Forged wheels

[Alex]

Rash,

You'll be fine mate. Get something decent next time - BBS, RAYS, HRE.













BBS, RAYS, HRE.












Remember. BBS, RAYS, HRE.



















BBS, RAYS, HRE.

 

[Lee C63]

Apart from the financial mess, its also a bit of a kick in the nuts as you would have been looking forward to show the wheels off.

And i bet they would have looked amazing.

Once you get the refund...and i am certain you will, at least you will be able to hopefully find another set and finally put some closure on it.

I am so glad i didn't go ahead with my purchase with these guys, and fortunately for me found a supplier who is also a MB fanatic.

 

[Rashman]

Apart from the financial mess, its also a bit of a kick in the nuts as you would have been looking forward to show the wheels off.

And i bet they would have looked amazing.

Once you get the refund...and i am certain you will, at least you will be able to hopefully find another set and finally put some closure on it.

I am so glad i didn't go ahead with my purchase with these guys, and fortunately for me found a supplier who is also a MB fanatic.

Agreed.
It really has been one big disappointment.
I think I must have only driven the car with these wheels on about 8 times before I took them off and stored them indoors before the winter.
Used them once this spring when I put them back on the car and that's when I noticed the issue with the finish.

To be honest, I think I spent longer waxing them then I did using them!

They really are cracking wheels.
Looked awesome and gave a good reduction in weight too.
But there is no way I can accept them back.
At least James at Projex did the decent thing and offered a refund.

I'm sure I'll be looking into some new wheels soon enough.

I recall looking at ADV's or HRE's in the beginning.
Perhaps I'll look into it once I conclude things with Projex.

Regarding your MB fanatic supplier,
Yes, this is generally worth more than anything else.. finding people that are on the same wave length, have a true passion for what they do and, above all, look after their customers.

 

[Sp!ke]

I have to say that looking at the design of the wheels, It looks like dust or grit will undoubtedly get under the spoke and then with normal use of the wheel, the rim will flex and the grit will rub between spoke and rim and damage the lacquer causing the problem that you experienced. It is a design flaw.

By cutting the spokes back that far during the refurb, it would probably prevent that particular problem happening again but as you say, your wheels now don't match so you no longer have a set unless they do the same to all the wheels.

Looking at the photos, I wonder whether the wheel lip was designed to touch the spoke and whether that formed part of the structural integrity of the wheel or not and whether the refurbed wheel is now no longer safe.

I think at this stage you should be aiming at a full refund or replacement.

I suspect that getting bespoke wheels made with such an extreme design for use on a road car is probably always going to be troublesome.

 

[Rashman]

I have to say that looking at the design of the wheels, It looks like dust or grit will undoubtedly get under the spoke and then with normal use of the wheel, the rim will flex and the grit will rub between spoke and rim and damage the lacquer causing the problem that you experienced. It is a design flaw.

By cutting the spokes back that far during the refurb, it would probably prevent that particular problem happening again but as you say, your wheels now don't match so you no longer have a set unless they do the same to all the wheels.

Looking at the photos, I wonder whether the wheel lip was designed to touch the spoke and whether that formed part of the structural integrity of the wheel or not and whether the refurbed wheel is now no longer safe.

I think at this stage you should be aiming at a full refund or replacement.

I suspect that getting bespoke wheels made with such an extreme design for use on a road car is probably always going to be troublesome.

Hey bud,

I believe the face/ spokes of the wheel are designed to hover just above the lip and not make contact.
The weight and forces are loaded where the face bolts to the barrel - the area that has the bolts on the inside.
The tips of the spokes are not designed to be loaded bearing.

Sadly, as feared, they have created a situation where one wheel looks vastly different from the other three.

If all 4 wheels had a larger gap between the spokes and lip to start with, it would probably help with preventing build up of any dirt/ grit in them and you could accept the larger gap as a design feature.

In fact, a larger gap could actually look good as it would create a "floating" look to the wheel.

But the wheel looks odd now and would look out of place on the car against the other 3.

It was not meant to be.

 

[Sp!ke]

Perhaps you could deploy the remaining three on a Reliant Robin.

 

[Abdul]

Hey Rash, just noticed your sale thread for your tyres.

Get them up on M3cutters as they're the same size as E46 M3's. Should fly out.

Any idea what you'll go for next?

 

[Rashman]

Right guys, slight turn of events...

Towards the end of the day, I decided to send some of my pictures of the badly refurbed wheel to James at Projex.

I have to say, that I was alittle upset that they thought I was being unnecessarily picky for no reason.
I wanted to illustrate exactly why I was not happy with the wheel.

I would have done this before but, sadly, I was not given the chance and they didn't want to listen.

I sent the pictures that you guys have seen on here.

I received an email from James at Projex shortly after 5pm.

He thanked me for the pictures and admitted that he could see exactly what I was so upset about.
Without going into detail, he apologised for the tone of the conversations earlier and was now very eager to address this wheel with the factory.

He admitted that they simply didn't see how noticeably different this wheel was compared to the other 3 when they looked over them.

I had asked them to put the refurbed wheel next to one of the original wheels and inspect them carefully.
I guess they had not done this.

He has now told me that he is going to forward these pictures to the factory and push for a brand new wheel face (the spokes).

I considered this for a moment.

I am now faced with a dilema.

Put the heat of battle from before aside, I love the wheels.
I just wanted them back and looking as they should.
I couldn't really find any other wheels I likes this much.

If I go ahead with the refund, I am without wheels.
I am also heavy 4 tyres which I can't use.
I will also lose money on the tyres if I sell them.

