Icon Wheels - Lack of quality, customer support

[BigMF]

So, I purchased a set of #IconAlloys wheels immediately after I got my new LC back in July. I also purchase a set of black lug nuts from them. I installed the wheels and have rotateted them exactly one time in the 6 months I've owned them. I noticed the other day that each of the lug nuts is already showing significant amounts of rust.

I reached out to Icon and got the response below:

Thank you Captain Obvious for telling me that lug nuts and keys are metal to metal and that weather exposure can lead to rust. So, I guess they expect me to put these lug nuts on a shelf in a climate controlled box? I don't know how I'm supposed to use this product without immediately compromising the integrity.

I bought a set of lug nuts off of Amazon for my LX570 that I had for 4+ years through many tire rotations, brake jobs, etc. that had less than half the rust showing on these so I was very disappointed. Am I expecting too much to not have the lug nuts I bought from "higher end" Icon Alloys rusting to this degree within 6 months? FYI, I had Icon wheels on my LX as well that had issues with the finish delaminating within a year of purchasing and when I complained I got a similar non-answer. I really thought long and hard about whether to buy Icon wheels again after my last experience but I thought "Hey, they are really popular so maybe my experience was just a fluke". I also understand that Icon is probably just sourcing the lug nuts from another vendor and not directly responsible for the manufacturing but they do label them as "Icon Alloys Lug Nuts". I would have hoped that they'd stand behind the products they sell, whether they manufacture them or not. This is giving me nervous thoughts about the wheels and how long they will continue to look good.

Does anyone know if lug nuts exist that are dark (black, gray, charcoal, etc.) but NOT painted?

 

[jpto]

That looks terrible, something you'd expect to see on those cheapo Amazon lug nuts.

I'm not an expert but I think you need to look for lug nuts that are black chrome/dark chrome plated. A painted lug nut is going to lose it's finish and rust really quickly

 

[traildustLC250]

I've only ever heard terrible things about their customer service and standing behind their product. They seemed to be regarded pretty highly, but I don't see the proof to support that reputation. Personally, I choose to not buy any of their products.

 

[jpto]

btw I went with project kics monolith lug nuts, haven’t installed them yet but every time I’ve used project kics they’ve been great

 

[lcat63]

As a lug nut OCD sufferer, I’ve never been thrilled with Toyota’s offerings. I live in a state that requires annual inspections, and they usually pull a random wheel to check brake pad life. I always order a second set of lug nuts, because inevitably the thin stainless outside layer gets beat up from an impact wrench/worn impact socket. Once this happens, I put on the new set using a non impact Snap-on socket, and torque wrench. Then I swap them out for the impact damaged parts for inspections, tires, or TPMS sensors. While the outside stainless finish of set 2 stays in nice shape, the rear (wheel side) turns into a corroded mess in short order. Under a year with no road salt. Just rain and car washes. The rear of the lug nut is plated steel, and the built-in washer retains water very well. It even leaks water onto the wheel studs, causing them to rust. Horrible design. I expect the same on the new Land Cruiser. Will see how Toyota’s black finish holds up.

 

[DoMoCruiser24]

btw I went with project kics monolith lug nuts, haven’t installed them yet but every time I’ve used project kics they’ve been great View attachment 26475

Project kics anodizing is solid. Had the R40 for years on my TEs and no rust driving through salted roads, or in this case, “contact with keys”…

 

[No15]

Those look bad and I would be upset myself.
Just be glad they don't swell like the lug nuts on the super duty. The worst lug nuts ever.

 

[NoMe cruiser]

So, I purchased a set of #IconAlloys wheels immediately after I got my new LC back in July. I also purchase a set of black lug nuts from them.

Why the immediate need to replace wheels and lugs?

 

[BigMF]

Why the immediate need to replace wheels and lugs?

I was heading on a trip to Utah and Colorado where I'd be going offroad for some overlanding and wanted some AT's for that. Also, wanted 18" wheels instead of the "premium" 20's.

