Aluminum Wheel Spider Veins

[OK3wire]

I have a 2015 Rockwood Roo19 Hybrid withe the Sapphire Package aluminum wheels. After 4 months and over 1000 miles on the trailer, all four of my aluminum wheels started to develop what I will call spider veins. I keep the trailer wheels covered when not in use and I only wash the the wheels with mild soap as directed in the owner's manual. Has anyone else seen this before? I bought the aluminum wheels because they looked awesome, but they are starting to look like crap with all the cracks developing and they are getting worse. Is this normal? Is this merely cosmetic? Will the manufacturer's warranty cover replacing all four rims? Thanks in advance for the advice. Fly Navy!!!

[drc343]

Looks like something scratched or removed the clear coat. Maybe a stiff brush or using the wrong cleaner. Are you using automotive soaps and not household soaps? Household soaps can remove the clear coat. A automotive detailer might be able to repair it.

[trbomax]

That is degradation of the clear coat they put on them to keep them looking good. Unfortunately,when moisture and road cemicals get to the wheels ,this is the result. I would never have aluminum wheels on a trailer because this same corrosion is crawling in under the tire beads andin a couple years you will be chaseing rim leaks forever. I changed out my wheels to a set of DexWheel modular steel wheels that I personally sandblasted and refinished with epoxy prime and catalyzed enemel top coat.Slam a set of stainless trim rings and goodyear E range Marathons,and you are good to go w/o corosion and rim leaks. These are the ones on our Aluminum Merhow LQ horse trailer,but the ones on the toy hauler are the same.

[OK3wire]

@DRC343. I only wash the rig and wheels with a non abrasive sponge and mild soap and water per the manufacturer's directions. I never wash the wheels with harsh wheel cleaner.

[OK3wire]

@trboomax. Thanks. If what you say is true about corrosion penetrating the beads, it's very frustrating since I spent the extra $$$ for the good looking aluminum wheels on my sled.

[TwiceTheIce]

Originally Posted by trbomax

That is degradation of the clear coat they put on them to keep them looking good. Unfortunately,when moisture and road cemicals get to the wheels ,this is the result. I would never have aluminum wheels on a trailer because this same corrosion is crawling in under the tire beads andin a couple years you will be chaseing rim leaks forever. I changed out my wheels to a set of DexWheel modular steel wheels that I personally sandblasted and refinished with epoxy prime and catalyzed enemel top coat.Slam a set of stainless trim rings and goodyear E range Marathons,and you are good to go w/o corosion and rim leaks. These are the ones on our Aluminum Merhow LQ horse trailer,but the ones on the toy hauler are the same.

IF your hypothesis about aluminum wheels leaking in a couple years is correct, there will be a bunch of Brrkshire owners with flat tires.

[trbomax]

Originally Posted by TwiceTheIce

IF your hypothesis about aluminum wheels leaking in a couple years is correct, there will be a bunch of Brrkshire owners with flat tires.

Aint a hypothesis,its my experience in 51 yrs of doing this.The Alcoas will take a while longer,maybe 4-5 yrs and if you keep them out of the salt and dont acid wash them,maybe longer. I thought we were talking about the cheapy trailer wheels in the OP,not high$ Alcoa's found on Berks.

[OK3wire]

@trbomax. My wheels are only 7 months old. Seems like a lot of premature wear for my rims that have been taken care of per the manufacturing directions, in a non salt water environment and never acid washed.

[trbomax]

You could take it back to a/the dealer,but they will just tell that the vendor (manufacturer) warranties the wheels and its a maintanence issue anyways.Bet your life on it!

[Still Kickin]

Originally Posted by OK3wire

@trbomax. My wheels are only 7 months old. Seems like a lot of premature wear for my rims that have been taken care of per the manufacturing directions, in a non salt water environment and never acid washed.

Don't worry, that is only surface cracks in the clear coat, they won't be leaking air for many years, if ever. Because you do maintain them, it is annoying to see the result. I also agree that it would be a claim to the wheel manufacture, and whats to say it just doesn't happen again. Tough spot to be in too.

[trbomax]

If you have pull thru stems ,they will corrode and leak first.Forgot to mention that!

