Monza II alloys in the future...

[RedRobin]

RR, do you think A1 Wheel Renovations would be interested in buying my OE 7.5J 17" Monzas to sell on? I'd like them to go to a good home!

I'm thinking about getting a set of the Detroit 7.5J x 18" Matt Black 1K0071498AMZ98 wheels soon.

My Monzas are in immaculate condition, no "white-worm" or kerb damage - maybe because I clean them every week!

Ludwig

....I don't know, mate. Phone Nigel (make sure you speak to him) at A1 on 01902 871 422 - I doubt it but it's worth a call and he's an extremely helpful bloke.

[ludwig]

RR, ok thanks.

Maybe I'll give him a call soon.

Ludwig

[S4lek]

What's the cost for his kind of work, RR?

Hi , could you tell me how you got on with

the wheels. I'm thinking of having my

Vw 17 inch monzas done like the shadows, but

on the other hand is it cheaper to by a set of

18 inch replicas on eBay for £300. Are the

replicas any good. And also shall I stck with my 17 inch monza.

I had a quote from Wolverhampton refurbs and they

quoted £95 per wheel to be refurbed like monza 2 shadows

any ideas or thoughts on what I should do, I really want a set to last me all year round instead of swapping them at winter.

[RedRobin]

@ S4lek:

Any finish which is diamond-cut and clear lacquered, whether 18", 17", Monza, or Shadows, will be subject to the white worm surface corrosion which the road salts in the UK in particular initiate. So, having experienced excessive white worm, I'd stay well away.

Replicas are ok but heavier and not as valuable to your car come the day you want to sell.

I had my Monza 18's powdercoated, was going to sell them but am now thinking of keeping them as a winter wheel with road tyres and my lightweight OZ wheels with trackday rubber.

Hope This Helps

[S4lek]

Cheers for reply. My first choice would have been

a set of original black monzas , but way out of my

budget. Still looking around for some replacements, as the originals are

quite kerbed from the previous owner , still holding

out for some 18 inch monzas from somewhere , but hard

to find good condition originals , on the other hand may

have to get a cheap set from eBay.

The 17s that I have on the gti don't quite look right, but then again

it's a 5 door family car at weekends.

[Timski]

Does anyone know of a wheel refurbisher who can refurbish GTI 25th Anniversary alloys to the same finish as the originals? Most Anniversaries out there have had refurbed wheels. You can usually tell them a mile off - the ones I've seen seem to have a dull silver finish which just isn't the same. The Anni wheels aren't quite full-on chrome and they're not flat silver either. I've heard the term 'ball-polished', whatever that is. I had mine replaced under warranty but, surprise surprise, they've gone rotten again! I'm obviously well out of warranty now and VW want £2000 for a brand new set!

It's a pain in the ar5e that you can have wheels that look as good as these and yet they just rot no matter how much care you take of them. I used to Autoglym mine every week but it makes no difference once those white worms start!

[RedRobin]

Cheers for reply. My first choice would have been

a set of original black monzas , but way out of my

budget.

The 17s that I have on the gti don't quite look right, but then again

it's a 5 door family car at weekends.

....Just an idea, but how about powdercoating your Monza 17's black?

[Spot]

Just to take this a tad OT....

My GT 170 came with the optional 18" Charlestons - which are diamond cut/anthracite finished.

At coming up to 3 years old (17k) they are still factory mint; I notice that for the 2011 MY Golf GTD they are now the 18" option again - I'm rather hoping this indicates that VW may have sorted the previous well documented QC issues over this diamond cut finish?

As an aside, I was in my local dealers a couple of weeks ago, waiting for an exhaust sensor warranty fix, when I spotted a very high spec Tiguan 'R' series - 0 miles - both offside rims (19" diamond cut) had been very seriously 'kerbed'.

I'll check up next time I'm in to see if the dealer replaced or repaired them (or heaven forbid the customer never noticed!)

