Taking nice new wheels to crappy local tire shop for balancing - advice?
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Super Member
Joined: Apr 2014
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From: Chicago, IL
2018 AMG E63s
Taking nice new wheels to crappy local tire shop for balancing - advice?
Hi all - well I received my awesome new set of wheels/tires today, but all of the balancing weights had fallen off in shipping. Not sure how that happened, but there you go. 
I've cleaned the wheels in case that was part of the problem, but now need to get them balanced and only have my crappy local tire chain as my option. Obviously I don't want them to ruin my new beauties, and I'm envisioning bringing them there tomorrow and them destroying them since they're used to working with throw aways most if not all of the time. Any advice? I believe they've got the standard tire balancing machines (not sure about road balancing), but wondering if there's anything I can do to ensure they don't wreck my wheels??
I may be totally neurotic about this, but they were a couple months in the making and not cheap, so I guess I've got cause for concern. I'll go postal if they even scratch them, I swear...
I've cleaned the wheels in case that was part of the problem, but now need to get them balanced and only have my crappy local tire chain as my option. Obviously I don't want them to ruin my new beauties, and I'm envisioning bringing them there tomorrow and them destroying them since they're used to working with throw aways most if not all of the time. Any advice? I believe they've got the standard tire balancing machines (not sure about road balancing), but wondering if there's anything I can do to ensure they don't wreck my wheels??I may be totally neurotic about this, but they were a couple months in the making and not cheap, so I guess I've got cause for concern. I'll go postal if they even scratch them, I swear...
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From: Denham Springs,LA
'12 C63 Black Series, '12 ML350 BlueTech
Show them the wheels and ask them if they can do the job without trashing the wheels.
If not you have no choice but traveling a few miles to your nearest decent tire shop. GL
If not you have no choice but traveling a few miles to your nearest decent tire shop. GL
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Joined: Feb 2011
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From: NC
2010 C63 P31
They may not even touch them. I took My ADV1s several places and all the shops would not touch them because of the cost. I finally found a custom wheel shop and they did the work no problem.
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Joined: Apr 2014
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From: Chicago, IL
2018 AMG E63s
Thanks. I stopped by today with a couple of the wheels and they said they could do it. The wheels are black, and they didn't have black stick-on weights so I'll just have to suffer with the silver weights and plasti-dip them or something. Lame. But I'll have to reiterate to them that these ain't cheapos and I'll go ballistic if they even scratch them slightly. I'm not sure there's a decent tire shop within miles. One option I didn't think of is there is an Audi dealer around the corner, they've got to have some experience with halfway decent wheels, right? Probably charge 2x much (the other place was $14/wheel) but I'd rather pay now than end up with wrecked wheels...
PS - the MB dealership is about 30 miles from here, and with these wheels and my coupe there's NO WAY I'm fitting all 4 into my ride at once...
PS - the MB dealership is about 30 miles from here, and with these wheels and my coupe there's NO WAY I'm fitting all 4 into my ride at once...
Last edited by jcfay; Jul 24, 2014 at 11:30 PM.
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From: Toronto, Canada
C63 P31
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From: Pittsburgh
C63 AMG
Just stand there and watch them do it. Talk about putting pressure on them to handle them with care....
I have a friend who owns his own wheel and tire company. He is a wholesaler to a lot of these wheel vendors.
He will also hook up his family and friends as he did in the pic below on his bro-in-laws Hummer H1 wheels (absolutely awesome setup btw). You should see how careless they are with wheels and tires. To these guys who do it day in and day out, they could care less about them. He was throwing these things around like they were $6.00 wheels.
I have a friend who owns his own wheel and tire company. He is a wholesaler to a lot of these wheel vendors.
He will also hook up his family and friends as he did in the pic below on his bro-in-laws Hummer H1 wheels (absolutely awesome setup btw). You should see how careless they are with wheels and tires. To these guys who do it day in and day out, they could care less about them. He was throwing these things around like they were $6.00 wheels.
