Partly being put off by an alloy refurb - am I silly?
Discussion
I'm having a mooch around at the moment for a relatively limited edition variant of a very mainstream car, being quite picky I'm looking for a few optional extras but on 6 year old cars obviously that limits choices a little.
I found one at a car supermarket type place, the car has most of what I'm looking for in options (it's the right limited edition with a few extras as standard, it has a reverse camera, it has the virtual dash etc), it's a 2nd or 3rd choice colour, mileage is good, 3 former keepers but the top end of the pricing for these IMO,
The thing that's putting me off is that the very distinctive alloys, which if I'm honest I don't like that much but they are what the car should have, have been refurbished from black and diamond cut to just "alloy wheel silver". And they look better for it... but they aren't "right" and with one budget tyre fitted too I'm probably being silly and being totally put off by something I'd probably change anyway.
The dealer has indicated there's no scope to open a discussion on price or having the wheels done properly to secure the sale whereas I see a decent cost involved to put them right and replace 2 of the tyres.
I haven't bought a car that costs more than a few grand in a while (this one is around £18l) but is it normal to have no room to negotiate now? Other places I've looked at also seem to operate on an appointment only basis and just offer to ship the car to you, sight unseen on the back of 20 photos on the internet and a £199 admin fee.
I'm not in a mad rush so have chalked this one up as one to miss but I'm just trying to prepare myself for the buying process in advance I suppose, or I'll just try and buy privately and avoid all of this but searching for a very specific variant in the usual places seems harder than looking on YouTube at walk-round videos by dealers who have already sold the cars by the time I stumble across them
For reference this is what the wheels should be:
And this is how they are:
If they'd gone the other way and gone for a dark gunmetal with loads of metallic flake in I would probably have overlooked this, and of course I could just get them done in that or buy the different wheels I'd probably want anyway, but it's the principle of it that's making me flounce I feel like I'm being a bit petty.
I found one at a car supermarket type place, the car has most of what I'm looking for in options (it's the right limited edition with a few extras as standard, it has a reverse camera, it has the virtual dash etc), it's a 2nd or 3rd choice colour, mileage is good, 3 former keepers but the top end of the pricing for these IMO,
The thing that's putting me off is that the very distinctive alloys, which if I'm honest I don't like that much but they are what the car should have, have been refurbished from black and diamond cut to just "alloy wheel silver". And they look better for it... but they aren't "right" and with one budget tyre fitted too I'm probably being silly and being totally put off by something I'd probably change anyway.
The dealer has indicated there's no scope to open a discussion on price or having the wheels done properly to secure the sale whereas I see a decent cost involved to put them right and replace 2 of the tyres.
I haven't bought a car that costs more than a few grand in a while (this one is around £18l) but is it normal to have no room to negotiate now? Other places I've looked at also seem to operate on an appointment only basis and just offer to ship the car to you, sight unseen on the back of 20 photos on the internet and a £199 admin fee.
I'm not in a mad rush so have chalked this one up as one to miss but I'm just trying to prepare myself for the buying process in advance I suppose, or I'll just try and buy privately and avoid all of this but searching for a very specific variant in the usual places seems harder than looking on YouTube at walk-round videos by dealers who have already sold the cars by the time I stumble across them
For reference this is what the wheels should be:
And this is how they are:
If they'd gone the other way and gone for a dark gunmetal with loads of metallic flake in I would probably have overlooked this, and of course I could just get them done in that or buy the different wheels I'd probably want anyway, but it's the principle of it that's making me flounce I feel like I'm being a bit petty.
Lad, its a skoda. If we were talking about a 250 SWB I'd understand, but its just a skoda, like all the other ones you see on the road. The refurb can be redone if its really bugging you, but i wouldn't be paying that much attention, because I promise you nobody else will be.
Edited by Vsix and Vtec on Sunday 1st February 17:23
Diamond cut wheels are the work of the devil. I think I’d be happy to pay extra to avoid them!
As for the tyre; this may sound horribly snobbish, but I always imagine Skodas are bought by budget conscious people, and so a budget tyre is par for the course. Or they’ve had a puncture somewhere and needed a replacement tyre as soon as possible with the only option being some cheap ditchfinder.
