[The Maverick]

[UPDATE - as I've posted below, the dealer's third-party wheel guru was able to correct the cosmetic defect.]

Looking for your informed opinions on the specific device/procedure that might have caused this - the wheel balancer, perhaps?

My '21 only has 11,500 miles on it and the factory-option polished-finish forged aluminum wheel was virtually flawless (and yes, learning from the experience of others, I did take photos of the wheel before I brought it in). See photos of the damage below.

The short version: picked up a bulge in the sidewall of one of my factory Goodyear run-flats. Brought the wheel into the dealership yesterday for a tire replacement. Picked the wheel up in the afternoon and, other than the typical grease streaks I would need to clean up, everything seemed fine.

However, when I was mounting the wheel on the car back at home, I noted that some of the "streaks" were actually an unusual circular "rub" mark on the spokes of the wheel, about three inches in from the edge of the hub. Unfortunately, one spot was more than just a rub mark, and there is a visible scratch in the wheel that I can also feel with a fingernail. See the photos with arrows pointing to that damage.

I immediately called the dealership and advised of the damage and will be bringing the car in today to see what they can do to remedy this.

Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated!

[WhiteMale]

I don't see a repair seems like a replacement but the same place that did that is going to handle the work going forward. How do you feel about them again mounting and dismounting the tire and wheel?

[The Maverick]

Originally Posted by WhiteMale

How do you feel about them again mounting and dismounting the tire and wheel?

Thanks for the input! I have a track record with this venue, and they have previously serviced both my '16 and '21 without similar issues, so I am currently looking at this as (hopefully) a one-off accident.

[ctrlz]

How did they mount this wheel? With something that clamped that high up on the spokes? Did they spin the cone on upside down?
if so, that's a real rookie mistake.

[Ventmaster]

Glad you have a history with the dealer. When my dealer chipped the edge of one of my new TSW wheels on my 5th gen when they pulled it on to a "whole car" lift, they agreed to replace it. When they notified me it was in, I drove down in the wife's car to pick it up and then kept the original as a spare.

[easttxss]

Looks like where the 'cup' rides when they tightened it down on the wheel balancing machine. I would just get some aluminum polish and call it good.

[The Maverick]

Originally Posted by easttxss

Looks like where the 'cup' rides when they tightened it down on the wheel balancing machine. I would just get some aluminum polish and call it good.

Heck, I am no good at even polishing silverware - although I can clean up the stainless exhaust tips pretty good (thank you, Nevr-Dull).

Fortunately the dealer's third-party wheel guru was at a nearby dealership and he was able to fit me into the schedule on the fly and remedy the nick. I am cautiously optimistic about the initial result, but will be keeping an eye on this area for potential issues. Here is a photo of how things turned out. The spoke at the upper right is the one that had the deepest scratch.

[ctrlz]

Originally Posted by easttxss

Looks like where the 'cup' rides when they tightened it down on the wheel balancing machine.

Glad OP got this fixed.
The machines I used all had a cone which, in the proper orientation, only grabbed the center and not the spokes. Now installed backwards, it could clearly grab the spokes.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C8N5Z7PH...1zcF9kZXRhaWwy