2002 Volkswagen Gti

THE FINISH OF THE BBS RC WHEELS THAT CAME WITH MY 2002 VW GTI 337 IS PITTING AND CORRODING AWAY. THERE ARE OVER 200 OTHER GTI 337 OWNERS THAT ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS. DESPITE FREQUENT CLEANING WITH APPROVED CHEMICALS, EXCESSIVE BRAKE DUST IS PITTING INTO THE SPECIAL FINISH OF THE SAID WHEELS AND CAUSING DISCOLORATION AND/OR PEELING OF THE CLEAR COAT ON THE WHEELS.*AK

I OWN A 2002 VW GTI 337. THIS WAS A SPECIAL EDITION VW THAT WAS PRODUCED. THERE WERE 1500 MADE FOR THE USA AND 250 MADE FOR CANADA. THERE WERE A NUMBER OF SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDED FROM THE FACTORY IN THIS VEHICLE. TWO OF THOSE SPECIAL FEATURES WERE 18INCH BBS RC RIMS, AS WELL AS UPGRADED BRAKES. THIS IS WHERE THE PROBLEM LIES.THE RIMS CAME WITH THE CAR HAVE A SPECIAL LOOK TO THEM. ITS CALLED BALL-PEENED WHICH THEN IS CLEAR COATED OVER TOP TO PROTECT THE RIMS MANY COMPANYS C;EAR COAT RIMS AS A WAY TO GIVE THEM A SHINY FINISH AND TO PROTECT FROM WEAR AND TEAR BETTER. THIS IS WHERE THE PROBLEM ARISES. THE RIMS THAT WERE PUT ON THE CAR ARE PITTING AND GETTING VERY ROUGH LIKE A SANDPAPER FEELING TO THEM AS WELL AS IN CERTAIN SPOTS SOME SORT OF WHIT SPOTS. THE COMPOSITION OF THE BRAKE PADS SEEM TO BE EATING THRU THE FINISH OF THE WHEELS WHICH LEAVES YOU WITH THE ROUGH FEELING ANS WELL AS BLACK BRAKE DUST SPECS EMBEDDED IN THE RIM. AS A CAR ENTHUSIAST MY CAR IS WASHED AT LEAST ONCE PER WEEK BY HAND IT HAS NEVER BEEN TO AN AUTOMATED CAR WAS EITHER. NOW I LIVE IN THE NORTHEAST SO THE ARGUMENT ABOUT SALT SAND AND ARE WINTERS COULD BE BROUGHT UP AS THE REASON THE RIMS HAVE TURNED OUT THIS WAY. HOWEVER MY CAR IS PUT INTO STORAGE BEFORE THE WINTER AND IS NOT TAKEN OUT UNTIL SPRING TIME THERE FOR NEVER SEEING ANY HARSH CLIMATES OR CHEMICALS. I WASH THE RIMS BY HAND WITH ONLY SOAP AND WATER. MY CAR HAS ONLY 5800 MILES ON IT BUT THE RIMS HAVE THE LOOK AND TEXTURE OF ONE THAT HAS HAD A MUCH LONGER LIFE. THER ARE APPROXIMATELY 200+ PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS RIGHT NOW THAT ARE HAVING IDENTICAL PROBLEMS THAT I AM HAVING. I KNOW OF THIS MANY PEOPLE BECAUSE OF THE SITE VWVORTEX.COM ON THAT WEBSITE THERE ARE A SERIES OF FORUMS, UNDER THE VOLKSWAGEN FORUM HEAD IS A SUB FORUM CALLED 337/20TH ANNIVERSARY WHICH IN THAT FORUM THERE IS A THREAD TITLED VW WANTS TO KNOW ABOUT OWNERS WHO ARE HAVING ISSUES WITH BBS RIMS. *AK

PITTING AND CORROSION OCCURRING ON THE RIMS THAT CAME STOCK ON MY 2002 VW GTI 337. THIS CAR WAS A LIMITED EDITION VEHICLE FOR THE USA, WITH ONLY 1500 MADE.FITTING OF RIMS AND BLACK SPOTS ARE NOTED, AS WELL AS WHITISH SPOTS THAT INDICATE CORROSION OF THE UNDERLYING METAL. I WASH THESE RIMS ON A WEEKLY BASIS WITH A NON-ACIDIC WHEEL SHAMPOO, AS WELL AS WAXING THEM ON A MONTHLY BASIS WITH WHEEL-SPECIFIC WAX. HOWEVER, AFORMENTIONED CONDITION CONTINUES TO WORSEN. *AK

