Poor Quality of Polished Aluminum Wheels on C6

[njmercer]

Anyone else unhappy with the quality of the polished aluminum wheels on the C6? They have a very milky appearance to them; not nearly as nice looking as the ones on my C5. I heard that GM went to a different vendor for the wheels on the C6. For a car that costs this much money, it should have better wheels, especially considering the wheels were a $1,295. option.

 

[Greenie]

I brought this issue up some time ago. In plain English, they STINK!!!

 

[6th Gear]

Well what would be the best thing to do then? Oder stock rims and have them polished externally from GM.. or swallow my pride and buy them from GM and live with it?
What are corvette owners doing about the cloudy polish job on thier rims? Thanks ~mike

 

[Greenie]

My first inclination 6th is to get together with other C6 and prospective C6 owners and send a letter to Chevy! Of course, with all of their financial problems, it probably wont be read until 2010!!!!! When I place my C6 order, I will order the "stock" wheels and either order an aftermarket set or find(which I already have) a local shop that does polishing.

 

[Rob]

Is it possible for someone to take a closeup photo of each wheel and post it here? Curious to see the difference.

 

[wheelsetc.]

Mine are perfect. No problems. VIN 10XXX built in early December.

 

[Billybeau1]

Mine looked a little milky until I polished them. Now their fine. I'll try to post some pics.

 

[Greenie]

Rob, Reedman-Toll had a C5 and C6, both new with polished wheels, sitting side by side in the showroom. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! The C5 LOOKED polished. The dealer claimed that they polished the C6 wheels but they still maintained their "milky" appearance.

 

[April Fool]

Billy, what did you use for polish?
Is anyone aware of an exchange for chromed stock rims?
Thanks.

 

[Billybeau1]

Billy, what did you use for polish? Thanks.

I just used Z2 from my zaino kit. They look better but I know now what the other guys mean. I saw a C5 going buy me on a trailer this morning and the rims had more depth to them. This is obviously a quality problem.

 

[Greenie]

Compared to the C5 wheel, they STINK!!

 

[rashoe]

I plan to order a 2006 Coupe. Has anyone heard if they are going to fix the milky looking polished wheels ? I will not order the wheels if the problem is not fixed.

 

[Greenie]

rasho, before they "fix" the problem, they have to ackowledge that there IS a problem!! I dont know if they heard about this.

 

[AnytownUSA]

There is a truck full of Corvettes that comes through Chattanooga at least once a week. I've seen several sets of the "polished" wheels pass by me on the trailer. I don't remember noticing any that were as shiney or had as much "depth" as the C5 rims. Could it be that they just aren't supposed to be as polished as previous? If you look at aftermarket wheels, one company's "polished" may not be as audacious as the next.
Personally, I don't like the chromed look of the C5 optional rims. The new rims seem to be in between the brushed and chromed looks. Maybe it's not a flaw but a toned down finish? All of the ones I've seen on the trucks have been about the same - and I didn't notice any protective plastic tainting the appearance on them either. Just a thought.

 

[magredc6]

I've heard that GM used lower quality wheels on C6's built earlier in the production process but I don't know what the VIN cut-off is or even if it is true. I would hope not but you never know. As far C5 vs. C6, I can't comment. I haven't looked at polished wheels on a C5 close up.

I'm happy with the stock polished wheels on my C6. Here is a close up:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/robh1/C6-wheels003.jpg

What do you think? C5's look better? Worse? Other C6's look better/worse?

 

[toad]

I'm glad i seen those wheels before i ordered my C6 i would not be happy
paying $1300.00 for those shabby wheels.
toad

 

[Magster]

Well will let you know how ours wheels come out. We went to the dealer yesterday and have a meeting set with the GM rep. The wheels stink. The first "bad" spot was pointed out by a friend, we then looked at them all and all are milky and now spotting. Ours was built in November. They also are going to replace one of the "replaced" headlights again also. (junk inside)

One question for everyone out there. Do you experience a lag from a dead stop? Not a really noticeable one, but on occasion it just slightly hesitates before it takes off. Thanks for your help.

 

[rashoe]

Youre wheels look much better than others I have seen so far. All I have seen are very milky looking and not near as shinny as the 2004 models.

I've heard that GM used lower quality wheels on C6's built earlier in the production process but I don't know what the VIN cut-off is or even if it is true. I would hope not but you never know. As far C5 vs. C6, I can't comment. I haven't looked at polished wheels on a C5 close up.

I'm happy with the stock polished wheels on my C6. Here is a close up:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/robh1/C6-wheels003.jpg

What do you think? C5's look better? Worse? Other C6's look better/worse?

 

[Remo]

Anyone else unhappy with the quality of the polished aluminum wheels on the C6? They have a very milky appearance to them; not nearly as nice looking as the ones on my C5. I heard that GM went to a different vendor for the wheels on the C6. For a car that costs this much money, it should have better wheels, especially considering the wheels were a $1,295. option.

Judy,

There may be some flaws in the early C6 polished wheels as there were in the early C5's. I'm confident that GM customer care will replace any wheels with specific flaws as was done with the C5 polished wheels. However, the lower luster of C6 wheels, from what I understand, is a designed characteristic of the C6 polished wheels.

It's true that the C5 polished wheels have a brighter finish than the C6's. But I remember some of the C5 people actually exchanging them for "chrome" after market versions because they didn't think the wheels were bright enough. It's really just a matter of taste. BTW - I really like the style and looks of the C6 polished wheel. What the heck - I love everything about the C6.

Remo:cool

 

[Smittybilt]

Hey what are you all using to polish your "polished" rims. Thanks. Smitty