# WARNING-OEM 18" 9 Spoke Alloys **UPDATED p2**



## jonno (May 7, 2002)

*Note the following applies to the OEM 18" 9 spokes only*

I've just had a real scare with my alloys. 
They've never been near a kerb in 2 years (ie totally clean rims). Went to a local (trusted) tyre place (and stood over them while they worked) to get 2 new PS2s fitted and to cut a long story short they found one wheel was so badly buckled that they felt it was "_potentially lethal_" and put on my spacesaver so I could leave their garage!
I had em' all checked out by dealer and the upshot is that I need 3 new alloys as 2 others are also buckled, but to a lesser extent.

Now I can't say at this stage if its just me being unlucky or if we have potentially a whole new RS4 alloy thing going on again.... (sigh)
I've asked Audi UK for a full written report on what went wrong with my alloys.

My alloys showed no symptoms or clues to the damage, but I would suggest that any of you with concerns should get their dealer to remove the wheels and spin them up on a wheel balancer. I don't need to tell you all this is a very serious issue.
Dealer has referred it to Audi UK to get the nod on warranty replacement (which is unusual I think?) Should know more later today.

If you have these alloys it may be worth checking them

Mods - as this is a safety issue could you make this sticky till we know if its just me or not so isolated? Thank, jonno


----------



## scotty26 (Apr 4, 2003)

Blimey!    

Thanks for the info Jonno

Could be a very important post.


----------



## Dont I Recognise You (Oct 10, 2003)

agreed - will sticky it at least until you get the outcome.

Cheers for the info.

Did you 'feel' anything going on (vibes etc), or have an unusually large amount of balance weights etc (prior to finding the fault)?


----------



## jonno (May 7, 2002)

Don't I Recognise You? said:


> agreed - will sticky it at least until you get the outcome.
> 
> Cheers for the info.
> 
> Did you 'feel' anything going on (vibes etc), or have an unusually large amount of balance weights etc (prior to finding the fault)?


Good Q DIRY, but (un-)fortunately no vibration.
I think the worst wheels were on the back, and I did notice a subtle humming, but I put that down to the uneven tyre wear due to the negative camber on my (factory) gmbh set-up.

Anyone know if the negative camber has been cured (by std tie bars or other means) now?

I'll keep you posted.


----------



## V6 TT (Sep 24, 2002)

.......this may be me problems with my "lumpy" ride at the moment? :? I'll get it to the dealers this week!

Dean


----------



## jonno (May 7, 2002)

What are the symptoms Dean?


----------



## clk200 (Mar 21, 2004)

If they dont replace them under warranty try this link:
http://www.wheelrefurbishing.co.uk/pricelist.htm

I had them refurb a wheel, they said they could repair dents and Straighten wheels, might be worth a thought.


----------



## jonno (May 7, 2002)

Thanks CLK
Once it was spun-up on the balancer there was no way I was going to put it back on - totally egg shaped and completely shot.
Can't understand how it didn't feedback more it was so bad...


----------



## dimitt (Apr 21, 2004)

jonno,

Have u had the shockes checked too?


----------



## jonno (May 7, 2002)

dimitt said:


> jonno,
> 
> Have u had the shockes checked too?


Not yet m8, but I will tomorrow
Be really surprised it they're shot @ 2 ys and 25k miles tho. :roll:


----------



## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

To be honest, I'm not really surprised.

My Ronals (same manufacturer that Audi use for their 17", and maybe the 18"s as well, I'm not sure) were incredibly buckled after a while. Granted, I did have to replace one, as I hit a particularly large pothole and damaged the wheel so badly that both it and the tyre needed replacing (it let the air out of the tyre!)

I took the worst one to a "magic" tyre guy who I was told was THE best in the business at repairing buckled wheels. He simply didn't know where to start, and it simply wasn't worth parting with my cash as he couldn't guarantee any sort of job...

It maybe has less to do with the manufacturer, and more to do with the low profile tyres and bad UK roads.

Luckily my Ronals were about Â£130 a piece delivered from Germany, so were generally as cheap as the tyres to replace... and I considered them a "throwaway" item.

Lucky for you if the dealer pays out - but I fear the same will happen to many 18" wheels shod with 40 profile tyres on the naff roads in this country. Why else do people have to specially adapt the suspension in their model range to cope with the UK roads?