OVER 200 2002 VW GTI 337 EDITION OWNERS HAVE ALSO CLAIMED TO HAVE SIMILAR PROBLEMS OF PITTING, BLACK SPOTS, CORROSION, ROUGHNESS, AND/OR WHITE SPOTS ON THEIR WHEELS AS WELL AND HAVE SUPPLIED PICTURES FOR ALL TO VIEW PUBLICLY ON ONLINE FORUMS TO PROVE THEIR CASE. AS A GROUP WE HAVE APPROACHED VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA (VWOA) ABOUT THE PROBLEM USING MY CAR AS THE TEST CAR. WE ALL OPENED CASE NUMBERS WITH VWOA EXPRESSING OUR CONCERNS AND MY WHEELS WERE SENT TO VWS TESTING CENTER IN WOLFSBURG, GERMANY WHERE THE WHEELS WERE DETERMINED NOT TO BE DEFECTIVE, LEAVING MANY ANGRY AND CONFUSED ENTHUSIASTS OUT TO DRY. INSTEAD OF FIXING THE PROBLEM, VWOA CONTACTED A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THOSE WHO HAD OPENED CASE NUMBERS TO OFFER THEM A $25 GIFT CERTIFICATE, GOOD TOWARD VW MERCHANDISE OR SERVICE. THIS ACTION ONLY SERVED TO DOUSE FUEL ON AN ALREADY RAGING FIRE. ONCE VWOA LEARNED OF OUR REACTION TO THIS INSULT, THEY DECIDED TO STOP CALLING, LEAVING THE REST OF US WITH NO RESPONSE FROM THE MANUFACTURER AS PROMISED. WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO SEEK LEGAL ACTION IN ORDER TO REMEDY THIS SITUATION. SOME FACTS: - 1,500 GTI 337 EDITIONS WERE MANUFACTURED FOR THE U.S. IN 2002 AS A LIMITED EDITION CAR AND 250 FOR CANADA - ALL CAME EQUIPPED WITH 18X7.5 CUSTOM BBS RC WHEELS IN A SPECIAL VW-ONLY SHOT PEENED AND CLEAR COATED FINISH DESIGN (BBS DOES NOT NORMALLY CLEAR COAT THEIR WHEELS) - THE SAME WHEELS ARE FOUND ON THE EUROPEAN 337S CALLED THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION - THE BRAKE PADS FOUND ON THE U.S. 337S ARE NOT THE SAME AS FOUND ON THE EUROPEAN 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITIONS - MORE THAN 200 337 OWNERS HAVE COME FORTH TO CLAIM ISSUES WITH THEIR WHEELS FINISH BEING DEGRADED BY THEIR STOCK BRAKE PADS - TO OUR COLLECTIVE KNOWLEDGE NO EUROPEAN 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION HAS THE SAME ISSUES APPROXIMATE RETAIL REPLACEMENT COSTS:1) VW EDITION 18X7.5 BBS RC W/CENTER CAPS= $605.70. SET OF FOUR = $2,422.80.CONTACT THE BBB FOR MORE INFORMATION.*AK

ROUGHNESS,CORROSION, WHITE SPOTS ON MY CAR'S RIMS.THE BRAKE PADS ARE CAUSING THIS PROBLEM. I AM LOOKING TO HAVE THE STOCK RIMS REPLACED. ALONG WITH THE STOCK BRAKE PADS THAT CAME WITH THE CAR. I KNOW OF ALL MOST 200 CARS THAT HAVE THESE ISSUES WITH THEIR RIMS. THE PROBLEM IS THE STOCK BRAKE PADS ARE EATING AWAY AT THE SPECIAL FINISH THAT IS ON THE RIM. VWOA DOES NOT WANT TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. MORE INFO HERE: HTTP://FORUMS.VWVORTEX.COM/ZEROTHREAD?ID=569321. *AK