Sponsored by The Tire Rack

[Mister Zag]

This is kind of long. Don't read it if long posts bug you, I like explaining the situation, that's half the fun. Thanks, or sorry as the case may be.

I just picked up a new set of wheels at my local dealer yesterday. I purchased them along with the car last spring. The intention was, that they would eventually be my summer wheels. I specified the type 182s: black, (for my SGM/coral 135 vert). My plan was to chew up the runflats this first summer (step one was completed with vigor, thank you JB3!). Then have the winters (Blizzak LM-25s) installed onto the factory type 264 wheels (check!). Finally, come spring, I'd pick up the black 182s from the dealer, and have new, non RFT, rubber stretched over them. Not long after getting the car, I started having some regrets about my, not so well thought out decision on the style and color of wheels. I was thinking that the black is a little too racer-boy, for me. As it is, I have to slap down at least one fart can equipped, fake xenon, POS, tool transporter, every couple days around here. Madison WI does not have a thriving car culture, by any means. I figured blacked out wheels are sure to multiply that particular joy, up into the obnoxiously annoying ranges. My full confession is that I made the decision for those wheels while sitting at the SA's desk, straight out of the one series accessory catalog. I can't remember, but I bet it wasn't too long after a test drive too. I know, it was dumb, but I had roundel fairies dancing in front of my eyes. No court of impulsive decisions would ever convict me, I think. So please don't give me any grief, mea culpa, mea cupla. I figured I'd just hang my head, take my medicine, and use the wheels I bought. That's how I was raised. It's a midwestern thing, you might not understand.

Anyway, you may be thinking; it being the end of January in Madison Wisconsin, this is not really the normal time to be thinking about swapping out winter wheels for a new summer set. You'd be right, normally. Here's where the story really starts. See I've always been a bit of a space geek and I followthe NASA manned space stuff. Not fanatically, but I can name most of the modules on the ISS. I was in elementary school when the first shuttle launched. We watched it in class. I've grown up with the ups and downs of the program, and personally think it's tax money and lives, well spent (but I respect other opinions, no hijacking please). I also happened to be in Houston days after the fiery mess of Columbia's reentry. I've always wanted to see a launch, up close and in person, but it can be difficult to get tickets for the causeway, so I figured it would never happen. Also, Currently I volunteer as a board operator (engineer), a couple days a week, for a local community radio station, here in Madison ( WORT 89.9 FM ). A few months ago I managed to conduct an interview with a space station veteran (Don Pettit). It was a simple phone interview (no he wasn't IN space when I did it), but in order to do it, I had to deal with the NASA public affairs people. It got me thinking that I might be able to get press credentials to attend an upcoming launch. Well, I did just that. I got accredited, and in about a week, me, and my, much loved, 135 are going on our first real road trip down to the Kennedy Space center in Florida, to 'report' on the launch of STS-130 on Superbowl Sunday (hopefully). If all goes as planned, I'll not only get to see a launch, but I'll do it from the press area (which is much closer than those hard to get tickets for the causeway). Keep your fingers crossed for me (and NASA), please.

OK, enough about my space-geek, geekout. Back to my wheels. With my trip to Florida I don't really want to make a 3000+ mile trip on winter tires and chew up all that rubber. I was hoping to get several years service out of them, after all I'm no doctor. I'm a blue collar electrician using my last week of vacation for this trip. I decided to go ahead and order my new summer tires (255/35R18 rear 225/40R18 front Yokohama S.drive ), have them installed on the wheels that are waiting for me at the dealership, swap them out just before I leave, enjoy a wonderful road trip, and swap them back when I get home. Easy breezy, right? This brings me up to yesterday.

As I said, I picked up the wheels, in their factory boxes, after work yesterday. I brought them to my, TireRack recommended, installer. I never even looked in the boxes until I had them unloaded, at the tire shop and was BSing with the mechanics there. One box was in the trunk, two in the back seats, and one in the passenger foot area. My one is my DD, so I do what I have to. Being excited to finally see them, I opened the box and saw this...



Crap! Wrong wheel...and then......Hey, those look pretty cool! An iPhone pic taken of the part number on the box, yesterday, and a quick search on realOEM.com (bless them), today, told me that the dealer didn't give me someone else's wheels, for some other car (I've only seen one other one series in this town), but that they must have ordered the wrong ones for me and my 135.

OK, so that's the situation. I have wheels that I'm pretty sure I like more than the ones I hastily thought I wanted, and ordered. They're for my car. I have no idea if there is a price difference or not. My new tires (from the TireRack (thanks Gill) are on their way from two different warehouses, to ensure that they can be mounted before February 4th (after work) when I plan to start the first leg of my drive south. There's barely time to get these ready, there's no other options that I see.

Now my dilemma: Obviously the dealer screwed up. No matter what, those lovely 216s are getting the Yokos mounted, and they're going with me and my baby to Florida. That is, unless there's a crazy snow storm, in which case I'll just have to take the Blizzaks, and deal with the tire wear. I'm curious, what do you guys think about the styles? I'm now enamored with the 216s, they have that Euro classy feel to them, which I'm growing to really dig. I know that I'm bad about shiny, new things, and have to mull over things to keep myself out of trouble. I figure that, because of the situation, I could (even after putting 3000+ miles on them) get the dealer to take them back and get me what I asked for in the first place. No one could expect me to suffer (by having to drive to FL on snow tires. Ok maybe not suffer, but you understand, right?) because of their screw up, could they? I'm torn on what to do. I'm afraid if I tell my dealership (now, before the trip), they'll say: "either keep 'em or give 'em back now." So, I'm not gonna tell them, now. [ BTW, in case any spies are reading this, this tale is fictional] Any suggestions (well most any) will be appreciated. Also, if someone with skills, that I don't have, could photoshop those 216s onto a pic of a SGM 135i vert (like mine here
or
),

I'd be hugely appreciative. Also, and a much bigger request, if anyone lives near the Kennedy Space Center, and has a spare couch I could possibly crash on for a couple days, send me a message. Let's work something out. I'm a nice guy. I'll bring donuts.

I told you it was long.

Rich

[lib]

While these aren't gray, they'll give you an idea of what they will look like:

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...highlight=wtcc
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=271280

[SlickShift]

Cliff notes?

[Dodo]

Cliffs as requested: OP orders 182s in black, regrets it. Gets 216s delivered instead, likes 216s.

Needs summers for road trip, wants to use the 216 wheels for said trip and make final decision on whether or not to return till after 3000 mile trip.


My take: 216s are nice, you like them now. Keep 'em.
Using them and then trying to return them seems a bit shady. You are fully aware of what you have now, so going back and telling them they sent the wrong wheels after you used them is... well I'll just say not cool.

[BlackFlash]

Seconded. The wheels are sweet. You like em. Keep them and be done with it.

You can make it known to the dealer and say their error does not instill confidence, and see if they volunteer concessions. But otherwise, you got wheels you wanted more from this mistake. No need to be greedy

Enjoy the shuttle launch! I'd love to see one but I never will.

[mshahidz]

keep the wheels you got!!! these are one hte best looking OEM wheels IMO.

[M2]

this link is of a silver vert with the 216 wheels you got, by mistake. They look f'ing incredible on this car. check out the pic's. And I hear that they are manufactured by BBS.

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/album.php?albumid=1098