recent experience with Exel wheels / wheelmax.com

[AZhitman]

1) LEGITAMIT is spelled LEGITMATE. Learn that before you call someone a tool.

No, it's spelled LEGITIMATE.

You're missing an "I". And a pen15.

Learn that before you call someone out for calling you a tool.

[maxnix]

I'll be honest, I'm not fully in support of Greg on this point. Like the original poster said, NO wheel should fail like that, regardless of price.

That is a rather naïve view of the world market where caveat emptor is the rule.

Such wheels should not be sold, but when lowest price is the determining purchase factor in the world market of commerce, many uninformed buyers support these manufacturers by not doing their due diligence duties prior to purchase. If these products didn't sell to dummies, they would no longer be produced.

[maxnix]

your approach came across as: “I presume to know something about accident investigation so that gives me the right to act like a total ***.”

Actually he has been an investigator, and the hiney-nous is your own projection. Reality is not always sugar coated like the cereals you were fed when young.

[AZhitman]

Ladies, make no mistake (as if I need to clarify for the umpteenth time): What happened with the OP sucks. There's NO excuse for a wheel to fail like that, and the company that sold it to him should have (at the VERY least) cooperated with him to the extent of replacement (and notification of the manufacturer).

That didn't happen.

However, there are TONS of situations where excessive cost-cutting CAN jeopardize / compromise your safety - and it's no one's fault but your own.

Don't buy your rock-climbing ropes at K-Mart.

Don't buy your tires at Uncle Al's Retreads.

Don't order the "Daily Special" at the taco stand behind a veterinary clinic.

Don't buy power tools at the Dollar Store.

Steer clear of wheels that cost less than a good steak dinner.

And never, ever, ever buy a parachute from an Army Surplus store.

Welcome to the Shark Tank, ladies. Mommy and Daddy should have warned you, it's a spooky world out there.

[Bosrudorfer]

I had an experience in my car in which I nailed curbs several times at once and I got away with chipped tires and a scratched wheels (OE wheels).

Wheels shouldn't fail like that at 35 MPH.

Me too I hit a curb with some old school BBS rims, the outer lip was bend and that was all. It didn't even crack or anything.

Those rims looks like they are make of cardboard. Pure P.O.S.

[Bosrudorfer]

I am looking into having a lab do a stress test on the remains of the rim. It all depends on how cost prohibitive it is.

I was hoping Banky would contact me again and try to provide some kind of customer service, but it looks as though the motis operandi of Wheel Max is to ignore the person and they will go away. Now I am looking at persuing litigation. I was hoping to avoid that.

Can't say I didn't give them opportunity

This is part your fault too man, wouldn't it have been wiser to buy some GOOD rims or at least brand name instead of wasting the cash on legal litigation and time/stress?

[sweet3rdgen]

Ladies, make no mistake (as if I need to clarify for the umpteenth time): What happened with the OP sucks. There's NO excuse for a wheel to fail like that, and the company that sold it to him should have (at the VERY least) cooperated with him to the extent of replacement (and notification of the manufacturer).

That didn't happen.

However, there are TONS of situations where excessive cost-cutting CAN jeopardize / compromise your safety - and it's no one's fault but your own.

Don't buy your rock-climbing ropes at K-Mart.

Don't buy your tires at Uncle Al's Retreads.

Don't order the "Daily Special" at the taco stand behind a veterinary clinic.

Don't buy power tools at the Dollar Store.

Steer clear of wheels that cost less than a good steak dinner.

And never, ever, ever buy a parachute from an Army Surplus store.

Welcome to the Shark Tank, ladies. Mommy and Daddy should have warned you, it's a spooky world out there.

You are correct on every point.

And to make myself clear. I purchased the rims because I was loooking for a five spoke design in white that didn't have 10 holes on the hub. Exel was the only rim that was the exact look I wanted. I did not look for discount rims. In fact I did not consider price at all in my search. Foolishly I viewed the price as a bonus. Foolishly I made the assumption that something as important as a rim would have standards of quality. I accept that as my mistake. I learned a lesson here. I assumed that with so many wheel vendors out there on the web with similar pricing, that it was a "customer demand/high volume" thing not a cheaply made imitation thing.

But my error does not qualify Wheel Max's lack of product support. I assumed (again foolishly) that a company as large as Wheel Max, with advertising on/in many valued and respected magazines and forums would stand behind the product. I assumed that wheel max would want to maintain a good reputation, not have their name attached to a situation or discussion like this.

We all make judgement calls where we assume. Sometimes those assumptions cost us. It is if we learn something and what we do with that knowledge that matters most. Not that we made a poor decision.

