Savini Wheels -Beware!

[PQ]

Chris_B, thanks for taking the time to try and help out.

John is experiencing the exact same thing I did with these. Really sucks too.

The difference between John and I at this point is that John made it perfectly clear that he was going to be meticulous with a set of 6 thousand dollar wheels. And would send them back if they weren't right. That was agreed to.

The problem is that he knows I did everything recomended to me when I was trying to find my problem. I went to 5 different shops. Had people looking for driveline balance, alignment, rotors, bearings, anything I could. I had these same 5 different shops tell me the wheels are messed up. The last shop (the one that insisted I take some video and asked me, like I was a moron, what the heck I wanted from them because they already told me the deal) wouldn't even do the other tests because it was a "Waste of your's and our time and YOUR money".

I believe his exact words were, "I could take your money but we already know what the problem is."

I'm sure you didn't read my book long threads on this but John made it CLEAR that he wouldn't tollerate the same thing. And yet here he is.

And, yes, I'm actually surprized. Not sure why.

[Dr Jkel]

Originally Posted by PQ

Well, John. Just wait til you get some real miles on the wheels and the car and it starts falling apart.

(I'm trying to get rid of them now) I just refuse to spend more money on wheels. I think a stock set is in my near future.

NO, I can't confirm that my Lower control arm, driveline, sway bar end link, blown strut on both rear sides have anything to do with the vibrating wheels, but who knows.

BOTH REAR STRUTS.

How many people have had a problem with even ONE rear strut, end link, lower control arm? I've replaced ALL of these on BOTH sides do to failure. Personaly I am thinking it's the wheels. Now I have a drivline/UJoint problem.

May not be the wheels but as I have been told by a good friend, "DUDE, GET THOSE F***ING THINGS OFF YOUR CAR!!!!!"

Before Savini, no problems with ANYTHING. After Savini, my car could have gone back on lemon law had it been stock.

Cooincidence. Very well could be. But these heavy ass donked out warped wheels with paint falling off doesn't help at all.

See this is what I am worried about.....Let's play what if....Lets just say these wheels in there vibrating condition are actually asuing damage to my cars suspension. Then you have to go and try and probe negligence which would be very hard to do...........If I can get a refund on my money I KNOW what is going back on my car. STOCK WHEELS and TIRES.

Originally Posted by Chris_B

Savini does not have (nor would any other custom, made-to-order wheel manufacturer that I know of) the equipment to check a tire for construction problems. The best Hunter tire balance machine (GSP9700) has road force diagnostics, but not many shops have spent the extra money for that unit. The diagnostics look at radial spring rates around the entire circumference in an effort to measure the soundness of a tire's construction. If there was an internal belt or other problem, that machine might be able to catch it. Without that, you can only really measure tire runout. And, yes, ALL tires have runout as they are out of round and the tread wobbles from side to side as they spin. The better ones do very little of that, but they still do it. Either of those conditions, if severe enough, will cause vibrations and/or noise.


Again, very tough to diagnose an issue like this from a distance or on a forum and get it completely right. It does APPEAR that either the wheels or tires are the problem. However, it takes hands-on experts and some decent equipment to sort out what the root cause is. That said, the wheels do need to register on the hub for them to have a chance at rotating on the same center as the hub and stub axle. This is really true for all vehicles, not just ones listed as hub-centric. I do not rely on wheel studs, wheel screws or lug nuts to center a wheel, but that comes from decades of dealing with vehicles that routinely run over 200mph.

Our Pirelli rep stopped reading his database when he saw Butler Tire. Pushing further, he says NTB is a large authorized dealer closer to you, but he is not sure if they will have solid diagnostics at each location. You might want to call ahead and see which one they suggest you go to. And, he is confident (being employed by Pirelli, of course) that the tires are not likely at fault due to that particular size being made on a robotic assembly line. But, in my experience, you just can't be sure until everything has been checked out!

Chris.......Just so that you fully understand the situation. I purchased Wheels AND Tires from BFXAUTO.......He installed TPMS Sensors, Tires and all. ALL I had to do was bolt them on.

Thsi was done for a couple of reasons. First no one could blame me for damaging anything especially during mounting. Check. Secondly since the tire and wheel experts reside in Southern California who better to mount and balance Tires to Wheels. Read Randy's issues where they blame the store who mounted the tires. I didn't want to go through that drama.