[doc73]

Originally Posted by TwiceTheIce

IF your hypothesis about aluminum wheels leaking in a couple years is correct, there will be a bunch of Brrkshire owners with flat tires.

I had aluminum wheels on my Jeep. I was always chasing slow leaks from corrosion. Now I was driving in some pretty tough terrain so it was a bit rough on the rims. I usually had to de-mount the tire once every year or two and use an abrasive pad to get the build up off the bead to keep the seal.

[baysalr]

Have a 2015 320RS with the exact same problem. It is not as bad as poster but they are there. Started showing signs within months of coming from build. Camper has never been around corrosive road chemicals and has only been cleaned/washed with a cloth sponge and RV wash soap. Can we say, Just cheap China rims?

[ronandpat]

I had a 2011 Cedarcreek that did the same thing the first year of ownership. I called Cedarcreek and sent them pictures. They sent brand new replacement wheels. The replacements did the same thing. They said it was corrosion under the clear coat. They are still on the unit with no problems other than appearance.

[OK3wire]

Thanks for all the replies. The frustrating part is I spent the extra $$$ to get aluminum rims because they added an extra bit of "bling" to the camper. Problem is the wheels will look awful in a year when the problem spreads. I'll try to get them replaced under warranty and let you all know how it goes, but unfortunately I doubt the manufacturer will replace them if the problem is only "cosmetic". This flaw is just one more item with my 2015 Roo19 purchase that I'm disappointed in. Problems in addition to the rims so far are roof delamination, crooked outdoor tv mount, cabinets that don't close straight, broken bed end latch, and malfunctioning bed fans. I bought the Rockwood Roo because I believed it to be the best of the best after all my research before purchasing it. My family and I have thoroughly enjoyed the camper, but I'm beginning to wonder what problems will pop up in the years to come. I have no problem spending extra money for quality, but so far I'm a bit disappointed. This is the first camper I have purchased. I hope Forest River takes a close look at their quality control department.

[Davidg]

Uhm, I don't think I've heard the words "rv" and "quality" in the same sentence before. This is a first for me!

[MillerTime]

Originally Posted by OK3wire

Thanks for all the replies. The frustrating part is I spent the extra $$$ to get aluminum rims because they added an extra bit of "bling" to the camper. Problem is the wheels will look awful in a year when the problem spreads. I'll try to get them replaced under warranty and let you all know how it goes, but unfortunately I doubt the manufacturer will replace them if the problem is only "cosmetic". This flaw is just one more item with my 2015 Roo19 purchase that I'm disappointed in. Problems in addition to the rims so far are roof delamination, crooked outdoor tv mount, cabinets that don't close straight, broken bed end latch, and malfunctioning bed fans. I bought the Rockwood Roo because I believed it to be the best of the best after all my research before purchasing it. My family and I have thoroughly enjoyed the camper, but I'm beginning to wonder what problems will pop up in the years to come. I have no problem spending extra money for quality, but so far I'm a bit disappointed. This is the first camper I have purchased. I hope Forest River takes a close look at their quality control department.

Contact some area collision centers (aka body shops) for wheel repair companies. Anymore, we send out most of our aluminum wheels to get repaired. Unless they are center bent, or have huge chunks (3"+ or so ) gone, or are chromed....we get them repaired. Around the OKC area, i think we have about 3 or 4 companies that service us, with a few of the coming up from dallas. For anywhere from $125 to $185 list is what we charge for repairs to our customers. (I think the current company we use, our list price is about $157).
These guys can strip and repaint or re-powdercoat to look like new again, as well as fix any curb rash or other issues.

[OK3wire]

@Davidg, I see what you did there...

[OK3wire]

@MillerTime. My point is I don't think this should be an issue for rims that are only 7 months old.

[Tall frog]

we have a 14 rockwood with 15" aluminum wheels that also started showing under clear coat corrosion on 2 of the 4. called the mfg and after photos and emails they sent 4 replacements. the air leakage will take years and years to happen as in the case of my dw's cts caddy took over 10 years to start leaking. now I have cleaned the rims and scrubbed any loose material and sprayed plast-a-dip and they look like new wheels.