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Author Topic: Killing The White Worm....  (Read 101023 times)

Offline RedRobin

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Killing The White Worm....
« on: December 01, 2008, 09:35:06 pm »
....

All BBS alloy wheels which are diamond-cut with a clear lacquer finish are prone to what's called 'white worm'. Even with regular washing and maintenance, the inevitable stone chips or slightest kerbing can break the lacquer seal and moisture can ingress and the white worm will start and slowly spread. In Winter, road salts etc do not help! In fact the UK is known for it's particularly corrosive version of road grit compared with Europe - Funny how Europe, especially Germany, is so much kinder to the motorist than the UK!

The strength or safety of the alloy wheel is NOT compromised but it looks horrible:



VW are well aware of this issue but have done nothing to solve it or change the design in spite of numerous warranty claims awarded to customers with the problem. There are several options you have for killing the dreaded white worm:

OPTION 1:

If you are still within warranty, complain to your VW dealer and you are most likely to get the wheels refurbed/replaced by them. BUT, only the  individual wheels which you have not kerbed. Also, only if your car was originally supplied with diamond-cut Monza's. My car was originally supplied with painted Monza 17's and the 18's were bought later, so my claim was rejected by VW UK (not my dealer) in spite of polite but vigorous efforts under warranty. I decided it wasn't worth spending money in going to court over the issue.

OPTION 2:

Refurb the wheel yourself as shown here: http://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=63.0
But this is not for the faint hearted and requires hours of elbow grease.

OPTION 3:

Buy an expensive set of new Monza's from VW or buy replicas as replacements - But be aware that replicas are not BBS Hollow Technology in their construction.



^ Huffs offer a very nice black version replica which matches the European Edition 30 BBS from VW.

OPTION 4:

Find a reputable wheel renovation specialist such as Pristine, Lepsons, A1 in Wolverhampton, [more to be added]
If you find one who is familiar with and has experience of Monza 18's you're usually onto a winner. They can either refurb back to exactly how they were when brand spanking new, or custom finish for you. Either way, you'll be without your alloys for about 3-4 working days.



^ Standard Monza 18" diamond-cut clear lacquer and with grey 'inserts'.



^ Showing the grey 'inserts' and clean edge join to the diamond-cut face. This can only be achieved by firstly powdercoating the whole wheel in grey and then cutting back to the raw alloy on the face and then lacquering it.

Our very own Rim King of the forum, Nathan aka Greenouse, has gone the custom route....Several times! I guess it's a male equivalent of ladies who love shoes.



^ An example of custom finish done for Nathan by A1 Wheel Renovations in Wolverhampton.

Nathan's latest custom design matches that of the pre-production Mk6 GTI as shown in Paris and also the GTI W12:



^ By painting the inserts black, the wheel appears bigger.



^ This is achieved in the same way that BBS manufacture for VW - But in this case, the wheels are painted black all over and then diamond-cut back and clear lacquered. This also enables a visually clean edge between painted inserts and face and is the only way to get this result. If you wish to mix a painted face with a different coloured painted insert, you have a major problem achieving a clean edge and most professional refurbishers will only undertake it, if at all, entirely at your risk - You pay however badly it comes out.





OPTION 5:

Custom finish but powdercoated entirely without any cutting back to diamond-cut face. This totally avoids future white worm problems and is what I decided to do:



^ They are first painted black and then powdercoated Smoked Chrome (a shade of silver) such that the face has slightly more silver than the inserts. This results in some visual subtleties.



^ Dirty after about 200 miles of motorway muck, but not showing it.



^ The brighter silver of standard VW Silver on the Monza 17's.





^ The effect of powdercoating Smoked Chrome overall, the inserts are more easily seen but also add an exciting visual effect. It's swings and roundabouts and a matter of personal preference but it has been my aim to retain the integrity of the Monza as an important component in the Mk5 GTI's identity while killing the white worm for good!

:happy2:

« Last Edit: December 02, 2008, 11:20:17 am by RedRobin »


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Offline SteveP

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Re: Killing The White Worm....
« Reply #1 on: December 01, 2008, 09:44:26 pm »
ANother great write up Robin :happy2:

Thanks for your continued contribution  :smiley:

Offline WhiteGTI

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Re: Killing The White Worm....
« Reply #2 on: December 01, 2008, 09:44:51 pm »
Great write-up Robin!

Nice to see that my car is part of the write-up also hahaha!!!!  :smiley: :smiley:
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Offline Greeners

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Re: Killing The White Worm....
« Reply #3 on: December 01, 2008, 10:01:36 pm »
 :happy2: :happy2: Good work there Robin and a great guide for the unsure  :happy2:

Oh and some stunning wheels pictured there  :grin: :wink:

I'd love to see a decent pic of yours clean and in the sunlight  :party:

Offline RedRobin

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Re: Killing The White Worm....
« Reply #4 on: December 01, 2008, 10:17:12 pm »
I'd love to see a decent pic of yours clean and in the sunlight  :party:

....Just waiting for better weather and a chance to clean the whole car.

I've yet to see those new alloys clean in the sun.

:happy2:


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Offline 182_blue

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Re: Killing The White Worm....
« Reply #5 on: December 02, 2008, 09:38:51 am »
Nice write up  :happy2:

Offline JPC

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Re: Killing The White Worm....
« Reply #6 on: December 02, 2008, 09:48:18 am »
good work robin!

