Do-Luck Double Six - chrome plating falling off

Around 12 months ago I took delivery of a set of Do-Luck Double Six alloys in Chrome. They looked wonderful. I had ordered them from a retailer in the US in August 2005, and after so many delays they arrived at the retailer in November 2005.

Unfortunately however, one of the wheels had a defect. At circa £500 per wheel I was not comfortable flying these over, so the retailer (who was nothing short of excellent at all times) was kind enough to push for a replacement, even though the defect wasnt huge. My reasoning was that if the defect was there before they had even gone on, then it would just get worse.

Anyway, it took Do-Luck until May 2006 to get a replacement to the retailer (who had been fuming with them) and he duly sent them over to me within a few days. Great? Well.. they were for a bit....

Around late October, early November I was washing the wheels on the car and noticed to my absolute sickness (to the pit of my stomach...) the chrome plating had come away from 3 of the 4 wheels. This first started to show when it appeared the chrome plating "bubbled", though over next month or so the plating actually split and was now coming off of the alloys. The "bubbling" and splitting has now affected all of the alloys.

http://dolucks.0catch.com

OR

http://www.dolucks.0catch.com

The link is where I've uploaded a number of pictures showing just how widespread the problem is - Im sure you'll agree this isnt the sort of quality one would expect after only 12 months on the car from ANY alloy, even cheap ones, never mind alloys that are this price and Im a little distressed that my circa £2000 alloys hadnt even lasted a year.

Having taken the car to a refurbishing specialist Ive been advised that the problem appears to be a manufacturing/design defect allowing water to pass betweem the plating and alloy, and hence "bubble", and ultimately causing the plating to crack and split. Its possible that the chemical process used to chrome the wheels was performed too quickly, and this was the result.

I was advised that due the unusual design of the wheel (specifically the fronts) they would be difficult to refurbish and if I chose to do so (with no guarantee of the finish) Im looking at around £3-400 ($800) per wheel. Having already shelled out for them once, I cant really afford to do it again but not because Im being "tight", its because as a result of others' illness Im now the only one bringing money into the household so I just havent got that amount of money spare.

The wheels have only ever been washed in soap and water (precicisely because they are chrome plated and very expensive), have been washed regularly (once a week) exclusively with a sheeps wool glove and they havent been kerbed or damaged AT ALL - not once - and have had the best tyres at £180/wheel fitted so you can imagine how upset I am that despite keeping the alloys in perfect condition they appear to be fallling apart all on their own. I cant even wash them now in case the rest of the plating comes off, thats how bad they are!!

I understand from Do-Luck USA that as I am in the UK their warranty is void as I bought the wheels through a US retailer, though I doubt very much whether any UK based retailer would honour the warranty either; probably ending up in an argument about how theyve been cared for...

Now I can understand it if had happened to one wheel, but not all of them.

Does anyone know if these can be refurbished?

And better still.... to owners of Racing Harts - what are they like in terms of longevity, and has anyone that has got them had problems with them as I think Im going to replace the Do-Lucks with a set of these! I was going to go for these in the first place but decided against it....

Id also be most grateful for any advice or pointers to sets of alloys that hold their finish past 12 months!

I feel for you, they looked very nice, and I can't belive this has happened to them. As you say they cost alot of money and you would hope they would last a lot longer than they have, hope you can get it resolved

Gutted for you mate - I know how much those things cost and how long you have to wait for them. Waiting on a set myself at the moment, although in hyperblack so I hope this isn't a problem across the range.

Sorry to hear this mate, I really wanted them wheels but ended up nuying RAYS instead because they stoped ding the hiper black/silver I was after, but as you said expensive wheels like them shouldnt go like that in a year time !!

Have you called do-luck in UK to see if they can help or refurb them ?

Ever thought of just refurbing them yourself?

Get some good quality sandpaper and get them all sanded down, then get a body shop to give them the once over in gunmetal or something similar. You could get the all refurbed for a couple of hundred, albeit, not in chrome.

Sorry to see this Paul, were they laqured at all? Shitty salt on the roads here will do this to most wheels.

As they're all chrome maybe rhey can be refurbed more easily than those with painted centers?

Thanks for the thoughts guys

I had thought of refurbing them Bobbeh/Mas but theyve been nothing but trouble from start to end so I was probably just going to replace them, and usually when I do something it ends up.. well to be honest it ends up a complete mess! However, if they can be done professionally.... hmm, perhaps I do need to look into it further but I dont have a spare set to put on in the meantime.

I beleive Do-Luck Uk dont exist per se, and they only have official resellers in the UK - this was part of the reason why a representative of Do-Luck USA told me the warranty is not transferrable and the retailer in the USA had to push to get the defective one replaced back in November 2005. In fact, they had to ask Mr Ito (president of Do-Luck in Japan, cant speak English however and uses translators) would he "okay" this one defective wheel... he did that time but I dont think he will now. I also think that is part of the reason it took six months to replace it... that I'd had the audacity to ask for a replacement and cause them problems... to be honest I didnt really have a very good experience with them.

I knew chrome was a bad idea.... ah well!

EDIT: Sorry Bobbeh; I dont think they were lacqured to be honest but I cant be certain...

Really sorry mate.

IMHO Those Do-luck D6s are the best looking wheels available.

Just a shame they don't last (or your duff set didn't).

Hope its resolved soon.

Have you contacted SUMO. Trader and Do-Lucks UK dealer.

I have a set of RacingHarts C4R's (chrome edge) and they still look brand new after well over a year.

Really sorry to see and hear about this Paul. I'm sure I seen a set of chrome ones at jae where it looked like the same thing had happened to them.

Sorry to hear your woes however, maybe its just me but I've always thought it strange how these very expensive fancy wheels that are meant to be awesome quality just don't last. I know the salt issue etc but even so the finish just seems to go to pot especially as we have heard on here with Racing harts.

IMO any wheels that aren't powder coated are a total PITA and soon deteriorate. Look what manufacturers fit as OE, nad think why they don't fit "chromed" alloy rims.

My double sixes are starting to go exactly the same way, although they are not as bad as yours yet - only the fronts have started, and have only been on the car since september '06.

TBH, like CW says, chrome wheels are a PITA, and as i use my car every day, i'm going to wait until they start to annoy me and then just have them sprayed and lacquered.

Good point, but theres usually an opposite.. Toyota sold Chromed stock alloys as OEM in the US (due to their bad tastes no doubt!).

You simply cant keep a wheel clean / in the same condition in this country without cleaning it after every stop (*cough AJI*), and even then if you get stone chips or scratches in the wheel you'll lose protection and the salt will start to eat into them.

IMO any wheels that aren't powder coated are a total PITA and soon deteriorate. Look what manufacturers fit as OE, nad think why they don't fit "chromed" alloy rims.

Sorry to hear about that...I picked up my 4 chrome deep dish for £500 for all, i have had them for nearly a year and a half and they are still in brilliant condition. I wash them 1-3 times every 2 weeks and drive it everyday, all through winter and comming up to 2 summers...

Surely there has to be a way to get some form of compensation, its Do-Luck, there a big company, they have a reputation to worry about, call do luck and threaten them by saying you will call Car magazines etc and shame them up if they dont replace them...

Worth a try..