Marinello Range Rover Rims Ruined after 10 months?

[kellinski]

I purchased a new Range Rover Supercharged in December 2008 from the Encino, CA Land Rover Dealership.

They offered me a set of Marinello 22" chrome rims for $6k (Discounted from $10k) - And the rim company they contract with for these is CalChrome.com

Here is a pic of them new:



I am a bit of a clean freak, so I have the car washed and detailed almost weekly.

However, here is what the rims look like after 10 months:



The rim company is considering this "salt damage" - not covered under warranty. You see, I moved a mile away from the beach in San Diego 3 months ago.

My question is: Is it possible for this sort of thing to happen by simply living near the beach for 3 months, with a garage kept car?

I wonder why I wasn't made aware of this possibility when I purchased. After all, Encino is only about 10 miles from the beach itself.

Please let me know what you think, as I'm wondering if the "quality" of these rims is the true culprit. They said this always happens to chrome rims near the beach. They recommended I pay them to powder coat them white.

Thanks.

[Elemental]

First, Are you a Female?

Second, If so, are you hot?

[michaels]

$6K for a set of fucking wheels?

[kellinski]

Wow, the replies so far have been immensely helpful! I'm so glad you both were able to take a few moments and give such great feedback!

I can only hope others will benefit from your input as well, and you will continue to venture into other threads to share your wisdom. You are exactly what this forum needs.

Thank you SO MUCH!!!!

[Prodigy999]

I'd say that they are cheaply made wheels. Powder coating them would be the best option if you like the style of the wheels, however I think it would be best to go back to the stock 20" wheels.

[nashvillerover]

The answer is NO. Three months of salt would not do this to chrome.
Emersion in salt water for three months MIGHT do this, ... but typically it can take years for that sort of damage to occur. If you used some sort of harsh brake dust remover on them ... it could have done this, but doubtful it would have caused such uniform corrosion.
I would say the dealership should stand behind this and go after the company that supplied these. Worst case, they should supply you with a set of OEM rims.
And for the guys laughing out of ignorance about the cost of these wheels, ...
I recently watched someone plunk down 12K for a front grill "Strut" package on a 2009 Range Rover.
So, I'd say 6K for wheels was a bargain.


Stand your ground on these wheels.
D

[peterbat]

i can think of a lot of ways to spend 6k better!!! wouldn't be ugly chrome wheels!

[antichrist]

Originally Posted by nashvillerover

And for the guys laughing out of ignorance about the cost of these wheels, ...

no, not out of ignorance. Laughing at how stupid it is to spend $6k on wheels.

I recently watched someone plunk down 12K for a front grill "Strut" package on a 2009 Range Rover.
So, I'd say 6K for wheels was a bargain.

Nope, not a bargain, just $4k less stupid than paying $10 for them.

[SAM3]

6 K

[Dantelaterra]

I feel bad for you, POwder coating them is a great option, I think whoever details your car may have used a cleaner that damaged the finish on your rims, either they used a cleaner that destroyed your wheels or you just got incredibly un lucky. It's probly not a factory defect since it got all of your wheels...... I would think a factory defect would only effect a few wheels, not all four, unless all 4 just got a crappy coating..... I know you have the wheel re-chromed which wont be cheap, but something tells me you have a few bucks, and honestly, if you take those wheels to a good chrome shop then they will probably blind you when their done...... I find that companies who chrome stuff do an amazing job, usually better than anything you can buy..... Nice Range by the way, I donty hate chrome wheels, I think they look good, but I just like off roading too much. But you might want to look into thicker profile tires so that you dont bend your rims on a bump.... But again, nice looking Range

[SAM3]

Originally Posted by nashvillerover

The answer is NO. Three months of salt would not do this to chrome.
Emersion in salt water for three months MIGHT do this, ... but typically it can take years for that sort of damage to occur. If you used some sort of harsh brake dust remover on them ... it could have done this, but doubtful it would have caused such uniform corrosion.
I would say the dealership should stand behind this and go after the company that supplied these. Worst case, they should supply you with a set of OEM rims.
And for the guys laughing out of ignorance about the cost of these wheels, ...
I recently watched someone plunk down 12K for a front grill "Strut" package on a 2009 Range Rover.
So, I'd say 6K for wheels was a bargain.


Stand your ground on these wheels.
D

You get the BOB award

[kellinski]

Thanks everybody for the feedback. I really appreciate it.

I've been talking to a guy named Rick at CalChrome.com and he's been really cool about it. They admitted that they tried a new kind of chrome on this particular model of wheel and weren't happy with it. Nonetheless they agreed to powder coat any color I want for $300.

I'm trying to decide between a matching white powdercoat or a flat or glossy black. I've only seen one car with white powdercoated rims - a white lambo with white rims, and it looked great. But I'm afraid brake dust will constantly make them look dirty.

What would you go with?

And FYI to the people that think $6k is crazy, I'm not sure what you're comparing the price to. I knew the dealer would cost more, but at the time I didn't really care. In hindsight I wish I would've went with HRE's or something of quality from a company that really stands behind their products, and has a history of quality. But last time I checked, HRE's for my Bentley were quoted at $12k so I'm thinking $6k doesn't sound so bad, LOL.

[Prodigy999]

Haha a guy with money. I would do them black, white will drive you crazy cleaning them.