Anyone else here scratching and or damaging their wheels?

[edmd007]

Gonna be honest, I've spent a long time perseverating over what wheels I wanted to get and finally settled on a 2 piece SV304S with 2 different colors. The fact that these may not be able to be repaired should damage happen is making me second guess spending nearly 9 k (7 k wheels and 1600 tires +tax) for another set of wheels after dropping 100k on a car. A product at this price point should be able to be supported. I mean if you wanted to pay for the repair and repowder coat that should most definitely be an option and has given me pause about dropping this kind of coin. I cannot imagine why re coating wheels wouldn't be an option.

Sponsored

 

[shelbykr]

@Tomster
Tom are these wheels made in the USA? as there website says "Signature Wheels are custom designed by us in California and manufactured in Taiwan."
That could be the reason they can not refinish them in the US.

 

[16Kobra]

@Tomster
Tom are these wheels made in the USA? as there website says "Signature Wheels are custom designed by us in California and manufactured in Taiwan."
That could be the reason they can not refinish them in the US.

Good Point...

 

[Rapid Red]

Off to powder coating..... i asked terrance for some of the same powder to exactly match my other wheels. NO was the answer. I asked if I sent it to him if he couls have it done. NO was the answer. I thanked him for supporting his products. I was willing to pay no matter which direction I had to go.

I expected better.
[/QUOTE]

Some times the consistency of the factory parts have the advantage over aftermarket . Aftermarkets make the $$$$ on quantity, not quality of support & manufacturing .

BTW That wheel is going to take more than powder for the repair, the rim is damaged.

 

[Tomster]

Some times the consistency of the factory parts have the advantage over aftermarket . Aftermarkets make the $$$$ on quantity, not quality of support & manufacturing .

BTW That wheel is going to take more than powder for the repair, the rim is damaged.

Yes, as I said, the wheel was repaired. The company that did the repair sprayed paint over the repair. I went to wetsand and polish and the paint flaked off. The wheel needs to be re powder coated.

 

[Tomster]

@Tomster
Tom are these wheels made in the USA? as there website says "Signature Wheels are custom designed by us in California and manufactured in Taiwan."
That could be the reason they can not refinish them in the US.

You mean the powder coat substance is banned in the US and they can't provide any to anyone so they can match finishes? I dont think thats it Sam. Nor do I think that they want to get into the wheel refinishing business. I was told they don't sell the powder to refinish wheels. That was not an option that was going to fly for whatever reason. Quite frankly, it is all water under the bridge. The story is over, there is no problem to be solved. My situation was pertinent to the OPs thread and that is why I chimed in. I would like everyone to focus on the OP and his issue. My story ends with a re powder coated wheel that may be a close match or not.

Lesson learned, don't kiss a curb with a forged aluminum wheel.

Now everyone move along, nothing more to see here.

 

[OH3Cobra]

I'll be looking at HRE's quality and support

 

[protraxduner]

Compared to the other cars i drive the turning radius on 500 feels like i am driving a school bus. i am starting to get used to it but taking some time.

 

[MaskedRacerX]

It's probably because they are not manufactured in house. I had HREs on my last Mustang and they had no problem refinishing them. They do everything at their facility in California and I sent in my wheels a couple times for repairs without any issues.

I had a set a couple of sets of CCWs, 3 piece modular "race" wheel, and a polished set of SP500s. The 3-piece I shipped down (picked them up onsite, since they're [were] just down in Daytona), disassembled, centers bead blasted, polished, tires remounted.

Though I had another set of wheels, where I tried to get them fixed by the original manufacturer, and they said, no go, a good bit cheaper than the CCWs, so the fix of a single replacement wasn't even all that pricey (I actually fixed by way of a sharpie since it was very minor scuffing, not really much material damage, very outer lip, just disappeared nicely).

 

[50 Deep]

I just kissed a curb with one of my signature sv902s. Thank God it wasn't one of my CF wheels.......

Off to powder coating..... i asked terrance for some of the same powder to exactly match my other wheels. NO was the answer. I asked if I sent it to him if he couls have it done. NO was the answer. I thanked him for supporting his products. I was willing to pay no matter which direction I had to go.

I expected better.

T,

Getting your wheel damaged sucked. But, there is a difference between support, and services we do not offer. When you initially told me you thought there was an issue with the wheel the immediate response was that “we would take care of it.” Once we determined it was cosmetic damage from the curbing and not any production issue it shifted to “how can we help you take care of it.” Which included me attempting to find a local recommendation to refinish the gloss black wheel. It was not a simple “No” response without any other help.

I do a whole hell of a lot to take care of people. Excellent service and advice before the wheel build process. 24 hour / 365 day a year access to me with any questions or concerns you might have after production begins. Access to all of the discounts or savings we have with industry partners. Development of speciality components to make wheel installs painless. Spot on delivery times. Reaching out to local contacts for recommendations on wheel repair services, and almost any other help you could need.

One of the the services we do not offer is touch up, or the ability to send wheels back to be refinished/refurbished. All powder coatings are mixed at the time of the wheel build and are custom colors. There is no paint/color code that you could provide to a local shop. And still no guarantee the mix would be perfect match even if you sent it back. At which point you would be out time, money, and definitely upset if you got the wheel back and it didn’t match what you currently had. We also then assume responsibility if that wheel comes to us damaged, gets lost in shipping, misplaced once received, and a host of other potential issues.

