OEMs or very good replicas'

[portzy]

OK, time to get a pair of fronts to match the rears that are in my garage that are going on my SLK in a few weeks time. I have spotted some replica "Alshain" style wheels in a very reputable alloy wheel shop near where I live which are about half the cost of some OEM ones.

Tomorrow I am going to take one that I already have to the shop to compare side by side and if they look for all intents identical I could be tempted.

Q?, whats the general feeling here regarding replicas?, good deal? or, does it in some way de-value and or detract from the situation?

Portzy (day 17).

 

[PAUL R]

OK, time to get a pair of fronts to match the rears that are in my garage that are going on my SLK in a few weeks time. I have spotted some replica "Alshain" style wheels in a very reputable alloy wheel shop near where I live which are about half the cost of some OEM ones.

Tomorrow I am going to take one that I already have to the shop to compare side by side and if they look for all intents identical I could be tempted.

Q?, whats the general feeling here regarding replicas?, good deal? or, does it in some way de-value and or detract from the situation?

Portzy (day 17).

Hi Dave,
The way i looked at my situation when purchasing new wheels ,was that if they did not have a jm on the rim then the wheels had not met a stringent type of type approval, which all products have to meet when being fitted to a car (like a B S Standared / ISO 9002 or C E aproval ).Know doubt the wheels you are about to look at do have this mark on them as they are from a reputable dealer.

I was under the impression that, if the new wheels purchased did not have a mark of approval, (worse case sinario) if a accident was through the failure of a none type approved product ,your insurance, if they wanted to be funny , could question the saftey of the product and reduce the claim accordingly.

I do not know if anybody has herd of this before ?, unless it is just idle pub chat.

But for me it is genuine parts only or at least type approved products.

Replica wheel are Ok if they are approved
Original factory wheels are better(designed for the car) but they do not show your individuality
Devaluation of the car ?well no, because you will always keep the original wheels for winter use, then put them back on when you sell the car in twenty years time

Ideal wheels would be type approved replica wheels to show your individuality

 

[Flash]

OK, time to get a pair of fronts to match the rears that are in my garage that are going on my SLK in a few weeks time. I have spotted some replica "Alshain" style wheels in a very reputable alloy wheel shop near where I live which are about half the cost of some OEM ones.

Tomorrow I am going to take one that I already have to the shop to compare side by side and if they look for all intents identical I could be tempted.

Q?, whats the general feeling here regarding replicas?, good deal? or, does it in some way de-value and or detract from the situation?

Portzy (day 17).

Go for Brabuus - desinged for car but pricey but give u individuality amongst the MB range...

 

[SportsCoupeRich]

we know i'm a fan of brabus - do it do it do it. But then work v hard to pay for them!

 

[Shude]

we know i'm a fan of brabus - do it do it do it. But then work v hard to pay for them!

*sigh* the youth of today! You should work hard first, save up the money and THEN buy the wheels!

 

[C43AMG]

Live now pay later.

 

[SportsCoupeRich]

*sigh* the youth of today! You should work hard first, save up the money and THEN buy the wheels!

sorry shude - your wrong. The youth of today would nick them!

I merely go for the cash in hand and live on baked beans option.

 

[Chris Murray]

How much are the Alshain replicas? I'll sell you a complete set of Genuine Alshain for £449

 

[portzy]

How much are the Alshain replicas? I'll sell you a complete set of Genuine Alshain for £449

I already have a pair of 245/40 R17s Alshain which came off my C Class coupe when I traded it in so, I only need a pair of 225/45 R17s for the front of my new SLK R171. The brochured price for the replicas are £105.00 each but that was a "shop" copy brochure so I cannot be sure if that was plus Gordons uplift. I would want Michelin Pilot Sports fitting as well because that is what I already have on the 245s.

Mr Murray, do you want me to carry on via PM?, or maintain etiquette and keep the thread going, I would rather have OEM if at all possible.

Portzy (day 25)

 

[Chris Murray]

You are welcome to call me. 07790901849

 

[portzy]

You are welcome to call me. 07790901849

Will do this afternoon , pesky work keeps intervening!

Portzy (day 25)

 

[Chris Murray]

Mercedes dealer price is £218 per rim for the 17x7.5 front
A good tyre supplier should sell the 225/45R17 Michelin Pilot Sport for £120 each fitted
I will only sell a complete set of rims for £449 plus £19.38 delivery
I'll willingly make you a nice ebay ad for you to sell your spare wheels - you should get £60-£100 each, or keep them as spares.