----------



## stgeorgex997 (Feb 25, 2004)

I wonder if the ba$**rd speed hump played it's part in this??

That said shouldn't cause this unless you jump them

Have you ever taken the car to track??

For once changing tyres seems a blessing, could have been bad


----------



## jonno (May 7, 2002)

Thanks for the comments fellas (tim, stgeorge etc)
My own theory is that it must be pothole related, but here in Oxfordshire the roads seem much better than most (still no were near Euro stds tho :x )

So I think they *might* have played a part, can't explain why it was on 3 out of 4 tho?

Also I wonder if the gmbh suspension set-up & its negative camber might have exacerbated it?

*Tim* - I'll be very surprised it Audi UK don't pay out under warranty....
*St george* - never tracked it, just as well really given the state of the alloys...

No news from Audi UK or the dealer yet, but I've a nice new and very tight S4 to get me about in today.....quite scary actually watching the fuel gauge go down. I feel like I need to invade a small oil producing country to keep iit out of the red.


----------



## BAMTT (Feb 22, 2004)

Jonno

I have noticed a slight vibrating sound like a wheel a has thrown a weight on mine yet there is no vibration through the pedles or steering wheel is this similar to you ?

Regards Tony


----------



## jonno (May 7, 2002)

BAMTT said:


> Jonno
> 
> I have noticed a slight vibrating sound like a wheel a has thrown a weight on mine yet there is no vibration through the pedles or steering wheel is this similar to you ?
> 
> Regards Tony


- the only clue on my car was the humming noise, but I can't even be 100% on that as it could have been due to the tyre wear.

A missing weight should be easy to spot.
If you're in any doubt, get them all rebalanced. It costs little and could prevent something nasty.


----------



## jonno (May 7, 2002)

OK time for a quick update
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Have now heard back from my dealer: The TT is ready for collection (yipee, ordinarily), I'm just not ready to give the S4 back quite yet. (ever ?)

They originally referred the warranty claim to Audi UK (not sure why, *perhaps* as they (Audi UK) might foot the bill rather than Audi AG ( ? - _this is speculation on my part_ ), anyway, nothing heard back from MK, so I'll assume its FOC.
I've other avenue to persue, so I'll update ASAFP when progress is made.
In the meantime, might I be so bold as to urge you to check your alloys ?


----------



## Jazzedout (May 8, 2002)

Any news?


----------



## jonno (May 7, 2002)

Hi Jazzed
So the alloys were replaced FOC by my dealer (under warranty).
I also wrote complaining to Kevin Rose (Audi UK). So far its been 1 week and counting.
I'll update when I hear anything at all.


----------



## kitkat (Sep 2, 2002)

I had exactly the same problem about 12 months ago, no visible damage to the wheel, Audi said that I had kerbed it - not true. Got absolutely nowhere with the dealer or Audi UK, Audi UK wouldnt even entertain the suggestion that there was an RS4 type issue with the wheels on the TT, I beg to differ. Ended up having to pay Â£400 for a new wheel!! There was a TT owner called Simon Aston who contacted Watchdog about this he went through numerous wheels in a short space of time

Kitkat


----------



## jonno (May 7, 2002)

OK - new update
I've now had a reply to my written complaint to Kevin Rose, Director of Audi UK.

You will all, I'm sure, be somewhat surprised to hear that Audi UK feel able to vary the terms of the warranty unilaterally.
I say this as they refused to replace my 3 alloys under the warranty -

"....it was with concern that I read your comments regarding the apparent buckling of the wheel itself.[_it was actually 3 out of 4 RS-TT alloys_] Having discussed the matter with X at XYZ Audi, I am advised that the damage to the alloys is not considered to be a defect, due to the age of the vehicle, and therefore not covered under the terms of the warranty."

Now my TT had covered at the time 25-26,000 miles, and was 2 years old, bought from the same dealer new. Don't forget that the alloys were unmarked and had never been kerbed, it also had all servicing done by them. Are 3 bucked wheels in 26k miles reasonable wear and tear, when otherwise undamaged?
I wonder now if the rest of the warranty is worth anything at all...?

