Replica wheels when buying a car?

rabbitinlights

How can you tell the difference between OEM wheels vs Reps when buying a car from a garage?

I'm looking at a BMW with M sport wheels on it, how can I tell if they are the real deal or reps as the garage does not know.

Are there markings on the inside of the wheel or what?

S.

Bandara

rabbitinlights wrote: »

How can you tell the difference between OEM wheels vs Reps when buying a car from a garage?

I'm looking at a BMW with M sport wheels on it, how can I tell if they are the real deal or reps as the garage does not know.

Are there markings on the inside of the wheel or what?

S.

Most of the msport rims are made for BMW by an Italian company

you'll see little stamps imprinted in the back of them (somewhat similar to the markings imprinted into jewellery but larger)

rebel.ranter

What model BMW & what style wheel? Some of the replicas do not have the little indent where a little ///M badge can go, that is one tell-tale:



Genuine BMW wheels should have an 11 digit part number like this:

36 11 2 229 635

stamped near the bolt holes (on the inside of the wheel)

Rear view of genuine wheel:


BMW stamp inside wheel:


Post up the wheel style & we can give you the expected part numbers ( could be two different part numbers if the wheels are wider at the rear, they normally are for genuine Motorsport wheels (that includes ones on non-///M cars).

O7Pat

rabbitinlights wrote: »

How can you tell the difference between OEM wheels vs Reps when buying a car from a garage?

I'm looking at a BMW with M sport wheels on it, how can I tell if they are the real deal or reps as the garage does not know.

Are there markings on the inside of the wheel or what?

S.

In fairness would have thought that if the garage has any experience in the trade they would surely know?


--Also on the basis if you were trading it in they would be able to tell you bits that were geneuine and bits that were replica.

rabbitinlights

Thanks guys, I appreciate it, especially sticking up the photos.

They are E39 M5 Wheels on an M-Sport E39 5 Series.

The guy in the garage didn't know as he was not the owner or didn't know too much about that particular car.

I'd prefer to find out for myself without drawing attention to the value of the wheels to the garage owner. It's a smaller independent and I'm not too sure if he would know the value of the OEM M5 Wheels.

S.

rebel.ranter

Genuine M5 wheels will have noticeably wider rear wheels, the replicas generally are the same front & rear.
That will help you to tell without drawing too much attention. The dish should be very noticeable on the rear.

rabbitinlights

Nice one, yeah they are proper M5 wheels. The rear one is much wider and has the much deeper dish.

Sweet.