 

[portzy]

Mercedes dealer price is £218 per rim for the 17x7.5 front
A good tyre supplier should sell the 225/45R17 Michelin Pilot Sport for £120 each fitted
I will only sell a complete set of rims for £449 plus £19.38 delivery
I'll willingly make you a nice ebay ad for you to sell your spare wheels - you should get £60-£100 each, or keep them as spares.

Yes, not being disrespectfull to your suggestion but, that scenario would put me back to a un offset position, ie, 225s all round which I wouldnt want. The ones I have at home are 100% mint, have about 1500 miles on them and were £650/£700 ish for the pair only about a year ago. So, the calculations would be:-

£449 plus tyres (£120 x 4 = 480) = £929 + £19.38 delivery = £948.38.

£948.38 minus eventually e-bayed spares (£200) = £748.38.

£748.38 and I am back to non offset.


Replicas:-

Rims x 2 = £210

£210 plus tyres (£240) = £450

£450?, can you see where I am coming from?.

I dont know if its etiquette to cut a deal in 'forum' public (do I sense a chastising here? ) but if you could waive your "four rims only" rule then I would willingly go to £475 'plug in and play ready to roll and delivered' to stay OEM?

Portzy (day 25)

 

[Chris Murray]

Would you clarify?
Which rims do you need - front (7.5) or rear (8.5) and which tyres do you need 225/45 (front) or 245/40 (rear)?
MB dealer price for the 17x8.5 is £212

 

[Will]

Yes, not being disrespectfull to your suggestion but, that scenario would put me back to a un offset position, ie, 225s all round which I wouldnt want. The ones I have at home are 100% mint, have about 1500 miles on them and were £650/£700 ish for the pair only about a year ago. So, the calculations would be:-

£449 plus tyres (£120 x 4 = 480) = £929 + £19.38 delivery = £948.38.

£948.38 minus eventually e-bayed spares (£200) = £748.38.

£748.38 and I am back to non offset.

Portzy - I might have missed something here, but why would you pay £120 per wheel for tyres on the 'spare' wheels that you would sell on eBay for £100 each?

Surely it'd be better to buy the set of rims (4 @ £449 + delivery), pay to have two tyres fitted (£120 x 2) and then sell the two spare rims (£100 each?) on eBay, or keep them as spares.

I make that: £449 (+ £19.38) + £240 - £200 = £508.38

Not bad considering £240 of that would be for two brand new tyres

Means you pay £130ish a wheel for genuine MB rims instead of £200+ or £105 for 'replicas'.

HTH,

Will

 

[Chris Murray]

Michelin Pilot Sport tyres are the most expensive available, and will often exceed the value of the rims.
The rear 245/40R17 will cost you about £140 each fitted.
...and not being disrespectful but your replica calculation includes only 2 tyres
It would be better for you to get the tyres fitted yourself becuase the delivery charge doubles for rim/tyre combinations.
245/40R17 refers to tyre size, not rim size. 7.5 etc refers to rim width.
I would firstly recommend that you ask how much the replicas are, and whether that price includes VAT. Ask for the TUV document, and if they're not approved, ask if they are willing to warranty against buckling for a period - replicas are notorious for bending and just not being up to the job.
All the info is there, so it's up to you now....
I'm back at 16:00

 

[portzy]

This is what happens when you give up smoking, you find out just how 'addled your brain is . Sorry for the mathmatical and technical confusion, all I need is a pair of (preferabaly) Mercedes Benz 7.5J 17s Alshain alloy wheels fitted with 225x45 (highest rating) Michelin Pilot Sport tyres to match, tyres that is, exactly the rubber that I already have. Both of these are for the front of my soon to arrive SLK R171. I already have a pair of 8.5Js for the rear, I do not need to actually posess four new wheels of any description.

Murray. Did you mean that from you I "purchase" four wheels which are technically identical, have tyres fitted to two which you then deliver to me ready to fit and you sell on the other two which are naked and never leave your premises on e-bay on my behalf then send me somehow the proceeds of this sale?. I am not an e-bay'er btw

Portzy (day25)

 

[Chris Murray]

Here's the deal:
I sell you a full set of 17x7.5/8.5 Alshain for £449 +£19.38 delivery, and email you an advert to help you sell the spare wheels you will be left with.
Have the tyres fitted locally to you, using the prices I gave to aim for.

 

[portzy]

Sorry guys, I am either thick or missing something here but, I do not want four wheels, I just want two with the tyres of choice already fastend to them, preferably all coming from the same place, in the one transaction, with the one person, and with the one lot of money. That seems so much simpler to me.

I cannot see the logic in the e-bay rigmarole at all so Murray, thanks for your offer, sincerely, but should I go the OEM route then I may as well just go to my local Dealers (five minutes away) and get exactly what I need in the one visit.

Portzy (day 29).