To all HRE wheel lovers,


Now I know a lot of people have had dealers do some messed up things but listen to what happened with mine.

I took my car in so that they could do some work on it. They were going to install the Carlsson Coilovers and change my bushings, rotors etc. I had just put on my brand spanking new HRE 547R wheels and just zainoe'd the car as well.

First of all there was an accident in the shop and a bolt had flown off another car and caused a dent on my hood. The shop said that they will take care of that and that it was their fault completely but it was an accident and couldn't do anything about it. Thats ok with me.

So I get it back and I notice something very wrong with my wheels it looks like there is a soap solution on the car and so they offered to wash it. I usually don't let the dealer wash my car but the wheels looked bad like dried up soap solution. Well when they washed it it didnt' go away. I took it home and tried a bunch of things and finally took some aluminum polish to it.

So to make a long story short somebody had used a very harsh cleaning solution like what they use to clean rotors etc on the wheels and had left them on overnight. Now even after trying everything they are messed up. Better but still messed up to my eyes. Also the clearcoat on the wheel is flaking off. This solution also makes the brake dust stick and not come off the wheel.

Can somebody please help me. What do I do. How do I repair HRE wheels? Who can I send them to. The dealer said that they will take care of the repairs (refinishing etc) but I want to make sure it is done right so I said I want to have them repaired by a shop that I chose and I will give them the bill.

Can somebody with experience with these wheels please help me. I would really appreciate it very very much.

Also on another note, my bushings are still squeaking and my ride height is wrong as well. The only thing done right was the new rotors. I will see how they plan to address my issues or else MB corporate will definitely hear about this.

Thanks.

Prasith

 

Freaking unbelivable! Good thing the dealer is willing to fix its mistakes though-BUT document everything so they dont go back on their word. I say you call up HRE and have them take care of your wheels, that would be the closest to original re-finishing as you can get.

 

Yikes, I'm sorry to hear about your negative experience. Ruined HRE's... I guess there are such things.

Good luck and hope all goes well for you and the car.

 

Send the wheels back to HRE to have them refinished correctly. They will make them new again.

 

I think you bought the wheels from a HRE dealer, is that right? You should send it back to the shop that you bought the wheels from and ask them to send it to HRE.

Dont trust any wheel repair shop other than HRE.

 

sorry to hear about your wheels. the dealer really isnt very good at anything. they always keep my car way too long and never fix anything on the first try.

i have 22" brabus mono VI on my ml, and they curbed two of them and did the same thing they did to yours with the cleaner. the clearcoat is peeling and the center caps are ruined. my dealer is fighting me on this. they blame me for everything. if its aftermarket, its always my fault.

 

The problem is they used a very harsh cleaner that is usually used for other stuff like grease and shop cleaning. I guess somebody had switched the bottles by mistake or something. Anyways they also left it on overnight so they are definitely accepting that it is their fault.

Harris,

I will ask the person who I got them from but in general what is the procedure for repairing wheels? Does HRE have any centers in US or recommended repair shops? Will I have to ship to germany? Please advise.

Thanks.

BTW - just got the carlsson's on and enjoying them very much will post a full writeup on the c32 board.

Prasith

 

HRE is located in California.

 

Only have HRE do the work. I believe they are in Vista which is in San Diego County. Is it only the centers or the rim halfs front and rear that have damage which also may have a clear coat on them. Inspect them carefully. They could have sprayed brake fluid cleaner on the hubs and associated brake assemblies and forgot to wash it off after the brake work was completed. The three piece wheels come apart easily and the centers can be refinished. I would ask the dealership to just buy you new wheels and let them keep yours. You may find that the rim halfs develop problems down the road and should ask the dealer to warrant future claims made.

How did the dealer mess up the ride height? I can't believe the dealer would even do the aftermarket work anyways. What did they charge you? More than $600.00 with an alignment? You specified the ride height prior to the work and measuring fender lip to center of hub is not difficult. What allignment specs did you come out with? Did you use the camber correction bolts?

 

smg,

It is really quite unbelievable with the dealer. I specified everything like in that document I posted. They put the specifications I gave for the front (13.5")on the rear and the rear specifications on the front (13.0"). It made for some interesting handling of the car as I actually took it to the track the next day for a really long track event. I will post a writeup on the c32 thread.

As for the wheels I think you must be right. It looks like it how it would when you have soap suds and let them dry on the wheel. The problem is no amount of washing gets them off. I tried aluminum polish and that seemed to help but it is nowhere like new. The lips are what got hurt the most as the center was clearcoated. However some of the clearcoat is chipping off and that strikes me as very odd that it would do that so early.

I am supposed to talk to their service director tomorrow about it.

All,

What do you think would be the best way to approach this with the dealer? Since it is just the finish I figure that HRE will be able to fix it. There is no mechanical damage. Should I try to get a new set? I am not sure if that will fly with them.

Thanks all for your help.

Prasith

 

any more thoughts guys?

I am supposed to talk to the dealer today. Thanks.

Prasith

 

I think the simplest way is for you to tell the dealer that you are going to send the wheels back to HRE and have them do whatever they need to do to refinish the wheel. If HRE thinks you can repaint them, fine. If HRE thinks those wheels cannot be repaired and need to get another set (which I doubt it), tough luck for the dealer.

Afterall, just send the dealer your invoice.

 

Harris,

Thanks for the reply. I talked to HRE today and boy they sure are expensive

about 330 a wheel was what I was told coming out to a stupifying 1320 and all the shipping etc and a 3 week turnaround time on top of that.

Well I guess that when you are the best you can pretty much dictate what you want.

Oh well

The dealer better pay up.

Prasith

 

what dealer is it? Chambers motorcars Im guessing, since most other shops aren't too mod friendly. If you need any muscle, let me know