Hey guys, I'm in a bit of a pickle, and I need some help : C


*I'm going to preface this post with this: I haven't driven my car hard since putting the rims on. I've done about 90-95% of my driving on the highway. No potholes or crazy big bumps to report. And even so, are the rpf1s not tough rims intended for racing/etc etc etc?*


So, I bought a set of enkei rpf1s through a private sale. They were 18x9.5 +45, powdercoated black.

3 of the four rims were brand new and one was a little older (not sure how much older). I had bought them around mid-late january and didn't mount them until mid april.

When I got them, I inspected them and could see no issues/defects on the rims themself. No drama when the tires were mounted and put on the car, either.

Fast forward to this weekend, and my rear driver side rim has a crack in it, the powdercoat chipping around it.

So I'm super bummed out. The seller seems like an honest guy, so I'm not going to go into foulplay or anything. Apparently through shipping, 3 of his rims were damaged, and he got the replaced through shipping insurance. That is why 3 of the rims were replaced. Do I have any recourse with UPS in claiming this rim as damaged?

I would really hate to have to buy a whole new rim. That would make it as expensive as buying them all brand new. Which sort of defeats the purpose of buying used. : c


Pictures are attached.

 

Have you checked to see if it can be repaired? I doubt UPS will cover, the crack could have been caused another way.

This company is local to me and they repaired my bosses $3,000.00 AMG wheel to new like condition after it hit a curb.

http://wheelsamerica.com/

 

Is there a wheelscanada.com? : D

The crack is straight through, I can feel it on the other side. I would have to take it to a place, but the thing is, even when repaired, it's not going to be as strong as it was when it was properly forged/cast.

Anyone else have any helpful hints?

 

just try with the shippping company for reimbursement, if not get them repair , if not buy a used one in ebay or local, if not buy a new one.

 

^^ There is no way he is going to get a reimbursement from UPS. The delivery was in January and its now been 5 months. Any damage's must be reported in like a day of receipt i believe.

 

For damage to be covered under shipping insurance, you have to report it immediately, and there must be damage/a physical hole in the packaging lining up with the damaged contents. Even then it's a toss up, and sometimes difficult to prove.

RPF1 are not the strongest wheels in the first place, and the powdercoat certainly doesn't help the situation.

I would recommend biting the bullet and purchasing a new replacement. Even with weld repair, I have seen cracks return.

Good luck!

 

you are absolutely NOT going to be able to claim this as shipping damage. No how, no way, just forget about it now and move onto plan B.

As Tilt mentions, I think you're just going to have to buy a replacement, I don't see another feasible way of handling this.

 

: C

but my birthday is tomorrow...

I should probably take this rim off ASAP, right?

 

that sucks.
as pingu would say - wa wa

 

yes, take the rim off. Driving around like that is dangerous.

Sand down the area and make sure it's not just the powder coat that cracked.

It's very possible the crack was not visible to the seller and storing them in a cold place for a few months is what finally caused the powder coat to fail and show the crack.

 

Ship the wheel to one of your buddy, let him claim the damages lol

 

That's the risk we take in buying used parts

 

a cracked spoke absolutely is not shipping damage

 

So then what recourse do I have, Team? The seller told me that 3 of the rims he bought were replaced due to shipping damage. That's why I was asking about the same thing.

I really really don't want to be out 350+ bucks for a single rim. And I'm telling the god honest truth, that I haven't hit anything that would even come close to bottoming out my car, or was hard enough for me to even wince.

Also, as for tiltmode43, saying the rims aren't the strongest in the first place... Really? what? Where did you hear that from?

'All Enkei wheels are engineered to pass rigorous testing. In fact, Enkei established its own test standard called “Spec-E,” which is tougher than JWL requirements. Enkei’s Spec-E test setting requires a higher drop point in the impact test and 20% more cycles for the rotary bending fatigue and dynamic radial fatigue tests than JWL standards.The Spec-E represents Enkei’s confidence in its technology and quality of Enkei wheels.' From Enkei's website. I think that says something about their toughness.

 

Buy new, safer.

 

RPF1's are truly amazing wheels - extremely light weight and far cheaper than any others at the same weight. Enkei is one of the larger wheel manufacturers in general, actually, and can certainly be trusted. The RPF1 structure, though, isn't the strongest - likely the design that allows for the light weight via casting/rim rolling is also to blame for the strength. If you do a bit of research, you'll find a fair number of cracked rpf1. That said, it's not something that should happen under normal circumstances and by no means would it prevent me from owning RPF1's - it shouldn't be a concern. Personally, I have owned two sets with no issues and would pick up another, if the occasion calls.

Improper powdercoating can also play a role in weakening a wheel as well. The wheel structure + powdercoating process may be to blame, may not be - hard to say.

In this case, it may just have been bad luck, unfortunately :/

 

: c


I just wanted black rpf1s : c

Okay, so who can point me to the absolute cheapest 18x9.5 +45 in silver shipped to canada?

I guess I have to bite the bullet (I'll check today if the cracks are not just the powdercoating. Holy **** would I be excited if it was just a shitty powdercoat.

 

Does anyone know of anywhere that will sell me a single rpf1? anyone charitable to sell me one on the cheap? : c

 

http://www.good-win-racing.com/Mazda.../21-1051b.html

Good luck! You'll have your set of black RPF1 back in no time.

 

So the initial price is okay, but then they want 60 for shipping. That doesn't include taxes and customs...


: c


anyone know of a place in canada that has a similar price?

 

Could you ask the store to mark is a gift less than $100? Weight of the package might be the problem as well, I have sold items in eBay that weighed 5 - 10lbs then had it posted as a gift. The few buyers I had from from Australia and some countries in Western Europe didn't have to deal with customs/tax/tariff upon receiving the package.

 

I know from talking to people who have got quotes that it's about 25 bucks a rim for shipping. The thing about them undervaluing the rim is if customs gets to it, I'm sure they can do something about the improper valuing.

Anyone have any canadian rim stores that are reputable? I can't find anything :c