The Pan Man
Active Member
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2010
- Messages
- 241
I have just read a thread from the begining, very disturbing but, I may have some sound advice and things to look out for when spotting non genuine alloy wheels. In eleven years of MB ownership three different cars and countless sets of wheels I have as yet to come across a set that do not have the part number and the size offset etc CAST in them from the manufacturer. Now I feel that it is important to point this out as the wheels are CAST and the information is in the original casting before any machine work is carrid out.
Things that should trigger alarms:: All the same offset some MB wheels do have this but as a rule of thumb they will differ front and rear. Tyre sizes the OP says the seller said that they were from an S Class not with that profile, the S class is a LUX LIMO not a boy racer toy. Price anything that seems too cheap most likely is. Just refurbished, WHY is the question, and how good a job was done. Wheels from breakers WHY. A design that you have not seen before on a MB. Supplied with full fitting kit, genuine wheels do not need fitting kits. Multi drilled bolt hols in the pictures.
NOW this is not as unusual as you might think and it as happened to me twice:: MB use a lot of different OEM suppliers and do duplicate the same wheels so it is not uncommon to have 4 wheels from 2 or more different suppliers.
Having said all that if you know that they are replicas and are adverised as such you pay your money and take you choice. Would I put BUDGET or PERFORMANCE described tyres on my E Class NO, a known and tried and tested name yes, Kuhmo Federal Marshall should all be OK.
I hope this information helps and stops someone getting ripped off.
Things that should trigger alarms:: All the same offset some MB wheels do have this but as a rule of thumb they will differ front and rear. Tyre sizes the OP says the seller said that they were from an S Class not with that profile, the S class is a LUX LIMO not a boy racer toy. Price anything that seems too cheap most likely is. Just refurbished, WHY is the question, and how good a job was done. Wheels from breakers WHY. A design that you have not seen before on a MB. Supplied with full fitting kit, genuine wheels do not need fitting kits. Multi drilled bolt hols in the pictures.
NOW this is not as unusual as you might think and it as happened to me twice:: MB use a lot of different OEM suppliers and do duplicate the same wheels so it is not uncommon to have 4 wheels from 2 or more different suppliers.
Having said all that if you know that they are replicas and are adverised as such you pay your money and take you choice. Would I put BUDGET or PERFORMANCE described tyres on my E Class NO, a known and tried and tested name yes, Kuhmo Federal Marshall should all be OK.
I hope this information helps and stops someone getting ripped off.
