Cascaval Wheel Worm

[RJL1]

Just had confirmation that VW have approved the replacement of all 4 Cascaval 17” Alloys due to corrison/lacquer problems.
Many thanks to SMG Cowfold for managing the claim. Van is now over 3 years old, so glad I took out the VW extended warranty at purchase.

 

[Drpps]

In true game show fashion….
If you had waited 7 years this is what you could have won!

 

[Ozzy Pete]

In true game show fashion….
If you had waited 7 years this is what you could have won!

View attachment 84687

Now that really is lovely. Are the other 3 just the same? Only way out is to have them dipped, cleaned up and then powder coated. ALL of the corrosion is on the diamond cut area. Had the same with a Mercedes I owned a while ago had 3 replaced under warranty. But then the 4th went a year later and they wanted nearly £500 for one wheel so had them painted. They looked absolutely fantastic. And all 4 cost £240.

 

[Borris]

And this is the problem with all diamond cut alloys. Why manufacturers seem to be fitting them to more and more cars beats me.

As the alluminium face is cut it often creates a sharp edge which when laquered is obviously going to form a weak point in the laquer protection. Try painting or spraying a sharp edge and the paint will always be at its thinnest there. Any damage or wear and the corrosion will begin. I have heard that you aren't supposed to jet wash them either, probably for this reason!
Also I've been told that since fresh metal has to be turned from the face surface, refinnishing can only be done twice before the wheel becomes scrap. This process is also more expensive than standard painted alloys.

I sold my Cascavals when new and replaced them with a set of robust no nonsense 17" Devonports. They don't corrode and are cheap to source and refurbish.

 

[Drpps]

Only one other is like that but not as bad. I have considered replacing the whole set. I bought 2 new ones with new tyres a few years ago for the cost of the tyres that still look good.
I have a local company that has refurbished some previous diamond cuts on a lease car and they did a great job.
I agree that diamond cuts are indeed the devils work but they look nice and shiny in the showroom, and with so many people leasing I suppose at 3 years most are either kerbed or minimally corroded so people don’t notice them deteriorating or they accept the charge for wheel damage at lease end.

 

[Kayleigh]

In true game show fashion….
If you had waited 7 years this is what you could have won!

View attachment 84687

Wow!! You really should get some locking wheel bolts on those to protect them

 

[PeteS]

My car has them which I brought used a year ago. The dealer had already refurbished them. I noticed that they were starting to develop the milky white lacquer. I took them back to Mercedes and was told they only guarantee diamond cut refurbished wheels for 6 months. I knew there was a risk that these wheels might corrode so I only ever used car shampoo on them. The fact that they can only be refurbished a couple of times before a new wheel is needed is madness. I have heard of lease companies charging people for a new set of wheels if painted wheels are fitted to the car at the end of the lease. The only people that benefit from diamond cut wheels are the dealers and manufacturers. It’s a great tool to reduce your px value or increase your end of lease payment.

 

[Joker 1299]

My van is March 2017 just had 3 Cascavals replaced under the extended warranty

 

[pcevanrulo]

I bought refurbished ones on Ebay. They have a much thicker clear paint layer.

 

[PeteS]

That is good news VW will change the wheels under warranty. Mercedes won’t change them under warranty even though they refurbished them in house prior to selling the car to me.

 

[BikerGran]

Now that really is lovely. Are the other 3 just the same? Only way out is to have them dipped, cleaned up and then powder coated. ALL of the corrosion is on the diamond cut area. Had the same with a Mercedes I owned a while ago had 3 replaced under warranty. But then the 4th went a year later and they wanted nearly £500 for one wheel so had them painted. They looked absolutely fantastic. And all 4 cost £240.

I have the same wheels but not with the same problem. But I really don't like them - anyone know what this design is called?

 

[Theodora]

Hi RJL1,
I have similar problem and recently posted chat on this as well: https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/woodworm-on-cascavel-alloys.41757/
...so good to hear you've got a result from SMG Cowfold (I bought mine from SMG Tonbridge 2.5 years ago).
But I was wondering if you'd thought about asking for a different set of wheels - on the basis that these particular Cascaval's have a poor history and there's a very good chance that they'll just degrade in same way in a few years?
Also, does the warranty on your new wheels start afresh - or is it still up when your current extended warranty expires?

