Sponsored by The Tire Rack

[FotiosF90M5]

I always thought it was common knowledge to use just soap and water to clean wheels. I've never used any type of wheel cleaner on my wheels, just lukewarm water and a lot of soap. If there are tough spots just polish and wax. but to be honest I didnt use cleaners on my vmr csl's and the finish still got shitty real quick. If I bought them again I would have them repainted by my body shop with a lot of clear coat. They are beautiful wheels though.

[Chowbow]

OK some people in this thread don't even have their wheels yet... I think it's a little early for some members to judge and vent and blast VMR wheels before they've even got them. Hey, maybe your finish will last really long... Maybe your wheels will balance with 3 little weights. Let's not have everyone jump on the bandwagon yet.

Things are getting blown WAY out of proportion... It's like when 3 people had waste gate actuator failures on here everyone and their mom got paranoid that theirs was going to fail too. If anything, we can get a count of how many people have 1) paint problems and/or 2) irregular amount of weights to balance and/or 3) total carnage like if the wheel totally failed.

I've only experienced irregular amount of weights to balance on mine.

[DrPowers]

Originally Posted by tom @ eas

By this logic we should also use 87 octane, generic brand motor oil and armor all on the dash of our BMWs. If its sold on the shelves it must be safe, right?

Wheel cleaners are not recommended on the VMR wheels - period. There may be a few you can use, but its up to you to determine what you feel is safe. Most wheel cleaners are degreasers that will damage the clearcoat as evidenced in the photo that we posted. I'll be very blunt on this - most wheel cleaners are intended for people that are simply too lazy to clean their wheels on a regular basis. BMWs are notorious for excessive brake dust.

For the record, we have not seen any issues with P21S products.

Keep in mind we're the only sponsor providing input (other than the manufacturer) on this, VMR has a well-established reputation on the BMW forums, but we push a good amount of these wheels and know how to care for them. The VMR wheels are very good and paint finish is durable - but care is needed if you wish to keep the finish looking new from day one.

Most other wheel manufactures will state the same as there is no way to determine what brands are safe or unsafe for your wheels.

If you have questions on care or the quality of the wheels we'll be glad to help but let's keep the vent sessions to a minimum so the thread can stay on track.

I've bought these wheels but havnt gotten them yet. What waxes should I use on them to prevent the brake dust from sticking????

I figure I'd was them inside and out before I mount them. I bought hyperblacks so having brake dust on them wont make me paranoid like with the stock wheels. i also have some low brake dust pads that I could use... but I'm going to hold off on them until my current ones wear down completely.

[VMRWheels]

Originally Posted by DrPowers

I've bought these wheels but havnt gotten them yet. What waxes should I use on them to prevent the brake dust from sticking????

I figure I'd was them inside and out before I mount them. I bought hyperblacks so having brake dust on them wont make me paranoid like with the stock wheels. i also have some low brake dust pads that I could use... but I'm going to hold off on them until my current ones wear down completely.

We recommend Wheel Wax. Send us a few pictures of your car with the wheels installed and we will send you a wheel care kit which will include wheel wax and micro fiber cloths.

[Raikkonen]

Are they Miro or VMR? Are the same issues happening with both manufacturers?[/QUOTE]


1. I was going to order these wheels in a few weeks, and now I'm concerned. Is it just VMR wheels, or other manufacturers????

2. Why has there not been anyone complaining about the quality, finish before March of 2008??????????????????????? Don't a million posters here have these rims????

3. Where are the other vendors in this thread???? JV, **********s, etc.??

4. Where the hell are the PICTURES of these multiple wheel weights and rock chipping?????????? I need to see proof!!!!!!!!!!

[myfirst3]

Originally Posted by Raikkonen

Are they Miro or VMR? Are the same issues happening with both manufacturers?


1. I was going to order these wheels in a few weeks, and now I'm concerned. Is it just VMR wheels, or other manufacturers????

2. Why has there not been anyone complaining about the quality, finish before March of 2008??????????????????????? Don't a million posters here have these rims????

3. Where are the other vendors in this thread???? JV, **********s, etc.??

4. Where the hell are the PICTURES of these multiple wheel weights and rock chipping?????????? I need to see proof!!!!!!!!!!

i also would like to know the answers to 2. and 4. i ordered gunmetal CSLs awhile ago and have been eagerly waiting to put them on. i researched for awhile and read a lot of good feedback on the VMR CSLs. this is actually the first ive heard of problems with these wheels. considering the huge amount of people who have these wheels and the few that have had problems, im not totally concerned, but this thread has raised some eyebrows. ive only used soap and water on my other wheels and they look fine, dont know why so many people have a problem with just soap and water, then again im in cali where its sunny and the roads arent too bad. probably gonna try wheel wax since a lot of posters have recommended it. hopefully that will do the trick. when i finally get the wheels on, ill know first hand.

