Aero inserts on 21 rims

[Adnillien]

Really? I thought the entire black section spreading our radially from the center was an insert?

That black section is metal, just a different finish. I will take a few close up pictures later today.

 

[Charley]

Is there a trick to popping them off ?

 

[hydbob]

Is there a trick to popping them off ?

Pull hard

 

[Adnillien]

That black section is metal, just a different finish. I will take a few close up pictures later today.

Here are a couple of close up pictures. The black is all part of the metal wheel.

 

[Charley]

Ok. I just put a pair of gloves on and yanked mine off. Yes they are scratched. Bummer.

 

[hellolucid]

Ok. I just put a pair of gloves on and yanked mine off. Yes they are scratched. Bummer.

yikes. i'm second guessing my choice of 21" even more now.

 

[Charley]

Any guy that details for dealerships can probably make them look fine.

 

[hydbob]

yikes. i'm second guessing my choice of 21" even more now.

Just take the covers off. Sorry I should have kept reminding people to take them off to avoid the scratches

 

[dawktah LucidGT]

I'll be taking them off before they ever get on the car.

 

[PhotoEye]

Ok. I just put a pair of gloves on and yanked mine off. Yes they are scratched. Bummer.

Ok, so what's the worse case outcome of this moving grit problem? Cosmetic or functional?

What if you just leave the inserts on, period?

 

[borski]

Ok, so what's the worse case outcome of this moving grit problem? Cosmetic or functional?

What if you just leave the inserts on, period?

Purely cosmetic. I like the look better with them off, but you're fine just leaving them on too.

 

[Adnillien]

yikes. i'm second guessing my choice of 21" even more now.

GT 21's do not have inserts, this is only an issue for the DE 21's.

 

[Paladin732]

I've just pulled off all 20 AERO covers for my DE 21" rims and I've discovered absolutely every one of them is scratched underneath. Have others seen this?

 

[hydbob]

I've just pulled off all 20 AERO covers for my DE 21" rims and I've discovered absolutely every one of them is scratched underneath. Have others seen this?

Yea. I mentioned it A LONG time ago that people should pull their aero caps off to avoid the scratching

 

[Paladin732]

Yea. I mentioned it A LONG time ago that people should pull their aero caps off to avoid the scratching

To me its a design flaw. The point in them being removable is that they can be popped on or removed depending on range requirement. I filed an issue on it with my Service Tech. They are going to Valet the car to repair the damage and investigate it. (It is very clear it is a design flaw. My wheels are flawless except for 20 areas of scratching which all happen to be where the covers clip in).

Seems similar to the cell phone charger getting dinged up. It wasn't tested under real-world conditions.

 

[PhotoEye]

Well, my curiosity was too much to hold back from peeking. Indeed, the scratches are there after only a few weeks of local driving (less than 750 miles). If you are removing for the first time, be careful to place as much and as many of your fingers inside the insert to get a firm hold before pulling forcefully straight outward away from the wheel. If you have a flimsy grab, you run the risk of breaking one of the clips as you pull hard. That happened to me. You cannot see where the clips are situated, unless you originally put the inserts on. If you have a large hand, as I do, you might suffer a knuckle squeeze inserting and removing your hand during the process, but do try.

 

[PhotoEye]

JUST POSTED ON A DIFFERENT THREAD:

Well, my curiosity was too much to hold back from peeking. Indeed, the scratches are there after only a few weeks of local driving (less than 750 miles). If you are removing for the first time, be careful to place as much and as many of your fingers inside the insert to get a firm hold before pulling forcefully straight outward away from the wheel. If you have a flimsy grab, you run the risk of breaking one of the clips as you pull hard. That happened to me. You cannot see where the clips are situated, unless you originally put the inserts on. If you have a large hand, as I do, you might suffer a knuckle squeeze inserting and removing your hand during the process, but do try.

Attachments​

• 
  DE 21 Wheel Cover Broken Clip 2.jpg
  641.9 KB · Views: 0

 

[PhotoEye]

I've just pulled off all 20 AERO covers for my DE 21" rims and I've discovered absolutely every one of them is scratched underneath. Have others seen this?

Yes, scratches in all 20 slots after less than 750 local miles. :-(

 

[hydbob]

I had scratches after 100 miles, road grit ain't no joke. Didn't put in a service call though. Please let me know how that goes so we can all get something done if necessary!

 

[Paladin732]

I had scratches after 100 miles, road grit ain't no joke. Didn't put in a service call though. Please let me know how that goes so we can all get something done if necessary!

I'll let you know. I've been super impressed with Service, so I expect them to make it right.