Rusting on inner wheel on nearly new a3

[cjr]

Saw this nearly new a3 1yr old yesterday (14k miles) still awaiting prep and wondered if I should be concerned about the rust/corrosion shown in the picture. It was only this bad on the rear left wheel I think. Other wheels looked OK/normal.

Salesman said not to worry (obviously) and that it would have been caused by traffic film remover, and that they could get rid of the rust whenever it is fully prepped/valeted. What do you guys think?

 

[Gazjs]

Unfortunatly this is apparently very common on Audis. I haven't experienced it yet, but my car is garaged and wheels aren't treated with harsh chemicals.

 

[Bittern]

2-3 hours of your time and a 250ml tin of Hammerite Smooth Silver paint



I did mine last year and they still look great





Oh and the 250ml goes a VERY long way!. I have more than enough to do my Calipers as well if i want to

 

[Rob2k68]

Yep very common unfortunately - do a search on rusty hubs and you'll have a lot of reading material !!

 

[Scottk]

It's actually the brake discs and does look unsightly but as above, quick paint and it will be fine for a while.

 

[Jassyo06]

It's actually the brake discs and does look unsightly but as above, quick paint and it will be fine for a while.

No its just rust, l have just recently re- painted my own....l dont use harsh chemical wheel cleaners or any of that crap either,its just the paint on the hubs thats so thin....mate

 

[Scottk]

So you are saying it is the car hubs and not the brake discs. The brake disc fits over the wheel hub and the rusting part is the bell of the brake disc. If you fit new discs, you paint that part before fitting to prevent the rusting or do as above and paint in situ.

 

[Rob2k68]

So you are saying it is the car hubs and not the brake discs. The brake disc fits over the wheel hub and the rusting part is the bell of the brake disc. If you fit new discs, you paint that part before fitting to prevent the rusting or do as above and paint in situ.

If you have time then paint the bell/hat of the disc before fitting then you can do it on a workbench and aren't crouched down - place disc flat will also mean less chance of the paint running. Don't do the surface the wheel bolts against.

Before fitting the discs remove any rust from the surface of the hub so the disc sits flat against it, I used a wire brush in my Dremel to do this.

 

[cjr]

Thanks all for your replies. If it's so common and can be fixed with a bit of metal paint whenever it flairs up again I don't think its something to worry too much about. If I was to go with this car i'd make sure the dealer cleans it up before delivery!

 

[steeve]

Nothing to worry about, but it does look like isht, happens on lots of makes. Not acceptable in my humble opinion.