[s-cars] Help! I'm Abt to go crazy!

[Philip Mische]

Reasonably....mmm.  Well, kinda.

I'm from the old school where a man would take his own wheels apart and put
them back together.  In the old days, when the earth was soft, you could buy
wheel parts: center sections or wheel outers and roll your own.  This was
one of the reasons modular wheels made sense.  When a wheel got damaged you
bought the stuff you needed and made things right.  In these litigious times
this is verboten.  Mother Fiske and others have to, at the behest of their
insurance carriers, must do it all for you to protect themselves from the
wrath of their customers.  You send the wheel, they fix it and send it
back - from Washington State.

Prices: outers cost $180 - $220 ea, labor is $50 to reassemble.  New wheels,
with the new heat-treated alloy, cost ~$700 ea out the door.

I bought my car with the FM-10s on them.  If I was starting from scratch I'd
never go out and buy them for anything but a track car.  Sometimes I feel
like Kreskin: I can bend them by just thinking about it.  CT Potholes grab
these wheels and spit out the pieces.  When my wife has the car (gasp!) I
sit watch the driveway like a nervous dad.  I've had such a great time this
winter trudging around this winter with my 16" Avus wheels and big tall (50
series) Dunlop snows - I felt like I could drive through anything.  Now the
prospect of returning to the 17's and 35 series rubber-bands has me
returning to that continuous pucker, searching for smooth pavement...


----- Original Message -----
From: "Linus Toy" <linust at mindspring.com>
To: "'Philip Mische'" <pmische at comcast.net>; "'S-Car List'"
<s-car-list at audifans.com>
Sent: Monday, April 21, 2003 7:43 PM
Subject: RE: [s-cars] Help! I'm Abt to go crazy!


> Doesn't Fikse have a (relatively) reasonably priced rim
exchange/replacement
> policy?  Not for the whole wheel, but just for the rim?  Afterall, you pay
a
> premium for these wheels, isn't that the idea behind multi-piece wheels?
>
> --------------------------------------------------------
> Linus Toy               Insanity is doing the same thing
> Mercer Island, WA       you've always done and expecting
> linust at mindspring.com   different results
>                         - Roger Milliken, Milliken & Co
> --------------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: s-car-list-admin at audifans.com
> > [mailto:s-car-list-admin at audifans.com] On Behalf Of Philip Mische
> > Sent: Monday, April 21, 2003 1:19 PM
> > To: S-Car List
> > Subject: Re: [s-cars] Help! I'm Abt to go crazy!
> >
> >
> > OK, it's my week to follow.  I too have recently had a
> > disaster sending my
> > wheels out, although it's probably a different outfit.  I
> > have gone through
> > a real headache with Rim & Wheelworks in Newton, MA.  Don't
> > do biz with them
> > unless you take hallucinogens and read "Through the Looking
> > Glass" first.
> > Just unbelievable.
> >
> > They straightened and buggered 2 of my FM-10s and sent them
> > back to me.
> > When I complained about their terrible condition the gal that
> > owns the place
> > was pretty unpleasant and eventually offered me a refund, but
> > then asked me
> > to send the wheels back so she could inspect them, which I did.  Weeks
> > passed.  Numerous phone calls by me went unreturned.  When I
> > finally did get
> > to talk to her she denied culpability for any damage but
> > agreed to send me a
> > refund, but then refused to return the wheels to me!  Just as I was
> > registering my incredulity she hung up on me saying "I don't
> > want to hear
> > you yell at me".   Then she left the phone off the hook.
> > When I finally did
> > get through again I had to argue with her to get her to send
> > my wheels back
> > to me, and she ended up refunding me nuttin'.
> >
> > At the other end of the spectrum I have heard nothing but
> > great things about
> > Wheel Enhancements in CA.  I have just spoken to them on the
> > phone about
> > getting the Fikses unbutchered; the guys there are conscientious and
> > reasonable.  Perhaps they can bring your Abt wheels back from
> > the dead.
> >
> > Phil
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Charlie Smith" <charlie at elektro.cmhnet.org>
> > To: "Jimmy Pribble" <Jimmy at texasbankers.com>
> > Cc: "Audi S Car List" <s-car-list at audifans.com>; "Charlie Smith"
> > <charlie at elektro.cmhnet.org>
> > Sent: Monday, April 21, 2003 2:38 PM
> > Subject: Re: [s-cars] Help! I'm Abt to go crazy!
> >
> >
> > > Earlier, Jimmy Pribble wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Arrrrgh!  A wheel refinisher trashed one of my Abt
> > wheels.  Obviously,
> > > > replacement is preferable to cash, but the wheels are
> > long discontinued.
> > > > Anybody have a line on any Abt A8 (17 x 8, ET35) wheels?
> > > >
> > > > If not, are there any suggestions as to what to do with
> > three misfit
> > wheels?
> > > > A mobile?
> > >
> > > Here's a suggestion ...  get two 2000 S6 Avus wheels.  Run
> > them both on
> > > one side of the car, use the Abt's on the other side.  The
> > ET is the same.
> > >
> > > This even gives you an extra 17"x8" wheel for the spare!
> > >
> > > See, problem solved!
> > >
> > >     - Charlie
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
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> >
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>
>