I can do many things, but there are some some things I can not. I can understand your frustration as the outcome you desired was for us to take the wheel back and refinish it for you after already having a failed attempt with a local repair service. To say we do not offer support or make it seem lackluster would be a misrepresentation of what Signature is about, or what you could expect within the wheel industry.

 

[50 Deep]

Wow, seriously? I definitely did not expect a no go that. Especially offering to send to them for the powder coat etc.

Check out the response above. What happened to T’s wheel is unfortunate, but a local repair is the fastest and most cost effective way to finish curb rash on a wheel. Detail is provided in the response, but more can be given if needed.

 

[m3incorp]

Did you sand off the curb rash?

Edit... I notice you said you had sent them out for repair.

I've got about an inch of curb rash on a wheel. On a good note, Velgen is sending me matching paint for $38.

The curb rash is gone. The only thing left to do is powder coat the wheel now.

 

[wilkinda65]

The turning radius is the real issue. People just need to get used to the fact this car does not make tight radius turns. Where I travel I had to make a tight radius turn that I can make no problem with the Explorer ST but could not make with this GT500.

it’ll take some getting used to

 

[Tomster]

T,

Getting your wheel damaged sucked. But, there is a difference between support, and services we do not offer. When you initially told me you thought there was an issue with the wheel the immediate response was that “we would take care of it.” Once we determined it was cosmetic damage from the curbing and not any production issue it shifted to “how can we help you take care of it.” Which included me attempting to find a local recommendation to refinish the gloss black wheel. It was not a simple “No” response without any other help.

I do a whole hell of a lot to take care of people. Excellent service and advice before the wheel build process. 24 hour / 365 day a year access to me with any questions or concerns you might have after production begins. Access to all of the discounts or savings we have with industry partners. Development of speciality components to make wheel installs painless. Spot on delivery times. Reaching out to local contacts for recommendations on wheel repair services, and almost any other help you could need.

One of the the services we do not offer is touch up, or the ability to send wheels back to be refinished/refurbished. All powder coatings are mixed at the time of the wheel build and are custom colors. There is no paint/color code that you could provide to a local shop. And still no guarantee the mix would be perfect match even if you sent it back. At which point you would be out time, money, and definitely upset if you got the wheel back and it didn’t match what you currently had. We also then assume responsibility if that wheel comes to us damaged, gets lost in shipping, misplaced once received, and a host of other potential issues.

I can do many things, but there are some some things I can not. I can understand your frustration as the outcome you desired was for us to take the wheel back and refinish it for you after already having a failed attempt with a local repair service. To say we do not offer support or make it seem lackluster would be a misrepresentation of what Signature is about, or what you could expect within the wheel industry.

I continued to say that your company makes a really good wheel. But there are inherent problems with getting a wheel repaired, the biggest.... Color match.

I certainly understand Signature not wanting to get involved in the wheel repair business. But when an accident does occur (and they do), you shouldn't have to be forced into a choice between a new wheel and settling for a repair that will not be anywhere near the original product.

If I were Signature, the way I would handle a request like this would be to mix up the correct powder and sell it to the customer. If you want to stay out of the wheel repair business, that would be one way to do it and keep your customers happy. Explain to them that there is no guarantee that the color will be a 100% match. If you did that, it would go a long way.

Another option is to partner with a wheel repair business (who you trust with your proprietary processes) and train them with your wheels and your powder coating process. I've seen you and your partnerships. You are quite good at that kind of stuff (racing brakes, Ford Performance Racing School, etc). Doing it this way would keep Signature out of the wheel repair business and would be an added bonus to after sale support.

Face it, your business is growing based upon the reputation you have gained. These wheels are great wheels. It shouldn't be a proposition where if one gets dinged and it is repairable, that a finish cant be had to make it nice again, as close as possible to the original finish. Otherwise, you are buying a really expensive wheel that is essentially junk after a blemish. I can say with certainty that when my wheel comes back from powder coat, it will not look like my other 3 in that set. What does a guy who has an exotic finish do? I sure do wish I got those SV801's in gloss black now too.

I cant stress this enough. Signature makes great wheels. You are great to each and every one of us in the community, and I thank you for that. Certainly it should not be that if you get a ding or a rash, you are on your own. If HRE can do it, certainly Signature can. You just have to want to find a solution.

Edited to add:

the outcome you desired was for us to take the wheel back and refinish it for you after already having a failed attempt with a local repair service. To say we do not offer support or make it seem lackluster would be a misrepresentation of what Signature is about, or what you could expect within the wheel industry.

No, I asked if you could sell me the exact (powder coat mixture). You said No, you can't because you don't sell it. I then asked if I could send it to you to have it redone (thinking it was a proprietary issue). The answer to that was no, we wouldn't recoat it either. Signature doesn't offer refinishing services. Very few wheel manufacturers do.

I wasn't misrepresenting anything. That is the exact way it went. I was forthcoming in the fact that I tried to get the wheel repaired in my earlier account of things. When the problem became the finish and the advice you gave me to just re coat the wheel, it was then I asked for the correct powder.

 

[Tomster]

Did you sand off the curb rash?

Edit... I notice you said you had sent them out for repair.

I've got about an inch of curb rash on a wheel. On a good note, Velgen is sending me matching paint for $38.

Yes, the repair technician sanded the rash down. It was such a minor rash that only about .02" of material was taken down. The finish after the fact was the problem.

Sponsored