RX350 OEM Chrome Wheel Woes
06-30-10, 07:34 AM
#16
Took the car to the dealer and they ordered a new set of wheels for us. Wow! The service rep said they are aware of the problem and explained the situation of modern chrome being less than durable and stated the same causes of EPA requirements that are posted above.
So I was driving home all happy and loving the Lexus when I realized he said they would be Permachrome wheels. Still happy I'm now wondering if I should have asked more questions. Does Permachrome tell me that again I will have a set of factory wheels that have been stripped and plated with some sort of aftermarket process?
So I was driving home all happy and loving the Lexus when I realized he said they would be Permachrome wheels. Still happy I'm now wondering if I should have asked more questions. Does Permachrome tell me that again I will have a set of factory wheels that have been stripped and plated with some sort of aftermarket process?
06-30-10, 07:01 PM
#17
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I had some time to research a little more and I'm feeling decent about this Permachrome business. Sounds like they strip the factory wheel, base powder coat it, Permachrome over that, and finally powder coat clear over it all. I'm sure as always that the durability and finish depend largly on the quality of prep of the surface.
08-20-10, 08:00 PM
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Our new wheels are here and installed.
My take on Permachrome: The wheels look pretty nice but they don't have the awesome chrome finish you might expect from a new set of wheels from a mega luxury company like Lexus. Again they look pretty nice. They have a very slight texture look to the chrome. Reminds me of what my dad used to call orange peal when he had to have the tailgate of his red 88 Chevrolet pickup painted back in the day. I would probably describe it more as an extremely light hammered look. Extremely light. Overall, I'm pretty happy. I just wanted to let anyone thinking about parting with the cash to have a set chromed know what to expect.
My take on Permachrome: The wheels look pretty nice but they don't have the awesome chrome finish you might expect from a new set of wheels from a mega luxury company like Lexus. Again they look pretty nice. They have a very slight texture look to the chrome. Reminds me of what my dad used to call orange peal when he had to have the tailgate of his red 88 Chevrolet pickup painted back in the day. I would probably describe it more as an extremely light hammered look. Extremely light. Overall, I'm pretty happy. I just wanted to let anyone thinking about parting with the cash to have a set chromed know what to expect.
08-21-10, 09:42 AM
#20
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Our new wheels are here and installed.
My take on Permachrome: The wheels look pretty nice but they don't have the awesome chrome finish you might expect from a new set of wheels from a mega luxury company like Lexus. Again they look pretty nice. They have a very slight texture look to the chrome. Reminds me of what my dad used to call orange peal when he had to have the tailgate of his red 88 Chevrolet pickup painted back in the day. I would probably describe it more as an extremely light hammered look. Extremely light. Overall, I'm pretty happy. I just wanted to let anyone thinking about parting with the cash to have a set chromed know what to expect.
My take on Permachrome: The wheels look pretty nice but they don't have the awesome chrome finish you might expect from a new set of wheels from a mega luxury company like Lexus. Again they look pretty nice. They have a very slight texture look to the chrome. Reminds me of what my dad used to call orange peal when he had to have the tailgate of his red 88 Chevrolet pickup painted back in the day. I would probably describe it more as an extremely light hammered look. Extremely light. Overall, I'm pretty happy. I just wanted to let anyone thinking about parting with the cash to have a set chromed know what to expect.
Salim
08-21-10, 06:22 PM
#21
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Ah yes. Our dealer agreed with what some have stated on this forum and said that Lexus never produced a chrome wheel for the RX350. He said that all chrome wheels on RX350s would have actually been produced by removing the factory Lexus wheels and having them chrome plated. So the wheels are genuine Lexus but have been stripped and chromed which I was not aware of when we bought the vehicle.
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