New Rims
06-24-03, 09:16 AM
#1
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New Rims
My current rims are scratched up and are slightly bent due to the horrible jersey potholes and I am looking to purchase new rims. I noticed Ebay has great prices and was wondering if anyone has purchased any replacement rims off of there with good experience. It looks like I can get 4 rims for under 400 dollars where Lexus sells them for 550 a piece. Just sounds too good to be true. Anyone know how much it will cost to get lexus to install these on my car?
06-24-03, 10:53 AM
#2
Lexus Test Driver
demand is very low on those rims.. they are heavy and most folks don't care for how they look so you can get them cheap!
Just use good judgement on a seller that has good positive feedback and accepts credit card for payment and you should be fine
it really is true... $400 is about the going rate for a set of 4 on ebay
good luck
Just use good judgement on a seller that has good positive feedback and accepts credit card for payment and you should be fine
it really is true... $400 is about the going rate for a set of 4 on ebay
good luck
06-24-03, 11:16 AM
#3
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Having purchased rims off E-Bay before, I offer these recommendations:
1) Make certain each rim is insured for the full retail replacement cost. Even though you may only pay $400 for a set of four rims, if one rim is lost or damaged in transit, you will probably need to purchase a single rim which is then going to cost you $550. Anyway, insurance is very inexpensive so be safe not sorry.
2) Don't use Fedex Ground. In my experiences not only did they ruin rims while in transit, but their customer service is also horrible. I have had excellent results with UPS.
Just my two cents. :-)
1) Make certain each rim is insured for the full retail replacement cost. Even though you may only pay $400 for a set of four rims, if one rim is lost or damaged in transit, you will probably need to purchase a single rim which is then going to cost you $550. Anyway, insurance is very inexpensive so be safe not sorry.
2) Don't use Fedex Ground. In my experiences not only did they ruin rims while in transit, but their customer service is also horrible. I have had excellent results with UPS.
Just my two cents. :-)
06-24-03, 12:40 PM
#4
Lexus Test Driver
go figure
Originally posted by dsimo
Having purchased rims off E-Bay before, I offer these recommendations:
2) Don't use Fedex Ground. In my experiences not only did they ruin rims while in transit, but their customer service is also horrible. I have had excellent results with UPS.
Just my two cents. :-)
Having purchased rims off E-Bay before, I offer these recommendations:
2) Don't use Fedex Ground. In my experiences not only did they ruin rims while in transit, but their customer service is also horrible. I have had excellent results with UPS.
Just my two cents. :-)
YET, the one time I had a problem with FedEx ground, I got a refund within 2 weeks and no run-around like UPS.
I had 4 NEVER PAID claims from UPS... yet FedEx was always quick to address any issues.
I absolutely REFUSE to use UPS now because of my bad experiences...
I ONLY use FedEx because they cause less damage, deliver faster, have better customer service AND tend to be cheaper than UPS.
I guess each to their own.
Make sure you package properly and you tend NOT to have a problem. BTW: It seems every time I am the recepient of UPS packages, they are later (sometimes by 3-4 days) then promised, get mis routed and rerouted... damaged in transit, etc. YET FedEx is faster by 1 to 2 days, doesn't get lost, and RARELY damaged!
Maybe local UPS agents in Chicago are just horrible while FedEx is 1st rate?????
Interesting though because I've found many share my experience based on feedback on other forums like VWVortex, newbeetle.org, vwaddiction.com, g20.net, etc. etc.
Last edited by ceboyd; 06-24-03 at 12:42 PM.
06-24-03, 06:51 PM
#5
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Rims
Why don't you try TireRack? You will find all types of wheels for your SC there and they have a nice little feature that will put an SC in the forground and when you select a wheel, it gets put on the SC in the web page. Very good at delivery and prices. You may want to look into Michillen Pilot Sports to replace the RFT's.
For the price of what may be a risk on EBay, you can get new wheels that look better and get TireRack service!!
Give it a try! TireRack
Regards,
Deanski
For the price of what may be a risk on EBay, you can get new wheels that look better and get TireRack service!!
Give it a try! TireRack
Regards,
Deanski
06-26-03, 07:50 AM
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Good luck with the rims!