 

[t3lcfe]

So, I purchased a set of #IconAlloys wheels immediately after I got my new LC back in July. I also purchase a set of black lug nuts from them. I installed the wheels and have rotateted them exactly one time in the 6 months I've owned them. I noticed the other day that each of the lug nuts is already showing significant amounts of rust.

View attachment 26469

View attachment 26468

I reached out to Icon and got the response below:


View attachment 26465

Thank you Captain Obvious for telling me that lug nuts and keys are metal to metal and that weather exposure can lead to rust. So, I guess they expect me to put these lug nuts on a shelf in a climate controlled box? I don't know how I'm supposed to use this product without immediately compromising the integrity.

I bought a set of lug nuts off of Amazon for my LX570 that I had for 4+ years through many tire rotations, brake jobs, etc. that had less than half the rust showing on these so I was very disappointed. Am I expecting too much to not have the lug nuts I bought from "higher end" Icon Alloys rusting to this degree within 6 months? FYI, I had Icon wheels on my LX as well that had issues with the finish delaminating within a year of purchasing and when I complained I got a similar non-answer. I really thought long and hard about whether to buy Icon wheels again after my last experience but I thought "Hey, they are really popular so maybe my experience was just a fluke". I also understand that Icon is probably just sourcing the lug nuts from another vendor and not directly responsible for the manufacturing but they do label them as "Icon Alloys Lug Nuts". I would have hoped that they'd stand behind the products they sell, whether they manufacture them or not. This is giving me nervous thoughts about the wheels and how long they will continue to look good.

Does anyone know if lug nuts exist that are dark (black, gray, charcoal, etc.) but NOT painted?

Terrible finish/coating!

 

[BigMF]

Terrible finish/coating!

Yes! The thing that really ticks me off is the lack of customer support from Icon. I can understand if a bad product slips through the cracks occasionally but this complete brush off tells me they know they are a bad product and simply don't care. As I said earlier, I'm holding my breath and hoping the finish on the wheels holds up over the years (months?) which is not the position I want to be in after spending good money on them.

 

[uraniumrich]

So, I purchased a set of #IconAlloys wheels immediately after I got my new LC back in July. I also purchase a set of black lug nuts from them. I installed the wheels and have rotateted them exactly one time in the 6 months I've owned them. I noticed the other day that each of the lug nuts is already showing significant amounts of rust.

View attachment 26469

View attachment 26468

I reached out to Icon and got the response below:


View attachment 26465

Thank you Captain Obvious for telling me that lug nuts and keys are metal to metal and that weather exposure can lead to rust. So, I guess they expect me to put these lug nuts on a shelf in a climate controlled box? I don't know how I'm supposed to use this product without immediately compromising the integrity.

I bought a set of lug nuts off of Amazon for my LX570 that I had for 4+ years through many tire rotations, brake jobs, etc. that had less than half the rust showing on these so I was very disappointed. Am I expecting too much to not have the lug nuts I bought from "higher end" Icon Alloys rusting to this degree within 6 months? FYI, I had Icon wheels on my LX as well that had issues with the finish delaminating within a year of purchasing and when I complained I got a similar non-answer. I really thought long and hard about whether to buy Icon wheels again after my last experience but I thought "Hey, they are really popular so maybe my experience was just a fluke". I also understand that Icon is probably just sourcing the lug nuts from another vendor and not directly responsible for the manufacturing but they do label them as "Icon Alloys Lug Nuts". I would have hoped that they'd stand behind the products they sell, whether they manufacture them or not. This is giving me nervous thoughts about the wheels and how long they will continue to look good.

Does anyone know if lug nuts exist that are dark (black, gray, charcoal, etc.) but NOT painted?

Thank you for sharing your experience. Details matter when we are looking for after market accessories for our LCs. I won't even look at the ICON suspension as a possibility given your experience. On the other end of things, I purchased five Method 703 wheels for my LC. One of the wheels was damaged. Method/Custom Wheel House moved to replace the wheel with no questions once they saw the picture. So far, my Method lug nuts look pretty much the same as when I put them on with nearly 5000 miles on the new wheels.