But personally I’d always walk away from a car with budget tyres, so that’s what I’d do.
As for the tyre; this may sound horribly snobbish, but I always imagine Skodas are bought by budget conscious people, and so a budget tyre is par for the course. Or they’ve had a puncture somewhere and needed a replacement tyre as soon as possible with the only option being some cheap ditchfinder.
But personally I’d always walk away from a car with budget tyres, so that’s what I’d do.
Diamond cut alloys are expensive to refurbish. I wouldn't be put off by the previous owner, or dealer, having gone for a sensible silver finish.
The budget tyre raises the possibility of a penny pinching owner, especially of they didn't change the axle pair. But, as others have said, could have been a puncture just before the owner was intending to sell the car. If the service and mot history indicates the car has been properly maintained, and the car otherwise meets your criteria, I'd at least go and view it.
Dealers generally don't discount any more; the internet means they have to price competitively.
The budget tyre raises the possibility of a penny pinching owner, especially of they didn't change the axle pair. But, as others have said, could have been a puncture just before the owner was intending to sell the car. If the service and mot history indicates the car has been properly maintained, and the car otherwise meets your criteria, I'd at least go and view it.
Dealers generally don't discount any more; the internet means they have to price competitively.
All input appreciated and taken onboard, I completely agree the alloys look better, the OEM diamond finish ones aren't great and I've already planned to just store them away for a future owner than wants everything original, I'm just a bit of a stickler for things being done properly and this particular variant only came with these alloys wheres as regular ones had the 18s and then the 19s as options.
I've had rare diamond cut in the past that I had restored and have some now that need doing so I'm aware of the challenges with them, especially daft ones that look like they're designed to kiss kerbs.
I'll pass on this one despite the spec being good, the undercoat grey might be preferable to red, blue or white but hopefully a dark grey metallic or black shows up.at some point.
300 built so there's a reasonable chance one will come up at some point.
I've had rare diamond cut in the past that I had restored and have some now that need doing so I'm aware of the challenges with them, especially daft ones that look like they're designed to kiss kerbs.
I'll pass on this one despite the spec being good, the undercoat grey might be preferable to red, blue or white but hopefully a dark grey metallic or black shows up.at some point.
300 built so there's a reasonable chance one will come up at some point.
Edited by thetapeworm on Sunday 1st February 21:02
I quite like the original wheels, but diamond cut is a pain - it will eventually go foggy, they all do. If you like how they've finished the wheels, that in itself wouldn't put me off, it's still the same wheel, but the budget tyre on 1 out of 4 would be more of an issue for me.
I sold a Skoda to Cazoo a few years back and the diamond-cut finish on one of the wheels had started to fog - by the time they put it up for sale, they'd done all of them in gloss black. The car was a L&K spec with chrome window and grill surrounds, the gloss black looked horrendous!
I sold a Skoda to Cazoo a few years back and the diamond-cut finish on one of the wheels had started to fog - by the time they put it up for sale, they'd done all of them in gloss black. The car was a L&K spec with chrome window and grill surrounds, the gloss black looked horrendous!
Those wheels have been designed specifically for diamond cutting the raised bits to create a contrast to the black.
All silver makes the raised bits look superfluous and personally I think the wheel would look better without those raised bits if it's kept as one colour.
Not trying to be funny, but there have been threads on here where posters have stated that their insurance company has classified a change of wheel colour as a ' cosmetic modification' that needs to be declared, so I personally wouldn't be happy with the wheels as they are unless I knew for certain it wasn't going to create an issue with insurance.
For what it's worth you might want to ask your insurer about it...
And before anyone tells me I'm talking b
ks, ask AI first and I guarantee you won't like the answer.
All silver makes the raised bits look superfluous and personally I think the wheel would look better without those raised bits if it's kept as one colour.
Not trying to be funny, but there have been threads on here where posters have stated that their insurance company has classified a change of wheel colour as a ' cosmetic modification' that needs to be declared, so I personally wouldn't be happy with the wheels as they are unless I knew for certain it wasn't going to create an issue with insurance.
