Gunmetal Wheels Finish Issue

:
'24 CX-5 Turbo Sig
'23 MX-5 GT
(Issue could be applicable to other Mazdas, but posting here as it's about the CX-9 wheels)

Picked up our 2015 CX-9 GT (CPO with 5k miles) earlier this year and am concerned with the finish / quality of the OEM 20" gunmetal wheels. IMO they are indeed quite good looking, but they've all got some form of discoloration thing going on, which in my best guess is either due to lack of adequate cleaning by the P.O. (maybe brake dust & dirt got embedded?) or a defective / low quality finish. I initially brought it up to dealer but they said it wasn't a warrantable item. I beg to differ, as I believe there's really no reason for them to be in this condition so easily and so quickly. Had many cars in the past with silver or gunmetal aluminum alloy wheels but never had this situation before.

Tried cleaning with just soap and water, and used Sonax on one wheel with no effect. Been meaning to bring it by the detail shop to get their take on it as well. Couple of Q's:

- Anyone with these wheels have any such issues? Or are your holding up ok?
- Doe anyone have a secret formula / method to try to address this, or should I not even bother?

Any thoughts?
 
Last edited:
This is common for rims that have a "hypersilver/titanium" finish and have been exposed to certain wheel cleaners with acid in them. The PO probably used a strong wheel cleaner and what you're seeing is an absence of paint below the surface. To avoid this, only use mild soap and water to clean your rims. Unfortunately, one of the only ways to get rid of this is to refinish them. And I doubt Mazda will warrant this. I have friends that own a mobile wheel repair business, and they run into this ALL THE TIME. Even though yours is an 2015, this Mazda TSB may shed some more light:

http://www.miata.net/garage/tsb/02-006-08.pdf

Or you can do a google search on black stains on rims and see what many other car owners have experienced. The paint to these type of rims look nice, but unfortunately, need a little more TLC when it comes to cleaning...or better yet, more basic cleaning with just mild soap and water.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the feedback (and SB)! Lesson to be learned / words of wisdom for owners with these wheels!

Would be fine if I wanted a peppered look, huh? On the bright side, can just view it as brake dust that needs to be cleaned off (but won't). Came across a writeup that said these types of wheels are painted black and blended with a lighter shade before clear coating which must not be a high enough application to prevent this (?). As mentioned, never had such issues before with GM wheels.

Guess this is just one of those things we must live with :( Time to sell the car! LOL ...unless opt to swap out (18s?) or refinish to a bright silver or...

{edit} maybe black powder coat? (see below)
 
Last edited:
The write-up you read is correct in that process to achieve this type of wheel finish has a black coat foundation beneath the clear coat. The average prospective buyer of vehicles sees a sharp- and cool-looking finish to these wheels, but don't realize you can't just pick up some wheel cleaner and apply. They actually think they're going over and beyond to take care of these nice-looking wheels, when it's actually going to ruin the look. It's a bummer...and even if the salesman and manufacturer give warnings, the problem would still be prevalent.

I purchased a set of RX-8 Shinka rims a few years back that had these marks on them. I ultimately winded up getting them sandblasted and powdercoated after they were professionally re-painted.

Shinkas w/original finish:

wheel.jpg


IMG_0004.jpg


Repainted:

IMG_0003-2.jpg


IMG_0001-2.jpg


IMG_0007-1.jpg


Powdercoated:

IMG_0013-2.jpg


IMG_0005-3.jpg


od8.jpg
 
My car is a week old. Washing it Saturday, I noticed some discoloration on the rims. Never saw it on my 2014. Glad I saw this. May be taking a trip back to the dealer to see what they prepped it with.
 
Gunmetal no more. Problem solved; had them PC'd black. (eekdance)

(pic links removed b/c of photobucket's changes)

ps - thanks to Hank3 for the inspiration to go with a PC solution
 
Last edited:
I know exactly what you experiencing because Mazda just refinished the same wheels.

So I bought my truck at night, thought the wheels were just dirty the next day I called and wanted to return the truck due to the wheels, also had a few other issues.

The General Manager comes out, we go over the truck and lastly I say why are the front wheels darker than the rears? His reply, "they are just dirty" which was exactly what I was hoping he'd say. I walk over and drag my fingers across the rim and they were clean.

So they decided to retint all the windows, change the brake rotors, refinish all 4 rims, replace the rear bumper and rebuff the car to mirror.

I do have a pic of the night I bought it, not very clear tho.

The wheels came out gorgeous, they got rid of most of the black and they look better than the stock silver color. It's still sorta gun metal but much brighter.

Mazda CX-9 Exterior by https://www.flickr.com/photos/143276860@N04/, on Flickr
 
Back