Over the last few years we are seeing more and more car manufacturers fitting diamond cut alloys to vehicles, they look great and give a bling feel to your most prized possession. They cost more than standard painted alloys and some believe improve the look of your car.
As a company we have been repairing diamond cut alloys since 2004, that’s 9 years, and in those 9 years we have heard a lot of people’s opinions on what causes the corrosion and discolouration of these alloys.
The defects to Diamond Cut Alloys
Now back in the day these alloys were commonly only fitted to Mercedes, Chryslers and BMW M3s. And if you’ve owned one of these vehicles fitted with this type of alloy you will know the outcome of the look of these wheels after owning them for a couple of years. It’s not good! They develop spider like cob webs under the coating that then turn black and eventually start to flake. This deformation of the alloy most commonly forms on the outer edge and centres of the central badge and bolt areas.
Diamond Cut Alloys Corrosion Issues and Warranty.
We have heard from customers that have owned their car for a few months, bought it brand new and spent an additional ££££’s to have the diamond cut alloys fitted to their car as an optional extra! (in my opinion an optional liability)for them to start to show signs of corrosion in the form of spidering and discolouration under the coating of the alloys with in the first year of purchase. Luckily for the owners, if this happens in the fist few months of owning a brand new vehicle they are with in their 1 to 3 year warranty period, and can have their wheels replaced unless they have kerbed them. We will touch on this point later.
How the Manufacturer avoids replacing Diamond Cut Alloys under warranty
The warranty period varies dependant on who the manufacturer is. A few years ago alloys would come under the body warranty and not the trim, giving you 3 -5 years warranty. More recently we have found that alloys are now coming under the trim warranty giving you 12 months warranty which is conveniently far less than the body warranty. We feel the manufacturers have found a way of getting rid of their problem of having to replace these alloys under warranty by placing them under the trim section.
A nice get out for the manufacturer is if you have kerbed your alloys, they claim that the corrosion or the discolouration is due to the fact that you have kerbed your alloy, even though the kerb damage is located to the outer rim of your alloy and the corrosion/discolouration of the diamond cut alloy is located around the inner centre of the wheel nut area, a fair old distance from the damage! This is another feeble get out.
Quite clearly there is a manufacturing fault with diamond cut alloys. The manufactures need to address this issue.
What causes the little white spidering that appears more commonly on the outer edge of the alloy and around the wheel bolt areas?
In order to answer this question you need to understand the make up of these alloys. Now the face of the alloy is lathed so if you look closely you will see little lines going around the face of the alloy. The inner parts and sides of the spokes are painted and lacquered. Now there is a lot of hear say about the coating that is placed on top of the machine finished face of the alloys and we believe this is a plastic coating, not a powder coat or a wet lacquered finish. If any one has technical knowledge of the coated surface and not an opinion we would love to hear from you.
Once you break the seal of the coating the spider effects start to appear. Now there are many ways that this coating can be broken. When you have a new tyre fitted they use an arm to lever the tyre into place this arm is placed behind and under the alloy, possibly breaking the plastic coating allowing water ingress into the edges of the alloys. The spider effect around the wheel bolts is where the bolts have probably been removed with a high impact ratchet gun which may have slightly caught the alloy creating an opening in the plastic coating, or where the badges have been removed using a flat head screw driver.
Your Nightmare Stories
Over the years we have heard all sorts of nightmare stories from our customers relating to diamond cut alloys, we have tried to help out by offering letters of expertise as to why the damage has happened in order to help with the warranty claim.
We would love to hear your stories and experiences with your local car dealerships and manufacturers relating to your diamond cut alloys
Warranty Goodwill Gestures
Remember a car dealership can offer a goodwill warranty gesture this is negotiated with the manufacturer and it is in our opinion that corrosion on diamond cut alloys warrants some good will from the manufactures and dealerships.
All in all we recommend steering well clear of diamond cut alloys and opting for the standard painted ones.
