VinceW

Hi, I got a set of mint High Lustre 18'' 5 spoke STi hatch wheels off of ebay 1 year ago. They were delivery mileage and only had the tyres taken off of them to be put on the sellers new wheels. They have covered approximately 7000 miles and done one winter being cleaned regularly. The wheels are in excellent condition with no curbing. The finish on the inside edge of the spokes on the front wheels is starting to bubble noticably. The rears are going to a lesser extent. Has anybody else had issues with the finish on these wheels? I know of 1 other owner who has had them swapped under warranty.

Subaru are not interested in replacing them under the 3 year warranty as they were not fitted to the car when I bought it and were not supplied by a dealer. I can sort of see their point but as the oldest these wheels can be is just about 3 years old as the first cars were launched in 2008 I thought they may have been more accomodating as it is obviously a production defect.

Any hatch owners out there with the 18" high lustre wheels check them carefully as you may be in the same boat as me! I'd be interested to know how many other people have issues as it may help me with a complaint.

Cheers Vince

urban

iTrader: (1)

My 330S wheels are showing the same symptoms
Subaru will replace them under warranty though

lordharding

iTrader: (1)

Yes
Was a common fault documented on the gr forum or hatch thread on the gallery
Do a search on them
I guess Subaru won't wantvto know if you haven't proof of purchase

VinceW

No subaru dont want to know. I thought the dealer would just submit a warranty claim as the cars are all within warranty period. The dealer was no help at all as they were not supplied by them or original fit to the vehicle. My only chance is to try and contact the original owner. If this is a known issue the dealer does not appear to be aware of it. Although that does not surprise me. The customer service and support provided by them has been pretty dire over the last 8 years considering I have bought 2 new cars off of them!

Apple

I had all 4 wheels replaced under warranty after my 2 year service. I mentioned it at the service expecting the get nowhere and I got a phone call a few days later asking me to take the car in to have them changed. They'd sent pics to Subaru and then they had a set in quick to replace mine. It appeared to be a known problem...

Mine were fitted on the car from new by the dealer.

+Doc+

Eh? You bought some wheels off ebay and you want Subaru to replace them because they are bubbling?! rofl.

StanS

iTrader: (3)

I assume that if they are re-powder coated they will be fine ?
Not that you'd want to pay for that on a new car, but I was thinking of buying a 2nd hand set with similar issues, and have no experience of how effective re-powder coating over corrosion is.
Any advice/experience ??

ethanrob

iTrader: (3)

no corrosion issues with my wheels guys,but they were replaced at the dealer in december for brand new ones(the wheels im selling btw )

i was told by the dealership where i bought my car that subaru will replace these wheels happily under your 3 year warranty "if" you purchased them either new with the car,or bought them new from a dealership etc

anyhow mine are now like just under 6 months old and have no signs of corrosion or bubbling at all !!! but they are cleaned and sealed at least evey week!

marcus