Break Dust.. Rim Pitting?

Hey guys.. I just installed some new rims on my car that are cast alum alloy with a machined face. I noticed today that there are tiny pits on the face of the rim. When I called the wheel company they said it could be from break dust.

I was told to ship them the rims for inspection and possible replacement. Can break dust actually cause pits? All the other aftermarket rims I've owned never did this...

The type of wheel cleaner could make the difference. Have you been washing the car, or has someone else been doing it for you?

I try to use P21S as it's a bit less aggressive compared to some others on the market. I've heard of some pitting happening on some wheels from another forum.

Yes brake dust can cause issues. It is corrosive.

Originally Posted by snj1013

Yes brake dust can cause issues. It is corrosive.

I would hope that wheel companies take this into account esp when they make rims mostly for cars like BMW and Audi. I dont see how they can not take this into account

My car has the least amount of brake dust I have ever seen on any car I have ever owned. I would check that out carefully.

UPDATE:

So I passed by the wheel shop where I purchased my rims and a tech looked at the wheel pitting. To my dismay he said it was from normal driving. I dont think my rims should look this way after 3 weeks of driving ESP since I dont live in an area with bad roads or on the east coast with snow and salt.

I had to again contact the wheel company and ask them to help me out. I even offered to drive to the factory which is two hours away from my home here in California. I honestly feel like I shouldnt have to worry about the material being so soft that it won't be able to withstand normal driving conditions.. maybe im worng? The brand of rims are spoken of very highly and many vendors here sell them.

How about some pictures?

I will post pics when I get home from work...

The manger from Avant Garde called the wheel shop and spoke to the tech who looked at my rims. The tech called it pitting from road debris and the Avant Garde took his word for it. To be fair Avant Garde offered me two new rims at cost... but not worth it for me at this time.

Again I've had other rims in the past and never had pitting no matter where I drove. I guess im out of options.

That's very unusual to be pitted after three weeks.... I would phone Avant Garde yourself and pursue the issue. Three weeks? No way.

Originally Posted by PeterC4

That's very unusual to be pitted after three weeks.... I would phone Avant Garde yourself and pursue the issue. Three weeks? No way.

I have actually spoken to a manager at Avant Garde several times. I even offered to drive to the factory. I know if i go there he will tell me its my fault from road debris... he said pitting that you can feel is not the finish. I argued that that the rims should withstand some normal road debris and he said "even a bmw bumper gets chips".

I really have no recourse i guess...

Originally Posted by F10inSD

I have actually spoken to a manager at Avant Garde several times. I even offered to drive to the factory. I know if i go there he will tell me its my fault from road debris... he said pitting that you can feel is not the finish. I argued that that the rims should withstand some normal road debris and he said "even a bmw bumper gets chips".

I really have no recourse i guess...

HI F10inSD

My name is Peter. I was the person you spoke with this morning and couple days ago. I want to clarify something up.

We are not denying the warranty. We simply cannot make a determination on it based your description and the pictures you have sent. You have asked us to send two wheels in advance but unfortunately that is not how our wheel warranty works and most wheel companies require you to send the wheels in for inspection. We tried to get around that by having it inspected by the dealer you purchased the wheel from. But as you have noted, they didn't think it is the results of manufacture defect. We even called the manager of the store for clarification because normally dealers are very eager to warranty things to make the customers happy.

And as regards to this morning's conversation, your quote of "pitting you can feel". My exact explanation is that normally paint defects, ie peeling, etc is usually a smooth cut around where it is pitting. The manager at the store you purchased the wheel from expressed to us that the edge of the pitting you are describing is very rugged and that is how they came to the conclusion that it was road hazard ie rock chips. Again that is their conclusion. We have not seen it so we cannot make the conclusion and that is why we are asking for you to either send us the wheel or drop by for us to inspect it.

And lastly the comment regarding BMW's front bumper is that if you look at the bottom section of your front bumper, you will see some victims of road debris. Now BMW is probably one of the best as far as paint technology goes. Even their paint is not immune to the harsh reality of road debris.

Again, as I have mentioned on our conversations. We are not denying you of the warranty. We are simply asking you to send us the wheel so we can inspect it. We cannot make warranty determination based on the pictures you sent. Attached are the pictures you sent us. We appreciate your business and are hopeful we can resolve this to your satisfaction.

Peter
Avant Garde Wheels

Originally Posted by pete423

HI F10inSD

My name is Peter. I was the person you spoke with this morning and couple days ago. I want to clarify something up.

We are not denying the warranty. We simply cannot make a determination on it based your description and the pictures you have sent. You have asked us to send two wheels in advance but unfortunately that is not how our wheel warranty works and most wheel companies require you to send the wheels in for inspection. We tried to get around that by having it inspected by the dealer you purchased the wheel from. But as you have noted, they didn't think it is the results of manufacture defect. We even called the manager of the store for clarification because normally dealers are very eager to warranty things to make the customers happy.

And as regards to this morning's conversation, your quote of "pitting you can feel". My exact explanation is that normally paint defects, ie peeling, etc is usually a smooth cut around where it is pitting. The manager at the store you purchased the wheel from expressed to us that the edge of the pitting you are describing is very rugged and that is how they came to the conclusion that it was road hazard ie rock chips. Again that is their conclusion. We have not seen it so we cannot make the conclusion and that is why we are asking for you to either send us the wheel or drop by for us to inspect it.

And lastly the comment regarding BMW's front bumper is that if you look at the bottom section of your front bumper, you will see some victims of road debris. Now BMW is probably one of the best as far as paint technology goes. Even their paint is not immune to the harsh reality of road debris.

Again, as I have mentioned on our conversations. We are not denying you of the warranty. We are simply asking you to send us the wheel so we can inspect it. We cannot make warranty determination based on the pictures you sent. Attached are the pictures you sent us. We appreciate your business and are hopeful we can resolve this to your satisfaction.

Peter
Avant Garde Wheels

Peter,

I really have nothing but good things to say about your customer service. I have gone so far as to compliment your team on another BMW forum as well. You have answered all my emails and returned all my calls in a timely manner. In fact I would still recommend your wheels to members based on your service alone. I'm simply stating that after our conversation this morning I was led to believe that no matter what I do the pitting will be viewed as my fault. You explained that a defect in your wheels would appear in a different manner - fair enough.

My point is….. I feel like I have not driven my car in an environment that is any different from any other wheels I've owned. I posted my experience not to demean your service or product, but get feedback on if my expectations are reasonable - that i should be able to drive on normal roads without pitting each time. Moreover, why would I go back to the wheel shop and have the rims shipped back at a cost to me if I was completely led to that the pitting was caused by regular driving and you would not be able to replace them.

You cannot make a determination based on the pictures and information I provided.. but you can make one based on the word of a technican at a wheel shop? At this point I don't know why I should drive to your shop just to have someone walk outside, look at my wheels, and say I drove through a rock quarry in the last 3 weeks. If your wheels are just prone to pitting then what can I do? I would not feel hopeless if your tone wasn't that of: that's just how wheels are. I happen to disagree based on rims I've owned and feedback from gear head friends.

F10inSD

I've had rims on a car that are 10 years old and never looked like that. I suppose it depends on the finish. Picture 3 is pretty good depiction of the problem.

I have experience in automotive paint and I would guess the damage is from road damage.