listmates,

It seems the back wheel on my 996 is bent- causing occasional vibration at speed. Dealer says one new wheel is about a grand. I can get a set of 4 from ebay for less! Is there something wrong with those wheels, and is there some place/brand I should prefer?

This is my opportunity to put some black powdercoat wheels on my car with the wife's blessing!

 

Dealer needs to sell for a mark up. EBAY probably has take offs that take up room in someones Garage...most just want to get rid of them for the space. Like anything new too, buy new you pay big, buy used you get a deal. Ask for close up detailed pictures of the EBAY parts, or try and find someone local selling and you can go see the parts before buying and pay in person. Check a local auto trader etc...
If the bend in your current wheels are not bad, you can have it repaired and have them re-finished in the black...there is a place out here in CA, Custom Wheel Service in Anaheim that does this sort of thing...guys name is Paul (714) 632-6700, tell him Jimbo sent you. Hope this helps.

 

Thanks. Actually, I was looking at these aftermarket wheels on ebay- full set is less than one Porsche wheel.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...27312&viewitem=

Either these are cheap, or the OEM is overpriced!

thanks.

 

Maybe also check with the guys at Wheel Enhancement in LA...they may have the factory wheel you need at a fair price. Not too sure about those ebay wheels...I don't want to knock someone elses brand, but I would be skeptical of the quality and craftsmanship of a set of wheels for $695.00 new for a High Speed Porsche vehicle??
The saying of getting what you paid for is something to think about...spending the money twice does not make it such a great deal?
Just my 02.
Jimbo

 

Appreciate the input- that is why I am asking, so I am not penny wise and pound foolish.

 

I hear ya...thats why these boards are helpful.
Good Luck, I hope your able to get what you need and want and at a fair price.

Jimbo

 

My brother and I dropped 3 Porsche Cup II wheel sets and center caps at CWS before New Years 2010 for paint refinishing, and just got the last of the parts back, five (5) weeks later. Horrible service and mediocre painting at best. His trial & error approach was additionally painful for us, as the one and-a-half hour roundtrips to his shop to deal with the screw-ups mounted ... final total, four (4) roundtrips.

First problem, the newly painted wheel sets had been slid around his shop's concrete floor, resulting in a slew of nasty scratches on the rear lips. His reply, "well unless they're for a showcar, it's not an issue". Really? He did agree to a touch-up ... another week passes, another trip.

Up front, Paul misled us claiming he has his own paint shop nearby to his office - later we realized it's a shop where he subcontracts paint work. For some reason his paint subcontractor didn't paint the Meteor Gray Metallic factory-color on the edges of the front face lips. Who does that? After mounting tires, the set looked like 4 Oreo cookies. Time now an issue, and after growing frustration, I bought paint and touched-up the edges myself.

Next, the center caps took three passes to get a reasonable finish that color-matched, plus so the paint build-up didn't obliterate the insignias. To add insult to injury, after his subcontractor fouled these up multiple times, Paul charged us for extra paint to correct their errors. The wheel paint is already starting to flake-off in places, probably due to incomplete/improper surface preparation or priming.

BTW, to bolster his cred in the wheel refinishing business after our bad experiences, Paul stated he has a customer who monthly travels from Atlanta to his shop with wheels in suitcases for refinishing. Really? There are surely better wheel refinishing services between LA and Atlanta. Do yourself a favor and avoid Paul and his Custom Wheel Service.