My letter also expressed my dissatisfaction with the general reliability and quality of parts used on the TT (I've had more than my fair share of failures) and I requested an ex gratia payment to reflect the loss of my time, loss of use, insurance, finance etc. This they refused but instead they offered the replacement alloys in full and final settlement (but definitely NOT as a warranty claim)

I now know how Rob Beves, Kev Powell etc feel so let down by the brand. As a result of this sorry episode, Audi (and in fact the entire VW group) have lost me as a customer.
The TT will be sold. 
I'm looking for replacements - so far BMW 330 Sport and Impreza test drives are booked. Tried to like the RX8, but didn't get on with the engine or build quality.
I'll be seeing some of you in "Other Marques" rather more often in future.

A sad day. 
[smiley=bigcry.gif]

P.S. I can only assume that this was an isolated case as I've not seen too many of you have this problem. Might be worth checking your cars.


----------



## robquatt (Oct 20, 2003)

I haved felt like getting rid on several occasions out of frustration at the car, the dealers and audi in general, however i am a ponce and like people staring at me so ill keep it.


----------



## amtechuk (Nov 17, 2003)

:lol: :lol:


----------



## jonah (Aug 17, 2002)

jonno said:


> OK - new update
> I've now had a reply to my written complaint to Kevin Rose, Director of Audi UK.
> 
> You will all, I'm sure, be somewhat surprised to hear that Audi UK feel able to vary the terms of the warranty unilaterally.
> ...


But you did get your wheels changed FOC didn't you or am i miss reading what you've said?
Audi would never admit its a problem even if it was one and by doing it as a warranty job this would basically admit there's a problem and so open the flood gates. I would say you had a good job done!


----------



## tunner (Aug 9, 2002)

Now I know for a fact that Audi placed a ring of extra alloy inside the rim due to wheels becoming square. I have not taken my wheels off to prove this but do any post Jan 2003 owners suffer with buckles?

My TT is a Nov/Dec 2002 build and I was told had the new secure rims and the new coils packs.

Audi dealers were, during 2002/03, inundated with buckled alloy claims.

Believe me some owners had thier rims replaced more than once.

I can not prove my statement, but I know from grass roots, that I am correct and if you can search under my handle back to 2002, you will find mention of buckled alloys by me more than once.

Now can anyone compare a 2003 9 spoker rim with an early 9 spoke from 2002? I was told that there was an extra rim of alloy on the inside of the wheel?


----------



## scoTTy (May 6, 2002)

It seems strange that with all the Audi and TT forums I've been on and also the high numbers of TT owners on this particular forum that have come and come, there's never been a lots of people mention this.

Surely if it was a design flaw and many people were falling victim, then we'd see a lot of posts here. Additionally enthusiasts on here probably (on average) drive their cars harder than the "normal" owners who just cruise around town and I'd have thought this would have been more demanding.

I'm not saying that there's not a problem but at the moment, it does seem very isolated.

I'm not surprised Audi did not warrant the claim. They have no idea how the car's been used so are not going to payout on something that could have been due to extreme use or mis-treatment. I'm not suggesting this is what's happened but you'll never get a warranty of indestructability.


----------



## Audi_trocious (Jun 7, 2004)

You will probably gather from my username and sig that I am (yet another) disgruntled Audi customer. Having owned 6 Audis over the last 10 years, I have noticed a huge decline in reliability and customer service.

Some "older" members may have known me as one of the original members of the forum (Stewartt, Stewart, Thumper...) with my 265bhp TTC - one of the first to be sorted by AmD. I was sad to see the TT go after 3 relatively happy years in 2003, but replaced with a fully spec'd A6 2.7 Bi-Turbo.

The last straw came this week when I was told that all 4 of my 18" 9 spoke alloys were buckled, and that Audi UK would not offer even a 'token gesture' compensation. They just want Â£2500 for 4 replacements!I have nurtured this car ! The main point is, having owned upwards of 30 cars (even with low profile alloys), I have never suffered even ONE buckled wheel before, let alone all 4!

I would have thought that a company like Audi who pride themselves on great engineering would be a little concerned, even if I'd been rallying the thing! I do not expect such problems on a Â£35,000 motor car that has only been driven with care on UK roads!

But no. Audi UK (Lee Wilcox & Kevin Rose) refuse point blank to offer any form of reasonable behaviour or possible explanation other than "it must be your driving style.....sir).

