Dearborn, Mich., June 1, 2004 – Ford Motor Company does not approve the remanufacturing/ refinishing of steel or aluminum wheels when it involves re-machining, re-plating, welding, bending, straightening, reforming or adding new material other than cosmetic coatings. 

As a general rule, Ford Motor Company approves refinishing of steel or aluminum wheels only if all necessary repairs/reconditioning can be completed by cosmetic sanding or polishing that removes no metal and, instead, removes only the finish.  The refinished wheel must have the same part number as the part number of the wheel it is replacing.

Any wheel that is a candidate for refinishing must be carefully inspected and discarded if the wheel contains any of the following:

Cracks;

Corrosion, scrapes, gouges, dents or other damage that cannot be corrected with cosmetic sanding or polishing;

Refinishing that changes, or will change, the wheel’s shape, contour, stylelines or other design features;

Refinishing that alters, or will alter, the wheel’s rim flanges, wheel nut chamfers, wheel pilot holes or other functional surfaces;

Refinishing that leaves, or will leave, paint, clearcoat or other coatings on the wheel’s mounting surfaces or on wheel nut contact surfaces;

Repainting that involves cure temperatures above 350°F;

Chrome plating (either re-plating or chrome plating a painted wheel).

Ford Motor Company does not warrant any remanufactured/refinished wheel provided by an aftermarket supplier. 

Those choosing to use a remanufactured/refinished wheel from an aftermarket supplier for replacement of a damaged wheel should:

• Request written assurance from the aftermarket supplier that the recommendations above have been followed;
• Verify that the remanufactured/refinished wheel carries permanent markings that identify the aftermarket supplier and the date of remanufacturing/refinishing;
• Request clarification regarding the warranty provided by the remanufacturer and/or aftermarket supplier, if any.  Remember, Ford Motor Company does not warrant any remanufactured/refinished wheel provided by an aftermarket supplier;
• Use new coated balance weight to reduce future cosmetic damage.