I have been gone a while
After selling my 2005 f-250 Harley with the 6.0 Diesel I searched and searched for
what I felt was a really nice Certified Pre-Owned 2009 f-150 Lariat super crew with the 6"6" bed.
Pearl white with the chrome package.
Long story a little shorter. When I got it from the dealer one wheel was damaged.
So I bought a new one (e-bay $350) Ford not aftermarket.
Went and got new tires today at the local D Tire. Ya they creased every one of the chrome clad wheels! 3 really bad ,one hardly noticeable.
Now I am disappointed in both ford and myself . Ford for charging extra for a piece of plastic glued to an aluminum wheel and myself for liking that style so much.
Now D Tire wants to give me 20" aftermarket wheels ( of my choice) instead of the oem wheels.
I really liked the quality of the 20's on my harley I just don't know if an aftermarket wheel will hold up to harsh mid-west winters.
And clearly D Tire doesn't have the proper tire machine to work on these wheels.
The manager is a friend of mine and he has never seen theses wheels on a ford before.
So to wrap it up
Anyone else had this problem?
What would you do if you were me?
Thanks

 

I have Ford Accessory 20" Polished Aluminum ALCOA's on mine & Love them!!!

 

I don't think I have seen them.
Do you have any pics?
If you don't mind how much?
Thanks
John

 

I'd go with the new 20" wheels and find some junkyard wheels for the winter months.

I've made a decision to stay away from Ford's chrome package all together. I don't really like the looks of the chrome cladding, I'm concerned about the chrome on the steps and the billet grill is now standard on XLT's. It is very pretty but it's long term durability concerns me.

 

Hmmm... sounds like they used a steel-wheel tire changing machine versus the one designed for actual wheels... Well if you have your heart set on the Ford rims, then so be it. Now if there are after market rims that you like, chances are they will hold up just fine. Most aftermarket wheels are either forged or machined. Aluminum Alloy rims will be able to hold up to winter just fine. Machined finished wheels usually have a clearcoat on them of some sort and require little maintenance like cleaning and waxing yearly. Then you have your chrome rims which require the most maintenance (lots of washing and waxing if you want to keep the shine). Just be sure that you select wheels that can handle at least 3/4 of the axle weight rating.

 

Chrome flakes off of aluminum wheels in the winter but will stick to plastic very well. As a result factory chrome wheels are all going to chrome clad. The chrome issue also explains the polished wheels. Anyway, the tire shop should be liable for damages.

 

I use to install tires 25 years ago. The machine they use is completely different than
the ones I use to use. The manager said they can adjust the machine so it wont do thatto the wheel. So my reply was OK well when they saw the 1st one damaged why not say something? Nope just didn't care or didn't notice.
I did find those Alcoa's on e-bay They look nice but are kind of pricey.
The other concern I have and the manager said the same thing, the cladding dishes out away from the wheel itself so even curbing a tire will result in damaging the cladding.
The chrome plating on plastic opposed to right on the aluminum is a good point, didn't think of that. Either way they are liable for the damages that is for sure.
The funny thing is that when I cleaned all the slime off and realized all of them had damage I called the manager (my so called friend) he started getting defensive and said he only saw 2 bad ones. D Tire is going to do some checking on Monday
What do you guys think about Factory knock off wheels? He is for sure going to push for the cheapest way out for him.

 

Sadly, there are too many guys doing tire work, that just don't care about the job they are doing.

Don't let your "so called friend" off the hook. His guys damaged your OEM's and should replace them with the same OEM wheel. Period.

I'm sure you can find another set of 09-11 chrome clads, look on ebay and craigslist. They will likely have some scratches and other marks from dismounting tires and shipping. I've bought some in the past and been dissapointed by some. But you used to be able to grab OEM wheels for a reasonable amount of money.

Knock offs and aftermarket wheels may look good, but most don't hold up to the road chemicals used by local and state DOT. This is especially true if you live in snow country. Ford wheels typically do better.

 

The big 3 have been doing this for years.

Heres my old 99 Navigator.


Chrome clad STEEL wheels.

The concept was to be able to replace the chrome part in case it was damaged, preventing you from buying a whole rim, but its not available to buy.

Most chrome wheels now are "Chrome Clad" steel and aluminum.

Almost all the XLT SCabs and SCrews in Texas on dealer lots are freaking chrome pack equipped. You have to order one without it. Which is why I ended up with an FX4.

 

In salty Michigan, I have had numerous sets of aftermarket chrome or alloy wheels over the years and ALL of them eventually corrode, rust, or oxidize if you use them in salty winter climates.

My preference is non-chrome factory alloy wheels with a good powdercoat on them. Over the years, even the clearcoat polished aluminum factory wheels seem to get oxidation under the clearcoat (my '02 E150 wheels are doing this), especially where balance weights have been, etc.

Good luck; I would personally see if the tire dealer would replace your wheels with another 20" factory wheel design in powder coated silver without the $5 Walmart chrome plastic crap on them...the "chrome clad" plastic cover concept grosses me out. Alternatively, if you do choose some kind of aftermarket wheels, use some from a mfr which does high end OEM wheels for cars/trucks like BBS or Enkei--these will likely have OEM quality coatings on them.

George

 

Sadly enough, I'm a big fan of the older solid steel wheels and dog dish wheel covers.

 

I agree that most tire shops don't care about doing a good job, Times have changed for sure. When I was doing tires I got $5.00 an hour and took pride in my job.
Having said that. I felt the same way about the knock off oem look not being up to par.
Also about the salty Midwest region I live @Chicago so I definitely get it. I did figure out that as soon as you get a new/new to you used vehicle. Take it to a Tire shop and have the weights taken off the outer lip of the rim and get them balanced static and inner. That gets the lead weights off the lip which contributes to the oxidation of the aluminum wheel. The factory weights are coated in plastic to stop that. Alot of the new style wheels out there don't even have a outer lip anymore so tire shops can't put on the cheep non coated weights on the outer lip.
There are companies out there that refinish OEM wheels I had a gouge in my harley wheel and had it fixed and it held up 2 years of winters till i sold it in March.
I also agree. They damaged OEM wheels they should replace them with OEM.
But the good person in me knows that someone probably will be fired for this.
I don't know if it is worth that either.
RISUPERCREWMAN,
I would love to see those alcoa's on your truck. That would be a good alternative.
high polished with a clear powder coat, and a strong forged wheel.

 

I understand you're pissed, as I would be too.

However, this could be a really good thing. You get to trade up to some aftermarket rims without actually spending any cash. Some people would love to do that, myself included.

Did the guy say there was a cap on how much they'd spend on aftermarket rims?

Just trying to put a positive spin on a crappy situation.

 

i work at a ford dealer and we have so far replaced 10 -15 wheels on f250 and f350 with these pos wheel for the same reason, the cladding flys off or makes alot of noise when they come unbonded . at my last shop had a set on a explorer do the same.

 

If you go into www.fordaccessories.com I believe they have them there!...