intheredsdc5

iTrader: (1)

Why am I posting??

This thread is for the benefit of those who have never had a bad experience buying used wheels. To those of you who have, I can now relate.

Buying wheels used is a great way to get great wheels at a good price. Until recently I had bought a couple different sets used and had very good experiences. For instance, I bought a set of Kosei K1-TS wheels off ebay for $500 and saved about $576 dollars when compared to buying them new from Tirerack.com.

The Story

This particular experience began when I found a set of 19x8 RonJon Legend's in Liquid Graphite for sale in the black market here on Acurazine. These came with tires and minimal aesthetic blemishes. The seller was very detailed about describing them and did a very good job of posting pictures and representing their condition. He gave a lot of history about them and why he was selling them. I asked all the normal questions about being bent, balancing, and that sort of thing. I felt good about the purchase so I dove in.

When the wheels arrived they looked great. I was super excited about having them installed. When the weekend came I took them to Discount Tire to have them installed. My excitement quickly dissipated when the wheel tech doing the install for me informed me that one of the wheels was bent (out of round) pretty significantly. He said he could try to balance it but it would probably still produce vibrations due to the damage. Okay, no problem. Its just one wheel. Wrong. He tested all four on the balance machine to find that all four were in the same condition. This is the part of the story where I began to feel nauseated.

After talking with the seller it became clear that he was not aware of the damage. I don't fault him for any of this as he was a great seller and was very willing to negotiate a fix for the situation. This situation could have been a lot worse had he not been understanding. We worked it out so that we split the cost to have the wheels straightened. Even with his gracious compensation, I still found myself with more money invested than I was ever hoping to spend.

Whats my point??

I said all that to say this: Buyer Beware! If you find yourself looking at some used wheels, keep in the back of your mind this lesson I learned the hard way. The wheels you see in the seller's pictures may be bent but not bad enough to be visible to the naked eye. The seller may not even know he is selling bent wheels. If the wheels and tires were balanced well enough to avoid significant vibration when on his/her car, there is no way they could know.

FYI

Through all this I found that it costs about $100 per wheel to true (straighten) a minimally bent wheel (i.e. not able to be detected without spinning at significant speed). The price to repair increases with damage severity.

Also for a reference, it costs $65-$100 per wheel to fix cosmetic curb rash (no missing metal, just missing paint). Again the price increases with damage severity.

During my research of companies that repair damaged wheels, I found it is a pretty common thing to repair wheels. Repaired wheels have been tested and are considered to be as strong as a wheel that has never been repaired or damaged. In some cases, maybe stronger. If you google wheel repair you will be surprised by what kind of wheel damage can be repaired.

If you are in the NC, SC region of the east coast this is who I used and had a great experience with. Click on the link to see their page:
RimGuard Xtreme
There are many other good companies who provide these kinds of wheel repair services. A quick google search should give you some in your area.

Best Wishes!!

I wish you all happy motoring and the best of luck with your future wheel purchases

defconskylude

thanks for the info

i actually have 4 rims that im selling but has 2 bent rims (egg shaped). i havent been able to find a reputable repair shop that can straighten this out 100%.

AMUA6

iTrader: (7)

Thanks for the info but $65-$100 just to fix cosmetic curb rash?? I powdercoat an entire 18" wheel for $60 lol

intheredsdc5

iTrader: (1)

That is a good price for a powdercoat. However, just to give some more background they can perform the curb rash touch up with the tire on the wheel and the wheel on the car. I am sure some of the expense comes from the convenience...

ed_423

good info, glad your seller was understanding. that's why i tried to buy used wheels in local area so i can actually go and check it out

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

I think buyer beware is common sense when buying on the interwebs, the key is to buy from known members and get as much proof as possible.

In this case most people do not feel or have gotten used to the vibration, I bought a set of A-specs from a member that got damage in transit and then ended up being a little bent... no love lost for me.

(insert brown nosing) its also comforting to see the patrolling done in the sales forum, thats an extra layer of protection to keep the riffraff out.

MrOtocinclus

Thanks for the words of advice, and great formatting!

Mr. NC

Great story and heads up

TSXKid2010

Yes, how can you tell if a wheels is bent if you're looking at them in person?

ed_423

just gotta look real hard, compared it with other wheels, run your finger on it to see if you feel any. if you did all those and still cant find anything bend until you go to a shop, then its just tough luck haha

intheredsdc5

iTrader: (1)

exactly...

ceb

I'm not sure why this is a "buyer beware" story.

The OP bought used wheels and by his own admission the seller was unaware of the problem and worked with him to resolve the problem.

It actually seems like a good news story.

What is a "buyer beware" story is those sellers on the internet (and in person) that sell damaged wheels but hide the damage in the description and then refuse to work with the buyer once the damage is uncovered.

intheredsdc5

iTrader: (1)

I guess the title is up for interpretation. It is simply a warning to buyers that they may not be able to fully know what they are buying when looking at used wheel that they cannot physically check for themselves... regardless of whether there is ill intent from the seller wheels can be a risky buy.

"buyer be warned" "buyer be careful" "buyer be informed" "buyer be... whatever"

Call it as you see it. This was for those who may not know. Thanks for your input though

ceb

I didn't mean to come across like that.

You were one of the very lucky ones who ended up with a good seller. Most "I bought a used wheel" stories don't turn out well.

Used is used and aftermarket wheels have a higher tendency to bend. If the bend wasn't visible, there was a good chance that a proper road force balance would have fixed the issue rather than getting the wheels straightened. Most used wheels have some sort of flat spot from a pothole impact.

intheredsdc5

iTrader: (1)

No worries. No offense taken or anything...You are deffinitely correct in everything you said.

However I would rather the wheels be straight than have to road force balance multiple times over the life of the tires and the tires after that and the tires after that.... No tire wears perfectly to start with and a tire on a bent wheel certainly won't wear evenly. Uneven wear will throw off the balance over time. Granted no wheel is perfectly straight, but in this case they were more than just flat spotted.

In this situation, Fix problem > cover up problem

ceb

Of course - it depends on the severety of the bend. Unless you live in Florida with glass smooth roads, I'd venture a guess that every used wheel out there has a slight ding or two that a road force balance could take care of.

Your basic premise was also correct - buy the seller and not the product. If you have any doubts about the seller, then don't buy from them as the product will have issues.