This incident is the latest in an ever increasing catalogue of appalling treatment of issues by Audi UK.

The wheels are being replaced with replicas, and the car goes up for sale next week, along with my wife's A6.

Goodbye Audi - and bl**dy good riddance to you (not the cars, but the terrible 'service').

I will now do everything in my (albeit limited) power to dissuade others from buying Audi.

Good Luck to you all. I think you might need it!

Stew


----------



## tunner (Aug 9, 2002)

My sis in law worked within the service dept of an Audi dealership and I can assure you, buckled 9 spokers were NOT rare. It was a problem with the first of the 18 inch 9 spoke, the alloys were not strong for UK pot holes and their were numerous warranty claims made.

I was assured as with the coil packs, that my car had the stronger revised 9 spoke alloy wheels. I have not needed to change my tyres, so I have no idea if they will become square.

Now I can not prove this, but have any cars had buckled wheels since Jan 2003 build?


----------



## CH_Peter (May 16, 2002)

Whilst I can appreciate everyone's point of view, has anyone looked at this from Audi's side? If you rock up with buckled alloys after 1000's of miles, how can either side prove that it is the result of a sub-standard part or it is the result of 'reckless' driving.

If you are an honest and forthright customer, how can Audi distinguish you from a theiving git, who has indeed buckled all their alloys? I had the same problem with AmD, and returned a set causing vibration, only to be told they had been buckled. I was well narked off, but to be fair, how would they be any the wiser - especially since they'd been back and forth from Swizterland, and I'm a Â£1000+ out. AmD wouldn't take my word for it (and why should they?). Now, I'm not trying to say Audi offer the same service as AmD, because everyone sings AmD's praises, but the situation is essentially the same.

If it proves to be a recurring problem, then I take this back, but at this time, this can neither be proved or disproved, but Audi should be checking into it.

My 2p worth.

Peter


----------



## jonno (May 7, 2002)

I think I see what some of you are saying, but I still maintain that either my original alloys were defective or simply not up to the job.
Now this might be ok for a non-critical part, but not for your wheels.

I asked Audi for a lab report, but *surprise*, they refused.

Help, I'm being drawn to the dark side.... its BMW dealers today, Subaru tomorrow...


----------



## garyc (May 7, 2002)

jonno said:


> I think I see what some of you are saying, but I still maintain that either my original alloys were defective or simply not up to the job.
> Now this might be ok for a non-critical part, but not for your wheels.
> 
> I asked Audi for a lab report, but *surprise*, they refused.
> ...


the biggest challenge facing BW alloy roundness is a wife. :wink:

Seriously, I have run 18" (and 19") wheels with 40 and 35 profile tyres on my last 2 Audis (incl legendary RS4 fitted soft 'to protect the suspension' alloys) and 3 BMWs. I am not gentle over humps and you can't avoid pot holes a lot of the time, but I have never had any bucking problems with any of them.

Most cars ride and handle (on the crappy UK roads at least) far better on 16" and maybe 17" wheels. But let's face it, we all like the big rim look and it is mainly for the aesthetics that we have them. I am surprised there aren't more wheel bucklings going on.

Fashion huh? :wink:


----------



## scoTTy (May 6, 2002)

I know that when Audi UK told the factory they wanted their cars delivered with the 18" RS4 wheels, the logical thinking Germans were more than puzzled. They couldn't understand why anyone would want wheels where the ride and handling was worse than the smaller wheels.


----------



## Jazzedout (May 8, 2002)

I think Germans had another habit (at least a couple of years ago). Intead of putting 18" or 19" wheels they were putting some 15" but they were 10" wide  . I have seen several silly cars (mainly GolfIIs) with small and wide rims! Totally ugly IMHO.


----------



## garyc (May 7, 2002)

scoTTy said:


> I know that when Audi UK told the factory they wanted their cars delivered with the 18" RS4 wheels, the logical thinking Germans were more than puzzled. They couldn't understand why anyone would want wheels where the ride and handling was worse than the smaller wheels.


Am I right in thinking Paul that UK is one of the few markets that wants factory fit 18"s? I know BMW and Audi sports models in Italy always seem to fit fit smaller diameter wheels as standard. Ditto French market.


