Uda880

iTrader: (7)

I hope this post will serve as an example of what NOT TO DO when buying used wheels, and to convey my original thought about hoping other members may learn/empathize to my situation. Needless to say, it has become much too late to try to find some sort of financial recourse against the seller of these wheels, as most likely he will adamantly deny any accusations against the condition of his product.

Long story short:
1. I bought used wheels with tires from someone that I thought I could trust. These wheels and tires were advertised as NOT CRACKED/BENT were supposedly in good condition with near-new tires that were only driven on for 1,000 miles. The seller was selling the package for a very good price (with exchange of my stockers). At the exchange at a local tire shop, I asked directly if the wheels were bent or cracked, and the seller stated they were not, and was in pristine condition.
2. I paid an extra $100, because I am honest person, as my tires were nearly worn down to the wear bars due to camber wear.
3. I did not do enough DUE DILIGENCE when buying and did not inspect it enough.
4. The wheels came with some scruff marks, but because of the low price, and seemingly meaty tires, I decided to overlook it.
5. The tire shop I went to to have them exchanged did not inspect the tires or wheels, as they simply exchanged the TPMS and swapped the wheels.
6. 2 days after I bought them, I decided to go have the front wheels balanced ($10/wheel) due to front end vibration. However, I was then warned that I have 2 cracks in the front wheel and a bent rear wheel. Tried to speak to the seller, and he stated that I may have caused it in my 2 days of ownership on my daily commute, which I tried to refute, as I cannot accept that my two days of ownership commuting to and from work would result in such damages from an authentic, name-brand wheel.
7. Begrudgingly, I spend $150.00 to repair both wheels from a local shop, welding them as well as re-rounding the bent wheel.
8. 3 days later, I find drastically low PSI on the front passenger tire on the freeway. I immediately got off the free way and took it to a reputable tire shop nearby, and I find that the passenger side tire is separating from the tire bead and the tires themselves were from 2006.
9. This resulted in me driving on my spare wheel to another tire shop and spending an additional $370.00 to buy 2 new tires for the front.

Total for used wheels: more than DOUBLE the listed amount (and getting surprisingly close to simply buying them new), I get scuffed up wheel faces, and will be replacing the rear tires sooner than later.

So do yourselves a favor, inspect the items VERY carefully, and know that no one is pressuring you to buy an item that is not up to par. Please learn from my mistake and not overspend needlessly. If it looks too good to be true, more often than not, it is.