Advice on Wheel Replacement

[Peter Loew]

Hi all

I had an unfortunate accident in my 911, long story short I underestimated the sharpness of a turn in trying to avoid a lorry, so I sped through the turn but ended up climbing the curb with my passenger front wheel.

I took it to get realigned as it was slightly off, but the guy said I needed a new wheel, there is a dent on it.

I've been looking around and this is the kind of wheel I need, and I just wondered if this was a good price and what other options were? http://www.alloywheelsdirect.net/porsche_alloy_whe...

Here you can see a pic of the damage:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/fd0unklitrnd896/vaVFwAF...

How urgent do you think this needs to be replaced and is it a big safety concern?

The rest of the wheel got curbed pretty bad too.

Thanks,

P

[MrC986]

if you went to a decent wheel refurb company l think you should be able to get that fixed properly - you will need a company who are not mobile by the way....l hope this helps & where are you based by the way?

[Acf69]

I can't comment on the damage, but have a look on eBay for a replacement, it often has sets that people have upgraded from

[elliot_holder]

Certainly no expert, but if I were you I wouldnt drive on that.!

Tyres/ wheels are the most important bit of your car, they keep you on the road, not worth risking your safety.

Take a look on eBay the likes of porschapart and other sellers often sell individual wheels. E.g below

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Genuine-Porsche-997-...

[Martian O]

Send an email with your pics to Chris at Exel Wheels, he'll offer good advice.

www.exelwheels.co.uk

[e-mail]

[BertBert]

It doesn't actually look too bad to me. BUT if it was me I'd not be driving on it until it was sorted. I'd start with Chris at Exel as suggested and get it refurbed. They'll tell you if it's un-mendable.
Bert

[bobsan]

Have had much worse repaired, that's not bad at all, take it to Lepsons in Gillingham, job done.

[Martian O]

bobsan said:

Have had much worse repaired, that's not bad at all, take it to Lepsons in Gillingham, job done.

That's who Chris at Exel use!

[Peter Loew]

Thanks, all.

I am based in London. I think I will give Excel a ring as I will see if they can be fixed up before looking for a new one to buy.

[Zyp]

Whilst you're getting it fixed, get them to turn the centre cap slightly.

[rimkah]

Peter Loew said:

Thanks, all.

I am based in London. I think I will give Excel a ring as I will see if they can be fixed up before looking for a new one to buy.

Try Jasmine, they will provide a new alloy for cheaper than you think.

Excel is a courier service to Lepson.

[Peter Loew]

rimkah said:

Try Jasmine, they will provide a new alloy for cheaper than you think.

Excel is a courier service to Lepson.

Do you have a link for them?

P

[STiG911]

The other thing to bear in mind is that alloys can crack under the surface, as well as being buckled beyond repair.
A reputable company would be able to advise, but for my peace of ind, I'd probably replace it.
Gutted too - the Carrera Sport / Classics are the two best wheels IMHO

[adeel_gt]

Give Ibrar a call at speedwells this kind of repaire work is his speciality. www.speedwells.co.uk

[adeel_gt]

Give Ibrar a call at speedwells this kind of repaire work is his speciality. www.speedwells.co.uk

[Martian O]

rimkah said:

Peter Loew said:

Thanks, all.

I am based in London. I think I will give Excel a ring as I will see if they can be fixed up before looking for a new one to buy.

Try Jasmine, they will provide a new alloy for cheaper than you think.

Excel is a courier service to Lepson.

Courier service? A lot more than that! Chris comes to you, removes your wheels, leaves you with loaners to keep you on the road, takes them to Lepsons, picks them up from Lepsons, brings them back and fits them to your car. You don't even get your hands dirty. And if you want new tyres that can be arranged too. I don't know of any 'courier' company who does that!

All the couriers I know will only bring a box to your door!

[williaa68]

The other thing he does, which i think is quite important, is he QAs lepsons work. Most of us only see a few refurbished wheels in our life, so hard to tell a good job from a great one. Lepsons do hundreds of wheels a week and may occasionally miss something. Chris checks their work very carefully. He does the little things too like giving one's rusty nuts a quick spray over etc to supplying a new full set of bolts (which he did for my 993) to complete the job. For someone like the OP who (presumably) needs a wheel to get around while the other one is repaired there is no-one to match him. No connection just a very satisfied repeat customer!

