[spirocheter]

Has anybody got experiences of buying new alloys from anyone other than a BMW main dealer?

I have found this outfit:

http://www.alloywheelsdirect.net/bmw...ies_e90_alloys

Supposed to be genuine wheels at pretty competitive prices.

Also, there are the likes of wolfrace who sell - via online outlets Ronal and Alutec aftermarket alloys which I believe are supposed to be of very high quality. I am led to believe Alutec manufactures some OEM alloys for BMW (and 'replicas' used to crop up on Ebay branded Alutec).

Any other suggestions?

I'm looking at purchasing wheels for winter tyres, staggered setup - on 18's, 225/40 and 255/35.

I have searched this topic and not found too much.

[chris_s1]

I know many people on here have used AlloyWheelsDirect and I've never heard any complaints.

I have just made a winter setup exactly the same as you are thinking about.
I have done several of these before and my preference has always been to buy a used set of genuine wheels cheaply and have them refurbished before putting the winter tyres on.

I bought a genuine set of BMW style 189 18" wheels from a forum for £250, then spent £200 getting them refurbed in gloss black and they look stunning.
So I've ended up with a perfect set of genuine wheels for less than a set of replicas would have cost. Then I don't have any insurance/warranty worries about non-OEM wheels.

[wezzie]

Yeah me to, good outfit,annd they are in salisbury and will let you collect if you are in a hurry.

[spirocheter]

Originally Posted by chris_s1

I have done several of these before and my preference has always been to buy a used set of genuine wheels cheaply and have them refurbished before putting the winter tyres on.

I bought a genuine set of BMW style 189 18" wheels from a forum for £250, then spent £200 getting them refurbed in gloss black and they look stunning.
So I've ended up with a perfect set of genuine wheels for less than a set of replicas would have cost. Then I don't have any insurance/warranty worries about non-OEM wheels.

Originally Posted by wezzie

Yeah me to, good outfit,annd they are in salisbury and will let you collect if you are in a hurry.

Thanks very much. I do generally prefer OEM equipment. I think the black or anthracite looks great. It is good to hear that alloywheelsdirect are a decent outfit. If there were any relatively decent alloys available currently for around £250 I'd do exactly the same.

Last year (when I deviated from course and ran a V70 whilst funding our family car), I had alloys refurbished twice. The first place did a pretty horrible job and left sanding marks on the wheels, not powder coating. The second outfit I had do a refurb was Laptab who did a stunning job, nice glossy and well laquered wheels. Incidentally I ran Vredestein Wintrac Extremes which were superb (and I now have some genuine Volvo alloys with lightly used 225/40 17 tyres, for anyone interested I could sell the tyres separately for the right offer).

The slight problem for me in having wheels refurbed, is the time taken to get to and from Birmingham (about 3.5 hours *2). Unless the wheels are relatively local, there is the time to collect the wheels also (likely to take at least 3 hours). Given that I am very lucky and can pick up overtime whenever I need it, it seems to make more sense to buy new and write off as a business expense.

I like the idea of only buying non OEM when the quality is at least on a par with OEM, if not superior. My insurance company has said they'll cover any combo so long as the cost doesn't exceed standard set up, which seems really sensible. I use a broker and the ease of communication is excellent, via email as opposed to being stuck on a phone dealing with a telesales operator who is following on screen commands. Whether I'll still be with the same broker next year will depend to some extent on price, though they have been competitive for the last few years, especially considering their excellent service with dealing with modifications.

[chris_s1]

Originally Posted by spirocheter

The slight problem for me in having wheels refurbed, is the time taken to get to and from Birmingham (about 3.5 hours *2). Unless the wheels are relatively local, there is the time to collect the wheels also (likely to take at least 3 hours). Given that I am very lucky and can pick up overtime whenever I need it, it seems to make more sense to buy new and write off as a business expense.

Just get a courier to do the work. I didn't even see the wheels until they were refurbed and tyres fitted.

Wheels came from some bloke in Brighton. £29.99 for a courier to collect and deliver to the refurb place (in Swindon).
Tyres ordered and delivered directly there as well.
Wheels delivered to me when they were done with the new tyres fitted.
Simples!

[Bee Pee]

Am advised that alloywheels direct [AWD] source OEM wheels from germany as damaged wheels no longer meet TUV standards so there's a constant source of supply of used and/or damaged wheels which are fully refurbed to an as new condition.

