Aftermarket rims - 325xi

[Gochoo1]

Looking for advice. I have a 2001 325xi with 17-inch wheels. I hit a nasty pothole and need new rims on both left wheels and my insurance company is saying they will only pay for aftermarket rims, rather than new ones.

From what I know about aftermarket parts, the two issues that can occur are that they sometimes don't fit right/look the same and can cause problems later on, and they can hurt the resale value if someone notices.

Note that I have no plans to sell the car anytime soon, so I'm not that worried about resale value. My bigger concern is if I will have a problem with the rims. I don't think they will look any different and I can't see why there would be a "fit" problem (its not like a door or a fender) but I'm not sure about this part.

Should I:

a) Try and give the insurance company a really hard time about this (the policy says they will "restore the car to pre-loss condition with like parts of like kind and quality", so they will argue that the aftermarket rims accomplish this).
b) Pay the difference for new rims myself (about $400-500) or,
c) If I can't get the insurance to pay, just take the aftermarket rims.

Thanks

 

[dschwartzer]

Having worked for an insurance company for over 25 years, I can tell you this is becoming more and more common. The insurance company does not have to give you OEM parts. They do however, have to give you parts that are at least equal in quality to the OEM part before the damage.

If you really want an OEM wheel, you could ask look at finding used rims that are original BMW rims. Your rims were 3 years old so if you find used rims that are original they would be similar to you old ones. Otherwise you probably need to take the new Non-OEM rims.

One more thing... Most insurance companys will agree to guaratee the quality of their nbon-OEM parts for as long as you own your car. See if they will give you this as part of the repair.

Good luck.

 

[Gochoo1]

Thanks. Actually, I think I misspoke. They actually said that they would give me a reconditioned rim, but I'm pretty sure it still would be a BMW part.

Is it worth the extra money for the brand new rim or should I just take the reconditioned one ?

 

[dschwartzer]

Given that your car is 3 years old I think a reconditioned rim is a far offer. I have seen reconditioned rims that look as good a s new. And since it is reconditioned it has the original BMW quality so there is no reason it would detract from the resale value of your car.

 

[codex57]

Reconditioned should be ok.

If they really said aftermarket, you would have been in luck. I would have sent them the bill for some HRE's or something.