I have a C5 commemorative. Wheels are polished. Took apart stripped clear coat and did an excellent job re-polishing them. Got tired of the constant maintenance so decided to chrome plate.Reason was told that aftermarket chinese and not made well by several people.
Contacted a company that does chrome plating/exchange.

Told them I do not want to exchange because my wheels are perfect. Said no guarantee that I would get my original wheels back. Reluctantly paid $130.00 shipped them to CA. Got a call from them and told wheels had rust and were out of balance. Talked with them and told them they were nuts and sent pictures of the wheels when I had polished them. After going back and forth they sent me chromed wheels. Took wheel to be mounted. Two of the Four were so out of balance that is was sickening. Called them and they said we must have bent them during installation and there was nothing they could do.
At this point I gave up in that I am not intersetd in fighting with stupidity. Took the wheels to a local guy who had them fixed.

Bottom line $595.00 wheel exchange
130.00 shipped out to them
50.00 return shipping (free shipping except oversize)
$160.00 to have two wheels fixed

TOTAL Cost $935.00

Could have purchased new aftermarket wheels (good ones) for that kind of money without the aggravation. Live and learn I guess.

 

Can you share with us who you used, so we dont use them!

 

I hope you are satisfied with the outcome. How do they look on your car? Was there a reason that you didn't re clear them. Is that where the constant maintenance came from, repolishing them.

 

This is why I would have gone local for something like this in the first place, sorry about your troubles!

 

That would be good information to know but I can guarantee they won't ever bite me. I will not do business with anyone who won't send me back my own parts. I'm sure the OP's *** is still sore from kicking himself over his decision but as he said, lesson learned.

 

I would like to share comapny but I don't want it to sound vindictive. The results other than bent rims were nice to be totally honest. No I did not clear the face. I cleared the barrels but wanted that shine to the front but it was a pain to keep the shine.
As for local, I deal with a guy local. As was explained they send them out to CA. It seems that they are then sent over the border to Mexico by the truckloads since labor is cheap and oviously they are making a fortune. That is why the company said they cannot guarantee my originals will come back. I did not know this. All the locals in NJ as well as other states I understand send them to CA.
The initial reason I went with chroming OEM GM wheels is I was told by a couple of people that repo wheels "sometimes" depending where you get them are worthless and only carry a one years guarantee against flaking or peeling.

I am not bitter and that is why I wrote Lesson learned. Figured that is what this site is about and give the next guy a heads up on their decision.

Thanks for the responses.

 

Seems like any more some vendors just don't care about customer service and leave you on your own to make things right. Sorry for your troubles and hope that the new wheels work well on the car now that you have the two wheels repaired.

 

you could have sold the polished commemorative wheels for like 1500 to 2000 especially in nice condition. those are rare wheels that everyone wants. With that money you could have bought some of the painted z06 wheels and had them chromed, and someone would have a nice set of CE wheels.

 

Not really. Purchased a set from a forum member to have a spare set Like you thinking they were expensive so it would be a nice project to finish and have around. Only paid $150.00 for all four and were in great shape. They are just sitting in the garage now. Not worth the expense and labor of re-doing them. The best thing if you want chrome is buy a reproduction set and go wth it. I hear a lot of people have them without any issues. Besides, they are being advertised all over and on the auction site. They cannot get 300 for a set.

 

You are correct. When I first contacted like I said they claim I could have damaged at installtion. I was told that if I pay shipping both ways they would try and repair them but all warranties are void. It was cheaper to do them locally, but I assure you they will never get another dime from me.
so you just take your lumps and move on. Life is too short.
It takes years to gain a customer and seconds to lose one. They just lost a good one.

 

Said no guarantee that I would get my original wheels back.

That right there would send up a red flag telling me to walk away.

 

I would never deal with a wheel shop that does not do the work in-house. when I had my wheels refinished the manager gave me a tour of the shop and showed me all their equipment, every stage of the process and introduced me to the employees doing the work. No surprise that they do great work and have satisfied customers. I guess if you want chrome instead of polish and clear-coat you pay your money and take your chances.

 

Said no guarantee that I would get my original wheels back.

That right there would send up a red flag telling me to walk away.


The above statement is correct however the vendor is on this forum and very big and I purchased many items from them without any issues and was treated very well. I did not second guess. In addition I tried to find a shop within 100 mile radius of NJ and they all send out wheels. No one in my area does them in house. Having no choice I went with a forum sponsor. I was constantly reminded by the shops I did speak with was the reason they are sent to CA. is because they are sent to Mexico. Even shops in texas send them there because 1. labor is dirt cheap and 2. more important in mexico they do not have to comply with US DEP regulations, Haz Mat, EPA and all the regulations enforced in the US. It was all this information that swayed my decision. The key word here is LESSON LEARNED.

 

Sounds like someone is going to get a very good set of wheels from the un-named vendor...unfortunately, it's not you.

 

As an FYI, I had mine chromed at http://www.calchrome.com/ and am very happy. They are right around the corner from me and came highly recommended by other Vette owners.
They inspected and checked the wheels for trueness while I watched, the day I dropped them off.

Hopefully it's not the same place the OPs lesson was learned.