Article by Steven Lewer-Sotirou
This is useful information, I have a 3 year old Honda Civic just out of its 3 year manufacturers warranty. I have had it serviced at the dealer I purchased it from (Marshalls at York). I have noticed during at least the previous 9 months and well within its warranty period that my alloys are discolouring and not being an expert myself on this subject assumed that it was down to discolouration of the lacquer. However I recently visited a Jaguar dealers in York and he saw my wheels and explained that in fact the alloy wheels were corroding which on close examination seems to be the case. I am disappointed with this as I look after my car including the wheels which I keep clean and wash them regularly and even dry them off in the wet. I am disappointed that the Honda dealer did not pick up on this fault when I took it in for service only a few weeks ago!!.
I have since visited the dealer and told to make an appointment to take the car back next week and have them photograph the wheels and then Honda will be informed and I will await their decision. If this has been a problem for a while I CANNOT UNDERSTAND car manufacturers continuing to put these alloys on cars if they are going to corrode, it just gets peoples backs up!
I will not be having these type of alloys on my next new car and I am thankful to the Jaguar dealer in York being OPEN AND HONEST about it with me unlike the HONDA DEALER who appeared to have covered up this problem. I now await a decision from Honda but needless to say if their response is less than satisfactory I will not be buying Honda again.
Hi Neil
How did you get on with Honda?
Regards
Steve
That’s really interesting Steve.
I have a strange white/yellow corrosion on my 3-y-o Civic’s diamond cut alloys. One patch is about 2″ long. The dealership says “unusual” and doubt if Honda will treat it as under warranty. I suspect it’s not unusual and they have a policy of resisting claims. Anyone else have any input?
Paul
Hi Paul
If there is no damage to the alloy, I would push for a good will gesture towards the cost of a refurbishment. If you would like to forward some photos I can take a look at them for you and advise accordingly.
Regards
Steve
I have been having this problem and on my 4th set of warranty replacements from Kia on my 2011 sportage 18″ alloys.
They replace under warranty but its the same problem time and time again.
I think they should be supplying fit for purpose wheels but not sure of options.
Hi Gary
In same situation with my 2011 Kia KX3 but unfortunately it seems that Kia are now blocking any replacement under there warranty.
Mine were replaced 30 months ago and at my last service visit in July photo’s were duly sent to them but have just had a response
that states “As they have been replaced under warranty before they wouldn’t be replaced again”
There is no damage whatsoever and have only done 13000 miles approx since last replacement.As a last resort have contacted The Motor Ombudsman and are awaiting there reply.
Good luck with your replacement and would be interested to hear if you are successful as my dealer stated that no wheels have been replaced since April!?
Hi Bob
Some one has just posted that a KIA dealership have honoured replacement wheels under their 7 year warranty. It seems they can choose who, what and when they honour their warranty.
Hi there i have just had a lease vehicle for 3 years. Kia sportage kx4 and the lovely alloys i beleive are the diamond cut ones you were refering to have sort of blistered around the centre and wheel nut and some on the edges. Surley this is a manufacturing fault/quality issue? If manufacturers are saying its due to corrosion from scratches and chips etc. Obviously kerbing is a different matter but mine are virtually perfect. If they are getting corroded just from every day use then i personally would say they are not fit fir purpose. What do you think?
Hi Ian
You are correct in what you say. As long as there is not kerb damage they should accept this as a warranty issue. When the brakes or tyres are replaced, the centre cap is removed and refitted, this can cause the seal to break which is why you have the corrosion occurring in the centre. The outer edge issue, is from tyre replacement, the bars they use to remove the tyre breaks the seal and this is where there is water ingress. It should not happen.
I m at the moment in touch with Kia re white and cream spidering on all 4 wheels.my Sportsge is 4 years old and this accursed after 18 months. At that time Kia replaced all 4 trims. Under their warranty.
Now it has occurred again and this time they are not ,so far,accepting any liability.they have taken photos and sending to Kia.it is frustrating. Where is the 7 year no quibble warranty . This is so obviously a fault in either the alloy or the coating.
Hi Keith
I haven’t logged onto my blog for a while and was just catching up on replies, if you scroll down our site you will a lady called Susan recently had her alloys replaced under the 7 year warranty. It may be worth getting in touch with her and seeing which dealership she used.
My sportage is 5 years old 22000 miles had the alloys refurbished 5 months ago now got white marks all over waist of 380 pounds.
I have a Peugeot 3008 on a 64 plate.have been to the dealership and they have washed their habds of it and i am wondering if there is anything i can do to repair the damage on my lazer cut wheels.