Which brings me to a point that you are making about it COULD be the tires. OK I AGREE, BUT when they were sent back for the SECOND time would it not stand to reason that these specialist would check the tires as well, balance these wheels just like you suggest etc.... and return them to the customer ready to be bolted on.

I am unsure of the reference to Butler Tire but I can tell you this.....my car was the cheapest on the lot the day I went. They do high end exotics, BMW, Mercedes etc....so who better to check them out.

I will say that just because a building has a name on it does not mean it is worth their salt. Obviously if that was the case then SAVINI Wheels should be PERFECT. I will try NTB, hell I am willing to try anything at this point to try and get these smooth.

But in all honesty I really do not think it is my place to do this. Savini has reputable dealers in my area....send me to one they recommend????How bout that? Use a shop they recommend, that are local to me.......Nope don't want to do that....WHY?????? Who knows.....maybe you can't BS someone when they are riding in the car with you and see the steering wheel shake and feel the shake in the seat. All the "In Tolerance " BS goes right out the window when they see it for themsleves, maybe that is why.

Could it be the tires...SURE it could....Could it be the wheels....Sure it could but one thing I know is it is NOT the car.

I am willing to try anything Savini wants as long as they are willing to pay for it.

In all honesty I think the wheels were blems from the start. Can I prove this , well no but that is what I think. I am a customer who is 2300 miles away that they do not have to deal with face to face and I think both BFXAUTO and Savini think they can wait me out, think I will just get frustrated and move on, make a few threads and be done with it.

I can PROMISE you this that this would not be happening if either I was there or they were here. I really do not think they would be acting like this in a face to face business transaction and their tune would be a little different.

Again this is just another reason that I will never recommend Savini, BFXAUTO or buying wheels from a vendor you can not see face to face. When peopl sell thing, HIGH END things you expect a certain amount of respect and hinesty when dealing with them. All I have gotten is fairy tales and lies.

One last thing you should know Chris is the being honest category. SAVINI, Nick from Savini contacted me about buying these wheels. Because of the issues that Randy had I was roasting them. Nick contacted me in an effort to calm me down, stop me posting negative stuff about them etc..... Said that the issues Randy had had been addressed and taken care of. They offered me "Sweetheart " deal, a sponsorship deal to try and correct the negative image they had so I paid 995.00 a wheel for 1395.00 wheels and was totally upfront with both Nick from Savini and Nick from BFXAUTO about my concerns etc.....why else are they apying shipping back and forth and you have member after member like Randy and Emma who had to pay their own shipping costs back and forth.

Chris I know in my heart you are trying to help and I truly appreciate it, I really do. Unfortunately you do not run Savini and I will have to deal with these knuckleheads best way I can right now.

[PIPE]

Im thinkin there Facebook, Myspace , Blog and every other thing Savini has out there should be blasted about their CRAP business Practices.

[Dr Jkel]

Originally Posted by PIPE

Im thinkin there Facebook, Myspace , Blog and every other thing Savini has out there should be blasted about their CRAP business Practices.

They don't care, obviously, about any of that. They will be at SEMA, throw a big party and people will not care.

I think it is like Norm suggested that they have 2 different wheels. One for high end CUSTOMERS like ball players, actors etc..... that they ensure are perfect and then they have wheels for these internet businesses that are OK and they pass them off saying they are in tolernace since it is an internet business and the fall out is minimal.

I think if my name was LEBRON I would not be having these issues one bit, since he has all the high paid lawyers to take care of things like this. Unique Autosports put a set of 24" Savini's on a Camaro and they don't vibrate...hmmmmm wonder why? Maybe because he is a NFL PLayer.

I even contacted Unique in Miami about these issues. Of course they are not responding. Maybe they do something different in Miami, who knows.

All I know is these wheels vibrate and the faster you go the worse it gets. Savini and BFXAUTO is banking on that I will just go away, even though it was clearly stated about the vibration concerns.

BFXAUTO wanted me to see if it was a vibration issue before I sent them back the second time. It sounded reasonable so I found a place to have it done. NOW BFXAUTO ( NICK) does not want to re-imburse me the 225.00 I spent having that done, never mind the day off of work, the 3 hours drive, the 2 hours I weaited for them to TRY and balance these wheels and the 3 hour drive back home.

