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I have an almost new (9 months old) set of American Racing aftermarket wheels on my "93 Suburban. I found out after they were installed that they were made in China (GRRRRRRRR! ")!!
Now after one winter sitting outside with no exposure to road salt the the lug nuts are rapidly turning brown with rust!!! I've tried to contact AR about warranty but all they offer in contact info is e-mail address that after 3 e-mails doesn't get a response at all!! I went looking for a phone number with no luck since all the numbers listed in online searches are disconnected.
Can anyone help with a good working phone number for American Racing in Compton, Ca.??????????????
Tightwad, what you are experiencing is likely galvanic corrosion. It occurs when dissimilar metals are in contact with each other and exposed to an electrolyte (rain water in your case). Are you using AR provided lugs? I'm guessing you have aluminum rims and chrome plated steel lugs?
Many thanks for the link. However, that number is also disconnected.
Since I'm not getting any response from e-mails and all the phone number I've tried to date are disconnected I'm starting to wonder if this company is still in business.
Added..........
I called the Compton Ca. city hall to check to see if this company is still in business. What I found out was that American Racing went out of business in 2004 !! What i have to wonder now
is who is supporting/selling with their online web site and servicing their warranty! As it stands now I have no idea where these wheels came from.
I'll try to clean and clear coat the lug nuts I have since that's the only choice I have now. Damn!!
The parent company is now....... Wheel Pros Inc
Address: 16010 Bloomfield Ave
Cerritos, CA
90703-2145Phone:877-943-3577Toll Free:800-959-1969
Fax:562-921-1227Website: www.wheelpros.com
Last edited by Grandpa Pipes; 03-18-2013 at 04:28 PM..
Tightwad, what you are experiencing is likely galvanic corrosion. It occurs when dissimilar metals are in contact with each other and exposed to an electrolyte (rain water in your case). Are you using AR provided lugs? I'm guessing you have aluminum rims and chrome plated steel lugs?
The name is "Grandpa Pipes" now and I would much appreciate that you stay with the times and use my proper current user name. The use of a past user name could be considered rude or disparaging.
Yes, they are 100% AR products. The lugs are steel with crappy chrome plating because the lock lug is better chrome and is as shiny as new. If I could find quality chromed lugs I'd replace the lugs I have now but I doubt that new ,in this case, would be better chrome.
Last edited by Grandpa Pipes; 03-18-2013 at 03:30 PM..
After further calling I found out that the Mcgard company makes very high quality lug nuts and wheel locks (The wheel company of my wheels sent me to McGard and give me their phone number) that carry lifetime corrosion warranty will replace my cheapie chrome lug nuts that are rusting.
I ordered a full set of McGard lugs from Amazon for a measly $65 !! Problem solved!!!!!!
So I guess the moral of this story is......... If you put alloy after market wheels on your car make sure that you buy a set of McGard lugs to avoid all the trouble I stumbled into!!!
Last edited by Grandpa Pipes; 03-19-2013 at 06:22 PM..
So do the wheels seem to be satisfactory other than the lugs?
The Chinese can build good stuff when they put their minds to it - they put a man in space and brought him down in one piece. But the QA/QC of a lot of Chinese products is not so hot.
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The end of the story
