I've just bought some 166 wheels being sold as OEM, how do I tell they are the real thing?

Thanks

 

I don't know... hit a pothole and see if they crack? If they are 18's, there's your dead give-away
Sorry for the bad humor - couldn't resist busting some noobie chops.

First, make sure that there are original stampings on the inside section of the wheels - search the forums for authentic m166 pics and compare to what you have. Then, you may want to weigh them and make sure they are the same weight as the OEM (I believe www.realoem.com should have the weight listed, if not - google/search forums for it).

You can also try taking detailed pics of the outside AND inside of the wheels and posting them into this thread so that people have a chance to chime in.

Hope you didn't get duped, GL with the new rims and congrats

 

the replicas look more flat, not as concave. reps look bad in general.

 

While I've never seen 166s, every genuine BMW wheel I have examined had a 7 or 11 digit part number on the inside which you can look up at realoem.com. It's a thought....

 

thats a great site, perfect. THANKS

 

+1. The 166 reps are much much flatter than the 166s. The 166s do have an unmistakable, concave look that the reps do not come close to matching.