----------



## Jazzedout (May 8, 2002)

For Greece, TT 225 standard 17" and for 180/150 standard 16", as I think is the case for Germany as well. :?


----------



## tunner (Aug 9, 2002)

So how many cars that you have all owned and not just Audi TT's, have had buckled alloys?

Never in my many car ownership life, and I have raced a few in my previous life. Alloys are light weight, but rock hard especially whan a properly inflated tyre is added.

I drive the wife's Meriva which has alloys fast over bumps, lumps, humps and cnuts, but they never buckle, so why do early 9 spoke RS's under normal usage?

Use your brains chaps and chapesses, discounting RS 9 spoke, how many alloys in your life have buckled during normal driving? Now how many of you have had RS 9 spokers buckle?

WEAK ALLOY in the first batch.

To prove there is substance in my comment.

Compare the part number on a buckled alloy with one post 03. If they are identical, I am wrong. If they are different, there could be substance in my theory!


----------



## garyc (May 7, 2002)

tunner said:


> So how many cars that you have all owned and not just Audi TT's, have had buckled alloys?
> 
> Never in my many car ownership life, and I have raced a few in my previous life. Alloys are light weight, but rock hard especially whan a properly inflated tyre is added.
> 
> ...


The official reason given to RS4 drivers in 2000, was that the wheels are designed to buckle rather than transfer energy to the suspension and damage that instead. I never bought that excuse, but neither did I suffer any buckled wheels. Many did, but that was nearly 4 years ago on the heavier RS4 andbefore the TT was fitted with that style of wheel.


----------



## Jazzedout (May 8, 2002)

tunner said:


> WEAK ALLOY in the first batch.
> 
> To prove there is substance in my comment.
> 
> Compare the part number on a buckled alloy with one post 03. If they are identical, I am wrong. If they are different, there could be substance in my theory!


I think you have a point. When I had first asked my dealer for RS4 style wheels, the part nr I was given was 8N0 601 025 L 1H7, but one year later when I asked again (I hoped that their price had droped :wink: ) he quoted 8N0 601 025 S 1H7. :? He was either wrong or the part nr. has changed. BTW price was the same.


----------



## jonno (May 7, 2002)

Chaps
Can't pop outside as I'm in our city office today, and TT is in the station car park :? 
I'll check out the part no.issue when I get home tonight, I think they put the part no. under the centre cap on the RSTTs.


----------



## Matthew (Oct 6, 2003)

robquatt said:


> I haved felt like getting rid on several occasions out of frustration at the car, the dealers and audi in general, however i am a ponce and like people staring at me so ill keep it.


Many a true word spoken in jest. I feel the same - Nice to see a bit of honesty.

Now, where DID I put those sunglasses............?


----------



## galwaytt (May 15, 2003)

CH_Peter said:


> ... has anyone looked at this from Audi's side? If you rock up with buckled alloys after 1000's of miles, how can either side prove that it is the result of a sub-standard part or it is the result of 'reckless' driving.


Well my comment to that is did they not subject the wheels, nay, even the whole car, to real-world testing, before they put it on sale? And if they didn't, then the good aren't up to scratch, or as the Sale of Goods Act might say, 'of merchantable quality'. In other words, fit for the job. If the wheels are that fragile, then they ought not be sold in the first place, at least to cars used on the public road.

*tunner* you say _ "To prove there is substance in my comment. Compare the part number on a buckled alloy with one post 03. If they are identical, I am wrong. If they are different, there could be substance in my theory!_"....
well, that isn't quite true. If an item is redesigned in it's lifetime, it's part no does not necessarily change. On the drawing used by the mfr for that part, a change in the spec can be accredited to a _Revision_ no, and all parts made subsequent to the date of that revision will be to the new spec...........but original part no. You most commonly come across this in software as v1.0 or vX.XX or whatever - the version is different, but the product name remains the same....

*matthew/robquatt*....how right you are, I'd hate to part with mine even though I'm sometimes close to taking an angle grinder to the thing.............


----------



## jonno (May 7, 2002)

jonno said:


> Chaps
> Can't pop outside as I'm in our city office today, and TT is in the station car park :?
> I'll check out the part no.issue when I get home tonight, I think they put the part no. under the centre cap on the RSTTs.


OK, well the part number has definately been revised.