Yes just search for diamond cut wheel repairs and then your local area, I’m sure you will find some one locally who can do them for you. They normally cost between £85 – £125 plus VAT per alloy.
My car is just 2 years old, I have just noticed that around the centre so obviously not kerbed, they are starting to deteriorate, I have just had it serviced at the dealership where I bought it from , I think they may have damaged them then. Any advice appreciated
Marie, I would get in touch with them straight away and notify them of this. This generally happens when they take the centre caps out and then damage the coating that then allows water ingress into the polished alloy.
Hi
just thought you would ike to hear my story
i have a 2013 Kia Sportage KX-3 with diamond cut alloys i had it in for a srevic at my local kia dealer i pointed out to them that the alloys are showing white markes on them just like on your have been saying
was told when i picked it up that they will only replace the back ones as the front ones had damage on them (a tiny little scratch that you could not see with the naked eye any way got in touch with Kia about this and there replied was that they could not overturn a dealers decision?
now got a call from my dealer yesterday only to be told Kia are going to replace the back ones ether?
got in touch with kia myself still and its now in the hands of there complainants department ?
by the way tha corrosion on all the wheels is in the center of the wheels and around the center cap not at the edge?
From my experience it is the decision of the manufacturer and not the dealership as ultimately is the manufacturer that supplies the warranted parts free of charge to the dealership and it is the dealership that then submits its labour costs to the manufacturer. This seems very strange to me.
I have had all 4 of my 2013 civic diamond cut wheels replaced under warranty due to corrosion. The new ones are one year old and are doing the same even though I Keep them clean and polished with an expensive wheel sealant and now the 3 year warranty has run out.
I have a three year old Kia sportage and all four wheels have corrosion on the diamond cut alloys. I went to my local Kia dealer and they say they are happy to replace all four under the seven year warranty and my car is booked in for next week. No quibbles…very impressed.
Hi Susan
It’s nice to hear that a dealership are doing a little bit more than others. This would involve correspondence between them and KIA uk to get the alloys approved, I feel that most dealerships can not be bothered with the extra paper work and send customers away with a “it’s no longer covered under warranty”
We have a 3 year old Kia Sportage which has the yellow/white corrosion on the inner radius of all four alloys, where it looks like “salts” are coming out of the alloy.
We took the car to KIA who said that the wheels have mechanical damage and are thus not covered under warranty.
I have inspected all the wheels and there is absolutely no scraping or kerbing damage to any wheel. Furthermore, these wheels are concave in nature therefore it is impossible for there to be any kind of mechanical damage leading to such corrosion without there being damages to the outer rim.
Kia UK just want to play hard ball and are refusing to accept, even when I sent them the photos of the wheels. I am a marine engineer, with some 40 years experience of what causes corrosion and what it looks like, and I think I have the ability to recognise mechanical damage.
I even offered to have the wheels inspected by an impartial independent expert and be bound by the decision, but so far Kia remain silent. It is a pity as otherwise it is a nice car, but this will put me off buying another Kia for life.
Hi Susan
Where was this Kia Dealership, please? As exactly the same has happened to myKX4 2013! I don’t trust my nearest Kia as they have fobbed me off regarding other issues.
I have a 3 year old Kia Sportage and with all 4 wheels corroded. The Aberdeen Kia garage dismissed them right away calling it stonechips. I took my complaint to Kia and they were very unhelpful stating they have a protocol that Kia don’t cover the wheel now. Kia are standing by the fact that this is not covered by the warranty. My car has been in regular for service and Kia Aberdeen confirmed its not up to them to notify of the corrosion. The Kia back up is absolutely shocking and I would urge anyone to think again for buying Kia. Where can I get help to persuade this claim?
Hi Stan,
Here is what KIA UKs warranty says:
Customer responsibilities
Customers should regularly look closely at the sheet metal panels on the exterior body. If any stone chips or scratches in the paint or protective coating are found, they should be touched up straight away.
In certain conditions. special care should be taken to protect your Kia from corrosion.
