I Need Your Help-Wheel Wizard Atlanta Georgia

Never have asked for help, but am in much need now.

These are pics of F355 magnesium wheels which we did a long term test on. They were completely refinished by Wheel Wizard in Atlanta Georgia. Immediately upon completion they were placed back in the boxes and stored in a climate controlled storage area....tires were never mounted, and the wheels were never put on a car.

After being in a PERFECT controlled enviroment for 6 years this is the results. Remember this, IF these wheels were properly prepped and sealed they should have lasted 25+ years in a climate controlled enviroment.

I have called and emailed with NO RESPONSE. It is clearly evident that either they don't know what they are doing, or their materials and procedures for refurbishing magnesium wheels is majorly flawed.

This should be a wake-up call to all who have,or planning to have, magnesium parts refinished. There is a "Right" way and a "Wrong" way and if you don't know which is which you could wind up in the same boat as me. I found out about these people from a Ferrari dealer and just assumed that they were up to speed on magnesuim wheels......

It makes me soooooo angry when a company will not owe up to their mistakes......instead of trying to work something out they just ignore you as though you were nothing. I am tired of companies like this who take your money and then snub their nose at you like you when they are at fault.

If you can call and email that might get their attention.......if nothing more it will show that we are truly a community/brotherhood that cannot be ignored when one of us is wronged.

Thanks in advance to all.


email: [email protected] Jonathan Cazenave(Mgr) or Wendall Davidson(owner)

Phone: 1-770-451-6333

Toll Free Phone: 1-800-615-2203

Again, many thanks for your support
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

To be honest I am at my wits end.....I have tried in a very nice way to get them to resolve this problem and they refuse to return my emails or phone calls.

I don't know how to deal with companies like this.......in this day and age one voice is usually never heard by companies that don't care about customers or the quality of their work.

An email or phone call can't hurt.......I have done the same thing for many on this site before, who have a business that doesn't treat our community in a fair and professional way.......if you had an issue I would support you by any means available.

I called Kinesis(lexani) and expressed my displeasure over the way they handled Plugzits' wheel issue.....atleast they know there is one other person that is aware of the lack of concern with a product of thiers and poor customer service...

 

Hi Frank

Didn't know that a company had to agree...guess Ralph Nader and all the independent testing labs/groups need to get approval first.

Not unprofessional or unfair at all......tried via email and phone calls over the last week and a half to resolve in a fair and equitable way but NO RESPONSE.

Glad they fixed your run......mighty nice of them to fix an obvious, clearly visible defect,which was nothing more than cosmetic and in no way effected the underlying alloy, and posed no safety issues. Ford had a warranty on the Pinto and F150 but if I recall did the courts rule in their favor with the gas tank design??

Let me bring you up to speed concerning magnesium alloys(NOT aluminum althought if you like we can discuss). Corrosion is the silent killer of this alloy. IF, it is not properly prepped and sealed the top coats(paint or PC) conceals this damaging process.......when it gets bad enough it will begin to show signs as a bubble,blister, or even a speck like a grain of sand. This deteriorative process on improperly prepped/sealed magnesium begins almost at once after top coating and continues to progress.....it may take years for it to be visble enough to show the consumer that the underlying process to treat the base alloy is defective. Then, and only then can one try to seek a remedy....you should know this as an attorney.

So when does one normally find out that a companies process is defective......within 90days??? Forget it!!!!......that is not how magnesium corrosion works...it doesn't know it only has 90 days to let someone know it has been abused.

So if Wheel Wizzard wants to stand behind a 90day warranty and turn their backs so be it. This thread should be a warning about the pit falls that can be encountered when having magnesium recoated.

I am also now interested in investigating this wheel repair/refinish industry and have sent info to various groups. How can a new DOT approved/certified wheel be repaired when the repair procedures and methods are not approved? Remember this, when magnesium corrosion begins and is allowed to continue unchecked it most definitely deteroriates to a point of becoming unsafe.....atleast that is the opinion of NTS and DOD.

Want to take a guess at how long properly prepped and sealed magnesium(with a paint or PC top coat) should last under normal driving conditions, barring exposure to salt water and certain chemicals???? HINT: might want to look at some published papers by ASTM,MIL, and SAE......6 years with absolutely NO EXPOSURE to anything and stored in a climate controlled enviroment is a piece of cake...a no brainer in fact.

BTW, Wheel Wizzard is welcome to have these tested by an independent lab to prove what I already know(and so do they, but will not admit).

 

Yes Bo is good at what he does......as a matter of fact these wheels originally came from Bo.

What does your post have to do with this thread concerning Wheel Wizzard?? Bo does not PC wheels....

 

Yes, there should be concern on your part, depending on how the wheel was prepped and subsequently sealed. If the Speedline OE primer/sealer was compromised in any way there is a good possibility that you may experience problems over a protracted period of time. Magnesium alloys do require alot more detail in prepping and sealing, and a great deal more technical expertise when handling/coating. Maserati(a Ford company) has had to outsource their prep and seal work on the new aluminum/magnesium door structures. Maserati and Ford have had ALOT of experience in coating aluminum, but were unable to come up with a satisfactory way of coating this alloy combination. I am working with the out-sourcing companys' engineers to accommodate the automotive aftermarket industry with the hopes it will benefit us.

When dealing with anyone concerning magnesium it is imperative that they are skilled professionals and know the correct procedues and materials to use.

If this thread does nothing more than to make our community aware of the "Wheel Refinishing/Refurbishing" industry pitfalls that will be OK with me. Atleast consumers will be better prepared when wanting/needing this work performed, instead of paying good money and winding up out of pocket again and again in the future.

 

Frank,please read my post before hitting the "Submit Reply" button. Again I will restate: "Bo DOES NOT powdercoat wheels". There is a difference...

 

Frank, may I ask why you want to see the receipt, as though a company can ALWAYS be held to the BS they put on a piece of paper???? Being an attorney you should know that companies put stuff down that doesn't necessarly hold up when put before a "Tryer of Fact".

BTW, my profile has my name...him is "Bruce". Atleast I extend the courtesy of referring to you by name.