Offline RedRobin

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Re: Killing The White Worm....
« Reply #7 on: December 02, 2008, 11:23:09 am »
^^^^

Thanks everyone! It feels good to know one's efforts are appreciated :grouphug:


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Offline RedRobin

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Re: Killing The White Worm....
« Reply #8 on: December 02, 2008, 01:05:06 pm »
....

A1 Wheel Renovation:

After hearing of their excellent reputation, I had planned on using Pristine in the Milton Keynes area. But, when I visited them, I found their customer service somewhat indifferent. In spite of many on this forum telling me I should get on and refurb my Monza's, it wasn't a priority over my cracked wastegate housing or failed KoniFSD's!

So it was when Nathan posted his latest rims from A1 Wheel Renovation that I felt inspired and especially as their location in Wolverhampton was close to our first forum meet near Stafford - I could combine my journey and show off my new rims to everyone.

I phoned A1 (01902 871422) and asked for Nigel as Nathan had recommended. I was greeted by a friendly voice with a very heavy Black Country accent but he was the actual painter and clearly knew his trade and all about Monza's. So I booked myself in for the Wednesday lunchtime, folded my rear seats down and loaded my spare set of Monza 17's.

My SatNav ensured I had no problems finding A1's premises. On arrival I was somewhat surprised because it looked like the premises of a back street minicab firm of the sort where most of the drivers have just stepped off an aeroplane! The image in my brain was not dispelled when I saw nothing but Asians including a very friendly smiling Nigel. I couldn't help noticing that Nigel was wearing glasses with large GABBANA lettering on the sides - A bit bling for my own personal taste but each to their own. Access into their small backyard was extremely tight and so any thoughts of excuses and a quick escape were pointless. Anyway, Nathan had used these guys more than once.



While Steve swopped my 18's for the 17's I had brought, Nigel offered me a hot drink (nothing like that from Pristine!) and we started to discuss what shade etc I desired. Nigel and I quickly found that we were on exactly the same wavelength (except in choice of style of spectacles!)

We looked at some of his sample alloys and took a couple out to compare with my Monza's. It's all about lighting and how light falls on the shape of a wheel. Nigel explained why he couldn't paint a different colour on the 'inserts' (grey on the stock VW Monza 18) but that he would try and grade the Smoked Chrome silver over the black in those areas.



I am extremely pleased with the results and I have yet to see them in bright sunny weather when the car is clean - The roads are wet and very mucky at the moment. The Smoked Chrome is possibly better described as Gunmetal but the inserts can catch the light very brightly. They certainly don't show the dirt very easily.

Nigel phoned me on the Friday to tell me had finished my wheels in time for swopping back over on the Saturday morning on my way to the meet.

I have absolutely no hesitation in wholeheartedly recommending Nigel's family business A1 Minicabs A1 Wheel Renovation in Wolverhampton. They don't have a web site or email as yet.


« Last Edit: May 30, 2010, 08:35:50 am by RedRobin »


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Offline NEWEY

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Re: Killing The White Worm....
« Reply #9 on: December 04, 2008, 05:30:54 pm »
they look great robin and great write up also :)

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Offline Snoopy

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Re: Killing The White Worm....
« Reply #10 on: December 04, 2008, 07:58:35 pm »
Looking great :happy2:
Geoff.
Ex mk5 GTI owner, moved to a mk6 in 2010.

Offline Lean

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Re: Killing The White Worm....
« Reply #11 on: December 04, 2008, 11:06:38 pm »
Nice info - cheers

One question:

I've kerbed all 4 of my factory fitted 18"Monzas  :ashamed: I think there is whiteworm in other areas.. does anyone think I could get them replaced? (still in warranty)  :smiley:


Offline RedRobin

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Re: Killing The White Worm....
« Reply #12 on: December 04, 2008, 11:15:27 pm »
One question:

I've kerbed all 4 of my factory fitted 18"Monzas  :ashamed: I think there is whiteworm in other areas.. does anyone think I could get them replaced? (still in warranty)
  :smiley:

....They will carefully inspect each wheel and any kerbing is down to you and considered to be your misuse/negligence and therefore excluded from warranty protection.

You can try - But don't hold your breath!


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Offline Tarmac_Terrorist

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Re: Killing The White Worm....
« Reply #13 on: December 04, 2008, 11:17:01 pm »
Look very nice RR.   8)

This has to be the best option to eliminate the worms for anyone who covers fairly high miles or doesn't want to wash their wheels weekly. I'm paranoid about mine catching worms depite regular cleaning / sealing and I would be interested to know who has / hasn't suffered this issue.
I wondered if there were many who have still had the worming issue even with an extreme care /protection regime

Looking forward to seeing some 'sunny day clean wheels' pics   :happy2:

Offline RedRobin

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Re: Killing The White Worm....
« Reply #14 on: December 05, 2008, 05:06:18 pm »
^^^^

I've just washed my 'new' wheels for the first time. This pic was taken late afternoon and without any direct sunlight:



If it's nice weather tomorrow at the Tyresmoke/Biali meet near Portsmouth (all welcome! - Good food!! Hurdy!!!!) I'll grab some more pics.

:happy2:


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