Hunter Wheel Equipment - SF Bay Area

["Lew Becker" <subecker@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Mark wrote:

>>I just discovered that Wheel Works in Los Gatos has a Hunter TC350
wheel machine.

>>Wheel Works
>>15553 Los Gatos Blvd
>>(408) 356-6181

>>Really reasonable guys, too.  I got a set of 17" Dunlop SP9000's for
>>$15 over Tire Rack's price, plus $12/tire mounting/balancing.  Of
>>course, I had to eat the tax.  Sigh ...

>>They did a beautiful job of mounting the tires of my new 540i Sport rims.

>>Give 'em a try.

May not be a bad idea -- Dinan charges ~$40/wheel to mount and balance tires
on E36 M3 rims; so, except for tax, Mark still saved more than $50 over
purchasing from Tire Rack (and having Dinan mount/balance).  But, I'd still
want to know Wheel Works' policy regarding replacement of damaged wheels.

Dinan scratched my wheels the first time they mounted tires on my M3
(attributed to equipment failure), replaced them with no questions or
hassle, and re-mounted the tires on the replacements flawlessly.   When I
recently needed to have tires mounted again, I learned Dinan now requires a
"damage waiver" (they will only replace if they determine damage sufficient
to warrant the same -- minor nicks and scratches are deemed acceptable).
Although I received a number of recommendations from Digesters re: local
alternatives, I went back to Dinan (with some trepidation); and, once again,
they did a flawless job.

My understanding is that damage is most likely to result from dismounting
the old tires, not mounting the new ones.  In passing, I'll note that all 4
tires that were mounted flawlessly were mounted on new wheels, from which no
old tires were dismounted; and, the 2 wheels that were scratched had old
tires dismounted.  When Duane's new Fikses were scratched up (no dismount --
whatever happened with small claims court, Duane?), several Digesters posted
that a reputable shop would replace damaged wheels with no argument.

Lew Becker

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