Kopi Wheel (Alpina Replica) Group Buy

[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.

[delatlanta1281]

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

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[AlpinaB3]

When i say center, i mean the wheel center cover, but i just notice, the wheel cover got a fixed tab that need to be in a certain area of the wheel to work as it should be, sorry for been a noob on that lolll.

[bimma360]

It is centered, i dont know the reason why the caliper carrier was in the way of the inner part of the wheel.

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.

[jP4]

Interesting. Big brake kit?

[AlpinaB3]

So what's happening with the center bore? You're saying it's not centered with the lug holes? just trying to make sense of this.

It is centered, i dont know the reason why the caliper carrier was in the way of the inner part of the wheel.