Your buddy is correct. The clear coat is going bad. The clear coat did this on my 2011 EX rims and "chipped" off in the car wash. It has happened to others on here and some were able to get the wheels replaced under warranty.
Dealership took pics of the entire car not just the rims today. She's in mint condition. I'll apparently have to wait up to 4 weeks for an answer on whether they're going to do anything.
In the meantime, can anyone let me know if they've had this happen to them so I can use it for ammo please.