Old = 8N0 601 025 L
New = 8N0 601 025 S

hum......
:roll:


----------



## Chip_iTT (Nov 14, 2003)

Unfortunately the suffix change, while representing a revision, can be a small a change as a document revision or a major part modification (remember coil packs from H to J to L part #).... All we know from this is that there have been some changes....


----------



## tunner (Aug 9, 2002)

As I have said, the 9 spoke were re designed so that they could withstand Baghdad High St aka UK pot holed roads.


----------



## clk320s (Mar 30, 2004)

I've got the same problem with the standard 17's fitted on my 225 TT. Went round a corner @ about 60mph & the tyre nearly rolled off the rim "re-leasing all the air from the tyre" it was a bit hairy I can tell you, any way after visiting tyre shop they said that the wheel was so buckeled that it was unsafe to put back on. Tyre had no evidence on punture, they said it was due to the fact that the wheel was bent previously


----------



## tunner (Aug 9, 2002)

I have just had all tyres changed and not one buckled wheel. 10,000 miles of driving.

My car was a Nov 2002 build and was told that my alloys were the stronger revised 18 inch 9 spoke.

As I have said before, the original 9 spokes were less robust.


----------



## Joegod (Aug 25, 2004)

Mine's a 2000 X and has 18" 9 spokes fitted. The previous owner had them fitted earlier in the year - he kerbed the N/S not much (although each time I look at the car, it's yelling out at me!)

I can't see the part No. on them - where do I find it? [/list]


----------



## jonno (May 7, 2002)

If they're OEM, its behind the centre cap.


----------



## mjrennie (Oct 29, 2004)

had many mercs, lexus and stuff. never ever a buckled wheel though.


----------



## jonno (May 7, 2002)

I think its exacerbated by runing low profile rubber and 17"/18"/19" light alloys and the $hit state of the roads.
Not limited to Audi by any stretch - my BM also runs 18"s and they are all *slightly* buckled :x


----------



## AEON (Nov 11, 2004)

We Yanks have had very similar issues with our domestics, especially the DSM vehicles. After I had lost air pressure in a wheel due to a defective rim, and nearly collided head-on with a Talivan (ironically another Chyrsler), I started looking into our allow history. I had found that a class action suit was filed against Chrysler and the culprit ended up being the use of recycled aluminum in the allow that contained impurities.

Chrysler pleaded (unsuccessfully) that Enkei (an otherwise reputable company here in the States) was at fault due to using impure aluminum in the wheels. Recycled aluminum = CHEAP. Chrysler was still found guilty for lack of adequate testing. My portion of the suit: $112. My cost for replacing the two rims I lost (the second was lost to a Chicago pothole): $550.

The moral of the story in my case was to save my blood, sweat, and tears (of course more importantly my blood) and buy some quality aftermarkets, and evade the fear of a similar incident.


----------



## Diesel (Dec 4, 2004)

Are the 18" nine spokers the same as fitted to RS4's? If so then they should replace them FOC - it is an accepted issue with RS4 and I am on 4 new fresh ones on mine, FOC.

It is an absolute load of nonsense this buckling wheel business - NO car or bike I have *ever *had has suffered from a buckled wheel EVER. The 'lawyer speak' explanation for all this given is incredible. [See corporate vid download on rs246.com]

If it is the same wheel as fitted to an RS4, and is the 'soft' 'we'll replace them for life on your RS4' compound then clearly a small claims court would laugh their socks off at Audi ducking it.

D


----------



## PaulRS3 (May 7, 2002)

no they are not the same..

Similar shape, but different PCD/offset, and style.

where the bead on the rs4 fades out to nothing half way down the inside of each spoke, the RSTT 9 spoke goes all the way round.

I also believe they changed the manufacturing process from that of the RS4 bendy ones.

Ive had 2 S3's with these wheels from factory, and never had any issues to date.


----------



## neoroony (Jan 15, 2005)

Offset or not there the same design as the RS4..... a faulty one, "the wheels are made soft for ride quality" was one answer to a former RS4 owner, never the less any alloys out of shape were change straight away, if have kirbings that show up quite badily then you have a fight on your hands to have them swapped unless you have a good realtionship with your Audi dealer.

