[MattSaint]

Hey Guys,

I remember reading here that one of you had to have the stock wheel repainted and that there was a special process that GM had outlined on doing this? I would like to get the print out if at all possible...

I brought my car in to have the two tires replaced (the ones that failed the load force test) and you guessed it. They were damaged while taking the tires off. So off to a tire refinishing place they go and I am without my goat for X number of days. At least the dealership was cool about it, although I feel that it shouldn't have happened to begin with... but the good thing is the wheels were the ones that had the infamous "pink dot". So I won't have to look at them again.

 

[HD926]

What is the Pink Dot for.

 

[MattSaint]

HD926,

Apparently someone left the "pink dot" on the wheels for the first run of 500 cars off of the assembly line. It was supposed to have been removed. Now if you try and remove them it will remove the powder coat as well and expose a rust primer colored aluminum underneath. When I talked to the guys at the dealership, GM was supposedly issuing a silver colored sticker of some type to cover them up. Sounds like a crummy fix to me.

 

[AmesGTO]

HD926,

Apparently someone left the "pink dot" on the wheels for the first run of 500 cars off of the assembly line. It was supposed to have been removed. Now if you try and remove them it will remove the powder coat as well and expose a rust primer colored aluminum underneath. When I talked to the guys at the dealership, GM was supposedly issuing a silver colored sticker of some type to cover them up. Sounds like a crummy fix to me.

I haven't done anything to remove the pink dots, but on one of the rims the pink dot is almost gone anyway. The parts that have rubbed off look fine. Maybe at some point they put the dots over the powder coat?

 

[mlc]

The pink dot... I thought it had something to do with balancing (matching up to a mark on the hub)

 

[MattSaint]

The pink dot... I thought it had something to do with balancing (matching up to a mark on the hub)

It could have at one time, I don't really know... Just that when I took them off, the finish came off as well. I had read about them in the newagegto forums...

 

[Iron Horse]

I think the pink dots are suppose to give the GTO 25 more HP and 30 more lb/ft of torque.

 

[mistermike]

I would leave the pink dot on. That's one of those little things that will surely increase its collecter value down the road.

 

[1stChildhood]

painted, not painted....????

Hey Guys,

I remember reading here that one of you had to have the stock wheel repainted and that there was a special process that GM had outlined on doing this? I would like to get the print out if at all possible...

I brought my car in to have the two tires replaced (the ones that failed the load force test) and you guessed it. They were damaged while taking the tires off. So off to a tire refinishing place they go and I am without my goat for X number of days. At least the dealership was cool about it, although I feel that it shouldn't have happened to begin with... but the good thing is the wheels were the ones that had the infamous "pink dot". So I won't have to look at them again.

Good luck with that. Try a new hobby to keep your mind off the wait...! I was over on ultimategto complaining about how I didn't like the painted wheels (like on my Bonneville). Several people stated that they were not painted, that it was some kind of matte finish on the Al. Mine will be here real soon and I'll know as soon as I see them. However it sure appears to me in the hundreds of photos I've seen that they are the same silver powder coat I am used to. I wonder how so many people can be wrong... are they actually painted or not? On this thread it sure sounds like they are and I was right...??????

 

[GTOJer]

Hey Guys,

I remember reading here that one of you had to have the stock wheel repainted and that there was a special process that GM had outlined on doing this? I would like to get the print out if at all possible...

I brought my car in to have the two tires replaced (the ones that failed the load force test) and you guessed it. They were damaged while taking the tires off. So off to a tire refinishing place they go and I am without my goat for X number of days. At least the dealership was cool about it, although I feel that it shouldn't have happened to begin with... but the good thing is the wheels were the ones that had the infamous "pink dot". So I won't have to look at them again.

That was me. They tried to align the car and could not get the head mounted correctly and scratched the wheel. First they sent it to the body shop and the Service Manager knew I would not accept it so he sent it to a auto restoration place here in Norfolk. They reannodized the wheel. Looked great. The only way I knew where it happened was it so perfectly clean.
BTW, for the record, my VIN is 937906, and I have the pink dots on the wheel. Those dots are where the weights are supposed to go (inside). The later cars have the dots on the tire (saw it at the dealer on another later cat). I was told not to mess with them by a string on here and the dealer confirmed it. So, it has been 3 months and I am waiting, but I am not accepting no damn sticker.

 

[MattSaint]

Thanks for the information... I just made the call and my wheels should be finished today. Hopefully they will get them in time to have them mounted so I can pick the car up. I am tired of driving the crappy Corolla that they gave me as a loaner. The car had been in a minor fender bender and it drives crummy on the highway.

 

[MattSaint]

Well, the wheels were finshed and installed today. They were plain awful!!! They were a different colored silver with a clear coat finish. There were dust particles all over them. I would have hid my face in shame delivering these to the dealership looking like this. I ended up talking to the director of the service department. He asked what he could do to make things right. I said order me a new pair from the factory. He said that he would look into it. *sigh*

 

[FLORIT]

Look into it? He'd better do more than look into it. BTW, GM called me today to take a survey of my "new vehicle purchase". The guy I talked to seemed to be handling all the GTO's because he knew of virtually every comment we have made on this board. (Maybe he's stalking us!)

Anyway, I sure hope your dealer does you right and replaces your wheels.

 

[nikivee]

Hell, strip the wheels down to metal and have them polished. They are aluminum are they not?

 

[MattSaint]

I received good news on Friday. They will be replacing the wheels that were damaged.

 

[thinker]

that is great news!!

 

[aussie bill]

it makes me angry that people are having wheels scratched or damaged my best advice for owners if they have a tyre or wheel problem and take their car back to the dealer, ask dealer if tyre has to come off rim ,who is doing it if work done by dealer ask how much experiance they have in doing 17 inch wheels or larger, in my experiance a good dealer will subcontract work out to tyre dealers who are pros at the job, the best people to tell you about tyre problems or wheel problems are people who deal with it everyday. they also have the right equipment to do the job.

 

[AmesGTO]

My local dealer told me a couple of years back they would send my Firebird out to a good tire shop have the tires done.

 

[MattSaint]

I spoke to the dealership the other day. They will be sending the wheels and tires out to have them mounted and balanced. They have been great through the whole ordeal.

As I stated previously, I just wish that this hadn't happened to begin with. Dealerships should be able to service the cars that they sell in every aspect. Especially when it comes to warranty issues. I really don't think that is too much to ask.

 

[aussie bill]

I spoke to the dealership the other day. They will be sending the wheels and tires out to have them mounted and balanced. They have been great through the whole ordeal.

As I stated previously, I just wish that this hadn't happened to begin with. Dealerships should be able to service the cars that they sell in every aspect. Especially when it comes to warranty issues. I really don't think that is too much to ask.

normally i would agree with this but the problem with todays motorcars that as standard equipment wheels and tyres are so large even here in aus some holdens come standard with 18 inch wheels you need proffesional tyre techs to handle this type of wheel package and a lot of dealers dont have guys experianced enough in performance tyres, if you ever get a chance to see 18 inch tyres been pulled of rims its an art to do even with the right gear with out worrying about damaging tyres or rims the last tyre dealer i worked at i did all the big stuff from dealers as we did a lot of porches, Jaguar no preassure mind you, when the boss comes up to you and your trying to pull off a 19 inch tyre and casually mentions "you know that one rim is worth 5000 bucks"