If driven on salted roads, or near the sea, flush the underbody with clean water at least once a month
It’s important to keep the drain holes in the lower edges of the body clear
If damaged in any way that may affect the paint, have it repaired as soon as possible
If carrying special cargo such as chemicals, fertilisers, de-icing salt or other corrosive substances, make sure that they’re well packaged and sealed
If often driven on gravel roads, we recommend installing mud flaps behind each wheel
After each regular check, make sure the correct anti-perforation record in the manual have been stamped by the Kia dealer or authorised repairer
Limited liability
Under this warranty, Kia are only liable for the repair or replacement of original parts by an authorised Kia dealer that are defective in material or workmanship. Kia are not liable for any costs you may incur getting to a dealer, supplying a replacement car or as a result of being without the car during warranty repairs.
Parts limited warranty
Kia warrant that Kia Genuine Parts will be free of defects in material or manufacturing – we’ve set out exclusions to this below. This warranty covers the parts replaced or sold by an authorised Kia dealer.
An authorised Kia dealer will either repair or replace any parts to put right any problem covered by this warranty. If the authorised Kia dealer installed the parts, they’ll be repaired or replaced with no charge to you for parts or labour. If anyone else installed the parts, they’ll be repaired or replaced with no charge to you for the parts, but you will have to pay for the labour.
Warranty period
Parts replaced by an authorised Kia dealer under warranty are covered for the remainder of the original warranty period only. Parts sold and installed by an authorised Kia dealer outside of the warranty policy are covered for 24 months from the date they were installed, regardless of mileage.
Parts used on a taxi or private hire vehicle are covered for 24 months or 24,000 miles, whichever comes first.
What’s not covered?
Damage or corrosion due to factors such as accidents, negligence, improper repairs or adjustments, misuse, alterations or collision
Damage or surface corrosion from the environment such as acid rain, airborne fallout (chemicals, tree sap etc.) salt, road hazards, hail, wind storm, lightening, floods and other acts of God
Normal wear, tear and deterioration such as discolouration, fading or deformation
Parts installed on a Kia car in which the odometer has been altered or on which the mileage can’t be readily determined
Parts used for purposes they were not designed for
Parts not properly installed by someone other than Kia or an authorised Kia dealer
Parts without proof of purchase or replacement date
Parts that an authorised Kia dealer isn’t allowed to sell or install on a Kia car
Limited liability
under this warranty, Kia are only liable for the repair or replacement of original parts by an authorised Kia dealer that are defective in material or workmanship. Kia are not liable for any costs you may incur getting to a dealer, supplying a replacement car or as a result of being without the car during warranty repairs.
This bit almost gives them a get out for most paitn issues on their cars!
What’s not Covered
Normal deterioration
Normal wear, tear or deterioration such as discolouration, fading or deformation
This is a direct link to their website:
https://www.kia.com/uk/innovation/7-year-warranty/terms-and-exclusions/
Bought bought KIA Sportage from a main agent I Sheffield.Developed corrosion on all 4 wheel within 2years.It was performance but they eventually change them.Just over 2years it has started on one of the wheels. Sheffield Agent since has ceased to exist. Took it to Chesterfield.As usual they tried to wriggle out it,saying it due to stone chipping.I cannot see any evidence of that.I don’t understand how they invented this. Besides why one wheel while the rest of them remain in pristine condition?I don’t take car out on one wheel only.Why do the dealers try their hardest to get out of this 7 years warranty I don’t understand!I will be writing to KIA and also The Motor Ombudsman and if I get anywhere.
Hi
My alloys have corroded due to the lacquer lifting but kia will not agree and say its stone damage i have had the sportage for 3.5 years. Mechanics have said its the lacquer but they will not back down and the dealership say i should be glad the car does what it should do get me from A to B and its stone damage. I can see im not the only one going through this im aware of the warrantee and terms but we should not be treated like this. I will never buy a kia again but feel we need to be listened to it is not acceptable treatment
Please suggestions of who to go to
I purchased a Kia Sportage from West End Garage in Surrey a couple of years ago. I work within the motor trade and only recently noticed I had corrosion on all 4 wheels. More inner than outer. I took the vehicle back to the garage where they took photos for the warranty department. The following week they contacted me to tell me warranty had been refused as from the photos alone they had decided the corrosion was due to stone chips. I informed them that I worked in the industry and a couple of wheel refurbishment guys had looked at.my wheels and told me the damage was due to water getting under the lacquer. The warranty department would not change their decision. I’m extremely disappointed with the garage and Kia warranty. Wondering if I should take this matter further.