If you have these on which ever Audi get them checked regularly, this is 1. saftey issue 2. will put strain on the drive train in one way or another resulting in more expence.


----------



## brutus_tang (Nov 5, 2004)

I should say this Oem rims which i installed 8 months which is very heavy 28-30 Lbs for 18'' and it's made from metal not alloy ........ 
So i changed to oz racing SL I which only 17-18Lbs 18'' my car is pick up very fast now ....ahahahahahahahahah


----------



## spain (May 28, 2005)

must say that ive just has 3 alloys repaired here in spain, only costs me 195 euros and they were in pretty bad shape, couldnt go over 100km per hour without the car shaking really badly, however drove all the way from the uk and did about 10000km on them like that before knowing what was wrong with them ,garages kept telling me it was wheel bearings ha ha!

they fine now, and cheaper than buying new ones!


----------



## chrisl (Jul 25, 2005)

I just got my TT 2 weeks ago and, while looking for the owners club, I found a link to this forum.

Having read this thread and then gone out and checked my wheels I found that I've got 18" alloy 9 spokes that might have the same problem.

My car is a 2003 225bhp roadster and I'm wondering if the wheels will be the 'reinforced' ones mentioned earlier in the thread or not

Can anyone help me out on this one?

Thanks

Chris.


----------



## jonno (May 7, 2002)

chrisl said:


> I just got my TT 2 weeks ago and, while looking for the owners club, I found a link to this forum.
> 
> Having read this thread and then gone out and checked my wheels I found that I've got 18" alloy 9 spokes that might have the same problem.
> 
> ...


Welcome chris and congrats on the new purchase.
As its a 2003 model I'd be surprised if it was an issue - my car was one of the first with the 9 spoke design. If you're still worried take it to a decent tyre place (a search on here will reveal lots of recommended places) and get them checked and re-balanced.
enjoy the sunshine!


----------



## g-boy (Jun 3, 2005)

does this concern apply to all 18" alloys or is it specific to the RS4's. Only asking as i'm thinking of upgrading from 16" to 18.

Also, does anyone have expereince of insurance rates following an alloy modification?

what what be the response bearing in mind i've just passed my test (although i am 24)...

cheers


----------



## jonno (May 7, 2002)

My experience is limited to just the 9 spoke wheels, but alloy buckling could happen to any type on british roads given the state they're in.

As for insurance loading, try a search, there's lots on this.
Or you could buy a late '01 /early '02 car - as they could have had either 17"s or 18"s as std.


----------



## princess sarah (Aug 6, 2005)

G-boy, Ive been looking around for a new quote for my 225 Roadster, Im 24 and Ive got in down to Â£600 with Bell Direct if that helps?


----------



## g-boy (Jun 3, 2005)

princess sarah said:


> G-boy, Ive been looking around for a new quote for my 225 Roadster, Im 24 and Ive got in down to Â£600 with Bell Direct if that helps?


urgh, thats no fair 

i'm with bell direct and am paying so so much. they just think i will crash, its as simple as that. plus my postcode is not great.

thing is, i can handle the car perfectly. and i'm much more comfortable in the TT that i was in the crappy corsa learner car.


----------



## princess sarah (Aug 6, 2005)

Insurance is just a load of old cobblers really. :evil: 
My friend whos 28 thought she would see how much she would have to pay to insure my car, shes 28 with 3 years less no claims than me, parks on a public car park (im in a garage) and is a smoker..She got a quote for Â£450.00!! So just because shes 4 years older, regardless of the conditions its cheaper. 
Im suprised at how much mine has gone up and the amount of companies who wont even insure me this year. Out of interest how much are you paying with Bell?


----------



## g-boy (Jun 3, 2005)

4500 english pounds.

i bought the car before really thinking about insurance. i dont regret as i love the TT. i cant imagine ever liking another car as much (save for ferraris of course!)

i do know that i can get a much more realistic price next year so its just a case of grinning and bearing it  ----> false smile


----------



## Homewrecker (Aug 25, 2005)

Â£4500 for your insurance?

How old are you? Do you have any no claims discount, points...?


----------



## g-boy (Jun 3, 2005)

Homewrecker said:


> Â£4500 for your insurance?
> 
> How old are you? Do you have any no claims discount, points...?


24, literally no experience (which is the reason)..just passed my test!


----------