 

[BCBelstaff]

OEM wheels are the best. Its so sad to watch people take of extremely high quality OEM kit and replace with far inferior aftermarket wheels for looks. these wheel are almost ALWAYS weaker, inferior quality, and less corrosion resistant.

 

[BigMF]

OEM wheels are the best. Its so sad to watch people take of extremely high quality OEM kit and replace with far inferior aftermarket wheels for looks. these wheel are almost ALWAYS weaker, inferior quality, and less corrosion resistant.

My biggest issue with the OEM wheels that I had was that they were 20" in diameter which are not ideal for offroading. Smaller diameter wheels give you more opportunity for airing down and getting a bigger contact patch for improved traction.

I'm still perturbed with Toyota for forcing the "Premium" 20" wheels plus the $1250 price tag on me. There were ZERO options available where I could go with the 18" wheels. If I'd been able to get OEM 18" wheels from the factory, I would have kept them.

 

[uraniumrich]

OEM wheels are the best. Its so sad to watch people take of extremely high quality OEM kit and replace with far inferior aftermarket wheels for looks. these wheel are almost ALWAYS weaker, inferior quality, and less corrosion resistant.

While I'm sure some aftermarket wheels are lower quality than the OEM wheels, I'd bet a lot of the aftermarket wheels are equal to or better than the OEM wheels. The Method Bead Grip wheels are much better for airing down because they are less likely to pop a bead. A high quality forged Volk wheel is most certainly higher quality than the OEM wheels we get on our LC. And, as previously mentioned, the movement to larger and larger rims with rubber bands for tires is generally not great for the SUV crowd. That's really all about looks.

 

[BCBelstaff]

My biggest issue with the OEM wheels that I had was that they were 20" in diameter which are not ideal for offroading. Smaller diameter wheels give you more opportunity for airing down and getting a bigger contact patch for improved traction.

I'm still perturbed with Toyota for forcing the "Premium" 20" wheels plus the $1250 price tag on me. There were ZERO options available where I could go with the 18" wheels. If I'd been able to get OEM 18" wheels from the factory, I would have kept them.

I know your pain, as a Canadian I was forced into 20" wheels with the premium pack. Thankfully, Marketplace was full of LC OEM take offs and I scored a set of OEM 18" first edition wheels for cheap. Best of both worlds.

 

[BCBelstaff]

While I'm sure some aftermarket wheels are lower quality than the OEM wheels, I'd bet a lot of the aftermarket wheels are equal to or better than the OEM wheels. The Method Bead Grip wheels are much better for airing down because they are less likely to pop a bead. A high quality forged Volk wheel is most certainly higher quality than the OEM wheels we get on our LC. And, as previously mentioned, the movement to larger and larger rims with rubber bands for tires is generally not great for the SUV crowd. That's really all about looks.

There a probably some exceptions at the very high end. But 95% just do a lot of marketing and sell Chinese manufactured trash. Toyota is a world class company with state of the art manufacturing and engineering. "MegaDUBZ" etc type wheels are just there to relieve people of their money.

 

[jcdeng]

Usually forged wheels, or even flowform wheels, are much lighter and just as strong (if not stronger) than OEM. Unsprung weight doesn't really matter on suvs but in performance cars they matter a lot.

 

[uraniumrich]

There a probably some exceptions at the very high end. But 95% just do a lot of marketing and sell Chinese manufactured trash. Toyota is a world class company with state of the art manufacturing and engineering. "MegaDUBZ" etc type wheels are just there to relieve people of their money.

You're not totally off base...the LC is the first time I've put different wheels on one of my vehicles. While I don't consider Method to be a high end wheel, I do see a lot of wheels that are cheap. I suspect they are cheap for a reason

 

[t3lcfe]

OEM wheels are the best. Its so sad to watch people take of extremely high quality OEM kit and replace with far inferior aftermarket wheels for looks. these wheel are almost ALWAYS weaker, inferior quality, and less corrosion resistant.

This is the main reason that I kept the FE OEM 18” wheels (while I spent dozens thousands $$$ on other mods). All the bolts are superior finish quality.
It’s just t3lcfe . Check my recent post to see how great OEM looks within updated mods