Kopi Wheel (Alpina Replica) Group Buy

[AlpinaB3]

My buddy had the same issue when he got his a few years ago. They were also the 5 lug cast models as these appear to be. You just need to remove some material from the inner part of the wheels. I forget what we used exactly, maybe sandpaper or file. They were totally fine afterwards.

Pretty strange, that i got that problem only on the passenger side front wheel, the other side work good w/o any rubbing. I cut some material from the caliper carrier to fix that.

[CB-M3]

as for the center cap fitting right you may have to try different rotations or use a dremel. i also used a dremel on the logo surface cause it had raised flash from the ejector pin from the mold. mine weren't flush in some spots even after I tapped them in.

i'm just little disappointed in the finish after paying $1000+ for this set. i've never seen the kopi sets that were sold years ago to compare quality so I don't know. I had VMR CSL reps on my E46 M3 for a similar price that were excellent fit and finish for being replicas.

[firemanory]

Mel, any comments???

I should be receiving mine today and bracing myself for more of the same. I thought the wheels would have been inspected before shipping out. If they are defective (from a cosmetic standpoint), what is the plan for dealing with this?

We all bought these wheels (more or less) for cosmetic reasons, because if we were going for all out performance, there are many other options out there in the market.

[BMWE34M5]

It has come to our attention that some of the wheels may have some paint imperfections.
If yours are included, please E-mail me a photo of the paint imperfection.
BTW, the paint defects are on the inside of the rim and not noticeable on the car.

Mel, any comments???

I should be receiving mine today and bracing myself for more of the same. I thought the wheels would have been inspected before shipping out. If they are defective (from a cosmetic standpoint), what is the plan for dealing with this?

We all bought these wheels (more or less) for cosmetic reasons, because if we were going for all out performance, there are many other options out there in the market.

[butters]

BTW, the paint defects are on the inside of the rim and not noticeable on the car.

Notice-ability is relative. The defects above, while slight, are on visible surfaces. Unfortunately I won't be able to personally inspect my wheels (delivered today) for about a month.

[alpinwiess2]

Anyone know the size of the emblem (in mm's) area on the wheel centers offhand before I get around to measuring? Trying to figure out what I'm going to do here.

[BMWE34M5]

50 mm diameter

Anyone know the size of the emblem (in mm's) area on the wheel centers offhand before I get around to measuring? Trying to figure out what I'm going to do here.

[CB-M3]

Starting to think the wheels were not inspected prior to shipment.

1) metal missing from inside and holes not stamped right. my assumption is since these are not normal production there probably wasn't any quality control.

2) Orange peel on inside of the spokes at the radius.

3) Found some deep scratch marks probably from handling.

[firemanory]

Just got mine in. Only opened 1 box because I am really sick. The one I did open did have some defects and will post pics up and email to Mel. The plastic center cover has some poor clear coat on it with some scratches and blotches on it. It was not wrapped wrapped in anything and was jusy laying on top of the wheel inside the big bag. Pretty bummed out already...oh well, another $400 and some Quality American powdercoating could solve this problem!!

Sorry Mel for the negative vibe going on here. I know you probably feel pretty badly about all of this. We know you will make things right, just hope its in the next 24 hours so I dont pay to have the tires mounted only to then need to ship the wheels back.

[delatlanta1281]

I'd still rock them. Maybe there is some sort of partial refund the manufacturer can agree to.

[butters]

Pretty bummed out already...oh well, another $400 and some Quality American powdercoating could solve this problem!!

powdercoat will cover up blemishes but honestly the material missing at bolt holes is worrisome. ever heard of a stress concentration? it goes without saying that the prospect of shelling out that much cash to fix brand new wheels has me feeling sick myself. I suppose it was naive to expect perfection from replicas, but safety should at least generate a bare minimum of quality checks. disappointing.

[firemanory]

powdercoat will cover up blemishes but honestly the material missing at bolt holes is worrisome. ever heard of a stress concentration? it goes without saying that the prospect of shelling out that much cash to fix brand new wheels has me feeling sick myself. I suppose it was naive to expect perfection from replicas, but safety should at least generate a bare minimum of quality checks. disappointing.

True, I was thinking only about the cosmetic pieces, not the missing aluminum on the inside of the lug mounting points. Any more money to make these right would probably cause some nasty brain short circuit followed by a long and painful death at the hands of my wife.

. Its amazing that this could have been missed by the manufacturer before delivery to the customer (Abrahams), especially since there is such a geographic distance between them.

[BMWE34M5]

We are negotiating a partial refund with the manufacturer.
This refund will be passed on to Group Buy purchasers of the wheels.
The wheels were cast using the original Kopi wheel dyes so there is no concern for safety issues.

[delatlanta1281]

We are negotiating a partial refund with the manufacturer.
This refund will be passed on to Group Buy purchasers of the wheels.
The wheels were cast using the original Kopi wheel dyes so there is no concern for safety issues.

Good looking out Mel.

[Thizzelle]

damn fedex came right after my lunch break, now I have to wait till tomorrow :(
where you guys getting your alpina stickers for center at?