VW Polo GTI 6C 2017 - Should I buy alloys from eBay? - Jack Burnet

I've recently bought a new Polo, it hasn't got the alloys I wanted but it matched my budget, mileage and was full spec.

Should I buy alloys off eBay? Example below.

How good do people think they would be? I know they're 'GTI Style' and not original VW alloys. Are they going to roll and keep together as well as VW stock alloys?

Thanks,

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ex-Display-17-VW-Polo-GTI-Style-Alloy-Wheels-And-215-40-17-Tyres/174359818813?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%

3D225076%26meid%3D7924f97de1b646a28bde8eb104cfcd2b%26pid%3D100675%

26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D15%26mehot%3Dnone%26sd%3D392206447271%26itm%

3D174359818813%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2380057&_

trksid=p2380057.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci%3A8a509354-d2f8-11ea-ad3b-74dbd18069d6%7Cparentrq%3Aa3988b411730aa486cd67ac0ffe33d4a%7Ciid%3A1

Edited by Avant on 31/07/2020 at 09:16

VW Polo GTI 6C 2017 - Should I buy alloys from eBay? - gordonbennet

We assume the Polo is presently on sensible wheel sizes, 17" 40 aspect tyre sidewalls will have almost no give at all and the ride of the car will be ruined, such lack of supple also has a negative effect on handling despite what some petrol heads might say, on corners unless billiard smooth those tyres will hop over lumps and bumps instead of following the contours.

Tyres on the wheels shown are budget make, you might find wet grip leaves a lot to be desired.

I would try to keep 55 or above aspect ratio if possible, your choice obviously but if you go ahead with this purchase don't be surprised if the only improvement is lookswise (beauty in the eye etc) and ultimately you are disappointed.

Don't forget to inform your insurer of the modification, maybe ask them if they will cover first and how much they want extra.

VW Polo GTI 6C 2017 - Should I buy alloys from eBay? - badbusdriver

I don't think you should have much concern about them 'rolling' and 'keeping together'(?), but that doesn't mean i think you should buy them. As GB points out, budget tyres, which is never a good thing. Those four palm-of-your-hand sized rubber patches are the only contact between your car and the road, so trying to save money here is not wise. Also, these being after market alloys, rather than genuine VW ones, mean the 'diamond cut' finish is likely to deteriorate much faster than normal. The lacquer will start lifting leaving that horrible milky white patches. I'd also be interested to see the inside of the alloys, to see how much balancing weights have been used. My only experience of buying a set of after market wheels/tyres like this was as a birthday present for my Dad. When they arrived they had a huge, and very noticeable amount of weights. I don't know if this was solely due to them being cheap wheels with cheap tyres, but it certainly would make me wary of buying another set.

I think i'd be looking at what else you could fit, maybe a set of used wheels from a Golf GTI, onto which you could fit a decent quality tyre.

VW Polo GTI 6C 2017 - Should I buy alloys from eBay? - mcb100

No idea what size wheel/tyre combination is currently on the car, you need to be sure that the rolling circumference is within a couple of % of your current set up, or you'll have an incorrectly reading speedometer.

VW Polo GTI 6C 2017 - Should I buy alloys from eBay? - Smileyman

I did the opposite two years ago, my car came with 17" alloys and I switched for 15", the same size as the spare that was supplied with the car. Reasons - two.

Firstly, better ride.

Secondly, much much better choice of tyres and at considerably more wallet friendly prices.

I can't remember any impact on handling, but I don't push when driving; if there was any I quickly adjusted and become used to the new normal. Of course having different tyres on the car gave a new driving experience anyway.

The alloys were purchased second hand from an authorised dealer, a fitting I knew from the brochure and the supply of full size spare would fit my car - including the brakes.

I did check the impact of a different wheel size on the speedometer and odometer, and it is very little. https://www.willtheyfit.com/

Some additional background information here.

https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/askhj/answer/49667/can-i-change-the-tyres-on-my-peugeot-308-sport-for-a-smoother-ride-

This is the second car I'd done this, then I also fitted original manufacturer size alternative alloys to match a smaller but still full size spare as supplied with the car.

VW Polo GTI 6C 2017 - Should I buy alloys from eBay? - thunderbird

You say in the title its a 2017 Polo GTi but you say in the first line of the post its a new car, cannot be both can it.

All Polo GTi's come with alloy wheels as standard thus since it appears to be a used car its clear that someone has either changed the wheels or stuck GTi badge on a non GTi car.

Whichever it is why on earth did you buy it, plenty of unmolested cars out there to buy.

VW Polo GTI 6C 2017 - Should I buy alloys from eBay? - mcb100

It's a car that's new to the poster, and it hasn't got the design of wheels he wants. So he's considering a replacement set that look like the ones he originally wanted.

He's not asked for an opinion as to why he bought it, just on the replacement wheels.

How hard can it be to understand?

VW Polo GTI 6C 2017 - Should I buy alloys from eBay? - thunderbird

It's a car that's new to the poster, and it hasn't got the design of wheels he wants. So he's considering a replacement set that look like the ones he originally wanted.

He's not asked for an opinion as to why he bought it, just on the replacement wheels.

How hard can it be to understand?

I fully understand his query, it simply beggars belief that people would buy a car that does not meet their desires and only look at modifying it after purchase instead of before or as I said in my previous post why not find a different car, plenty out there.

