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UGH my wheels are plastic

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M

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Discussion Starter · #1 · (Edited)
I have had my loaded 300C for about a week and a half. The other morning I leaned over to wipe some brake dust off a rim. It felt wrong (not cold) so I tapped it with a fingernail, and felt around the back of the wheel, and I came to the ugly realization that these "18 inch chromed alloy wheels" have plastic hubcaps on them. :eek:uch: I guess this is a dress up kit for some ugly looking castings underneath? I was surprised I have not heard this mentioned before.

Does anyone have any idea how long these chrome plated plastic fascia things hold up? Are they available separately? This is the first car I have had that had plastic "hubcaps" but I owned a '90 Miata once- it did not have plastic alloy wheelcovers, it had cast wheels with a textured finish, but it did have a little insert in the wheel for a 6" plastic chrome cap to cover just the lug area. After about 4 years and repeated carwashes, the finish washed off.

Anyway, be very careful if you are tempted to use any special wheel cleaners or polish on them. They are NOT what they appear.

Regards,

Matt
 
J

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#3 ·
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat

WTF??????

Are my wheels on my 300C Hemi are plastic covers? I could of sworn that they were the real thing. I am going to check. As soon as I get up from here. :AR15firin
 
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Northern Rider

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#7 ·
That's not heavy. The wheels weigh in at 26 lbs - very light for a large (18") wheel. The wheel is a cast aluminum alloy.

It is faced with Chromed plastic cladding on the spokes. Most cast chromed wheels weigh in at 35 to over 40 lbs. Way too much weight!

I think this is an elegant solution to getting a light wheel with a chrome effect onto the car at a reasonable price.
 
M

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Discussion Starter · #8 ·
marlinspike said:
You've got to be kidding me? The C uses steel wheels and a hubcap? WTF? No wonder they are so damn heavy (I read wheel + tire = 53lbs!!!).
Richard
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I believe the 18" chrome wheels have a plastic chrome trim piece over an aluminum alloy casting that isn't very pretty to behold. Kinda like dental veneers on a chainsmoking supermodel.

Regards,

Matt
 
Northern Rider

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#10 ·
marlinspike said:
I for one would rather a good painted alloy (or better yet polished aluminum) than fake chrome. Light 18" to me means 19lbs. But still, I admit, I forgot how heavy 18" tires that have a 60 profile are.
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19 lbs is great, but in an 18" wheel you are looking at $500.00 + per wheel and not likely to be chromed. Polished are okay but every painted rim I've ever had has degraded and chipped.
 
C

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#12 ·
memobug said:
I have had my loaded 300C for about a week and a half. The other morning I leaned over to wipe some brake dust off a rim. It felt wrong (not cold) so I tapped it with a fingernail, and felt around the back of the wheel, and I came to the ugly realization that these "18 inch chromed alloy wheels" have plastic hubcaps on them. :eek:uch: I guess this is a dress up kit for some ugly looking castings underneath? I was surprised I have not heard this mentioned before.

Does anyone have any idea how long these chrome plated plastic fascia things hold up? Are they available separately? This is the first car I have had that had plastic "hubcaps" but I owned a '90 Miata once- it did not have plastic alloy wheelcovers, it had cast wheels with a textured finish, but it did have a little insert in the wheel for a 6" plastic chrome cap to cover just the lug area. After about 4 years and repeated carwashes, the finish washed off.

Anyway, be very careful if you are tempted to use any special wheel cleaners or polish on them. They are NOT what they appear.

Regards,

Matt
Click to expand...
I am surprised you did not know this and your dealer did not mention it.

DC went cheap beginning with the 2002 300 M's, prior to that they were chrome.

You may want to keep an eye on your rims as a lot of us have had them deteriorate probably due to rain, snow, salt and maybe other things. I have already had mine changed under warranty but it was a bit of a fight.
 
J

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#13 ·
I can't believe this. My frikin dealer even talked about how nice the chrome rims looked on the 300C. Unbelieveable!!!!
 
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sorbs

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#16 ·
mhh333 said:
Does this mean I am wrecking my wheels by using metal polish on them??? They look great when I finish. My luck I am destroying the finish...Oh well time to get 22"s...
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You can look at it this way...when your wife clips a curb it is cheaper to replace plastic than buy a new rim!

I have the 20" plastic chrome on my RAM 1500. She ruined the right front wheel in three days after bringing it home. Waiting for another one to get toasted before replacing. These are a lot cheaper than a new wheel!
 
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