For what it's worth you might want to ask your insurer about it...
And before anyone tells me I'm talking b
ks, ask AI first and I guarantee you won't like the answer.I can understand the colour not being to your preference, but diamond cut finishes are seemingly not something that survives well in the UK, particularly in winter, so I'm not in the least bit shocked that they've been redone in a single fully painted colour.
You could always have them done again to your tastes, but I suspect if you'd seen the car pre-refurb, the wheels would have been very grotty with lots of corrosion bloom.
I wouldn't be put off a car that's otherwise ticking all the right boxes because of this.
You could always have them done again to your tastes, but I suspect if you'd seen the car pre-refurb, the wheels would have been very grotty with lots of corrosion bloom.
I wouldn't be put off a car that's otherwise ticking all the right boxes because of this.
It would almost seem manufacturers hate us in the uk and just want to fk with us via wheels, between diamond cut finishes that are fked at the second salty winter they encounter, to idiotic low profile tryes and hard suspension to make us uncomfortable and to suffer regular pothole damage.
Yes you are being silly, the wheels look a million times better in silver, but at the end of the day its your decision to make, if you want to wait until the unicorn shows up in the perfect spec, with perfect diamond cut wheels despite being a few years old no one is stopping you.
The likelihood though is that most will have cloudy bubbled diamond cut wheels, or refinished wheels, and i would guess the black and diamond look goes against a lot of peoples taste so why would they spend extra to have st looking wheels with the same poor durability that already failed them.
k with us via wheels, between diamond cut finishes that are fked at the second salty winter they encounter, to idiotic low profile tryes and hard suspension to make us uncomfortable and to suffer regular pothole damage.Yes you are being silly, the wheels look a million times better in silver, but at the end of the day its your decision to make, if you want to wait until the unicorn shows up in the perfect spec, with perfect diamond cut wheels despite being a few years old no one is stopping you.
The likelihood though is that most will have cloudy bubbled diamond cut wheels, or refinished wheels, and i would guess the black and diamond look goes against a lot of peoples taste so why would they spend extra to have s
t looking wheels with the same poor durability that already failed them.My wife's car had diamond cut wheels. They lasted around 6 years by which time they looked pretty bad with white worm. We had them refurbished in gun metal for less than £200 and nearly 4 years on they still look perfect. Also, she did manage to hit a pothole and destroy a tyre a couple of years ago. I took it to a local tyre place the next day but all they had in stock was a 'Sunny HP'. Reluctantly I took it even though I'm fussy about tyres. It was actually fine although it did wear faster than the Goodyear on the other side. Both have recently been replaced.
I wouldn't take it as a sign that the car has been neglected.
I wouldn't take it as a sign that the car has been neglected.
Chances are that if you were to buy another VRS of the same age its diamond cut alloys would all need refurbing anyway, unless the seller had just redone them.
I'm actually more surprised they didn't go to all black rather than silver.
If its one of 300 you may be waiting a longish time for one to turn up, but if its bugging you (and the ditchfinder) and not being in your preferred colour I'd then wait, otherwise buy it and replace the alloys with the ones you want.
The joys of dealing with a car supermarket, although I'm sure they'll spend all the time selling you PPF etc...
I'm actually more surprised they didn't go to all black rather than silver.
If its one of 300 you may be waiting a longish time for one to turn up, but if its bugging you (and the ditchfinder) and not being in your preferred colour I'd then wait, otherwise buy it and replace the alloys with the ones you want.
The joys of dealing with a car supermarket, although I'm sure they'll spend all the time selling you PPF etc...
Tyres can easily be replaced and the refurbed wheels look better. Diamond cut are a pain in the arse so he's done you a favour there.
Depending on depth it could have been the dealer who replaced the tyre and they will fit the cheapest they can find as most people don't care about tyres as long as they're black, round and legal.
Depending on depth it could have been the dealer who replaced the tyre and they will fit the cheapest they can find as most people don't care about tyres as long as they're black, round and legal.
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