teck14 Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 (edited) All, First time poster, appreciate the help on this. A little background, bought my 2013 Ford Fusion Ti used (1 owner off lease) off a Ford dealer. The car cleaned up pretty nice (see below), but as with all used cars, has a few signs of wear. Anyway, the wheels have approx 28K on them. I have attempted to clean them up using a couple of polishes, however with no improvement. It appears the finish is coming off the wheel. I don't know if the previous owner took any care of the wheels, because it sure didn't look like it. A side note, browsed through the forums on the various Fusion forums, but haven't come across this issue yet. If anyone could tell me whats going on with the wheels I would appreciate it. The issue is prevelant on all four wheels Edited September 2, 2015 by teck14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Hey teck14, welcome to the forums! It's kinda hard to tell the issue you are having with the images you posted. Can you upload a larger version? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teck14 Posted September 2, 2015 Author Share Posted September 2, 2015 Updated the photos, any help would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Those look pitted to me. Do you live in a salty or sandy environment (or was the car from one)? It could also be aluminum oxidation. Do the marks feel bumpy at all? the dark spots look somewhat similar to this oxidized aluminum: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teck14 Posted September 2, 2015 Author Share Posted September 2, 2015 (edited) The car was originally roaming around Nebraska, so I am assuming the roads were salty. The wheel is actually smooth to the touch, so I don't believe it is pitting. I work over in insurance as an adjuster and showed it to a couple of buddies and we couldn't figure it out. Looked up oxidation of the aluminum and couldn't find anything that looked like it (couldn't load up your pic for some reason) Thought it may have something to do with the painted finish? Anyway would like to get it fixed obviously. Vehicle has about 28K on it. Hopefully not trying to go down the refinish road, but will if i need to. Just didn't know if anyone else has had this issue and figured out a remedy. Edited September 2, 2015 by teck14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Oops, try clicking the link directly: http://www.finishing.com/583/58382-1.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teck14 Posted September 2, 2015 Author Share Posted September 2, 2015 Thanks for the heads up, gonna look into getting them refinished. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hybridbear Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 Is the car still covered under the 3/36 bumper-to-bumper warranty? You said it only has 28k miles so I'm wondering if it is... If it's under warranty you can just take it to the dealership to get it fixed for free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverLS Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 I had a wheel replaced under warranty. The clear coat was visibly coming off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 It definitely won't hurt to ask. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teck14 Posted March 30, 2016 Author Share Posted March 30, 2016 It definitely won't hurt to ask. Update on this. Took to the local dealership today, and they went ahead and opened up a case for me. However, Ford was quick to shoot it down as I am two months removed from my warranty, under the miles thought. Service at dealership agreed that I appears something is wrong with the finish on the wheel as it is actually under the clearcoat on the wheel. I explained to them that this obviously occurred while in the warranty period and asked them to escalate up. Am I just wasting my time here or do you think I have a good point?? Thanks for the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 You have a good case but it will really depend on how hard the dealership pushes Ford and whether the dealer is willing to help cover the cost of the AWA (after warranty adjustment). It might help if you can get it in writing that the problem is below the clearcoat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teck14 Posted March 30, 2016 Author Share Posted March 30, 2016 (edited) Would there still be an AWA, even though I have proof it occurred before the warranty period expired? I wish I could get it in writing. Its pretty obvious once you walk up and look at the wheel you can tell its below the clearcoat on the rim. Anything else I can do? I already called the customer relations 800 line and expressed my concerns. The forwarded me back to the dealership. Spoke with them and asked if they could escalate it up past the initial person who reviewed the case. They said they would try..... Edited March 30, 2016 by teck14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 What kind of proof? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teck14 Posted March 31, 2016 Author Share Posted March 31, 2016 What kind of proof? Well I would think a post under my username from back when I originally posted would be proof no? Those pics were from back in September 2015 my warranty was still in effect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Well I would think a post under my username from back when I originally posted would be proof no? Those pics were from back in September 2015 my warranty was still in effect You really should have taken it to your dealer then. That is much more proof than a post on a forum that neither Ford nor your dealer care about. If there is a problem that you want covered under warranty, why on earth would you wait until 3 months after your warranty is up to take it to the dealer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teck14 Posted March 31, 2016 Author Share Posted March 31, 2016 Out of the country for my job just got back about a week ago and took it in to get an oil change let my dealer know at that time. Neither here nor there if it's a defect with the finish I don't really see how this wouldn't be covered by Ford under the warranty....it's not like the defect magically showed up in the two months it's been out of warranty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teck14 Posted March 31, 2016 Author Share Posted March 31, 2016 Out of the country for my job just got back about a week ago and took it in to get an oil change let my dealer know at that time. Neither here nor there if it's a defect with the finish I don't really see how this wouldn't be covered by Ford under the warranty....it's not like the defect magically showed up in the two months it's been out of warranty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 That's not something Ford would consider as proof. Dealer working with Ford is your only hope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordtech1 Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Here is my $.02 on this type of situation. Ford has to stick to the warranty period 3/36. If they covered something because I was only out by 1000 miles, then customers would say, well you covered his at 37k miles and mine is at 37.5 that's just 500 miles more. This would just keep going and going. That is why they offer AWA and available ESP plans. Truly, it's the customers responsibility to bring your vehicle in for repair while under the warranty period. This is true with any manufacturer of any product. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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