I am looking at buying a 2004 with 10500 miles. The car looks very good; almost brand new. The one thing that's bothering me is that there is some sort of a thin black coating on the inside of all four wheels. Other than this, the wheels look perfect with no scratches. I have looked at '05 and '06 models and they don't have this. Before I ask the owner about it; can I have some input?

 

Mine get that way from road grime. That part of the wheels don't get washed unless you pull them off to clean it. It is completely normal with that mileage.

 

Get some wheel cleaner and scrub 'em, it'll come right off. It's probalby mostly brake dust and road grime. They can be made easier to clean if you apply some wax/polish (I use Zaino) to them when they are clean, this will repel some of the dust and make them easier to clean next time.

 

Yeah, mine look just like that. I just put them back on the car on Sunday after they spent the winter in the basement. Did I clean them in the 5 months they were down there? No....thought about it once, I think.

 

It's called dirt

 

I know what dirt looks like and this ain't it. It's black in color and flaking off around the edges.

 

Post some pictures maybe?