When I got my Citadel home I was surprised to find the chrome wheels are really just plastic covers on an aluminum wheel. Is this a new thing or has it been around a while?

 

Old tech. My 2008 Charger has Chrome-'clad' alloy wheels. They are easier to maintain, but still have the chrome appearance.

 

Lighter weight must also be an advantage. I hope they hold up as well.

 

It could be argued that the official Dodge description,

20-inch chrome-clad aluminum wheels


is misleading.


They are, in fact, plastic-clad – and it just so happens that the plastic has a chrome finish. The Dodge description (intentionally????) gives (or could easily give) the impression that the wheels themselves are chrome-coated. It could be considered "sharp practice", if not a downright lie.


But plastic-clad doesn't sound quite as good, does it?

 

Shame is u can't simply replace the plastic cover if it gets damaged at least that's the case on my sisters ford edge with chrome "clad" wheels!

 

What??? Surely the wheel and the cover are two entirely separate entities. It must be possible!

 

Nope. The plastic covers are adhered to the wheel with industrial adhesives. If you damage your cover, you cannot just order replacement chrome cladding.

If you attempted to remove the cladding, you would destroy it and be left with an ugly, unfinished alloy wheel.

 

Are the other chrome accents on the citadel (grille, tail gate etc.) made of plastic also?

 

Nearly all chrome accents on all vehicles are just chrome paint over plastic. Wheels are the only normal exception.

 

The fact that the wheel is "unfinished" would really not be an issue if new covers were then applied to it.

That is totally outrageous! Are you saying that a cracked cover means that you have to order a whole new wheel and throw away the old one? That is the most environmentally unaware and untenable position I've experienced in a long time!

How far do Dodge take this policy? Do they, for example, refuse to provide paint or paint codes for their cars, so if you get a scratch they recommend that you scrap the whole car? A great policy for them to generate sales, but good customer service is something completely different!

You could not make this up!