I purchased a set if thin-spoke chrome reproduction wheels from Corvette-Wheels.com two months ago. They've been mounted since then and have 971 miles of use on them.

Last night I was polishing them and found a small blemish. It's not something that would be caused by contact like a chip. It seems to me that it's an obvious flaw. It's already forming some rust.

I e-mailed photos to Jason at Corvette Wheels. He said it wouldn't be covered by warranty. I pretty much figured that.

I looked at the warranty. It's really a non-warranty. The wheels are covered for appearance only if they're unmounted and unused. I suppose having them in their boxes would be a plus.

All new wheels sold to original purchaser by Ace Alloy Wheel carry a limited lifetime warranty for structure and one-year limited warranty against defects of material or workmanship under normal and reasonable use, from the date of purchase. Original receipt with printed date of purchase is required when making a warranty claim. This warranty does not cover:

• Wheels damaged due to: misuse, abuse, negligence, impact, accident or modification
• Wheels not installed according to Ace Alloy Wheel instructions, or damaged due to exceeding load rating or improper tire size installed.
• Wheels that are altered or repaired.
• Wheels transferred to another party by original purchaser.
• Wheel corrosion or cosmetic flaws after purchased due to car wash damage, chemicals, caustic cleaning agents, climate conditions or neglect.
• Appearance defects in wheels that have been mounted after purchase or have been sold as a blemished product.

Purchaser assumes full responsibility and liability for any and all damages from road
hazards, accidents, physical or chemical, to the wheels, vehicle and passengers.

Ace Alloy Wheel reserves the right to change the policy without notice.

JAN. 2008

I had the wheels shipped directly to my tuner/wrench and never even saw them before the tires were already mounted. I won't make that mistake again.

 

This is absolute The warranty covers defects in workmanship and materials for one year, then contradicts itself and states it's not covered for appearance defects after they are mounted?? "We'll guarantee them as long as you don't actually USE them"??? What kind of half baked warranty is that?? I'm in the market for wheels right now. Corvette Wheels will not be on my list of potential vendors.

 

That really is lame,spread the word!

 

this has been discussed before and as I said then....people need to read everything BEFORE they buy not after the fact. I am not condoning their business practice or anyone elses I am just saying people often don't read the fine print until after they have an issue.

I guess you should have looked at the wheels before they were mounted or ask your installer to do a thorough inspection

 

Sorry to say it but most aftermarket wheels have this clause in their warranty. Once you mount a tire, you own them. My question is how is there rust? Aren't the wheels chrome plated aluminum?

 

Noted.

 

They're low end aftermarket wheels. You REALLY need to inspect them before mounting to be sure they are good. You're tuner/wrencher should have covered you on that one.

If it is starting to rust you still have a warranty claim. Only the appearance blemishes coverage goes away after mounting. Material defect is still good for a year.


Staying tuned.......

 

I would be after their *** to replace them regardless of their BS misleading warranty.

Call, Write Certified Letters etc.

 

ALWAYS inspect well before mounting.

 

I don't think that there's a wheel warranty in the world that doesn't say that after mounting the warranty is off. That's why you have to look them over before you mount tires on them.

 

What a shame. Put that junk on Craigslist and buy some better wheels.

 

from their site..which looks different than what you posted..

http://www.corvette-wheels.com/warranty
All items are warrantied to be free from defects in materials and workmanship at the time of shipment to you. Your purchase will be backed by the limited warranty extended by the manufacturer of the parts. Corvette Wheels, LLC (CWLLC) and the manufacturer will not honor warranty requests due to shipping damage, improper handling or installation, neglect, accidents, or competition use. Warranty claims apply to parts only.

All of our reproduction and multi-piece forged corvette wheels come with a “Limited Lifetime structural warranty", and a 1-3 year warranty on the finish, once again, from defects - not from everyday usage.

CWLLC does not directly warrant any high performance part or labor.

Performance parts are installed at the customers risk and any warranty claim must be taken up with the manufactures. Performance parts may or may not meet individual state emission laws. It is the customer’s responsibility to determine the emission standards and laws of his or her area. CWLLC does not cover labor on any warranty claim. All CWLLC Forged Wheels are designed for street use only. Warranty is void if used for racing.





The warranty you posted is from

http://www.acealloywheel.com/policy.html


All new wheels sold to original purchaser by Ace Alloy Wheel carry a limited lifetime warranty for structure and one-year limited warranty against defects of material or workmanship under normal and reasonable use, from the date of purchase. Original receipt with printed date of purchase is required when making a warranty claim. This warranty does not cover:

• Wheels damaged due to: misuse, abuse, negligence, impact, accident or modification
• Wheels not installed according to Ace Alloy Wheel instructions, or damaged due to exceeding load rating or improper tire size installed.
• Wheels that are altered or repaired.
• Wheels transferred to another party by original purchaser.
• Wheel corrosion or cosmetic flaws after purchased due to car wash damage, chemicals, caustic cleaning agents, climate conditions or neglect.
• Appearance defects in wheels that have been mounted after purchase or have been sold as a blemished product.

Purchaser assumes full responsibility and liability for any and all damages from road
hazards, accidents, physical or chemical, to the wheels, vehicle and passengers.

Ace Alloy Wheel reserves the right to change the policy without notice.

JAN. 2008





So which is it????

 

I was thinking the same thing.

 

No argument here that I screwed up. I should have inspected them first. I had them shipped to the shop for convenience.

The warranty I posted is the one linked from the seller's website. It's the manufacturer warranty. I called the seller. He said they wouldn't be warranted. Note the highlighted red portion of the seller's warranty.

The manufacturer warranty says appearance problems won't be warranted after mounting.

I'm not trying to lay this at Jason's feet. I have no complaint about the price or his service. If I'd have inspected them before having the tires mounted, I'm sure this would have been a non-issue.

Being reproduction wheels, they're chromed steel or, at least, that's what I assumed from the beginning. The OEM original wheels were aluminum, either polished or not.

 

Your warranty is only as good as the dealer.

 

Seems to be a gamble buying the lower end reproduction wheels. I got some C6 style reproductions for my '99 coupe from West Coast Corvette. Spent a little more on them hoping I would get a better wheel. I also had them shipped to, and then installed, by my shop. Will see how they last down the road. I did lots of research on them before purchase. You are not the only one unhappy with the quality. I'm crossing my fingers on my wheels.

 

 

Ok I am confused...I posted the warranty info from Corvette-wheels.com and the warranty info you posted was from acealloywheel.com

are you saying that Corvette-wheels.com is a reseller for acealloywheels???

 

Must be...

The warranty I posted is the one that came up when I hit the warranty info hot link on the Corvette-Wheels.com C5 Thin-spoke reproduction wheel page. Go to the warranty hot link at the bottom of the page.

http://www.corvette-wheels.com/c5-chrome.html

 

I seriously doubt they are steel.