Wheel Pitting

[Gary Navarre]

Mine and every picture I have seen of the aluminum wheels on a 2008 ST Adrenalin has severe pitting around the hub area of each wheel. The pitting extends as much as a half inch from the hub and completely around it. What causes this (other than salt) and what is the fix? I've seen this on Sport Tracs from States that don't even use road salt. I assume the wheel would have to be professionally resurfaced at a very high cost. And at the same time I would loose use of my ST. I worked for Fords for 40 years and this is the first aluminum wheel I've seen do this. Any replies will be appreciated.

Fonz

http://www.mysporttrac.com/library/31741/IMG_0547.JPG

 

[Yardsale]

My guess is water that trapped behind the center cover deteriorated the clear coat and it's spreading. Remove the cover to see what's inside. It's too late now to prevent, but if you replace or have the wheels repaired, maybe drill a small hole in the covers to allow water to evaporate.



Just a guess.

 

[swshawaii]

 

[Keith S]

There a a ton of "How-To" videos on YouTube to fix/correct this issue (DIY).

 

[Gary Navarre]

My sincere thanks to Swshawaii and the others who replied. I guess Swshawaii hit the nail on the head with this problem. I did look into replacing the wheels.....$1,000 each from the Ford Dealer! Well no thank you very much! I' I'm going to take Keith S. advice and try to find some videos on YouTube to repair the damage.

Again thanks to all who replied to my post. I see I am not alone on this wheel issue.

Fonz

 

[Robert Howell]

I never had any luck going through Ford for assistance.

I never fixed the wheels yet but I did clear silicone the caps in an attempt to insulate the dis-similar metals from touching and making the corrosion worse. It does seem to help as they don't look any worse for the last year or so. When our garage is complete this spring she will be going into one of the bays for a complete going over; a polish and re-coat of the rims are on the list.

 

[Jeffksf B]

Since I'm running snow tires on dedicated winter rims I was going to look into refinishing mine this winter.

 

[Richard L]

Check with a local bodyshop...the usually have someone kind of local who they send damaged wheels to for repair. Some will give you the name and phone number, others will not tell you but will send your wheels for you (for a little profit)



Most wheel refinishing services will charge about $100 to $150 per wheel, depending upon the damage or what you want done.



A good wheel refinishing service can match the old color, or change the color if you want. They can also repair curb scrapes and minor pitting to make wheels look like new.



I even saw one wheel refinishing service on TV that had their whole refinishing service in the back of a truck and would refinish your wheels at your curb. They were not any more expensive than the refinishers that required you to take the stripped wheel to them and leave them for a few days or a week.? I think the overhead operating the truck is much cheaper than a conventional brick-and-mortar building?



...Rich

 

[Keith S]

There a a ton of "How-To" videos on YouTube to fix/correct this issue (DIY).