Folks I know that have used them have been v happy with their products and service.

Info came from a chap who refurbs some of the wheels on behalf of AWD

[spirocheter]

I appreciate the feedback. Anneka from Sytner (via a local Sytner dealership) have quoted £1380 for a delivered set of MV3s. These could be in gunmetal. This slightly beats the price of alloywheelsdirect and they would be BMW sourced, which probably gives peace of mind.

I've found these BBS which look considerably cheaper, which look a little along the lines of CSL rims (OK, well sort of):

http://www.performancealloys.com/whe...s.aspx?ID=1072

I don't like it when I see 087 numbers to dial, I don't know why it always makes me feel like not enquiring in the first place or looking elsewhere to buy them (which I will now)! (Although a search brings up 028 9446 5151)

Any other suggestions of good looking 18" alloys much appreciated.

[willhollin]

http://www.raceandroad.com/

Heard good things about these guys.

They are owned by the UK distributors of Borbet and Ronal.

[spirocheter]

Thanks Will, another 0870 number for raceandroad! I phoned performance alloys and they weren't particularly helpful, so I called my local DemonTweeks dealership who were extremely professional (a million chavs can't be wrong)!

They called BBS to check the offset (on the BBS CK) and said the 8.5J 18 should be fitted front and rear and they would take my 225 40 and 255 35 Tyres no problems. If I'd gone with an 8J front, I'd need a spacer kit. The guy reckoned there'd be negligible impact on handling. I know 8.5j will put 225 on the limit of recommendation, though 255 is the limit the other way. I just hope it doesn't affect my speedo readout!

They'll fit them for me so will save messing around, just hope I can fit four alloys in the car (thankfully does have through load).

I really liked the CH slightly more, but wasn't willing to find an extra 50% for winter wheels. The CKs I've ordered come in brilliant silver only, so no gunmetal this time around. I'm looking for that old Sergio Tachini tracksuit and my Elleste trainers and matching cap!

[opplock]

i have had a good experience with alloywheels.com -- they got me the best price on a set of OZ Alleggeritas earlier this year.

[spirocheter]

I got a phone call from Demon Tweeks ahead of promised delivery time yesterday afternoon to say my BBS CKs were in. They could fit me in at 08.30 this morning, and can you believe I was so excited last night I couldn't sleep (sad, I know).

The whole experience at Demon Tweeks of Wrexham was superb. Fresh coffee whilst waiting with a large window from the warm and comfortable waiting room overlooking their spotless ramps. The guys fitting them did a superb, clean job and copper greased the hub face and wheel nuts. My MV3s were loaded by the fellas into my car and just over an hour after arriving I was off after adding some Autoglym wheel sealant to the bill. Top marks, I'll be back there again.

Apparently the manager of this branch has just bought a 335d coupe.... they clearly know the score!

[ALBEE]

Would recommend Gary at Rimstyle
gary@rimstyle.com
He got me a great deal on 'Cades' staggered setup with the tyres I wanted!
Have been away from the run-flats now for 5 months. great!!!!!

[Boz335i]

I used Alloywheelsdirect and they were definitely brand new.

I had a slight problem with the machining on one of the wheels and they replaced it without any quibble.

It may be worth telling them what BMW will do it for and they will probably try to beat it. I bought mine dec last year and found that their prices increased about 7% in Jan, so they probably have a bit of margin to play with.

[lemans 330d]

Originally Posted by spirocheter

I got a phone call from Demon Tweeks ahead of promised delivery time yesterday afternoon to say my BBS CKs were in. They could fit me in at 08.30 this morning, and can you believe I was so excited last night I couldn't sleep (sad, I know).

The whole experience at Demon Tweeks of Wrexham was superb. Fresh coffee whilst waiting with a large window from the warm and comfortable waiting room overlooking their spotless ramps. The guys fitting them did a superb, clean job and copper greased the hub face and wheel nuts. My MV3s were loaded by the fellas into my car and just over an hour after arriving I was off after adding some Autoglym wheel sealant to the bill. Top marks, I'll be back there again.

Apparently the manager of this branch has just bought a 335d coupe.... they clearly know the score!

need to see some evidence buddy!

pics if you will

[willhollin]

Originally Posted by lemans320d

need to see some evidence buddy!

pics if you will

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpo...9&postcount=10