18 Inch alloy corrosion

[999101999]

Wondering if any LOC members have had any success getting Lexus UK to take responsibility for alloy wheel corrosion .

To be specific my 18 inch alloys on my F sport 200d at 5 years old have no impact damage but one or two very small areas of corrosion starting and this may well be down to a number of factors in the vehicles past,

No matter, the fact there is no damage or break in the finish perhaps suggests there is some issue with the coating  and as such I am wondering if there is a worthwhile approach and has anyone been through the same process ?

No harm is asking :-)

Thanks

[Linas.P]

I don't know myself, but looking to car service history Lexus has replaced rims for previous owner @ 4x£47.50 inc. VAT because previous set has corroded. So maybe they do not replace them under warranty, but giver huge discounts on replacement (over 80-90%).

I guess if you don't raise it with them you won't know.

[999101999]

Thanks LinusP, Your right gotta be worth a question and see what the outcome is !  Any one have any luck with this ?

[is200 Newbie]

There was an issue that Lexus acknowledged years ago where they were replacing countless wheels due to the alloy corrosion on the cars wheels. I am aware of it from the Gen 1IS's (IS200) but probably before that also. I think the replacement wheels just fizzled out at some point - not enough people complaining?

Its a bit of a poor recognition of the failure of a component as its been evident for over 15 years+ (same as the brake calipers really)

Its evident on the Gen 2's also but worth giving it a go but I wont hold out hope for any replacement, maybe like Linas says, you may receive a discount but at Lexus prices that wont amount to much over the 4 wheels required unless they send them away for a refurb but unlikely as they wont be able to guarantee the product in the future. All 4 will need to be done to match the colour.

The issue you will have and is what I have experienced, is that if left, over time they will corrode on the inside and lead to unbalanced pressures on all 4 tyres (worst case) as the corrosion on the inside will break the seals and lead to "slow puncture" scenarios. I was looking to replace mine with OEM Lexus ones but judging by the lifespan of them and the hassle in rectifying the issue when it appears again (tyre removal and refurb) I am planning to replace with non OEM ones.

 

[999101999]

I have just emailed customer services and will wait with trepidation for their response regarding the wheels, update to follow !

[peachy]

52 minutes ago, 999101999 said:

I have just emailed customer services and will wait with trepidation for their response regarding the wheels, update to follow !

I'll be very interested in what lexus have to say.

In all my years I'd driving and I've owned many brands, I've never experienced such poor quality wheels as lexus. I've owned 2 lexus cars and both of them have suffered corrosion and paint flaking. 

Never had this on any other brand. Definitely not what you expect on a prestige motor. 

[999101999]

Absolutely PEACHY,  My previous Alfa's x 6 have never been an issue. Last was a 159 Sportwagon from new, lovely car, 80K in 2 years, so I did not anticipate Lexus to be a problem as a prestigious brand. Love the brand and the IS 200D F sport, saddened by the silly issues I keep discovering, Just sold my older IS220D today, sad to see it go a great car.

[normski2]

Nothing to lose by asking.

Don't be too surprised if they reject the request. They have replaced a lot under extended warranty... last I heard on this forum they had removed wheels from those parts being covered.

Lexus just don't do wheels very well .... and have not done for years. Very poor approach for the brand. The wheels on my old is200 Sport were replaced by Lexus ....but they were shot within 2 years. Blistered and bubbled all over the place. Take a look at the inside of your wheels ...... they are not finished properly...so the outer finish has a week point at the edge of the spokes. That's where they peel from. I could pull up the edge of the finish at that point and feel it pinging all round the wheel .... very very poor.

The finish of my wheels (which I really like the design of) on my current IS250 were literally flaking off in sheets and blistering from underneath the finish around the valves. I decided to go to a reputable local refurber. Chemical strip, repair a few kerb marks and resprayed, glazed and oven baked all over. Now they spankingly good and a doddle to keep looking good. £300 but oh so worth it to me.

 

This is how they look now. They were done last year around May/June.

[bluenose1940]

I have read pretty much all of the 'wheel related' threads on here and, I have always wondered about Lexus wheels and so, I will ask my question.

Do Lexus manufacture their own wheels and further, do some/all motor manufacturers make their own wheels or, are there specific wheel manufacturers from whom car makers buy wheels?

I must admit that at the moment my wheels are fine, the car is 3.5 years old.  My car is under extended warranty until December 2018 and so I am wondering, if I have a problem with my wheels will they be covered.  I must sort out the paperwork for a look see.

There is a VIP Event at my dealers this coming weekend,  I might go along to see if there is anything that catches my eye.  If I change, I won't have to worry about the wheels for a bit longer 

[normski2]

I can't say with absolute certainty Geoff, but I'd take a punt on them not making their own wheels. It's one of those products that falls nicely into being outsourced.

If your wheels are good on a is300h then maybe (well....hopefully) they have looked into improving quality issues and longevity.

See if you can make sense of the warranty document. It may give you a pointer .... but I expect wear and tear to play a part in their approach.