My experience with Fedex Ground (not Fedex--Fedex Ground is the old Roadway Package Service (RPS)) is they ruined two wheels, and lost the other two wheels, never again to be found. It took me many calls and faxes, working with morons, to finally get my insurance payment. I've shipped three sets of wheels plus many other items using UPS, and have never had a problem. Just my experience.
My experience with Fedex Ground (not Fedex--Fedex Ground is the old Roadway Package Service (RPS)) is they ruined two wheels, and lost the other two wheels, never again to be found. It took me many calls and faxes, working with morons, to finally get my insurance payment. I've shipped three sets of wheels plus many other items using UPS, and have never had a problem. Just my experience.
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06-26-03, 08:13 AM
#8
Lexus Test Driver
interesting.. sounds like you had an experience with FedEx like I've had with UPS many times... go figure..
Each to their own I guess....
Interesting tidbit is that I've heard more people complain about UPS (Usually Poor Service) than FedEx ground just about everywhere.... (here at work they switched to FedEx because of too many computer losses and damages with UPS).... ...and even my dad's place of work won't deal with UPS because of problems...
Maybe it is regional? ...but I dunno.... I've seen lots of references to UPS being bad on VWVortex so go figure?
My guess is that either can provide really good or really poor service..... It just depends on your run of luck (or bad luck)
Each to their own I guess....
Interesting tidbit is that I've heard more people complain about UPS (Usually Poor Service) than FedEx ground just about everywhere.... (here at work they switched to FedEx because of too many computer losses and damages with UPS).... ...and even my dad's place of work won't deal with UPS because of problems...
Maybe it is regional? ...but I dunno.... I've seen lots of references to UPS being bad on VWVortex so go figure?
My guess is that either can provide really good or really poor service..... It just depends on your run of luck (or bad luck)
LOL!!!
06-30-03, 08:21 AM
#12
To answer your question... a fortune.
When I wanted to change my tires from runflats to non-runflats, I was quoted $350 by one Lexus dealer $75 per tire) and $175 by another Lexus dealer. The explanation for the high cost was "it takes 1 hour per tire to mount them on the wheels because of special beading, etc." I would imagine the job you're looking at is very similar. (BTW, there was no explanation for the huge disparity in price.)
I ended up going with a Meineke Auto Center (referred by Tire Rack) that charged me $120, including balancing, etc. Unless you have no alternatives, I wouldn't recommend using Lexus. From my experience, the costs are always inflated and they don't really like to do anything outside the norm. Hope that helps.
When I wanted to change my tires from runflats to non-runflats, I was quoted $350 by one Lexus dealer $75 per tire) and $175 by another Lexus dealer. The explanation for the high cost was "it takes 1 hour per tire to mount them on the wheels because of special beading, etc." I would imagine the job you're looking at is very similar. (BTW, there was no explanation for the huge disparity in price.)
I ended up going with a Meineke Auto Center (referred by Tire Rack) that charged me $120, including balancing, etc. Unless you have no alternatives, I wouldn't recommend using Lexus. From my experience, the costs are always inflated and they don't really like to do anything outside the norm. Hope that helps.
06-30-03, 11:34 AM
#14
Meineke has done everything. I first replaced my runflats with Michelin Pilot Sports. Meineke did a perfect job. I then replaced my stock wheels with 18" O.Z. Opera II's. Meineke ordered the wheels for me and installed them. The O.Z. wheels weren't compatible with the pressure sensors, so Meineke disconnected them. (There is actually a thread in this forum that deals with disconnecting the sensors, lights, and buzzers, and I printed them out and took it to them.) You only really need the pressure sensors with the runflats because you can't tell if they're losing air.
Replacing the runflats with non-runflats made a huge difference in ride and handling. Replacing the stock wheels with aftermarket wheels made even more of a difference since the O.Z. wheels are lighter weight than the originals. They also made a positive difference in looks. I've never made any significant changes to cars I've owned in the past (i.e. wheels, etc.), but I felt this car needed a few. Here's the result... not significantly different from stock but much cleaner...
Replacing the runflats with non-runflats made a huge difference in ride and handling. Replacing the stock wheels with aftermarket wheels made even more of a difference since the O.Z. wheels are lighter weight than the originals. They also made a positive difference in looks. I've never made any significant changes to cars I've owned in the past (i.e. wheels, etc.), but I felt this car needed a few. Here's the result... not significantly different from stock but much cleaner...
