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All BBS alloy wheels which are diamond-cut with a clear lacquer finish are prone to what's called 'white worm'. Even with regular washing and maintenance, the inevitable stone chips or slightest kerbing can break the lacquer seal and moisture can ingress and the white worm will start and slowly spread. In Winter, road salts etc do not help! In fact the UK is known for it's particularly corrosive version of road grit compared with Europe - Funny how Europe, especially Germany, is so much kinder to the motorist than the UK!
The strength or safety of the alloy wheel is
NOT compromised but it looks horrible:
VW are well aware of this issue but have done nothing to solve it or change the design in spite of numerous warranty claims awarded to customers with the problem. There are several options you have for killing the dreaded white worm:
OPTION 1:If you are still within warranty, complain to your VW dealer and you are most likely to get the wheels refurbed/replaced by them. BUT, only the individual wheels which you have not kerbed. Also, only if your car was
originally supplied with diamond-cut Monza's. My car was originally supplied with painted Monza 17's and the 18's were bought later, so my claim was rejected by VW UK (not my dealer) in spite of polite but vigorous efforts under warranty. I decided it wasn't worth spending money in going to court over the issue.
OPTION 2:Refurb the wheel yourself as shown here:
http://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=63.0 But this is not for the faint hearted and requires hours of elbow grease.
OPTION 3:Buy an expensive set of new Monza's from VW or buy replicas as replacements - But be aware that replicas are not BBS Hollow Technology in their construction.
^ Huffs offer a very nice black version replica which matches the European Edition 30 BBS from VW.
OPTION 4:Find a reputable wheel renovation specialist such as Pristine, Lepsons, A1 in Wolverhampton, [more to be added]
If you find one who is familiar with and has experience of Monza 18's you're usually onto a winner. They can either refurb back to exactly how they were when brand spanking new, or custom finish for you. Either way, you'll be without your alloys for about 3-4 working days.
^ Standard Monza 18" diamond-cut clear lacquer and with grey 'inserts'.
^ Showing the grey 'inserts' and clean edge join to the diamond-cut face. This can only be achieved by firstly powdercoating the whole wheel in grey and then cutting back to the raw alloy on the face and then lacquering it.
Our very own Rim King of the forum, Nathan aka Greenouse, has gone the custom route....
Several times! I guess it's a male equivalent of ladies who love shoes.
^ An example of custom finish done for Nathan by A1 Wheel Renovations in Wolverhampton.
Nathan's latest custom design matches that of the pre-production Mk6 GTI as shown in Paris and also the GTI W12:
^ By painting the inserts black, the wheel appears bigger.
^ This is achieved in the same way that BBS manufacture for VW - But in this case, the wheels are painted black all over and then diamond-cut back and clear lacquered. This also enables a visually clean edge between painted inserts and face and is the only way to get this result. If you wish to mix a painted face with a different coloured painted insert, you have a major problem achieving a clean edge and most professional refurbishers will only undertake it, if at all, entirely at your risk - You pay however badly it comes out.
OPTION 5:Custom finish but powdercoated entirely without any cutting back to diamond-cut face. This totally avoids future white worm problems and is what I decided to do:
^ They are first painted black and then powdercoated Smoked Chrome (a shade of silver) such that the face has slightly more silver than the inserts. This results in some visual subtleties.
^ Dirty after about 200 miles of motorway muck, but not showing it.
^ The brighter silver of standard VW Silver on the Monza 17's.
^ The effect of powdercoating Smoked Chrome overall, the inserts are more easily seen but also add an exciting visual effect. It's swings and roundabouts and a matter of personal preference but it has been my aim to retain the integrity of the Monza as an important component in the Mk5 GTI's identity while killing the white worm for good!
