Well I can't say I'm entirely surprised...I've had my '14 GMC SLT for 6 months now and I just gave the 20" chrome wheels a good scrub and polish now that winter is 100% done here in Ohio.

I've got some minor staining on the wheels, I might be able to polish that out, but I've got "chrome" flaking off where it meets the back of the rim, I've got pin head size spots (and a few larger) that are bubbled up and a few have chipped away already.

No road rash on these babies. I also kept spraying them off this past winter to try and combat the salt, but apparently that didn't do the trick.

I'm sure GM would just laugh at me if I brought up this complaint? I've got about 4,000 miles on the truck, so it's not like it was out in the elements a lot and also parked indoors. I did NOT get the GM Wheel Warranty because if you read the fine print, it specifically states GM is not responsible for pitting etc. due to salt.

I knew these wheels would start to fall apart at some point, but I figured I'd get 3-5 winters out of them before that point.


Is this worth fighting? Any advice on how to approach this? I've bought countless brand new GM vehicles and so I feel like "they owe me" on this on. But we all know that isn't likely to happen.

 

If you established a good relationship with your salesman he may go to bat for you if he thinks you'll buy from him again or refer people to him.

 

I've cleaned chrome rims with soap and water and a steel wool pad. But i guess that just slows down the tarnishing process. In any case, yes, i would still take it to the dealer and see what they can do about it. some dealers are more accommodating.

 

I'll make a few calls today. I'll call my salesman and see what he can do (I just gave him another sale last week)

And call the dealership where I normally buy my vehicles, the service department knows me on a first name basis from my previous purchases.

 

Called my sales guy and he went back to service. He said to bring in the truck and have them take a look. He said that he's personally seen them replace rims for people. I'm hoping that with his input (he knows me personally as well) that they will replace the rims.

If they did replace the rims, I'd love to be able to keep them and throw a set of "winter" tires on them and make those my winter set. Not sure if they'd like me keep them or if GM would make them send them in. High dollar rims but they aren't cheap to ship!

 

If you get new rims, get them seal coated.

A local carwash place seal coats aftermarket rims, seems to help them alot. Not exactly sure what they use though, we just send them to him before we mount the tires. Certain customers and the owner of my store get them done when they get new rims.

 

Hurm, haven't heard of that. I'll have to look into that or a company that does that (if they replace my rims)

 

Plasti-dip clear works well for winter too. Keeps the salt away and its easy to get off in the spring.


Nothing beats a set of winter rims though.

 

Dealership is ordering me 4 new rims, so that's good. But now I need to figure out

1) What can I seal the new rims with to protect them?
2) I'll buy a set of rims and tires for winter only, what year truck rims will fit the '14 1500's? Is my best bet Craigslist?

 

Literally like anything from 1988-2015 chevy/gmc 6 lug rims will fit.

But to be more spot on, you'll need to run a 17in rim I think to clear the rear calipers.

Ebay, craigslist etc etc, where ever you want to spend your money to find a spare set.