18" alloys versus 19" alloys.

Ellian

Long story short.

Girlfriend was sold a Freelander 2 second hand that quoted 19" alloys which turned out to be 18" alloys - discovered 5 months after purchase. This was through an official land rover dealer. Service guy who noted it when she went to get a tyre changed basically said that someone appeared to have stuffed it up in the system and entered it incorrectly. Sales managers attitude seems to be "tough, what do you want us to do about it?"

So basically, is there much of a difference between 18 and 19 inch alloys? (she does do a bit of off-roading in it)

Sales guy said something to the effect of "you didn't notice it" - she replied "neither did you or any of your staff and you work for Land Rover"

Is there much of a price difference, or what would you reasonably expect to hear back from dealer - she can't help feeling she has been gypped a bit - assuming 19 inch are better and she paid for them?

I know sod all about cars - so any advice much appreciated.

colm_mcm

I wouldn't fancy 19s. It was just a mistake to be fair. Like if they said it was green and it turned out to be blue.
19s would cost you a fortune in tyres and not good offload. Even 18s are pushing it.

Voodoomelon

Honestly, if she specced 19"s, got 18"s and was charged for 18"s and no one noticed including the owner, I don't see that the problem is.

Alanstrainor

19s would be a disaster to get tyres for. I reckon it was a typo, easy thing to happen. Its hardly foul play.

Stallingrad

She was lucky TBH, 19" offer no benefit whatsoever and a more costly. The dealer could at least offer some manner of goodwill at the next service for getting it wrong though.

CianRyan

18/19s for off roaring?
Tell her to get some 13" steelies and throw some missive tyres on.

colm_mcm

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Honestly, if she specced 19"s, got 18"s and was charged for 18"s and no one noticed including the owner, I don't see that the problem is.

It wasn't a new car to be fair.

Ellian

Thanks for the replies all - car runs fine on 18s and thus far has been great in offroading and snow conditions - the thing that is just annoy her is the thought that she was stitched on the pricing. Looking at the official Land Rover site, it seems to me that the ticket price on 19" is higher than on 18". So she is trying to figure out if the dealer were calculating sale value and (honestly) thought it was 19" - would have in isolation have bumped the ticket price and by what amount? And to be honest the sales bloke is a bit patronising in his tone, which is just winding her up more.

Voodoomelon

So I see, it wasnt even new? That makes it even a lesser non-issue in my eyes.

Voodoomelon

Ellian wrote: »

Thanks for the replies all - car runs fine on 18s and thus far has been great in offroading and snow conditions - the thing that is just annoy her is the thought that she was stitched on the pricing. Looking at the official Land Rover site, it seems to me that the ticket price on 19" is higher than on 18". So she is trying to figure out if the dealer were calculating sale value and (honestly) thought it was 19" - would have in isolation have bumped the ticket price and by what amount? And to be honest the sales bloke is a bit patronising in his tone, which is just winding her up more.

Price difference between 18s and 19s on a second hand car, absorbed into the total cost of the car would be virtually negligible, I doubt you were done over, almost certainly an oversight.

colm_mcm

I may be wrong here, but the 19 inch wheels may incur higher rod tax and thus higher vrt. So a lot of an extra cost on a new car may be tax.
Some of those land rovers had special editions etc. I doubt the fact that it having 19 inch wheels was a big selling point, or that ye paid over the odds as a result.

Would be worse if they had told you I has 1 owner and it turned out to be 2, or if they said it had a service history and it hadn't, or if it had been in an accident.

Ellian

Thanks for the advice.

los3112

The size of the wheel makes no difference to the price if she bought second hand. The price goes on the car and if it has alloys not the size, im doing it long enough.

NobodyImportant

Much better off on 18" wheels.

Cheaper tyres, lower road noise (width dependant), better ride comfort, easier to replace if you buckle a wheel etc.

She should be happy!

Anan1

I'd be happier on 16"s on a Freelander, particularly for off-roading.