66nAustin

Couple of weeks ago, I posted asking for advice on whether to replace a set of polished aluminum TTII's that were damaged by a local shop or try to polish them back to new condition. Short recap is this: had a brand new set of TTII's on my 66 vert when it went to the shop for a new engine/tranny/suspension. When car was finished, shop owner had it detailed (without my knowledge or permission) before delivering to me. Detailer sprayed something (bleach?) on my new wheels that tarnished/spotted them, ate away some of the polished finish and made them hazy. Shop owner noticed the problem, sent them back to detailer who unsuccessfully attempted to polish them. Shop owner then sent them to another polisher who was also unsuccessful at returning them to new condition. After two polishings plus whatever was sprayed on them, they look like daily driving wheels that are 10 years old. Discount Tire, where I purchased them new three days before putting my car in the shop says wheels are clearly ruined by something that was sprayed on but American Racing refused to honor warranty. It is clear something had been sprayed on them and this violated the terms of their warranty. Shop owner has ordered replacement wheels but blames me for this situation now because I bought wheels that he says are 'crap' and that the way they look now is how they would have looked in six months anyway, that his supplier stopped carrying them because they were such crap, that these are the crappiest wheels on the planet and I'm to blame because I bought these pieces of crap and he doesn't want to do business with me anymore. While I question his business decision to tell a customer who just spent $15k in his shop to take a hike, I can sympathize with his position. Seems like wheels should be durable enough to withstand all sorts of contaminants that you might encounter on the road:salt, water, oil, chemicals. So, are Torq Thrust II polished aluminum wheels really that bad????

rick piras

Sounds like an irrational shop owner. TT2's are among the most popular wheel out there. Does it make sense that so many people would buy them if they we're poor quality? The set on my wagon look the same as when I put them on close to 10 years ago. I was planning to put another set on the '65 once it's running with the new motor and goes on the new frame.
Sounds like whatever was sprayed on them seriously etched into the metal, but that would've happened with any aluminum wheel.

KC John

The shop owner sounds like a jerk. I haven't driven through bleach or chemicals on any of the roads I've been on. One thing I like about mine is the fact that they are not coated with anything, so they can be polished up easily.

I guess if you are worried about it you could always have them anodized to protect them, but then you wouldn't be able to polish them if they were to get hazy or scratched.

Frankie the Fink

Look....if you put something corrosive enough on ANY metal...its going to get ruined. The shop owner is just PO'ed because he's responsible for the damage. If you bought genuine TT-IIs they are fine products and many of my friends run them (some for years) and they still look new.

lvrpool32

American Racing now make their wheels in China, so there's a chance the quality of the aluminum casting may be less than ideal.
It sounds more likely the detailer used a tire cleaner or wheel cleaner that was not recommended for polished finishes (Welch's Bleach White for example, says keep off of polished wheels) and if you look at some of the wheel cleaners, especially for rough cast wheels, they contain pretty strong etching materials, so will damage a polished surface if not removed asap.
Sadly he tried to do a cool thing for you (the detailing) but he needs to revisit the detailing company he uses and the employees and materials they use (Its like the time I saw a guy hand drying a brand new black Mercedes SL at the car wash..he dropped the drying towel on the floor, he just picked it up and carried on wiping away!)

pullin-gs

I bought AR TT2s about 6 years ago.
Within a year they were fogging up in blotches on all four wheels. I'll never own another set of AR wheels again.
These were clear-coated...all the polishing in the world would not made a dent in the splotches.

65Corvette

Love my polished TT II's. High quality wheel and never had a problem with them. Takes a little more work than chrome, but its worth it in the end. Like others have said, the shop owner is just pissed because he has to pay for the detailer's mistake. He'll say anything at this point. Witness telling a customer who just dropped a bundle at his shop the he no longer wants your business.

66nAustin

Yep, this guy has turned out to be a jerk. Wish I'd known sooner. One of the many things that ticks me off about this is my car isn't quite finished. I've got a minor oil leak, a minor tranny leak and the front alignment is not quite right. But who wants to take their car to someone who treats customers this way. And the only other shop that I would trust to do the work is the one I didn't choose when selecting the shop to do the build. Guess I'll have to eat a little crow and go to them anyway. Thanks for all the good comments.

Black_Magic

I've got them on 3 cars (see below) and never had a problem.

I would give this guy time-of-day and for sure no more business.

My $.02

George

Sean Dunshee

I have these same wheels on 2 of my cars and they look as new today as they did a few years ago.

TheSaint

This is the shop owners problem and not yours.

Tell him it is his loss and that you will advice your friends not to use his shop if he does not want to do business with you because his mistace

I think TTII's are the most popular wheels around and i am sure that the shop owner knows that as well

Geek's 65

And I think I only really polish them once a year. Your shop owner has a bad case of the Sour Grapes.

Trophy Blue

Out There

Just finished polishing a set of TT2s with Meguires Mag Wheel Polish. Turns everything black and would probably bring those back unless they are physically pitted by the cleaner used. I even did most of mine by hand but a polishing wheel will take out many imperfections.

FastEddy

I've never seen or heard of factory clear coated Torq Thrust II's. If you had them clear coated, then the fogging was probably separation of the clearcoat from the aluminum, which wouldn't be AR's fault.

OldKarz

I have a set on my 67 Chevelle. Look the same as they did in 06 when I installed them!

knight37128

Who would put brand new wheels and tires on a car before it went to have the engine / transmission / suspension replaced?

Leave the old wheels on if it's going in the shop for that long.

MiguelsC2

Last thing I threw on the car.

Problem is, the OP bought polished aluminum wheels. I pull mine off every 1k miles. Polish inside and out. Always wipe after getting wet etc.. I also pull my own weights off before I take the individual tires to be balanced.
I work hand in hand with my alignment man. Making sure his clamp on equipment doesn't scratch or damage the rims.

I don't recommend any raw polished wheel. These things scratch if you breath on them wrong. It you don't enjoy the rigors of concourse detailing (and having your tire and balance guys hate you)? They aren't for you.

Those guys need chrome.

There are too many stooges loose in these shops.

Godholio

Sounds like somebody used Blech White or something similar. Do you have whitewalls or RWLs by chance?