NOW BFXAUTO wants me to prove my claims of vibration, get videos etc... like Randy did. Ok I am going to do that, take a day off of work and take it to a shop and etc......

Like I asked BFXAUTO....What Then? What are they going to do after I get a video? Just like now........give me the run around.

I fully believe that it does not matter what I do to prove what I am saying is true. They will continue to give me the run around on this, trying to just make me give up on this issue and who knows it may work........BUT that is why I made this whole thread....to let EVERYONE know what type a business Savini is, what kind a vendor BFXAUTO is so hopefully no one else will fall into this trap.

[Kimbo_Slice]

Yea man, thanks for the heads up

[The Stig]

I don't know how you paid for the wheels Jkel but it is within 90 days (I'm assuming you bought them around the date you started this thread). You could file with Paypal that it is a defective product and get your money back OR file a charge back claim with your CC company - again for defective product.

I mean it's a dick move; but honestly (and this is just my .02 so take it with a grain of salt) BF Auto and Savini, after having put you, Randy, Em, and who knows who else, through all this shit deserve to get blind sided by a charge back claim.

[Dr Jkel]

Originally Posted by stieger

I don't know how you paid for the wheels Jkel but it is within 90 days (I'm assuming you bought them around the date you started this thread). You could file with Paypal that it is a defective product and get your money back OR file a charge back claim with your CC company - again for defective product.

I mean it's a dick move; but honestly (and this is just my .02 so take it with a grain of salt) BF Auto and Savini, after having put you, Randy, Em, and who knows who else, through all this shit deserve to get blind sided by a charge back claim.

Well it has been OVER 90 days, remember these wheels have been back 2 times. Plus my car had been in the shop with cams, cutouts etc... during this time. I think this was all part of it making me wait and they knew what was going on.

CC company says that if it is over 90 days then you have a hard time making any claims since they vendor has already been paid in full.


On a suggestion I called Pirelli since it was suggested that the tire could be the issue. Pirelli is located in Georgia and when I called them they said take it to....Guess who?...........BUTLER TIRE, the Pirelli person said Butler is the best in the Southeast.

[thespymaster]

Originally Posted by Dr Jkel

CC company says that if it is over 90 days then you have a hard time making any claims since they vendor has already been paid in full.

A lot depends on the CC company itself. For American Express, you can dispute the charge up to 12 months....... As long as you have the documentation showing you've been trying to resolve the issue with the vendor

[The Stig]

I would definitely get a written statement from Butler Tire saying that your tires are not the cause. Though you may have already done this and I just missed it somewhere in the thread.

Yes it'd be an uphill battle to get a charge back. But I can tell you, if you start putting pressure on the CC company they will eventually give in and get you your money back.

[Dr Jkel]

Originally Posted by stieger

I would definitely get a written statement from Butler Tire saying that your tires are not the cause. Though you may have already done this and I just missed it somewhere in the thread.

Yes it'd be an uphill battle to get a charge back. But I can tell you, if you start putting pressure on the CC company they will eventually give in and get you your money back.

Well in my ignorance when they said that the wheels were not hubcentric and that was the cause then I took that for what it was.

I am talking now with the Butler Tire rep I dealt with to see which way we can go with this. Hopefully they will be interested in helping meeven though I did not buy this set from them.

I'll try to call they CC company back and explain the whole ordeal to them and maybe they will understand, just don't know right now.

[Dr Jkel]

Just thought this was funny.......it is from the BFXAUTO Webpage concerning Savini Wheels.

The legend begins...Savini Signature Series Forged Wheels. Savini's multi-piece forged wheels are designed for luxury and exotic automobiles. Our Signature Series Forged Wheels, created to offer "custom perfect" fitments and wheel styles, are produced with forged aluminum centers and Hyper Bright anodized inner with chrome or painted outer rims in 19", 20" and 22" sizes. From the innovative thinking that lead to our TPMS sensor-compatible designs to the custom fabricated bolts and quality control processes, Savini Forged Signature Series wheels will set a new standard for wheel craftsmanship and customer satisfaction.

[The Stig]

Originally Posted by thespymaster

A lot depends on the CC company itself. For American Express, you can dispute the charge up to 12 months....... As long as you have the documentation showing you've been trying to resolve the issue with the vendor

:wod:

[PQ]

Originally Posted by Dr Jkel

They don't care, obviously, about any of that. They will be at SEMA, throw a big party and people will not care.

