Alloy wheel repair(VW GTI)-pointless?

JoeA3

cojomo2 wrote: »

Rang a place there that does 2nd hand alloys....

said he currently has a set of 18" detroits(or monzas? -both the same?) for GTI..prices at 380 euro..but they have been powder coated....

Told him I was after the original finish, he said he think he will be getting a set next week..same price.

Question is, what is the easiest way to know if they are originals or replicas? He said they were original, but that seems too cheap does it not?

Any pointers appreciated.

I would know at first glance whether they were genuine or not, but it's very difficult to describe the subtle differences on a post like this. Good photos of the wheels you're looking at, and I'd be very confident I could tell!

There will be subtle and not so subtle differences in the shape of the spokes and the overall finish. Replicas I've seen often have sharper edges on the spokes and more of a chromed finish than the machined look. The VW centre cap and bolt holes may look different too.

On the inside of a genuine rim, on the inside of each spoke, there should be embossed stamps of the genuine VW part number, and perhaps even a BBS stamp.

I'd be amazed if the 2nd hand place had genuine unmarked alloys for reasonable money.

VW Ireland calls them Detroits and the 17's were Monzas. The UK refers to both as Monzas, the 18's being Monza II.

Cyrus

cojomo2 wrote: »

well, at the minute, the wheels are in a bad way, once you look at the car, your eyes are drawn straight to the wheels.

I'm aiming to get them looking close enough to new looking..not worried about a few small marks that may still be showing after the repair...but what I dont want is a wheel that looks like it was obviously in bits but got a repair job...do you think that too much to expect from them?

i think paying them €4-500 is a waste of money and i wont be doing it again myself

Cyrus

are there not sets fs on UK MKvs?

cojomo2

JoeA3 wrote: »

I would know at first glance whether they were genuine or not, but it's very difficult to describe the subtle differences on a post like this. Good photos of the wheels you're looking at, and I'd be very confident I could tell!

There will be subtle and not so subtle differences in the shape of the spokes and the overall finish. Replicas I've seen often have sharper edges on the spokes and more of a chromed finish than the machined look. The VW centre cap and bolt holes may look different too.

On the inside of a genuine rim, on the inside of each spoke, there should be embossed stamps of the genuine VW part number, and perhaps even a BBS stamp.

I'd be amazed if the 2nd hand place had genuine unmarked alloys for reasonable money.

VW Ireland calls them Detroits and the 17's were Monzas. The UK refers to both as Monzas, the 18's being Monza II.

Well here is a pic of what he says are painted/powdered genuine wheels.

I know its not a great pic, but would you say they are genuine?





edit:

I think these could look smart on a silver gti, opinions? Maybe a couple of shades lighter would be better?

JoeA3

cojomo2 wrote: »

Well here is a pic of what he says are painted/powdered genuine wheels.

I know its not a great pic, but would you say they are genuine?





edit:

I think these could look smart on a silver gti, opinions? Maybe a couple of shades lighter would be better?

Very difficult to tell from that distance (at that distance you wouldn't even see the scuffs on your own!) and the fact they're powder-coated makes it even more difficult. Seems to be brown (rust?) on some of them, maybe that's the pic quality, I dunno, I would need to see them closer than that.

EDIT: The spokes and bolt-holes do look "the real deal". Reps tend to have much sharper lines around the spokes, but again, would need to see them closer.

cojomo2

i have just purchased 1 nearly new genuine(so im told) detroit wheel.:D
http://cars.buyandsell.ie/search/for-sale/motors/dublin/-/vw-gti-18-genuine-alloy-wheel-2

look genuine ?

very slight kerbing but worth the price.

JoeA3

cojomo2 wrote: »

i have just purchased 1 nearly new genuine(so im told) detroit wheel.:D
http://cars.buyandsell.ie/search/for-sale/motors/dublin/-/vw-gti-18-genuine-alloy-wheel-2

look genuine ?

very slight kerbing but worth the price.

Pics not great either but it looks close to the real deal. But its kerbed... and sooner or later the whiteworm will start from there.

EDIT, his ad says "genuine replacement is €150". Its actually closer to €450! Maybe he's talking about replacement replicas

cojomo2

JoeA3 wrote: »

Pics not great either but it looks close to the real deal. But its kerbed... and sooner or later the whiteworm will start from there.

well I have clear protective laqer..if I cover the area with it should that help? Do you think its work 80 quid? The wheels on the car im getting are a million times worse..pretty much any 2nd hand gti with original detroits are bound to have some sort of mark on them...I know all the ones I looked at did...vw quoted me 550 for a new one

JoeA3

cojomo2 wrote: »

well I have clear protective laqer..if I cover the area with it should that help? Do you think its work 80 quid? The wheels on the car im getting are a million times worse..pretty much any 2nd hand gti with original detroits are bound to have some sort of mark on them...I know all the ones I looked at did...vw quoted me 550 for a new one

The lacquer might help delay the inevitable alright. For 80 quid its worth a punt. You only need 3 more now

cojomo2

JoeA3 wrote: »

The lacquer might help delay the inevitable alright. For 80 quid its worth a punt. You only need 3 more now

yep, so the search is on.

Thinking of buying this...would it be safe to assume this would be an exact match to the one I bought?http://cgi.ebay.ie/VW-GOLF-MK5-GTI-DETROIT-ALLOY-WHEEL-1K0-601-025-AH-/190493325539?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item2c5a4978e3

JoeA3

yeah looks like it. I'd feel relatively confident that the description is accurate when buying off Ebay. It's much more costly than your first one though!

Cyrus

i think you are going about this the wrong way, sorry

you are panicing because you are getting the car soon and i can sympathise, ive done similar things myself

if i was you id either try and pick up a set of 17s cheap somewhere (as most people want the 18s) and put them on it until you decide what to do with the 18s, either get them painted, or sell them and buy BBS Chs or similar

replacing a kerbed wheel with a less kerbed wheel isnt the way to go, especially as the water under the lacquer is as big an issue as the kerb marks

EPM

Would you not just get your own recoated? You could get drey on the polished part and either leave the black part bu the hole as is or get that recoated black. You would have a perfect wheel for probably around the same or even less than you've just spent on a damaged one.

Cyrus

some interesting links

http://uk-mkivs.net/forums/t/227164.aspx

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=60204

if i was you id get tallght powder coating or wheel doctor to paint the polished area a light grey and leave the inserts black if possible

should look good

JoeA3

I agree with Cyrus. It does seem (understandably) that you've rushed into buying a car that you're not 100% happy with and are now scrambling around looking for the cheapest possible solution to get the car the way you would have ideally wanted it - and looking for everyone on here to tell you that they can definitely be refurbished successfully!

I would do as Cyrus has suggested and get the car and spend a little while getting used to it first. Who knows, after spending a fortune replacing the wheels with poor substitutes or refurbishing them unsuccessfully, you might decide in 6 months that you don't like the car or it isn't suiting your needs as you would have thought it would.

Then if you're sure its a keeper and the condition of the alloys still bother you, I'd look at getting decent replacement alloys, if it were me I'd look at BBS CH's or similar.

cojomo2

hey..

the search is stuill on...

http://cars.donedeal.ie/donedeal/classifieds/viewFullPhoto.jsp?cid=5988553&ad=2061885

anyone care to take a guess if these are genuine?


If I cant fine a genuine set, Im thinking of just spraying my current set the same colout as the inside of the spokes, kinda metallic grey?