[Chowbow]

My buddy with his E36 M3 just told me that he didn't wash his wheels for 4 months, had tons of brake dust on them. Then washed it off and the finish is just fine.

[lauer87]

About the vendors saying no to wheel cleaners; I don't think any of us would have a problem with you saying not to use them on THESE wheels, if you would admit that maybe the finish of the CSL REPS is sub par, but to say that you should treat all wheels in general like "your paint" is rediculous when i would say 99% of us members who have used degreaser based wheel cleaners on our current and previous cars with no problems like are being reported. I don't think anyone is expecting OEM quality for a price like this, but don't treat us like we don't know how to clean our own cars.

[OC Guy]

Originally Posted by lauer87

About the vendors saying no to wheel cleaners; I don't think any of us would have a problem with you saying not to use them on THESE wheels, if you would admit that maybe the finish of the CSL REPS is sub par, but to say that you should treat all wheels in general like "your paint" is rediculous when i would say 99% of us members who have used degreaser based wheel cleaners on our current and previous cars with no problems like are being reported. I don't think anyone is expecting OEM quality for a price like this, but don't treat us like we don't know how to clean our own cars.

Either some of you guys are being intellectually dishonest or have NO IDEA what you are talking about.

Do you really think VMR is the only wheel manufacturer that adopts this policy? Go contact HRE and see what they recommend with wheel cleaners. Go contact BBS. Go contact any wheel company.

Here are a few of examples of another company and their recommendations, they recommend soap and water because it is the SAFEST thing you can do. Some wheel cleaners are safe and some are not. It's that simple. I don't know why you guys are being so damn ignorant about the subject and picking on VMR.

Links -
DPE Link:
http://www.dpengineering.cc/dealers2.html# - CLICK ON Wheel care.

IForged Link:
http://www.iforged.com/book/careguide.htm - Click on the bottom right to turn the page.

Fiske Link: (Very High Quality wheels)
http://www.fikse.com/wheelcare.html

Originally Posted by Fiske

" First, and most importantly, NEVER let heavy brake dust accumulate on the wheels for an extended period. Frequent cleaning is essential--much like a fine car finish. Most brake pad material becomes highly acidic when mixed with rain or water. This acidic mix of brake dust and water can damage any wheel if left on them too long.

Second, it is important to avoid using off-the-shelf "Wheel Cleaner" products which are typically designed for use on lower quality cast metals. These, too are usually far too acidic for high performance wheels. "

[Chowbow]

I spoke directly with a number of people at Fikse and they recommended that I SOAK my wheels in a 50/50 mix of Simple Green and water if there's stuff caked on. I confirmed with them that the bottle explicitly states not to use it on aluminum but they said it'll be fine. And indeed, it worked out well and got just about all the grime off the wheels.

I actually got a gnarly chip one one of my front wheels today. It looks like something came flying up and smacked my wheel. Not sure if that's really the case but there's a small chunk missing and the paint is definitely gone in 2 areas. I think it's bad enough that it would have happened to any wheel though. Still no other irregular rock chips...

[OC Guy]

Originally Posted by Chowbow

I spoke directly with a number of people at Fikse and they recommended that I SOAK my wheels in a 50/50 mix of Simple Green and water if there's stuff caked on. I confirmed with them that the bottle explicitly states not to use it on aluminum but they said it'll be fine. And indeed, it worked out well and got just about all the grime off the wheels.

I actually got a gnarly chip one one of my front wheels today. It looks like something came flying up and smacked my wheel. Not sure if that's really the case but there's a small chunk missing and the paint is definitely gone in 2 areas. I think it's bad enough that it would have happened to any wheel though. Still no other irregular rock chips...

Yes, it says so in the link I provided also.

"Aluminum - Is it safe to use Simple Green?
Simple Green products have been successfully and safely used on aircraft, automotive, industrial and consumer aluminum items for over 20 years. However, caution and common sense must be used: Aluminum is a soft metal that easily corrodes with unprotected exposure to water. The aqueous-base and alkalinity of Simple Green or Crystal Simple Green can accelerate the corrosion process. Therefore, contact times of Simple Green and Crystal Simple Green with unprotected or unpainted aluminum surfaces should be kept as brief as the job will allow - never for more than 10 minutes. Large cleaning jobs should be conducted in smaller-area stages to achieve lower contact time. Rinsing after cleaning should always be extremely thorough - paying special attention to flush out cracks and crevices to remove all Simple Green/Crystal Simple Green residues. Unfinished, uncoated or unpainted aluminum cleaned with Simple Green products should receive some sort of protectant after cleaning to prevent oxidation."