Last edited by Autosport7; Jul 25, 2014 at 04:49 PM.
Thread Starter
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Joined: Apr 2014
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From: Chicago, IL
2018 AMG E63s
, so I guess it's more time to learn about patience as a virtue...
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2006 E320 CDI 2014 C63 507 Coupe 2012 E550 4M 2016 E63s Wagon
That's exactly what I'm gonna do, if they'll let me. I know they love to drop em and let em bounce all over the place - that ain't happening. Now I'm just waiting on the damn black wheel weights which won't be here for a week , so I guess it's more time to learn about patience as a virtue...
, so I guess it's more time to learn about patience as a virtue...My black 507 have silver weights inside. It's hardley noticeable even when your staring at them from a foot away. My local shop is far from the pristine space the dealer is, but they get the job done just fine. I got some tires on Tues took over an hour for 2 - not a scratch on the wheels. Be nice to your tire guys, you're going to be spending some time and $ there in the future.
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Joined: Apr 2010
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From: Arizona
2011 C63
Good luck!
Note: I see there are no Discount Tires in your neck of the woods. Too bad. They are normally pretty darn careful and IF they do screw up, they will buy you a new wheel no matter what it costs. That's all I will go to now.
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Joined: Apr 2014
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From: Chicago, IL
2018 AMG E63s
Yeah, I'm definitely going to be nice to these guys, but I'll watch them too. Unfortunately, the wheels are going to require a fair amount of weight (you can see they'd installed about 16 1/4 oz. weights on the 1 wheel in my first post, and most of the wheels had close to that), and I'm just worried that the silver will look lousy on these Klassen wheels. Fortunately the wheels were road balanced so at least I don't have to worry about that, or changing tires (which is when most damage can occur, I gather). But I think an array of silver weights on the inside of the rim, right on the edge, would be kind of conspicuous on these wheels. But maybe I just have them do it, see what it looks like, and if I have to I plastidip them (although that'd be a pain). Man I just wish the original weights hadn't fallen off...
1/4 oz. weights on the 1 wheel in my first post, and most of the wheels had close to that), and I'm just worried that the silver will look lousy on these Klassen wheels. Fortunately the wheels were road balanced so at least I don't have to worry about that, or changing tires (which is when most damage can occur, I gather). But I think an array of silver weights on the inside of the rim, right on the edge, would be kind of conspicuous on these wheels. But maybe I just have them do it, see what it looks like, and if I have to I plastidip them (although that'd be a pain). Man I just wish the original weights hadn't fallen off...
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Joined: Apr 2010
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From: Arizona
2011 C63
Yeah, I'm definitely going to be nice to these guys, but I'll watch them too. Unfortunately, the wheels are going to require a fair amount of weight (you can see they'd installed about 16 1/4 oz. weights on the 1 wheel in my first post, and most of the wheels had close to that), and I'm just worried that the silver will look lousy on these Klassen wheels. Fortunately the wheels were road balanced so at least I don't have to worry about that, or changing tires (which is when most damage can occur, I gather). But I think an array of silver weights on the inside of the rim, right on the edge, would be kind of conspicuous on these wheels. But maybe I just have them do it, see what it looks like, and if I have to I plastidip them (although that'd be a pain). Man I just wish the original weights hadn't fallen off...
1/4 oz. weights on the 1 wheel in my first post, and most of the wheels had close to that), and I'm just worried that the silver will look lousy on these Klassen wheels. Fortunately the wheels were road balanced so at least I don't have to worry about that, or changing tires (which is when most damage can occur, I gather). But I think an array of silver weights on the inside of the rim, right on the edge, would be kind of conspicuous on these wheels. But maybe I just have them do it, see what it looks like, and if I have to I plastidip them (although that'd be a pain). Man I just wish the original weights hadn't fallen off...