[Tarmac_Terrorist]

I don't thik VW / BBS have had any 'quality' issues with the diamond cut / polish and lacquered wheels. The issue is with all these types of wheels regardless of manufacturer - and they seem to be becoming more popular in recent years. Ford, Mercedesand some BMW's also use these types of wheels and all have issues. I understand that the lacquer doesn't bond as strongly direct to the metal as is does a powder coat paint; hence if you get a stone chip on them or worse (kerb / scratch) then the moisture gets into the chip / damage and spreads.

Although my Monza II's are low mileage, they are still over 4 years old and are in perfect condition. I spotted a very small stone chip on one of them and immediately touched up with clear lacquer - that was over a year ago and I think I must have caught it in time! The key is to seal / wax them every 3-4 weeks and wash off any road salts asap.

In my honest opinion, they are enthusiasts wheels as they are not durable for the average motorist or anyone who covers high mileage. I think if manufacturers use these then potential owners should be alerted as to the potential issues of have the 'no cost option' of another attractively designed powder coated wheel at the point of sale.

I suspect the corrosion issues are much more common in countries in the northern hemisphere due to climate conditions too. I read somwhere that the road salt / grit in the uk is the most corrosive in Europe!

[Spot]

Well, I agree about the regular care and attention needed - but surely there is/has been a QC issue over 'Monza 2's et al?

Hopefully now resolved with the continuation of this finish of rim on the Mk 6? If there were ongoing issues with durability then I would have expected VW to revert to a painted finish - rather than risk a further plethora of warranty claims?

There is no way VW - well known for it's parsimonious attutude to warranty claims would ever have authorised hundreds - if not thousands - of wheel replacements if it thought it could blame it on owners not being anally protective of their diamond cut rims? They are quick enough to repudiate claims, I hear, if there is the merest hint of 'kerbing'?

If you get a stone chip on your bonnet that untreated develops into a festering sore, would VW replace the bonnet then?

(Tongue firmly in cheek here!)

[stooH]

If you get a stone chip on your bonnet that untreated develops into a festering sore, would VW replace the bonnet then?

They don't trust me. I got a chip on one of my A pillars which blistered and they weren't interested. You'd of thought in this day and age they'd be able to come up with a painting method which would stop that happening.

[Tarmac_Terrorist]

There is no way VW - well known for it's parsimonious attutude to warranty claims would ever have authorised hundreds - if not thousands - of wheel replacements if it thought it could blame it on owners not being anally protective of their diamond cut rims

VW now only send them to be refurbed under warranty - not replaced.

I've no axe to grind with VW but you have more faith than I do!

I'd be confident to bet that the issues will continue. Some Monza II's were made by BBS and I understand some others by another manufacturer. Both had issues with the 'white worm' type corrosion.

[Snoopy]

Mk6 wheels suffer exactly the same and they are made by Ronal unlike the early early versions of the mk5 who were made by BBS.

Its the type of finish period, You cannot 'key' the surface for the lac to stick to it, so it lifts. Be it temp related, salt etc It lifts, it happens and always will, has done since the year dot. Its simple science. VW Group thats including all the brands has had problems with this wheel finish for decades.

The Audi 200 type 42s, Audi 90 speedlines, the SEAT Ibiza GTI 16V/corrado 2.0 16V Sx ronals to name a few all had this problem. Put simply VW don't learn. And if you think VW is QC driven nowadays your sadly mistaken.

[vinyldj]

Maybe its just me that has noticed this !?!? but I have a 58 plate GTI with Monza II's manufactured by BBS you know the ones, for long enough one of them was getting quite bad with the old white worm problem - even though I was a bit OCD with these wheels the uk roads still did the job on it.

3 of them are pretty much ok and the one in question I decided to have replaced on warranty before it runs out, no problem with the dealer they ok'ed the replacement, they order the wheel VW coughs up.

Just got the wheel put on and upon closer inspection the new Monza II alloy is different from the ones originally on the car, it looks like the same charcoal grey colour with the mirrored diamond cut (have not checked for the manufacturer marking or similar on the backside of the wheel but i'm sure its not a replica - its too good for that) but the charcoal grey section of the wheel has a sharper/steeper ridge leading to the inside of the wheel, the same as the new Monza Shadow alloys and looks quite different whereas the older Monza II's have a more curved bevel leading to the inside of the wheel which looks wider in apperance and nicer.

