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Help! My LE-37 Volks' Clear is FLAKING!

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Old Dec 20, 2009 | 05:06 PM
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Default Help! My LE-37 Volks' Clear is FLAKING!

WARNING - VOLK CARNAGE!!!

WTF? I am pissed - these are only a few months old and the clear coat is just flaking off of them. with just water pressure, the clear-coat is coming off in big chunks.

I think these are factory defects. Both of my rear 19x10.5s are doing this. But I bought them Brand-new in the box from another member

WTF? My AME wheels held up much better than these, in fact at this point, these are the worst wheels I have ever owned (Finish-quality wise).

No, I did not abuse them. I do not use ANY chemicals on them. I always hand-wash with mild car soap and lambskin mits. I dry with leaf blower and finish dry with microfiber towels. And there is ZERO curb rash on them. They obviously did not prep them correctly at the factory before clear-coating.

Any idea if Volk will cover under warranty? Or am I just screwed for buying volks from another member? I don't even know if they'd have replacements for these since they are discontinued now.



This happened just as I was rinsing a dirty wheel to get ready for washing...



































Last edited by hiz-n-herz; Dec 20, 2009 at 05:49 PM.
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Old Dec 20, 2009 | 05:26 PM
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Wow, prob should get a new set due to defect.. But if not those could be saved by having them repolished and taping off the center....
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Old Dec 20, 2009 | 05:28 PM
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Any chance the person from whom you purchased the wheels added a coating?

--Spike
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Old Dec 20, 2009 | 05:31 PM
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Could of gotten hit by debri's/rock on the clear causing one little chip, then growing bigger and bigger overtime from it.
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Old Dec 20, 2009 | 05:34 PM
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I've never seen Volks do that before... maybe the original owner had them recleared or something?
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Old Dec 20, 2009 | 05:48 PM
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You should have bought rotas (Sarcasm)

Side note: I doubt they will warranty them. One because you didn't purchase from an authorized vendor directly. Two...Japanese companies especially ones that are US based that import parts from Japan are cheapskates for the most part.

Last edited by Rickdogg; Dec 20, 2009 at 06:06 PM.
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Old Dec 20, 2009 | 05:53 PM
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i've own quite a few different sets of wheels and le37 is by far the best finished wheels so far. I don't see how your clear can flake like that though. upside is that you can reclear the lip.
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Old Dec 20, 2009 | 05:54 PM
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lip looks machined and recleared.

are stock le37 lips machined or polished?
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Old Dec 20, 2009 | 05:57 PM
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Originally Posted by hiz-n-herz

WTF? I am pissed - these are only a few months old and the clear coat is just flaking off of them. with just water pressure, the clear-coat is coming off in big chunks.

I think these are factory defects. Both of my rear 19x10.5s are doing this. But I bought them Brand-new in the box from another member

WTF? My AME wheels held up much better than these, in fact at this point, these are the worst wheels I have ever owned (Finish-quality wise).

No, I did not abuse them. I do not use ANY chemicals on them. I always hand-wash with mild car soap and lambskin mits. I dry with leaf blower and finish dry with microfiber towels. And there is ZERO curb rash on them. They obviously did not prep them correctly at the factory before clear-coating.

Any idea if Volk will cover under warranty? Or am I just screwed for buying volks from another member? I don't even know if they'd have replacements for these since they are discontinued now.
Wow, those are some pretty rash assumptions. Instead of going into the bozo-spins, maybe you ought to contact Mackin (the importer of Volks) and talk to them first.

That being said, I've never seen paint or clearcoat chip off of anything like that. And to tell you the truth, the looks of the part that is still clearcoated doesn't look right.

Chill out, call Mackin tomorrow morning and once you have a resolution, post back. BTW - you might want to contact the seller and find out when and where he got them from - you may need to know that for warranty coverage.
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Old Dec 20, 2009 | 06:01 PM
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Originally Posted by hiz-n-herz
WARNING - VOLK CARNAGE!!!

WTF? I am pissed - these are only a few months old and the clear coat is just flaking off of them. with just water pressure, the clear-coat is coming off in big chunks.

I think these are factory defects. Both of my rear 19x10.5s are doing this. But I bought them Brand-new in the box from another member

WTF? My AME wheels held up much better than these, in fact at this point, these are the worst wheels I have ever owned (Finish-quality wise).

No, I did not abuse them. I do not use ANY chemicals on them. I always hand-wash with mild car soap and lambskin mits. I dry with leaf blower and finish dry with microfiber towels. And there is ZERO curb rash on them. They obviously did not prep them correctly at the factory before clear-coating.

Any idea if Volk will cover under warranty? Or am I just screwed for buying volks from another member? I don't even know if they'd have replacements for these since they are discontinued now.[/IMG]
The 2 rears had to have been recoated by an aftermarket place and the reason they are flaking is they were not prepped properly. I have seen this on wheels before. Also...unless you buy from an authorized dealer, don't think that because they came with boxes from the seller you bought them from they are brand new. I see posts all the time on here "brand new in box VOLKS" trying to get $2,500 to $3,500 for them.

Sorry man. I'm bummed for you but from what I have seen from other wheels, these have been recoated and not prepped. The good news is it is an easy fix from a reputable wheel repair shop. Will cost some more money though. Good luck.
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Old Dec 20, 2009 | 06:01 PM
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Originally Posted by quakerroatmeal
Could of gotten hit by debri's/rock on the clear causing one little chip, then growing bigger and bigger overtime from it.
^^ Except that it appears in mutiple locations on the wheel(s). Some of the spots appear to be total delamination, while other spots are cracks (that are probably the first stage of delamination).

--Spike
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Old Dec 20, 2009 | 06:04 PM
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Impossible. Volks are the best wheels know to man.
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Old Dec 20, 2009 | 06:14 PM
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Originally Posted by davidv
Impossible. Volks are the best wheels know to man.
Impossible you say? What is impossible is that Volks are able to "know" man!

--Spike
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Old Dec 20, 2009 | 06:24 PM
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hm idk.. but makcin or rays arent going to do anything for you if you're not the original buyer. anyway if ur interested in selling them again ill be interested lol
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Old Dec 20, 2009 | 06:30 PM
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Wheels were probably reclear improperly and the clearcoat lifted. By pressure washing the wheels you cracked and lifted the clearcoat away.
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Old Dec 20, 2009 | 06:33 PM
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He said they were brand new. Why would someone re-clear brand new wheels? Unless we're missing some story behind it all from the original owner that had to have gotten it re-cleared. If these were any other wheels other then volks, works and what not everybody would say you get what you pay for.
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Old Dec 20, 2009 | 07:01 PM
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Originally Posted by quakerroatmeal
He said they were brand new. Why would someone re-clear brand new wheels? Unless we're missing some story behind it all from the original owner that had to have gotten it re-cleared. If these were any other wheels other then volks, works and what not everybody would say you get what you pay for.

LOL! You dont think that maybe.....the original owner lied? ....maybe they were damaged ...wouldn't be the first time.
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Old Dec 20, 2009 | 07:13 PM
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Wow this is the first time I have seen something like this. Even my first set of volks that had chemical damage did not flake like that, not even close. Your best bet now is to remove the rest of the clear and possibly re clear the lip. Or keep polishing the raw metal.
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Old Dec 20, 2009 | 07:16 PM
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Old Dec 21, 2009 | 01:14 AM
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the LE37's clear isn't that great.. but my le37s were made in 2007, driven through hundreds/maybe thousands of miles of rain and daily driven.. never flaked. only the usual rainbow-ing foggy-like look appears at certain agains. (i've seen this on all le37s). i take care of them though, using techniques like you described.
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