p3pilot

I bought a set of Forgeline VX1’s a couple of years ago for my C7 Z51. They turned out being a different color than I’d wanted so I had them powder coated at a shop that had very good ratings online. Long story short, the shop somehow bent all four of the wheels to the point where a road force balance machine couldn’t make them safe to drive on. They’ve been sitting in my garage ever since.

I’m buying a new Z06 in a couple of weeks and thought I might have the wheels repaired to try to get some of my money back out of them. I was just informed that the wheels can’t be straightened. The entire wheel, including the hub and center bore, were powder coated and then the hub and center bore were ground back down to the metal. Since the center bore is uneven now the ring that is placed there on the hydraulic machine doesn’t seat properly.

So now I’ve got around $9,000 worth of wheels that will be going to the dump. The tires have less than 1,000 miles on them so I should at least be able to sell those.

My advice is when you pay big bucks for aftermarket wheels make sure that you’re specifying exactly what you want when you order them. And if you’re not happy with the color either live with it or sell them. This has been a gigantic nightmare.

Vetteman Jack

Damn expensive lesson learned. Sorry you had to go through that mess - good luck recouping some of the costs. Did you pursue a claim against the shop that damaged the wheels?

joemessman

Sorry to hear that. Especially since the OEM wheels are so marginal to begin with.

Zjoe6

That was very good of you to come here and warn us of that situation. Many people powder coat their wheels and this is the first I heard where they damaged the wheels. I'm sure you've tried to take recourse on the powder coating business. Those are some very kick *** rims. One of my favorites.

p3pilot

I'm not looking to get any restitution from the powder coater. Would probably be a waste of time. Just want to get the tires and TPMS's sold and out of my garage. Every time I look at them it gets my blood boiling.

And just to be clear, I think aftermarket forged wheels are a great alternative to the junk that Chevy puts on our cars. Just trying to help others avoid the nightmare that powder coating can cause if not done properly.

hcvone

That SUCKS, I have had probably 25 sets of aftermarket wheels, my last dozen sets from Forgeline thru Gerry at Custom Wheel for Less, everyone was finished differently, some one off, I am sure Gerry and many at Forgeline have much less hair than they used to. I am not a happy person and I want things perfect, my wheels make me smile.

Stan0324

I purchased a set of Forgeline VX1's from Ben at WeaponX. Ordered them polished and clear coated. Came out great.

Sorry to hear about you problem. Too bad Forgeline can't repair them.

lakemg

I'm curious how they bent all four of them? Was the heat set too high in the powder coating drying oven and caused the aluminum to soften? Seems like the temperature would have had to have been really cranked up to do that. Something is odd with how the damaged them.

p3pilot

That's what I'm wondering. I initially thought the shop that mounted the tires was responsible. Then I ordered another wheel (yep, that's 5 total) and took it directly to the powder coater. When they finished I took it directly to Criswell and their Corvette tech told me it was bent. No idea how the powder coater did it but it seems pretty obvious that they're responsible. The front two actually aren't that bad. The road force balance came in well under 25 pounds. The back two were around 50. Even so, I didn't notice any vibration during the brief time I had them on the car.

AORoads

Just wondering what Forgeline had to say to you, not the powder coater or even the e/retailer. I mean, $9K is a bit much to toss out the window....

p3pilot

Forgeline told me that, as a manufacturer, it could be a liability issue since someone else powder coated the wheels. The powder coating Forgeline uses is a low temperature powder coat (no higher than 350 degrees). If you go over that it could potentially change the strength and durability of the wheel.

Criswell was able to get the front wheels balanced. The left rear was a little worse and the right rear was way out. That's when I ordered a replacement (right rear), which the powder coater also bent. Got that one balanced and when we put them all on the car I didn't notice any more vibrations or pulses. That's when I kinda threw my hands up and told myself that was as good as it was going to get. Both rear wheels were around 50 pounds on the road force balance. Even though I couldn't feel any vibrations at speed, that was two times the limit that the Corvette tech at Criswell likes to send out of the door. I took them off not long after installing them. Never went back on the car.

lakemg

Yikes! Did the powder coater share with you how hot they typically take their oven up to? I bet they overheated them and warped them. Seems like they would have contacted Forgeline upfront to determine maximum recommended temperature, but I guess that would be using too much logic which seems to be rare these days.

On edit: I meant to also say thanks for sharing your ordeal with us. I know that it is not easy to talk about, but I'm appreciative of you spreading awareness so that folks don't go through the same pain.

p3pilot

I didn't have any suspicions that the powder coater was responsible until we tried to balance the fifth wheel at Criswell. The only people that had touched it were the UPS man, myself and the powder coater. When I got the first four wheels there was a ton of emphasis on having a skilled mechanic with the proper equipment to mount the tires. Otherwise you were at risk of damaging the wheels. So I naturally assumed that that's what had happened initially. Haven't talked to the powder coater since I picked up the last wheel.

Avanti

This is not an uncommon but sad story that could easily have been avoided if a knowledgeable and concerned powder-coater had been involved. I do feel your pain.

Unfortunately, you must have been new to powder-coating and your powder-coater failed to explain the need to "block" any areas that must not be coated. I have seen this happen before, locally, with a fly-by-night coater who was using his company's equipment to moon-light for himself after-hours. He apparently totally coated everything dropped off, no questions asked. I don't know how the law suits were resolved.

Temperatures used is, of course, an entirely separate issue and the variability from shop to shop always something of a risk unless very sure of the place and people.

Hopefully, if nothing else your travails can serve others by enlightening them about the need to be very sure what they are getting "coated" and what not... and how cured.

Again, I'm sorry for your situation.