[BMdblU]

After reading this thread... I am still ordering my 19" silver CSL's by weeks end

[Redadair]

My Miro CSL's wheels look great. I looked them over very carefully prior to install and did not see any quality issues at all. Love my new wheels.

Red

[1WickedE90]

Originally Posted by Redadair

My Miro CSL's wheels look great. I looked them over very carefully prior to install and did not see any quality issues at all. Love my new wheels.

Red

How many wheel weights did it take to balance each wheel and did you have them Hunter Road Force mounted & balanced?

[Atsnow]

Originally Posted by BMdblU

After reading this thread... I am still ordering my 19" silver CSL's by weeks end

+1
19" V714 Staggered

[bsavic]

Originally Posted by BMdblU

After reading this thread... I am still ordering my 19" silver CSL's by weeks end

Can't say the same for me, unless EAS finally gives up some info (hint hint) about their Forged line it's BMW Performance Rims for me soon

Savicbo

[DrPowers]

I received my CSLs from JLeviSW and they look great. All of the tires have at least one or two weights on them but one of the rears has quite a bit. I guess its to be expected since these are fairly cheap wheels.

As for the ride....

The General Exclaim UHPs are noticeably louder than my Bridgestone Potenza 16" tires. This is to be expected too since the 19" UHPs have more tread hitting the road and less tire between the road and the rim.

The wheels do feel a little out of balance still and I am going to take them to my local tire shop to have them checked again.

As for the finish... it looks great without any chips or roughness. It looks well done and matches really well with my car. I'm still worried that it wont hold up as well as the finish on the OEM wheels but only time will tell.

I'll post some pics later when I get home.

[Hunter399]

I have a set of their CSL reps and have been very happy with them thus far

[ModificaClassica]

Hey guys,

I had my CSLs on for about 8 or 9 months before I noticed that the clear coat was just totally peeling. It got so bad that I decided to get the wheels refinished when I traded in my E90 for an E92. I'm still waiting to get the wheels back as the wheel refinisher says there is an issue with the E92 TPMS sensors fitting on the CSLs. I will say though, for 900 bucks these wheels rock. They look great, even when they are chipped. Now that I'm getting them refinished in gun metal from a wheel refinisher, I hope they don't chip again.

Anyone have any recommendations as to getting the E92 TPMS sensors to fit on the csl wheels? I saw on one thread that a guy mentioned he used a strap kit, but he never mentioned where you can get a strap kit. Anyone know of a link to buy a strap kit?

Thanks,
Elie

[DrPowers]

Originally Posted by eliemman

Hey guys,

I had my CSLs on for about 8 or 9 months before I noticed that the clear coat was just totally peeling. It got so bad that I decided to get the wheels refinished when I traded in my E90 for an E92. I'm still waiting to get the wheels back as the wheel refinisher says there is an issue with the E92 TPMS sensors fitting on the CSLs. I will say though, for 900 bucks these wheels rock. They look great, even when they are chipped. Now that I'm getting them refinished in gun metal from a wheel refinisher, I hope they don't chip again.

Anyone have any recommendations as to getting the E92 TPMS sensors to fit on the csl wheels? I saw on one thread that a guy mentioned he used a strap kit, but he never mentioned where you can get a strap kit. Anyone know of a link to buy a strap kit?

Thanks,
Elie

Ask VMR or whatever dealer you got the CSLs from if they have the TPMS. I believe mine came with the TPMS already installed.

Did you ever use any cleaners on the wheels?? How much does it cost to have the wheels refinished?

[Chowbow]

I'm using OEM BMW TPMS sensors without any problems on mine.

[Bulldog 6]

Originally Posted by Chowbow

Honestly, for $900, you can't expect too much out of them... this whole set of wheels cost less than 1 of my nice forged wheels. I really don't care that much that they aren't perfectly balanced out of the box... It's a cheap wheel that looks pretty nice. I thought about waxing them and taking really good care of them but in the end I see them getting pretty beat up in a year or two (I drive tons of miles) and I'll just replace them.

+1. The look is great but don't hold up great against chips and nicks from road debri. For the price I don't complain. I planned to swap them out at the two year mark anyway so I don't care. As long as they are clean they look great. Also Velocity does back thier warranty, I had two wheels that starting peeling on day 3 and they replaced them right away.