 

[Ozzy Pete]

That is good news VW will change the wheels under warranty. Mercedes won’t change them under warranty even though they refurbished them in house prior to selling the car to me.

I didn’t have any problems when I took mine back but the car was new when I bought it and serviced with them. I imagine Mercedes wouldn’t have reground the wheels themselves so would think the warranty would be with the company who did the work as it’s not cheap to diamond cut wheels. Though you say they were done in-house.

 

[RoB5urf]

The state of my 5.5 year old black Cascavals has reached the stage where I feel I need to do something about them. I still quite like the design but I'm not sure whether a refurb is worth it if it means the worm issue might reappear.

Do you folks have any thoughts on me getting them powder-coated with a different finish instead of trying to restore the original diamond finish? I'm also looking at replacing them with another 17" wheel but haven't yet found something I like. VW don't list any 17" wheels on their Commercial Accessories site.

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

The state of my 5.5 year old black Cascavals has reached the stage where I feel I need to do something about them. I still quite like the design but I'm not sure whether a refurb is worth it if it means the worm issue might reappear.

Do you folks have any thoughts on me getting them powder-coated with a different finish instead of trying to restore the original diamond finish? I'm also looking at replacing them with another 17" wheel but haven't yet found something I like. VW don't list any 17" wheels on their Commercial Accessories site.

Hi @RoB5urf in my experience diamond cut wheels always suffer from this. The slightest nick or chip in the lacquer coating allows the corrosion to start and you really can’t avoid it. If you have them refurbished it will happen again and possibly a lot quicker than on brand new wheels. I had the wheels on my SL55 refurbished twice and then gave up and had them sprayed.

 

[andyinluton]

I still quite like the design but I'm not sure whether a refurb is worth it if it means the worm issue might reappear.

When they refurb them the face of the wheel is skimmed. A result of this is loosing any slight rounding on the edges of the spokes. The resulting sharper corner doesn't take the lacquer as well & its always thinner there.

Once refurbed they don't normally last as long as the originals before they need doing again.

Depending on the wheel design & how deep any kerb rash is you may only be able to refurb them once.

 

[WelshGas]

Hi RJL1,
I have similar problem and recently posted chat on this as well: https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/woodworm-on-cascavel-alloys.41757/
...so good to hear you've got a result from SMG Cowfold (I bought mine from SMG Tonbridge 2.5 years ago).
But I was wondering if you'd thought about asking for a different set of wheels - on the basis that these particular Cascaval's have a poor history and there's a very good chance that they'll just degrade in same way in a few years?
Also, does the warranty on your new wheels start afresh - or is it still up when your current extended warranty expires?

View attachment 84991

View attachment 84992

Normal practice is that the Warranty on any replacement item is only as long as the existing Warranty. I would be very surprised if VW any Warranty extension.

 

[RoB5urf]

The comments above confirm my suspicions that a refurb is not the way to go. I'll keep a look out for some 17" black 5/6 spoke alloys that appeal to me. Thanks.

 

[sidepod]

I’ve always considered wheels as consumables along with tyres/brake/pads etc.
They’re just too fragile/cosmetic for the job they do.
Just let them rot and replace to sell/when necessary?

 

[Borris]

The first thing I did when we took delivery of our latest Cali was to remove the £1200 Cascavals and sell them at a £350 loss!

I have never liked diamond turned wheels for this very reason. I replaced them with Devonports. The latter are a much better wheel in terms of design and ease of maintenance. They are plentiful and cheap to replace and are less likely to get damaged. They also don't suffer from said wheel worm as they are painted and lacquered with no sharp edges to act as weak points.

Before anyone asks, the only 17" wheel options available when we ordered, were all diamond turned. If we had ordered any other Transporter variant from a bog standard van to a top spec Ocean we could have specified Devonports!

Btw, I was once told that you can only refurbish diamond turned alloys twice. Because a layer of metal has to be turned off of the face surface each time to remove the corrosion the wheel effectively becomes scrap beyond the second refurb.

 

[RoB5urf]

Yes Devonports powder coated in black could look nice on a white Beach.