But a word of warning to the OP. If you fit alternative wheels you will need to inform your insurers. There may be an additional cost but failure to do so could mean you are left without insurance following an accident. If the wheel's and tyres are a different size to the originals all insurers will consider fitting them a modification.

VW Polo GTI 6C 2017 - Should I buy alloys from eBay? - sammy1

If you like the look of your car the condition of the Alloys are everything. I would not buy wheels off ebay as you cannot see them no matter how good the pics. If they come with tyres then you have another possible prob. Are there any large car dismantlers near you so you can visit. If you change the wheels you then have the problem of selling the originals which nobody wants. You say you do not like the style but you can't see them when you are in the car, maybe getting the wheels refurbished would be the way.

VW Polo GTI 6C 2017 - Should I buy alloys from eBay? - badbusdriver

I fully understand his query, it simply beggars belief that people would buy a car that does not meet their desires and only look at modifying it after purchase instead of before or as I said in my previous post why not find a different car, plenty out there.

Would you be willing to travel more than 50 miles to buy a car?. If the answer is no, then depending on where the OP lives, there are most certainly not "plenty out there". I live in North East Scotland, there are two Polo GTI's in Aberdeen (30 miles away), but the next nearest are in Dundee (2) and Inverness (1), 86 and 88 miles away respectively. And i am quite sure there are other parts of the country where there a similar limitations regarding the amount of choice within a reasonable travelling distance.

That doesn't change the fact that, as mcb100 says, the OP is only asking about the wheels, not asking for pointless comments about whether or not he should have bought a car with wheels other than what he wanted.

VW Polo GTI 6C 2017 - Should I buy alloys from eBay? - Engineer Andy

I did the opposite two years ago, my car came with 17" alloys and I switched for 15", the same size as the spare that was supplied with the car. Reasons - two.

Firstly, better ride.

Secondly, much much better choice of tyres and at considerably more wallet friendly prices.

I can't remember any impact on handling, but I don't push when driving; if there was any I quickly adjusted and become used to the new normal. Of course having different tyres on the car gave a new driving experience anyway.

The alloys were purchased second hand from an authorised dealer, a fitting I knew from the brochure and the supply of full size spare would fit my car - including the brakes.

I did check the impact of a different wheel size on the speedometer and odometer, and it is very little. https://www.willtheyfit.com/

Some additional background information here.

https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/askhj/answer/49667/can-i-change-the-tyres-on-my-peugeot-308-sport-for-a-smoother-ride-

This is the second car I'd done this, then I also fitted original manufacturer size alternative alloys to match a smaller but still full size spare as supplied with the car.

I did something similar on my Mazda3, swithcing from the original 16in OEMs to 15in (still the OEM design) when they corroded an at least one needed replacing, with the tyres about a year at most away from my usual replacement date.

Far, far cheaper, looks fine, better ride and the tyres (from 55 to 65 profile) are also about 20 - 25% cheaper as well.

Obviously not what the OP wants here - and I suspect they just want an opinion about whether said ebay offering is legit or not, as I would suppose the Polo GTI comes on that size rims anyway - they are probably just after a different design.

I'll leave that to those who have more knowledge on ebay sales, as I only use it occasionally and only a couple of times for car-related stuff (genuine branded consumables from a reputable seller with a proper business address).

I agree that many 'warm hatch' cars can get by perfectly well on 'standard' sized wheels and tyres, grip / handling wise, and be of much greater benefit in terms of cost, longevity, comfort and a reduced susceptibility to damage.

VW Polo GTI 6C 2017 - Should I buy alloys from eBay? - Trilogy.

I bought an alloy wheel for my Mercedes from Ebay. It was the correct wheel with the appropriate part number. Personally, unless the wheel is an original VW item I'd be reluctant to buy from Ebay.

VW Polo GTI 6C 2017 - Should I buy alloys from eBay? - badbusdriver

I bought an alloy wheel for my Mercedes from Ebay. It was the correct wheel with the appropriate part number. Personally, unless the wheel is an original VW item I'd be reluctant to buy from Ebay.

In fairness, i don't think there would be any problem buying from this seller on Ebay. You would be buying from a proper, well established alloy wheel specialist, not some mysterious character/s with no apparent premises, maybe working out of a lockup!. You can buy the same wheels off their own website, and they also do suspension, audio equipment and Auto Finesse valeting stuff.

I'm just not convinced the quality of the wheels would be that great, especially with them having a diamond cut finish.

VW Polo GTI 6C 2017 - Should I buy alloys from eBay? - Zippy123

If you are going to change the wheels, don't get them from eBay where you don't know if they have been subject to any undue stresses from an accident etc.

Halfords and other companies including indi car doer up shops, sell blingy wheels which will be quality tested and much safer.

VW Polo GTI 6C 2017 - Should I buy alloys from eBay? - gordonbennet

There are some really high quality aftermarket wheel makers about, not long after buying the Merc coupe i treated SWMBO to a set of French made multi spoke alloys, the diamond cut Ronal OE alloys would have needed refurbing twice in the 18 odd years since (so would have needed to be painted instead of diamond cut the second time), a quick clean and polish and the aftermarket set (painted spokes with polished stainless steel ring) still look like new and haven't needed even a touch up.

Given the choice, buying new, car or wheels, i would not waste money on diamond cut and laquered, they almost all look rubbish by years 2 to 5 unless you keep a second set of alloys for winter.