So, this is what I have proposed to James..

I have asked that the factory supply a brand new wheel.
I have also asked that the factory (or themselves) guarantee to address any issues that may arise with the other 3 wheels.
The other wheels look fine so far, so maybe this was indeed an isolated incident with the laquer...?

Now, James has mentioned a new face.
I am satisfied that there is nothing wrong with the barrel of the wheel.
It looks fine and they seemed to have address that part of the wheel just fine.

So I am thinking that maybe a new face will be suffice..?

But I am also thinking that I should push for a brand new wheel.

With a new face, I have expressed my concern that I want the wheel built properly and bolts torqued by the factory so that they have all the responsibility with the wheel. This would mean having the wheel sent back to them again!



I have stated that I still want to go ahead with the refund unless BC come up with an offer I cannot refuse.

James would still like the wheels back while he makes his enquiries.
I have agreed to him making enquires and said that I am willing to hold off on the refund while he spends a couple of days doing that.
He also mentioned that the factories are very hard work, so I am not filled with confidence.

I suspect that BC will not want to play ball in the way I want them too.
In which case, I will be getting my refund.
There is, of course, and outside chance that Projex may bite the bullet and either pay for a new wheel or new wheel face.

We shall see.

So, what would you guys suggest?

Bear in mind that if I go for the refund, I am out of pocket, wheel-less and heavy 4 tyres I can't use.

If I accept a more appropriate solution from eitehr BC or Projex, I keep the wheels I love, I'm not out of pocket and I don't have a tyre headache.

 

[m2287]

To be honest after everything that has happened, can you trust them (projex) any more... I would be surprised if the other wheels didn't end up going the same way, then what?

 

[developer]

If one of the wheels goes the same way as the original finish failure you'll be back to square one.

However, it's good that channels are open/civil again.

 

[Rashman]

To be honest after everything that has happened, can you trust them (projex) any more... I would be surprised if the other wheels didn't end up going the same way, then what?

Agreed.

There is a strong smell of damage limitation here.

I am a strong believer of principle and I am very inclined to tell them to stick it.

However, I am also aware of cutting your nose off to spite your face.

Should I accept their apologies and let them finally deal with this appropriately?...

I need to consider the best solution...

 

[Alex]

Insist on a new wheel only. Replacing the face can lead to an accidental damage to the lip as they are too close. That would mean no end to your saga. So, new wheel only, full stop.

You also have to keep the wheels. No point in tossing them back and forth. Even properly packaged they may get scuffed as they will be un- and re-packaged etc.

I would keep the wheels and demand the new wheel.

 

[Rashman]

If one of the wheels goes the same way as the original finish failure you'll be back to square one.

However, it's good that channels are open/civil again.

Indeed.

I have voiced this exact concern to James.
This is why I need a solid guarantee that they will address any issue that should arise with the other wheels.

They either want to retain the business and salvage their reputation or I can cut my losses...

 

[Rashman]

Insist on a new wheel only. Replacing the face can lead to an accidental damage to the lip as they are too close. That would mean no end to your saga. So, new wheel only, full stop.

You also have to keep the wheels. No point in tossing them back and forth. Even properly packaged they may get scuffed as they will be un- and re-packaged etc.

I would keep the wheels and demand the new wheel.

Fair comments.

Thing is, it's too late to contact James today.
I may ring him in the morning before courier man gets here and pose this to him...

 

[C240Sport97]

cut your losses, get full refund.

buy another set of wheels which are less complicated, less highly polished and therefore less likely to deteriorate.

I suspect you will in time, again have issues with the other wheels.

 

[Alex]

Fair comments.

Thing is, it's too late to contact James today.
I may ring him in the morning before courier man gets here and pose this to him...

He is not going to lose sleep over this issue - you will. Another day in your several months long disaster is nothing. If courier comes to pick 'em up, reject him. Now that they've admitted to the discrepancies, press for your terms, which are not at all unreasonable: new wheel and you keep the set until it arrives. Then they can collect the bad one. For a company like BC or even Projex, a 'loss' on one wheel is nothing. 800 quid? C'mon.

 

[jotter22]

Rash at the end of the day could you go through all this if another wheel was to go pear shaped?
Its your call mate....But like sp!ke mentioned earlier they are a very intricate design that could be a problem magnet (dust and grit) getting between the face and rim IMHO i would respectfully decline the offer and take the refund....once bitten and all that!

Tony.

 

[Alex]

cut your losses, get full refund.

buy another set of wheels which are less complicated, less highly polished and therefore less likely to deteriorate.

I suspect you will in time, again have issues with the other wheels.

+1000

Very true regarding the finish. Single piece, non- polished or diamond cut forged wheels are the way to go. Light and highly practical. Some companies even offer lifetime guarantee against corrosion (like HRE), cost far less than £3.5k (like BBS), are made of stronger alloy than anything out there (like RAYS) and have more reliable country of origin with far better customer support (like USA, Germany or Japan).

 

[jotter22]

No one can fault the wheels they were pure sexy...its the aftercare that sucks!

Tony.

 

[Rashman]

Appreciate the input guys.

I think I will let them collect the wheels tomorrow.
I will then discuss with them what guarantees and offers they are will to give.

New wheel and guarantee they will address any issues arising on the other 3 wheels, or a refund.

If they can only offer a new face for the wheel, I am willing to perhaps consider this but I will want the wheel to go back to the factory to be rebuilt by them.

I'll discuss this with James tomorrow.