Chrome Wheel Pitting

[GAS27]

I recently purchase a used 2003 Lincoln Ls V8. I believe it to be a Sport Premium model with chrome wheels. The car is black with dark after market window tinting. It’s sharp.

A couple of items need some checking so it’s going in for some warranty work in a few days. The first item is the AM radio reception. It’s poor so I would like to know if anyone had a similar situation and how it was improved.

Second are the chrome wheels. There is some pitting/bubbling of the chrome coating on most of the wheels. I showed this to the service manager and he said the only steps he could take is to photograph the wheels and send them to a Ford Technical group for evaluation. I still have bumper to bumper coverage since I'm well within the four year 50,000 parameters of the warranty. The service manager stated, "Since the car was purchased used, it is not known what the first owner used on the wheels." He is unsure if adjustments could be made.

Later on in the day I stopped at wheel and tire outlet to get an opinion. They said the problem with the wheels is that Ford produces these wheels by applying chrome over aluminum wheels. They stated this is a poor bond and is susceptible to this problem. They explained the only way to chrome wheels properly is to start with a steel wheel, nickel plate it, and coat with chrome. So is anyone had or having this same issue and what was done about it. My prior car was an Olds Aurora with chrome's and they looked great after four years of driving. No problems with pitting at all.

Thank you in advance......

[CGGorman]

AM reception is a fairly common complaint. Chalk it up to little demand for a high quality AM tuner... I don't believe there is a fix.

Countless millions of wheels on the road are chromed aluminum. Steel wheels are practically out-of-use. The pitting/bubbling could be caused by many different things. I would take up the service manager's offer and fight until you get the resolution you want.