I have a Honda Accord after 2 years my diamond cut alloys started blistering and what looked like rust around the middle of the wheel,Honda changed them,now the exchanged wheels which are just over a year old are doing exactly the same,my car is 1 month over the 3 year warranty cover,Honda have agreed as a good will gesture that they will pay 300 pounds towards the cost of refurbishing them,I have contacted them and escalated another complaint as I am not happy with that,I would like new wheels,I am waiting on them getting back to me,I would like a powder coated wheel as these diamond cut are a total waste.
I have a 5 year old Kia Rio and since it went in for body repair work, the corrosion on the wheels seems to have spread and Kia main outlet put it down to kerbing and stone chips from the road. The corrosion appears under the lacquer. I don’t know if the previous owner had the same problem and the wheels were changed or not. If this is a known problem, why is kia still using them. It makes you wonder how safe it is to drive.
This whole issue of the wheel lacquer suffering trailing marks underneath the surface is simply due to poor manufacturing adhesion, and what happens generally is that when the wheels are pressure washed either by car wash forecourts or owners the water eventually penetrates underneath the lacquer at the point of the tiniest defect, which worsens the condition with changes in temperature and further cleaning. My own Sportage Nav 1,7 wheels are five years old but the car has covered only 13000 miles and now suffers this problem. Having worked on cars of all makes over a 45 year period Ive always found that removing the top coat of lacquer and regular cleaning with quality car wash shampoo over the polished alloy surface by hand without the pressure washer will tend to keep the wheels in good condition especially if a quality body wax is applied regularly too to the wheels natural alloy surface. Leaving the lacquer on especially where white corrosion spots have appeared will cause the corrosion to eat into the wheel rims and eventually spread to the spokes and the only remedy will be to have the wheels turned and the faces recut to be rid of the corrosion marks . When the car is new best keep acidic or alkaline wheel cleaning spray fluids and pressure washers away from the wheels and get the rubber gloves on applying some good old fashioned elbow grease with wax wash. Its definitely a better bet and should hopefully hold back the creepy corrosion as long as possible.
I have a Suzuki Vitara 2017, on one of the Diamond cut wheels there are two small areas where the outer coating has broken away and corrosion seems to spreading under the surrounding area. One area is on the inner edge of the rim the other is a little way up the spoke profile. There is no sign of any impact damage which might have caused this problem. The
agrees but says repair cannot be carried out under warranty. I do have photographs if you wish to see them.
Hi Chris, email us the photos. If there is no damage to the alloy and it’s only a year old, they should cover this under warranty. Have you tried Suzuki UK?
Hi Steve, I emailed Suzuki UK with the photo’s. Their reply didn’t refer to the photo evidence but simply denied they have a manufacturing quality issue.
I have the same issue with my kx3 Sportage as many others on this forum. In summary images taken by local dealer and forwarded to the warranty department where claim refused on the basis of stone chips. I’m considering submitting a claim against Kia UK in the small claims court. Has anyone else tried this before.
Hi. I purchased a Kia sportage 16 months ago. It’s a 63 plate. On collection of car it was pointed out to me that one of the wheels was corroded and would be replaced under there warranty. This they did (great). Since then they have changed another wheel with the same problem. About 8wks ago I contacted Kia to tell them yet another wheel was starting to corrode. They gave me an apppointment to have pictures taken for conformation that this was the same problem. Just been told that it’s my fault and that Its down to curbing. What a load of rubbish. How can you curb wheel around the wheel nuts. The outer rims are perfect not a scratch???.I am now in the process of getting an independent assessment to prove this. Just goes to show don’t believe everything they tell you and don’t buy a Kia.
I am currently in dispute with a local dealer over my BMW X5 Msport which is coming to the end of (but still within) it’s 3 year warranty. Can anyone advise me please? They have just replaced all 4 alloys under warranty that are accepted as showing signs of corrosion. One tyre has kerbing on it and they have made me pay £120+ VAT towards the cost of replacing this alloy. My argument is that the alloys are all corroding regardless of a bit of kerbing on 1 of them and so the issue of corrosion is what needs to be addressed, not the kerbing and the vehicle is within Warranty. There was no choice but to replace the alloys. I have spoken to the Citizens Advice bureau and they believe I can Insist on a refund back from the dealer under the Sale of Goods Act. Before I approach them, does anyone have any guidance for me please?