[Carlton Banks]

This is an interesting thread.

Uncle Phil recently kerbed a wheel but he isn't based near lepsons but could make use of Chris at Exel.

Does Chris have preferred rates with lepsons?

I am just trying to understand the premium for the pickup, delivery,spare wheel loan, QA at lepsons etc

I guess if it is not that much more it could make sense.

R

[rimkah]

Martian O said:

rimkah said:

Peter Loew said:

Thanks, all.

I am based in London. I think I will give Excel a ring as I will see if they can be fixed up before looking for a new one to buy.

Try Jasmine, they will provide a new alloy for cheaper than you think.

Excel is a courier service to Lepson.

Courier service? A lot more than that! Chris comes to you, removes your wheels, leaves you with loaners to keep you on the road, takes them to Lepsons, picks them up from Lepsons, brings them back and fits them to your car. You don't even get your hands dirty. And if you want new tyres that can be arranged too. I don't know of any 'courier' company who does that!

All the couriers I know will only bring a box to your door!

I know what he does. Cheaper alternatives just as good out there if you dont need replacement wheels.

[Exel Wheels]

rimkah said:

I know what he does. Cheaper alternatives just as good out there if you dont need replacement wheels.

Mr rimkah

I don't know what you do do or who you are but I won't hastily go round denigrating you or your work. I feel its an insult to the many PHers on here who do chose to work with us. I dont post here much as I think its important for my customers to see impartial recommendations however I feel it is right and proper to lay down a few points.

We have customers currently fighting in Afghanistan, and many many ex-pats in Kuwait, Saudi, HK, Australia,Kazahkstan, on North Sea oil rigs, Switzerland, France, Holland, Germany. As a result of recommendations on PH and other clubs. Our service means they get their wheels sorted whilst they work hard so they can enjoy their cars when they get back for short stints.

We have customers who work 60 hrs + per week in factories who just don't get the luxury of time to run their wheels around the country or deal with couriers.

We also do many wheels for official Porsche Centres, Indies, specialists and general garages. They pay a premium for a job well done and often this is more of a logistics service. They CHOOSE Exel Wheels.

Most of our customers live near to well known wheel refurbishment companies, yet they don't feel confident, or don't like what they've seen, or simply have no inclination to go through the whole rigmarole.

Exel Wheels was established as a result of my Porsche ownership and my frustration with the whole wheel refurbishment experience, stress and massive variation in quality. I act on behalf of my customers to get what they want, when they want and how they want. And importantly we strive to drive standards higher and higher. There are some processes that our wheels go through that are unique to us, we are involved every step of the way.

I have bought and/or had wheels refurbished by all the main players, as well as using some very specialist niche companies. They all have the opportunity to work with us, we are independent and choose who we work with but I know that what I give my customers is the very best. Some our on our doorstep but our main supplier is much further away, that says a lot, and hence our motto 'Going The Extra Mile For You'. Quality is not about doing one thing very well, its about NOT doing many things badly.

The fact is its not a straightforward job for most people to jack up all four corners of their car. And its not convenient to pile 4 large dirty Porsche wheels in a spare car and drive them back without damage. Even more so its not much fun when you get collect a set of wheels you are not happy with. When we drive a set of wheels on a 1000 miles round trip to Newcastle we can't afford for them to be disappointed!

45% of our work is repeat custom, we make it so easy that many have 2,3,4 cars we've worked on. We're proud of that and feel it says alot about our operation. Many of our customers we never even meet such is the level of trust.

Finally, back on topic, we have spoken to the OP at 7pm on Saturday evening while he's on a night out, we've booked in to see him after he's finished work, at his work, on Monday evening where we will fit a like for like 'Carrera Sport' wheel for him to get home safely (45 mins commute each way) for as long as it takes. We will assess his damage and take from there. Could we have done better? Could anyone have done better?

Happy to be a wheel courier for anyone if that's all that's required, but for most we are delighted to offer the service we do it gives us a massive buzz when we see a happy customer.

Thanks for your time reading.