I think it is like Norm suggested that they have 2 different wheels. One for high end CUSTOMERS like ball players, actors etc..... that they ensure are perfect and then they have wheels for these internet businesses that are OK and they pass them off saying they are in tolernace since it is an internet business and the fall out is minimal.

I think if my name was LEBRON I would not be having these issues one bit, since he has all the high paid lawyers to take care of things like this. Unique Autosports put a set of 24" Savini's on a Camaro and they don't vibrate...hmmmmm wonder why? Maybe because he is a NFL PLayer.

I even contacted Unique in Miami about these issues. Of course they are not responding. Maybe they do something different in Miami, who knows.

All I know is these wheels vibrate and the faster you go the worse it gets. Savini and BFXAUTO is banking on that I will just go away, even though it was clearly stated about the vibration concerns.

BFXAUTO wanted me to see if it was a vibration issue before I sent them back the second time. It sounded reasonable so I found a place to have it done. NOW BFXAUTO ( NICK) does not want to re-imburse me the 225.00 I spent having that done, never mind the day off of work, the 3 hours drive, the 2 hours I weaited for them to TRY and balance these wheels and the 3 hour drive back home.

NOW BFXAUTO wants me to prove my claims of vibration, get videos etc... like Randy did. Ok I am going to do that, take a day off of work and take it to a shop and etc......

Like I asked BFXAUTO....What Then? What are they going to do after I get a video? Just like now........give me the run around.

I fully believe that it does not matter what I do to prove what I am saying is true. They will continue to give me the run around on this, trying to just make me give up on this issue and who knows it may work........BUT that is why I made this whole thread....to let EVERYONE know what type a business Savini is, what kind a vendor BFXAUTO is so hopefully no one else will fall into this trap.

It is a pain in the ass going to shop after shop after shop trying to get them to balance and rebalance and test and retest them to the satisfaction of someone else.

To save some of that time I spun the wheels by hand at home on one occasiuon and you know what THAT got me. I still cringe thinking about it. I never blamed it on anyone but myself but it was a result of stupidity and trying to save some money and time.

I made a deal with Nick at Savini when they agreed to remake the worst two wheels after seeing them spin on video from one of the shops and agreed there was a problem. (of course insinuated that I did it) Well there wasn't a flat spot, it was more of an ovaling. The tire shops ALL agreed it wasn't from hitting anything. You don't oblong the whole hoop by hitting something.

Anyway, Nicks concern to me was what if they make me two new wheels and I come back and say that they still vibrate. (I wanted at that point to tell him "Then you guys REALLY suck) But I agreed that we both had to cover our bases and I told him that I'd put them on the shops machine and take video of them as they tested them BEFORE they put them on my car, and if I didn't, then Savini would be obsolved. I accept my failure to do that. (I was on the phone with an important client who had called while they were doing the wheels)The shop told me that those wheels were probably the best Savini had ever made (joking about my ordeal) and said they were MUCH better. The other two were still questionable but 'workable'. So I let it go. Even started a thread to give Savini props after all of Nicks work helping me out and I'd say that the wheels were smooth to be done with it.

So I never asked for any more help and just kept quiet about it. They still had my sensors and I had reconciled within myself to just let it go, but when Emma had her issues I got pissed. They called me and agreed to send my sensors. I agreed to let them send me new ones.

Now John is having the same PITA issue and it REALLY sucks to realize you have to sell your wheels (that you know are ****ed up) at a BIG TIME loss, only to end up with cheaper wheels that are much better.

I tend to be synical and smart ass at times so let me play devils advocate for a moment.

How much sense does it make for Savini to go through all the hassles and problems bringing wheels back and 'helping' us out as much as they have, if they aren't gonna fix them right? Kinda doesn't fit, does it?

Well, like I said before, the guys in the office seem to want to help. And try to help, but they dont' make the wheels. They have to go with what the shop tells them. The answer to that is they just don't make a very good product. So the guys in the office are hand-tied so to speak. I feel bad for Nick and Tu to work for such a shitty company.

[hypurone]

Originally Posted by Dr Jkel

They will continue to give me the run around on this, trying to just make me give up on this issue and who knows it may work........

NOOOOOOOOOOO! You can't let them get away with this!! This kind of sh1t makes me irate.