View Full Version : Semi-urgent: What would YOU do?
Okay, we went to pick up the Saab tonight. You may recall, we had a brief discussion of the BBS rims that came on this wagon. You may also recall that there was a question as to whether the rims were polished and we confirmed they were.
Well, in having the curb rash repaired, the wheel guy they had do the work took the fast and lazy approach and sanded the lips and painted them alloy wheel silver. They are no longer polished. They are painted silver. And I don't think they are even clearcoated. And the work was quite sloppy.
What would you do? Asking for brand new rims (@ ~$2K) is probably not going to play out in my favor. But what are my options. The car is in mint condition otherwise. But the rims look wrong.
I haven't signed for the car yet, so it's still not ours.
What would YOU do?
SpaceMonk
10-23-2003, 11:23 PM
Damn, that sucks. Tough call. In the end if you get it, will you get so fed up with the wheels that you'll replace them yourself anyways?
It's totally different, but I'm in a similar predicament at work with a new job offer/promotion, where one thing is just not right, and I'm thinking of walking away from it. But I'm not 100% either way, so I'm stalling.
I'd probably end up still buying the car, provided they make some sort of appeasement. Can you live with doing another search for however months it will take?
Tell them to repair the rims to your satisfaction
operknockity
10-24-2003, 12:12 AM
Are the wheels beyond the point where they can be restored to their former glory? If not, start with that, though I'm guessing that they can't be restored for less than it would cost to replace them. If they are too far gone, start with having them replace the wheels with something that is acceptable to you. After all, you did make the offer on the car with the polished wheels, you should not accept anything less without suitable consessions on their part.
Masskrug
10-24-2003, 12:36 AM
I guess this depends on how much the BBS wheels factor into:
1. the price you negotiated
2. how much you actually like them
I don't know, sounds like the BBS rims are kindda important to you (they would be to me), so I'd demand new rims, or get them to knock the price off and get aftermarket rims...
--Andrew
are these RK's or RKII's (is there such a thing?)
tirerack has a set of new RK's (18x7.5) for the Saab 9-5 for $339 each
knock the price down
(or screw the Saab and get a TV E34 M5T) :eek:
GSR13
10-24-2003, 01:05 AM
If the rims can be repaired, properly, then I would find a shop that you trust to perform the repair. Get a quote and take this to the dealer and explain that you are not satisfied and would like them to pay to fix the problem.
If you have a shop look at them and they tell you they cannot be repaired, then I would go to the dealer and request they replace the damaged rims. It sounds like, and I know little about SAAB's, that these are factory rims. If so, I would think this would make the issue easier as they can be ordered directly through the dealership. Provided, of course, you actually bought this car from a SAAB Dealer.
The important thing, I would think, would be to handle this as quickly as possible. It certainly appears you are trying to do that, but if I were you I would at least try to get a professional opinion to take to the dealer.
lemming
10-24-2003, 08:15 AM
that's shady, TD.
i mean, one thing you could do is to put those wheels side by side with new wheels or wheels that haven't been retouched by daVINCI there at the dealership just to show the sales manager how unacceptable those wheels are.
and they ought to credit you for new wheels.....RKs which are still light from tire rack are about $300 apiece in 17" size..........or knock $1000 off of the price of the transaction.
you know if someone brought in wheels like that for a trade-in they would make a huge fuss about the state of those wheels and now they're just using this on two ends of the transaction, they screwed whoever for trade-in and they "think" they might weasel by with you.
SARAFIL
10-24-2003, 08:47 AM
Have they tried to find another Aero with BBS wheels in inventory that they can do a swap with for you? If the wheels were not repaired to your satisfaction, I wouldn't be happy with them nor would I let it be.
We currently have an E46 M3 having its wheels repaired, and from past experience, our guy has done exceptional work. We wouldn't accept anything less. I wonder why they let this reputable guy do crappy work and get away with it. :?:
operknockity
10-24-2003, 09:00 AM
I wonder why they let this reputable guy do crappy work and get away with it. :?:
Could be that they wanted it done fast 'n cheap and just didn't pay him enough to do it right. Of course if they knew you considerred the polished wheels as part of the package, then they really did try to bone you.
A wheel swap with another car sounds like it might workout, though.
mquetel
10-24-2003, 09:30 AM
Have they tried to find another Aero with BBS wheels in inventory that they can do a swap with for you? If the wheels were not repaired to your satisfaction, I wouldn't be happy with them nor would I let it be.
We currently have an E46 M3 having its wheels repaired, and from past experience, our guy has done exceptional work. We wouldn't accept anything less. I wonder why they let this reputable guy do crappy work and get away with it. :?:
What he said. Why should you suffer b/c they accepted sub-par work from a vendor? I would want some type of compensation, but exactly what is kind of dependant on how much you want this car, what your expected deal on the car was and could you find another without a huge effort etc...
ARCHER
10-24-2003, 10:13 AM
What an idiot. How people like this wheel repair wizard stay afloat is beyond me.
If the wheels can be restored by competent hands, go that route. If not, I would demand either exact replacement or additional cushion in the deal reflective of the damages.
JetBlack and I saw an LSB SMG M3 with rims painted silver, the repair was terrible, the curb rashes was just covered with paint, and were still highly visible... I would never accept the car with rims like that...
a wheel swap with another car might work... another customer might buy a SAAB and not care about the rims, and they might get away with it... :P
lemming
10-24-2003, 11:31 AM
i guess that my point is: those are quality pieces of art, those BBS wheels, and they AIN'T cheap as (1) either a factory option when buying the car or (2) from the stealer when you order them for your car.
so, if anyone here wants a rolex that has been sandblasted and then painted with primer silver, go ahead and take it. but i'd hold out for the properly refinished thing or a different gig.
dredmo
10-24-2003, 12:23 PM
Don't accept the car unless he takes off the replacement value of the wheels.
Remember, this is the 5th time you've seen this vehicle configuration.
Wait for a new one if you have to.
When the previous owner of my car purchased it a few years ago, the dealership had 2 M3s. A silver sedan with M 10-spokes and a green coupe with the LTWs. They were having trouble moving the sedan, so the guy made a deal: Put the LTWs on the sedan and I'll buy it. It worked.
Dunno if this helps, but good luck. I saw an Aero sedan with the polished wheels this morning and thought of your predicament.
Mathew
10-24-2003, 12:43 PM
I'd try for a rim swap with anothe car.
The HACK
10-24-2003, 12:56 PM
I'd ask the dealer if they could do a rim swap, but if that's not a possibility I certainly wouldn't let this be a deal breaker and walk away...Maybe ask for another $400 off to fix them properly, or just take the deal and somewhere down the line plan on replacing the rims or re-surfacing them with a more competent service.
It looks like we're going to end up doing a rim swap. We'll probably take possession tonight with the painted rims and we'll swap them next week some time.
It looks like we're going to end up doing a rim swap. We'll probably take possession tonight with the painted rims and we'll swap them next week some time.
Awesome!
SpaceMonk
10-24-2003, 07:42 PM
It looks like we're going to end up doing a rim swap. We'll probably take possession tonight with the painted rims and we'll swap them next week some time.
:thumbup:
So they were easy to deal with?
operknockity
10-24-2003, 08:03 PM
It looks like we're going to end up doing a rim swap. We'll probably take possession tonight with the painted rims and we'll swap them next week some time.
Cool. Did they put up much of a fight?
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