[AZhitman]

Agreed.

It's kinda like Microsoft's numerous poor customer service issues: They're a big enough company that they can afford to ignore a disgruntled customer or two and suffer no ill effects.

[Black on Gold]

I stand by my previous post lol

[AZhitman]

Dammit Jager.

[Black on Gold]

[whiterps13]

Ladies, make no mistake (as if I need to clarify for the umpteenth time): What happened with the OP sucks. There's NO excuse for a wheel to fail like that, and the company that sold it to him should have (at the VERY least) cooperated with him to the extent of replacement (and notification of the manufacturer).

That didn't happen.

However, there are TONS of situations where excessive cost-cutting CAN jeopardize / compromise your safety - and it's no one's fault but your own.

Don't buy your rock-climbing ropes at K-Mart.

Don't buy your tires at Uncle Al's Retreads.

Don't order the "Daily Special" at the taco stand behind a veterinary clinic.

Don't buy power tools at the Dollar Store.

Steer clear of wheels that cost less than a good steak dinner.

And never, ever, ever buy a parachute from an Army Surplus store.

Welcome to the Shark Tank, ladies. Mommy and Daddy should have warned you, it's a spooky world out there.

Thats by far the best single post anyone has ever presented to NICO. You hit the nail on the head with that one Greg

[Cold_Zero]

I guess I am here to say that cast wheels are prone to explode. Pictures of my Enkei RSF-2 that exploded on my wife's car. She was driving down a smooth road that heard clunking. She pulled over and called me. Apparently three parts of the wheel shot out of the wheel well. Took the wheel back to Discount Tire and they sent it on to Enkei, who honored their warranty.

The fault doesnt lie in the retailer, it lies with the wheel maker (if its structural damage). Bad customer service? That is all the retailer's fault.

[whiterps13]

Wow, you guys are starting to make me nervous about my Rotas.

[BadMojo]

Wow, you guys are starting to make me nervous about my Rotas.

Tons of Subaru guys run Rota wheels. They really took a hit with a bad batch of wheels (Rota Attack, I think) a few years ago, but by all accounts they handled it pretty well.

Check out the Subaru forums, like Nasioc...I can't even begin to count how many people there are using Rota wheels.

[Cold_Zero]

My friend "Dale" from our Impreza club had problems with his Rota Attacks. A new set of 4 wheels were shipped right to him and to be honest, I dont think Rota ever asked for the wheels back.

[AZhitman]

CZ, that's an ugly wheel failure.

Someone clowned my question earlier about caustic cleaners. What that individual doesn't know is that some wheels are actually assembled with ADHESIVE. Yes, structural adhesive. They're sometimes marketed as a 2-pc wheel, though more often they're listed as a one-piece (or not defined at all).

Guys, buy good wheels, and take care of them. Check for runout, make sure they're balanced well (preferably Road Force), and have them inspected after any impact.

[superDorifto]

and whats this about army surplus store parachutes? do you have any experience with this?

[AZhitman]

LOL - Maybe it was on Mythbusters.

[TOPSECRT88]

Wow, you guys are starting to make me nervous about my Rotas.

lol! I always thought you had SSRs or Works...Them Rotas looks pretty close..

[superDorifto]

ORLY? I think that might be the only episode ive yet to see...

[maxnix]

I purchased the rims because I was loooking for a five spoke design in white that didn't have 10 holes on the hub.

Why does anyone regard static looks as a higher parameter over dynamic performance?

Lesson learned, I hope.

[sweet3rdgen]

Why does anyone regard static looks as a higher parameter over dynamic performance?

Lesson learned, I hope.

When looking into rims, appearance is one of the parameters, for many people the whole point of rims. Are you saying that you do not care about your cars' appearance?

For me I never considered that a rim could be sold that would be this weak. (I know foolish assumption. This we have covered) I show my car so appearance is very important. I am not on the track regularly so weight savings was a minor consideration and I do not off road so extreme strength was not a huge thought either.

Did I learn a lesson?...Yes, I did learn a lesson.

I am still looking for a five spoke pattern, I would still like to find one in white, but strength is now a HUGE factor for me. I have looked at Volks and like their "GT-C" but it does not come in white. I could get it painted after purchasing, or maybe do a special order from Volk. I have also looked at HRE's "547" which does come in white but I do not know about the strength. I also like Katana's "KR-5" but I am really skeptical since I know nothing about this company. I am also very cautious about ordering on line any more. Wheels Boutique sells everything I have looked at but I wonder if they are another Wheel Max.

One thing is certain, I will not ignorantly just pick a rim solely on appearance, from just any company. I will do research first.