Corrosion of dealer modified wheels

[mntopdown]

The factory wheels on my 2010 IS350C were chromed by a Lexus dealer before the original delivery. The chrome has peeled in many places and the wheels now have enough corrosion that they are preventing the tires from sealing properly. Surprised that Lexus allows its dealers to modify factory parts to the point that it compromises the parts integrity to the point of failure.  Based on the service logs the original owner complained the chrome was peeling under warranty and was told it was cosmetic and it was outside of the warranty on the modification and since the wheels were modified, they were no longer covered under Lexus warranty.  I am the second owner, and took delivery 4 months after the warranty had expired based on inservice date, not mileage. Lexus told me it was out of warranty and despite the previous owner complaining while under warranty, it was not their issues.  Curious if others have experienced this and if Lexus has done anything for them to address the issue.  Also curious if anyone has every seen anything like this addressed by the NHTSA?

[1990LS400]

Obviously, the prior owner used the chrome wheels in Winter just like the previous owner (lessee) of the 2000 LS400 I bought in 2003.  My car was in warranty so the aftermarket wheels were replaced at the three year mark.  I never used the replacement aftermarket chrome wheels in Winter and they were still like new when I sold the car in 2014.

Lexus dealers have sold aftermarket chrome wheels from the beginning.  I bought my first Lexus LS new in early 1990 and the Lexus dealers were selling them then.

Yours is far from the first thread about this problem.  I doubt that you have any recourse since the base warranty has expired. 

You can have your wheels re-chromed.  One Winter, my late next door neighbor had his Lexus wheels re-chromed while he had his snow wheels on his car.

You might even find a re-chrome company that will exchange your chrome wheels for non-chrome for a price.

[mntopdown]

Actually the original owner was in Arizona and then moved to Florida, so no "winter" conditions. 

[1990LS400]

11 hours ago, mntopdown said:

Actually the original owner was in Arizona and then moved to Florida, so no "winter" conditions. 

Arizona is not exactly snow free.  One doesn't have to venture very far north of Phoenix before running into snowplows and salt/sand spreaders during winter.  Flagstaff averages over 100 inches of snow per year and Sedona over 75 inches.  We drove on icy roads in blowing snow from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon a few years ago ... in April !!!

Speaking of Arizona, why on earth do so many people in the Phoenix metro have chrome wheels?  It's weird.  Is their motto "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Chrome"?

If you need replacement wheels, consider getting refurbished OEM wheels from http://www.wheelsandcaps.com/c-2283-oem-aluminum-alloy-wheels_Lexus-IS350-2010.aspx

I bought refurbished wheels from Wheels and Caps to use with winter tires (Bridgestone Blizzak WS80) on my 2014 Sienna.  The refurbished wheels were like new when I received them and still are like new in their second winter.  I thought that Wheels and Caps takes trade-in wheels but I don't see information about that on their website - call them if you are interested.

I have wondered if the chrome wheels on my 2000 LS400 would have been replaced in 2003 under warranty if I had complained about it.  The auto broker I bought the car from seemed to be pals with the Lexus dealer parts department manager and had already initiated the wheel replacement before I bought the car.