Last time I spoke about an extended warranty with Lexus they indicated that wheels are not generally covered any more. However, this was said during an impromptu chat at the service desk without reference to any paperwork. I'd like to think the staff would know the ins and outs of extended warranties ....but maybe not 

I chose not to take up the option. Thus far it's worked in my favour.

[Shahpor]

15 hours ago, 999101999 said:

Absolutely PEACHY,  My previous Alfa's x 6 have never been an issue. Last was a 159 Sportwagon from new, lovely car, 80K in 2 years, so I did not anticipate Lexus to be a problem as a prestigious brand. Love the brand and the IS 200D F sport, saddened by the silly issues I keep discovering, Just sold my older IS220D today, sad to see it go a great car.

6 Alfa's you say?  Do tell

[J Henderson]

Some of the wheels are definitely out-sourced. The Baransu and F-Sport wheels are made by ENKEI, and perhaps the other 18" wheels too since they all share the same widths and offsets. BBS produce the wheels fitted to "F" models.

My F-Sport wheels were still in very good shape before I sold them. A couple of them were just beginning to show some very minor bubbling near the centre-caps, after 6 years.

[999101999]

Loved all my Alfa's, worked for part of the Fiat Industrial group so job cars :-)

[999101999]

Update:  

After raising a case with Lexus GB regarding wheel corrosion I had a call and emails from the supplying dealer in Lincoln !  Lexus also sent a most convoluted explanatory email mitigating the reasons why a 5 year old car with no damage should have corrosion on the wheel centres but in essence I should present the car to the Lexus centre in Lincoln who have access to pre reconditioned 18 inch F Sport wheels at my cost of £130 plus vat each.  Their email freely admits that there have been many issues in the recent past that they have supported the replacements and Lexus have found a far more resilient finish to their wheels on new builds, so there must be some admission of poor finish there in the past !

Worth the contact and despite the obvious statement, Brand, construction, quality materials and client brand loyalty, they dont see the need to be supportive.

I shall not be petulant just going to sit in the garden with a beer and what the heck :-)   Now wheres the bottle opener !

 

[is200 Newbie]

I wouldnt even have said its the finish of the wheels that's the issue - like you have experienced, your wheels are spotless.

Its the choice of alloy used that's susceptible to corrosion to the elements. Mine have gone on the inside, not susceptible to damage or weather and not a lot of continual contact with water so you could argue its not an issue with he finish of them.

[999101999]

Sent the photos of the rims off to Lexus and the Dealer principal at Dealer see what happens next !

[999101999]

Good news is that Lexus and the dealer have agreed to change the wheels under warranty with "Pristine" refurbished rims.  

[Shahpor]

Wow, that is a great result

Didn't think Lexus would even entertain the notion of replacing the wheels regardless of the problems.

I forget, but did you buy the car from a main dealer recently?

[999101999]

Hi Shahpor, yes from a Lexus dealer within the last 5 weeks.  It was worth the consistent contact with Lexus and the dealer but to be fair to all parties they did the honourable thing and owned the issue.  Car looks great on its new rims!

[Shahpor]

So where are the photos of this great looking car?

[999101999]

Soon as the rain stops I'll drop some onto the page 

[Bob99]

My car was fitted with the nishokku wheels when I bought it six months old in 2013. By 2015 the outer surface was flaking off and all four wheels were exchanged by Lexus under warranty. This year I mentioned at the service that they were flaking again, this time they were refurbished by the Lexus body shop to a slightly different colour but one I was happy with. The original nishokku wheels have been discontinued I suspect most had finish problems and at £3000 a set were a very expensive option. As has been said wheels seem to be a weak link for Lexus my previous is250 were quite blistered when I traded it in for my present car.

[999101999]

http://www.pristinealloywheels.co.uk/      This was the company that Lexus appear to favour for the warranty replacement programme I am told. They did a great job on mine and seem to have an excellent reputation but I am by no means an expert , mine just look very good and Lexus had them exchanged for me.    Your wheels sound very expensive and I hope that Lexus will stand up and be counted for yours as well, perhaps there is an exchange route for your specific rim  with Pristine ?

[rayaans]

Just to add to this - 

The Nisshoku wheels were indeed discontinued as not many people bought them and they did have issues with the finish peeling. I believe some owners were offered brand new original spec wheels for free to replace them.

In the past, especially on the 2nd generation IS and RX, it wasn't really the finish of the wheel that was the problem. It was the metal underneath which was more prone to corrosion and therefore would cause the paint to bubble and peel off.

In newer models, this does not appear to be the case. Corrosion on the 3IS, 3RX and 4RX is extremely rare and only occurs if using harsh acidic chemicals on the wheels every wash. These chemicals should not be used routinely but once a year will not do much harm if any (speaking from personal experience). On the older wheels, touch it with acidic wheel cleaner and you'd notice a new paint bubble the day after!

I believe the new wheels are all made by BBS.

[999101999]

In reply to Shahpor, attached are photos of the car . Bit grainy but it is pouring here ! Dealer has done a great job re paint, new wheels and list of other warranty issues.