Hi
Due to the fact the alloy is kerbed, I would say that this invalidates the warranty on that alloy regardless of the corrosion issues, I personally would be happy to contribute the £120 plus VAT towards the cost if it was offered to me by the dealership. If you do manage to get this refunded under the sale of goods act, I would be very interested in hearing back from you.
Hi there I purchased a volvo v40 pro with nice diamond cut alloys and now noticed that two of my alloys passenger side are starting to look as if corrosion is setting in my alloys are perfect no a mark on them no kerbing etc my car is only 18 months going to contact volvo hope it’s covered
I bought a 2008 Peugeot 5 weeks ago. It’s 15 months old with just over 5000 miles on it. The car looked like it came out the wrapper but after I had it washed (hand washed) every alloy has weird marks on them which after reading about on here I realise it’s probably corrosion. Is it possible they used something to cover this up as I don’t see how all these marks could just appear within 5 weeks
Another Kia owner here, particularly a Kia Optima Estate. I have corrosion on all four of my alloy wheels. Took it to the dealership who took photographs and set the scene with their “what Kia tend to say is they will only cover wheels where there is no kerbing or stone chips, but we’ll send the photos off anyway and see what they say”…. Sure enough today I got the call to say they won’t replace any of them because they have had “external influences”. I do accept that the front two have a little bit of kerbing but the kerbing is on the edge and the corrosion is half way up the wheel. Furthermore the back two have NO kerbing at all, so that only leaves stone chips as a cause but i’d challenge them to show me on the photos they have where these stone chips are.
It seems that the dealerships have little discretion in this and its purely a case of send the photos to Kia and let them turn it down without looking you in the eye. Has anyone had any luck challenging Kia following them turn this down for a warranty repair?
Hi,
I am having an ongoing battle with PSA finance after returning a two year old pristine condition 208 gti.
The Manheim agent recorded three wheels as having some corrosion but advised me to dispute any cost as none of the wheels had any kerb damage & every gti he had picked up had similar damage.
After a quick Google it seems diamond cut equals corrosion no matter how well cared for.
Having advised PSA of my findings they are still saying beyond fair wear and tear,pay up.
I believe my next step is financial ombudsman,but any advise that may help my case would be most welcome.
Hi i have the new vauxhall insignia vx line grand sport with 20 inch dimond cut alloys i thought thay looked great when i got it but the problems i have faced with this design is real bad with water build up under the laquer i have claimed my tyre and alloy insurance 3 times due to this problem.And it is due to go back in for 3 alloys to get done on monday 8th june 20 . I am thinking of getting them fixed then plasti dipping them to protect them.I will look in to the clear coat to see if i can get a thicker coat on.
Hi did you manage to get your diamond cut alloys plastic dipped and does it work. Reason my Local BMW dealer has just replaced my sons diamond cut alloys with only 3 days left on his 3 year warranty at no cost and he is hoping to find a method to preserve them while they are new
hi steve
i have a 7yr old dacia owned from new. the car have massive corrosion underbody part, ie front suspension, break pipes and exhaust mount which is broken due to corrosion. there are other parts as well which are corroded although not as bad. i have contacted dacia/renault and they said its not covered by the warranty and this corrosion is due to natural elements. my question is how can a 7yr old car have massive corrosion classified as natural.
Kia Sportage, had new set of alloys fitted under warranty, six months later and still under warranty period, the new ones have corroded as well. Kia finally agreed to swap out after repeated visits to garage, for photos and to take more photos for those apparently lost, mislaid or never sent.
After a lot of telephone calls and a visit I was told that Kia had agreed to change the wheel again. nearly a year later still waiting and phoning and and and… Kia, if this is an example of customer service and so called 7 year warranty then words afil.
I just had some vauxhall diamond cut alloys refurbished last November and they are already starting to corrode think I will have they powder coated entirely can’t be bothered with the same problem twice.
I have the issue of water getting under the lacquer of the wheels on my 19 reg Kia e-niro. Had initial rejection from Kia saying its not a warranty issue. Deteriorated more since then and I am going to raise it again through the dealer.