File in Section:

Service Bulletin

08 - Body and Accessories

Bulletin No.:

99-08-51-007F

Date:

February, 2014

INFORMATION
Subject:

Refinishing Aluminum Wheels

Models:

2015 and Prior GM Passenger Cars and Trucks

This bulletin has been revised to add the 2013-2015 model years, additional information
under Refinisher's Responsibility and Warranty Information. Please discard Corporate
Bulletin Number 99-08-51-007E.

This bulletin updates General Motor's position on
refinishing aluminum wheels. GM does not endorse any
repairs that involve welding, bending, straightening or
re-machining. Only cosmetic refinishing of the wheel's
coatings, using recommended procedures, is allowed.
Evaluating Damage
In evaluating damage, it is the GM Dealer's
responsibility to inspect the wheel for corrosion,
scrapes, gouges, etc. The Dealer must insure that such
damage is not deeper than what can be sanded or
polished off. The wheel must be inspected for cracks. If
cracks are found, discard the wheel. Any wheels with
bent rim flanges must not be repaired or refinished.
Wheels that have been refinished by an outside
company must be returned to the same vehicle. The
Dealer must record the wheel ID stamp or the cast date
on the wheel in order to assure this requirement. Refer
to Refinisher's Responsibility — Outside Company later
in this bulletin.
Aluminum Wheel Refinishing Recommendations
• Chrome-plated aluminum wheels
Re-plating these wheels is not recommended.
• Polished aluminum wheels
These wheels have a polyester or acrylic
clearcoat on them. If the clearcoat is damaged,
refinishing is possible. However, the required
refinishing process cannot be performed in the
dealer environment. Refer to Refinisher's
Responsibility — Outside Company later in this
bulletin.
• Painted aluminum wheels
These wheels are painted using a primer, color
coat, and clearcoat procedure. If the paint is
damaged, refinishing is possible. As with polished
wheels, all original coatings must be removed first.
Media blasting is recommended. Refer to the
latest version of Corporate Bulletin
Number 53-17-03 GM Aluminum Refinishing for
the re-painting of this type of wheel.
Copyright 2014 General Motors LLC. All Rights Reserved.

•

Bright, machined aluminum wheels
These wheels have a polyester or acrylic
clearcoat on them. In some cases, the recessed
“pocket” areas of the wheel may be painted.
Surface refinishing is possible. The wheel must be
totally stripped by media blasting or other suitable
means. The wheel should be resurfaced by using
a sanding process rather than a machining
process. This allows the least amount of material
to be removed.
Important: Do not use any re-machining process that
removes aluminum. This could affect the dimensions
and function of the wheel.
Painting is an option to re-clearcoating polished and
bright machined aluminum wheels. Paint will better
mask any surface imperfections and is somewhat more
durable than clearcoat alone. GM recommends using
Corsican SILVER WAEQ9283 for a fine “aluminum-like”
look or Sparkle SILVER WA9967 for a very bright look.
As an option, the body color may also be used. When
using any of the painting options, it is recommended
that all four wheels be refinished in order to maintain
color uniformity. Refer to the latest version of Corporate
Bulletin Number 53-17-03 GM Aluminum Refinishing,
for specific procedures and product recommendations.
Refinisher's Responsibility — Outside Company
Important: Some outside companies are offering
wheel refinishing services. Such refinished wheels will
be permanently marked by the refinisher and are
warranted by the refinisher. Any process that
re-machines or otherwise re-manufactures the wheel
should not be used.
A refinisher's responsibility includes inspecting for
cracks using the Zyglo system or the equivalent. Any
cracked wheels must not be refinished. No welding,
hammering or reforming of any kind is allowed. The
wheel ID must be recorded and follow the wheel
throughout the process in order to assure that the same
wheel is returned. A plastic media blast may be used
for clean up of the wheel. Hand and/or lathe sanding of
the machined surface and the wheel window is allowed.

Page 2

February, 2014

Material removal, though, must be kept to a minimum.
Re-machining of the wheel is not allowed. Paint and/or
clear coat must not be present on the following
surfaces: the nut chamfers, the wheel mounting
surfaces and the wheel pilot hole. The refinisher must
permanently ID stamp the wheel and warrant the
painted/clearcoated surfaces for a minimum of
one year or the remainder of the new vehicle warranty,
whichever is longer.
Important: Whenever a wheel is refinished, the
mounting surface and the wheel nut contact surfaces
must not be painted or clearcoated. Coating these
surfaces could affect the wheel nut torque.
For refinishing of wheels under warranty, at this time,
only painted aluminum wheels can be refinished under
warranty. GM has worked with a supplier that can
provide refinishing services on-site to most GM Dealers
in North America. This supplier uses a self-contained
trailer unit in order to perform refinishing and has
standard processes that have been reviewed and
approved by GM Tire and Wheel Systems Engineering.
AWRS has the capability to refinish all painted
aluminum wheels including black and other
non-traditional colors. AWRS is the only outside source
approved to do wheel refinishing under warranty or in
customer enthusiasm cases.

Bulletin No.: 99-08-51-007F

Alloy Wheel Repair Specialists (AWRS)
3100 Medlock Bridge Road
Suite 305
Norcross, GA 30071
(800) 518-3040
www.awrswheelrepair.com
Note: At the AWRS website, is both a contact number
and a listing of local service franchisees that can assist
with repairs to painted aluminum wheels.
When re-mounting a tire on an aluminum wheel, coated
or stick-on balance weights must be used in order to
reduce the chance of future cosmetic damage.

Warranty Information
For vehicles repaired under warranty, use:
Labor
Operation

Description

Labor
Time

8080058*

Refinishing Painted Aluminum
Wheels

Use
Actual
Repair
Order
Clock
Time

*This is a unique labor operation for bulletin use only. It will
not be published in the Labor Time Guide.

Note: Technicians should show actual repair order
clock time (Clock in/clock out) for this labor operation.

GM bulletins are intended for use by professional technicians, NOT a "do-it-yourselfer". They are written to inform these
technicians of conditions that may occur on some vehicles, or to provide information that could assist in the proper
service of a vehicle. Properly trained technicians have the equipment, tools, safety instructions, and know-how to do a
job properly and safely. If a condition is described, DO NOT assume that the bulletin applies to your vehicle, or that your
vehicle will have that condition. See your GM dealer for information on whether your vehicle may benefit from the
information.

WE SUPPORT VOLUNTARY
TECHNICIAN
CERTIFICATION