Scottnsd54

I researched this debate for months. My main challenge other than cost was finding a wheel that did not look too much like a race car like and more OEM, but I didnt want to be one of those guys who has the pretend M5 look with 166's either (no offense, just not my preference). I have an '07 550 sport with the staggered OEM 18" wheels since I bought the car used 2.5 years ago. My dream was to buy some softline 19" Alpinas but if I did that my wife would probably divorce me over the cost. Being in real estate I get a new car about every 3 years and I have to keep it classy with the clients I drive around.

I rearched this forum, looked for OEM online, looked at replicas on Ebay, even scoured for used Alpinas (I found 2 sets, one on ebay and one here last year but could not pull the trigger as they all had some form of damage or missing caps). I finally found SD Tire in Escondido on Craigslist. These guys were advertising wheel and tire packages out the door for $1099. I called Discount Tire and priced out non-run flat Dunlops for my stock 18" wheels. They wanted $950 out the door...

I went and checked out the REP wheels at SD Tire. I knew going into it that REPS were probably not going to be as good of ride, but I talked to enough people and read enough online that I felt fairly comfortable. Oddly enough the guy at the shop told me that BMW has some lawsuit going on now due to OEM wheels cracking and manufacturer defects. My mechanic heard this as well, but not sure if that is true or not??? Anyway, they had a nice set of REP 172's and Avante Garde Reps as well. I made the decision on the 172's to keep more of that OEM look. Even better, the shop said they would buy my OEM wheels and give me the REP 172's out the door for $750 CASH!!!!! The tires were Achilles and I found some postive feedback on this forum that they were decent tires.

Turns out they did not balance one of the tires right and was worried after I felt a slight vibration, so when I brought it back the next day they quickly fixed it. Ironincally, the guy at the shop who bought my wheels told me 2 of them were CRACKED and one was bent... He took a loss on them for sure.

Anyways, I know a lot of guys on this forum ask about these types of purchases. I gotta say I am very stoked on the bang for the buck and the quality. I cannot tell a difference between the OEM and mine. Gotta give props to SD Tire in Escondido! Tommy was the guy who hooked me up. Here are some pics!

turboawd

congrats. looks like you got a great deal.
aftermarket wheels are just as good, if not better than the oem wheels, structurely speaking. and the price is a lot cheaper.
about the only rep wheel i've seen that i'd stay away from, is the 166 m5 reps, as the concavity and spokes just dont look right.