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Anyone ever regret buying a reproduction wheel?

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Old 04-22-2013, 10:21 AM
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davidtcpa
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I bought mine from Bobs House of Wheels (a forum vendor) and they are great. Instead of him shipping them, I picked them up (he is a few miles down the street). No regrets here!!!
Old 04-22-2013, 10:25 AM
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Like noted above, you're not going to get a $3k+ wheel with repros. You're buying a $500-$800 wheel. They're probably not going to have perfectly smooth barrels. The face is what they usually focus on.
Old 04-22-2013, 10:50 AM
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Mike Campbell
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I did the chrome wheel exchange with WCC for my C5 wheels and later my C6 too. The wheels were GM but had been stripped and rechrome and were excellent. Last year I sold the WCC wheels and bought a new set from a Forum vendor and had them mounted with a new set of INVO's. Yes, they're made in China...but, so far the look great and so far no issues.

Old 04-22-2013, 11:09 AM
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Corvette03051
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Purchased a set from a famous West coast company and was treated poorly and actualy BANNED from buying from them again. I had to go to my cc
company to settle the dispute and was eventually credited the money I spent. Everyone else was blamed for their poor quality wheels. Horrible experience. Beware!!!!
Old 04-22-2013, 11:17 AM
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Big regrets here. I could never get them balanced and while they looked awesome on the car, I could not take the vibration. I tried everything to fix it and finally just got a good ole pair of factories and the problem went away. Yes, roadbalanced at several different places with no luck. I don't want to even discuss the losses I took trying to make them work. I am happy now though.
Old 04-22-2013, 11:33 AM
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Brought Z06 chromies from Bob when I had my '04. Never had a problem.
Old 04-22-2013, 01:02 PM
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Did a swap of OEM 5 spoke for satin black from W.coast (yeah them)

Bad move on my part, Didn't even get OEM in return

Smelt like spaghetti (Italy) (BEWARE)

Last edited by zcarbon; 04-22-2013 at 01:32 PM.
Old 04-22-2013, 02:03 PM
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Bought a set of z06 repros for my 08 coupe from Corvettes of Houston back in December. Sure they weigh a touch more than my factory chromes, but they look badass, and I have had zero issues with them.
Old 04-22-2013, 02:12 PM
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I had two sets of repros on my c5. After almost 4 years of use I hit a major pot hole and had to replace them with another set from the same company. Sold the car shortly after. So I would have to say repros treated me very well and if not for the crater that I ran into im sure I would have got many more years out of the 1st set.
Old 04-22-2013, 02:47 PM
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Interesting posts!
Old 04-22-2013, 04:06 PM
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lmello211
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Default Just picked up

a set of repro centennial wheels from Bob at house of wheels and the finish and quality seems spot on. They balanced perfect and look great. The price was right. So far so good.
Old 04-22-2013, 04:20 PM
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fastter
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I've always stuck with the factory wheels and had them refinished to my liking ... black chrome, powder coat gray, black, etc. Seems like more of a matter of luck with the repros. So you've got to ask yourself ...

"I know what you're thinking. "Did he fire six shots or only five?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?"
Old 04-22-2013, 05:19 PM
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LMBZ4ME
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Originally Posted by fastter
I've always stuck with the factory wheels and had them refinished to my liking ... black chrome, powder coat gray, black, etc. Seems like more of a matter of luck with the repros. So you've got to ask yourself ...

"I know what you're thinking. "Did he fire six shots or only five?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?"
Now that was funny! There is alot of truth in that!

No I dont feel lucky. In my opinion quality control and customer service are on the decline and I dont think its worth the gamble. Alot of great feedback here.
Old 04-22-2013, 05:21 PM
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Originally Posted by JW@JWMotoring.com
Like noted above, you're not going to get a $3k+ wheel with repros. You're buying a $500-$800 wheel. They're probably not going to have perfectly smooth barrels. The face is what they usually focus on.
and to add to this always have the run out checked before mounting tires

Last edited by JW Motorsports; 04-22-2013 at 05:32 PM.
Old 04-22-2013, 05:39 PM
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Dale1990
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I bought my 06 used and it had some kind of chromed repro wheels on it. I wish I knew the brand so I would steer clear if/when I replace them. The face is decent and the tire shop was able to balance them but the chrome in the barrels is chipping off. Not a big enough problem that I'd replace them but annoying nonetheless.
Old 04-22-2013, 05:49 PM
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FlyerVette
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Not to hijack this thread but a question. I have the base silver painted star wheels. Can these be chromed..?? And if so what is the usual cost..
Old 04-22-2013, 06:21 PM
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I'm following this thread with great interest, because I'm about ready to pull the trigger myself, considering chrome spyders for a base C6. I had a set of repos on my C5 with no issues, chrome wise or balance wise.

But reading responses here, it sounds hit or miss, EXCEPT. . . do I detect a pattern? Any body ordering from Bob's House Of Wheels seems to be happy, but just the opposite from the West Coast company. If they all come from China, what would be the difference? Do some companies here have better quality control when receiving shipments?

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Old 04-22-2013, 06:39 PM
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Originally Posted by FlyerVette
Not to hijack this thread but a question. I have the base silver painted star wheels. Can these be chromed..?? And if so what is the usual cost..
The quick answer is yes. And, to expand, chroming cos. would rather have a painted or unpainted wheel (as opposed to an already-chromed one) because the wheel is easier to chrome from what I"ve been told.

Originally Posted by CHUXDRM
I'm following this thread with great interest, because I'm about ready to pull the trigger myself, considering chrome spyders for a base C6. I had a set of repos on my C5 with no issues, chrome wise or balance wise.

But reading responses here, it sounds hit or miss, EXCEPT. . . do I detect a pattern? Any body ordering from Bob's House Of Wheels seems to be happy, but just the opposite from the West Coast company. If they all come from China, what would be the difference? Do some companies here have better quality control when receiving shipments?
It could be luck, or hit or miss. Or, it could be that the e/retailer has a different set of standards, or checks/inspects the wheels before sending them out to customers. If you think about it, even if it's all about numbers, dollars, time, etc., being a vendor on here is two-edged. More eyeballs, more visibility, potential for more complaints. Do it right the first time, or suffer the consequences. Negative publicity is a real profit killer.
Old 04-22-2013, 07:18 PM
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Yes never again
Old 04-22-2013, 07:39 PM
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It was the worst mistake I have made with my Corvette. Bought a set of repros from West Coast Corvette and they were total crap. They vibrated anytime I took the car over 52 MPH. Tried and tried to get them re-balanced but after spending countless hours and way more money than I should have, I sent them back. (Of course WCC would not pay for the return freight so I had to pay for that.) They also would not give me a full refund because some of the chrome finish was scratched. Well duh! I had to fight to get those pieces of crap from shaking my car apart. In the end I was out several hundred dollars and still had my original comp gray wheels. I decided right then and there that OEM was the only way for me. I sourced some Chrome OEM wheels from another forum member here and had them installed. Guess what? The minute they were on my car rode as smooth as glass.

The repro wheels are a perfect example of "you get what you pay for."

Good Luck.

Last edited by jdk541; 04-23-2013 at 10:30 AM.


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