So somewhere along the line 57->09->introduction of the Monza Shadow VW have changed the manufacturer/manufacturing process of these wheels.

Nevertheless the problem is I'm not happy with a different Monza II alloy regardless of why they changed the design even if its up to the job or not in my opinion that's not good enough. If VW can't supply the same Monza II alloy for a vehicle on warranty then they need to change all the wheels - do they think we won't notice or something. They can't expect people to accept that because its changed since your car was purchased and you have a claim you got to drive around with different wheels on - sorry no way. (the more I look at it now the more noticable it is even my Mrs noticed)

Basically if my front bumper fell off and smashed to pieces would I expect to see the MK6 GTI bumper go on there as a warranty replacement? no

Going to check with VW about the difference between these wheels and if they no longer manufacture the BBS Monza II's (which it looks like) and they can't get me one then they can replace all 4. But its not as nice as the original BBS Monza II, I knew I should have got it with the 17's not as much hassle to look after.

Edited June 11, 2010 by vinyldj

[TwoSheds]

I'd check the part no of the replacement wheel you've had put on the car.

As TT said they refurb warranty replacements so I'd want to make sure it is at least a non-replica...

[Snoopy]

Theres also two versions of the BBS wheel as well as the Ronel version for the mk5. Check the make and part number on the rear are the same as the old ones.

[vinyldj]

Been back to the dealer regarding this wheel and Snoopy is correct there is more than one version of the Monza II. The one they replaced was indeed a BBS wheel. However the original MKV GTI wheels are BBS 400 - specific to the GTI and the one they replaced was coded BBS 380/390 can't remember which.

I had a look at the order code and there is also a bunch of other numbers in the code that refer to the colour and finish on the wheel.

So as initially thought the wheel was incorrect, turns out the dealer ordered the wrong one and it should not have been on the car as the valve setup is different. You would have thought the guy who fitted the wheel/tyre would have noticed.

However with a lot of apologies and guarantee they will order the same wheel i'm not so sure about the repalcement that has since gone on the car I assume it is the correct Monza II BBS 400 as this time it looks more like it but the finish is still bloody different, could it be the Ronal version of the correct GTI Monza II?

The bolt holes look smaller and are cut differently.

The cuts around the rim look wider/faded and the cuts on the arches are not as sharp/distinct and again look more faded.

Looks like the main cut of the wheel has got extra layers of lacquar/wax on which looks watery from certain angles/light and you don't see the burshed cut as much.

is this the correct BBS400 will check code and report back with pics

Edited June 15, 2010 by vinyldj

[Tarmac_Terrorist]

Are you sure this new one is not a refurb?

[vinyldj]

Ok the chassis number (manufactured 2007-2008) brings up two diferent 'Detroit' alloys one with a Rubber Valve and one with a Metal Valve on different part numbers. Clearly a different finish on the wheels in particular the cut.

The alloy with the Rubber Valve setup is part number VW 1K0 601 025 BA. (GTI only)

I contacted BBS and they say that they used to manufacture the BBS RD400 part number: VW 1K0 601 025 BA which happens to be on my car.

VW say that the BBS wheel is still available and should be a like for like swap (but that's VW customer care)

Basically the dealer has checked and triple checked that this is the correct and only replacement wheel available on part number VW 1K0 601 025 BA. No refurbs are available for this wheel.

So I can only assume BBS no longer manufacture the alloy with the rubber value (which they said) but do manufacture the alloy with the metal valve, bizzare? (seen the BBS code on metal valve version cos it went on my car by mistake) The VW parts system is bringing up 30 or so currently available VW 1K0 601 025 BA as new replacements which will no doubt all have the difference in design which you would expect to see if another company (Ronal??) now makes them. Try to get VW or the dealer to say that

If I pursue it further I will end up with a set replaced! although the dealer did say with caution that they could try and get a hold of a BBS RD400 VW 1K0 601 025 BA if they could find one in the world of VW parts circulation !!

Edited June 18, 2010 by vinyldj

[Snoopy]

If its a ronal one it will have there name on the inside instead of BBS.