punk ass dealer grease monkey burnt the paint off with his impact gun around the lug wells)

[jedigesus]

Interesting. I don't mind drifting in the winter but not on dry dirt. I spoke with a dealership and that's the answer they gave me. Should have tried a bit harder. Warranty is expired now.

[2010Sangriared]

I am an assistant body shop manager at a Ford dealership and I have yet to come across an SES with 17" Hyper Chrome rims that does not have the clear peeling. My 2010 has never seen a dirt road and all but one of my rims is peeling. They need to issue a recall on this wheel. My Focus was bought brand new and only has 17k. It is disappointing to say the least.

As of right now the only option I can see to do is purchase a complete set of aftermarket rims or go the recond route. We have had great luck with the Keystone recond wheels. As I said I am an assistant body shop manager at a Ford delaership and I cannot get anything done about mine and our rep even knows how much a fanatic I am about keeping my car clean. It is a problem that needs addressed as I have heard countless customers saying they are now done with Ford because of this problem.

[soundFocus]

I doubt they'd issue a recall as it isn't a safety issue. My 2011 doesn't have peeling, but what I have noticed, particularly on the one, is that rust particles from the brakes seem to be engrained in the finish. Annoys me as I'm pretty careful about cleaning my wheels, but nothing has gotten them out. At least the wheel it is on was scraped up by the prior owner so it doesn't bug me too much, just a touch disappointing.

[2010Sangriared]

Some recalls are not issued for safety reasons or they atleast release a TSB about the problem. As I have said I have yet to see an SES with the Hyper Chrome wheels that does not have atleast one peeling. It's a shame really as it is one of the better looking OEM wheels produced.

I have one recond wheel at the shop I bought as my step-daughter lightly scraped one of my wheels and of course it had to be the one not peeling; I may touch it up and replace one of the wheels peeling as the only way to repair the rims would be to strip them all the way down and respray the wheels.

Discount Tire has an A/M rim that is as close to the OEM 17" rims you can get and they are not badly priced. I am for the stock look or I'd snap a set of those up. Good luck trying to get new wheels.