The GREAT massive looking 20 wheels are only painted silver!

H

Hockeye

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2018 Madza CX-9 GT
The GREAT massive looking 20 wheels are only painted silver!

Just bought a 2014 CX-9 just found out (the hard way), the GREAT massive looking 20 wheels are only painted silver! (Go figure?).

Thought I would clean them up with Softscrub, and quickly found out its too easy to scrub off the silver paint and get to the black primer underneath!

Anyone had this problem? Anyone know where to get matching spray paint?

wheel.jpg
 
The majority of OEM wheels are just painted and clear coated.

Mazda seems to have a higher than normal amount of people complaining about the paint on the wheels though so they may have cheaped out a bit more than most here.
 
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Agreed that (as I have recently learned), many high-end vehicles now have painted wheels.

But it is annoying that the Mazda dealer Parts department does not offer some type of touch-up paint for their wheels…I will have to guess at the color!
 
Gunmetal aluminum wheels.

A lot of people find out the hard way that only soap and water can be used on them. Even with tire shine you should be very careful to only get it on the rubber. Brake cleaners and degreasers will (obviously) kill the finish.

Just like any paint on any surface, gotta do your research on their upkeep.

There are a lot of wheel restoration places popping up. Most are mobil shops and like glass replacement can come to your work and do their stuff.

Find a wrecked cx9 in a junkyard and haggle for the wheels. Either that or plasti-dip them.
 
Ouch...they usually have a clearcoat installed. I found damange to my rims and had to call a mobile shop. It can cost anywhere from $120-$180 for repairs in CA. He matched the paint, leveled the surface and looks like. It's hard to tell (you have to be looking for it) where the damage was.
 
I missed this thread when it was first posted.

I guess "20-inch aluminum-alloy wheels" on the website (and my sticker) just means they are made out of aluminum and painted?! I'd say that's a little misleading.
 
I just noticed mine are messed up. Seems more like the finish "flaked" off as opposed to fading. I wonder if this would be covered under warranty of considered wear and tear. I don't see any signs of curb damage or anything that would explain the damage.
 
Check out my video

Gtech said:
I just noticed mine are messed up. Seems more like the finish "flaked" off as opposed to fading. I wonder if this would be covered under warranty of considered wear and tear. I don't see any signs of curb damage or anything that would explain the damage.
Click to expand...

Here's a short look at my second (and maybe last) attempt to touch-up my wheel paint.

https://youtu.be/YXdkdIwjKK8

As you will see, the Silver Paint (Dupli-Color High Performance WHEEL Coating, (cost about $7 at my local Auto Parts Store)), can do a reasonable job.
 
markts said:
I missed this thread when it was first posted.

I guess "20-inch aluminum-alloy wheels" on the website (and my sticker) just means they are made out of aluminum and painted?! I'd say that's a little misleading.
Click to expand...

How is this any different than pretty much every other OEM aluminum wheel on the market?
 
Apparently my 2006 Mazda6's alloy wheels were painted and I never realized it. I didn't have any paint come off them in the 10 years I owned it. Has something changed in 10 years?
 
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I would actually expect the paint to come off with SoftScrub. It's an abrasive, although very mild. It's designed for non-painted kitchen and bathroom surfaces.

They sell wheel cleaners.
 
JPL said:
I would actually expect the paint to come off with SoftScrub. It's an abrasive, although very mild. It's designed for non-painted kitchen and bathroom surfaces.

They sell wheel cleaners.
Click to expand...

I use dish soap; usually the generic, or Ajax.
 
Hockeye said:
Agreed that (as I have recently learned), many high-end vehicles now have painted wheels.

But it is annoying that the Mazda dealer Parts department does not offer some type of touch-up paint for their wheels…I will have to guess at the color!
Click to expand...

Search around detail shops and get your wheels refinished--some of these shops can make your wheels look factory new, even if you have scuffs, scratches or bad curb rash. Touch up paint is not going to last or look good.
 
Brought my car into the dealer so they could have a look at the wheels and they started a warranty claim without much question. They mentioned they have had quite a few of these issues reported so we will see how it plays out. Doesn't seem specific to the CX-9 though.
 
Spoke to the dealer today and supposedly wheels are on back order. I just hope when this all said and done the other two wheels don't have the same issue in the future.
 
Sorry I didn't get a chance to take pictures of the damaged wheels. Got them replaced last week without much hassle. Definitely worth a mention to he dealer if you notice this while still under warranty.
 
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