shotzy

The issue has been resolved an AM stepped up to the plate and refunded all fees including what i paid to have the tires mounted and balanced.

Thanks for every ones help.


Except when they are not.

I was hesitant to make this post, because as a business owner myself I like to give a company every opportunity to make things right. We all make mistakes in business and it how we handle those mistakes the separates the good companies from the bad. The most disturbing thing at least to me is that no one from the company seems to want to deal with me at all on this issue. They were very quick to talk to me when they wanted my money however. So far though for all of the phone calls and emails I have done to try and resolve this issue. I have still yet to speak or hear from a manager on this.

That is why I felt my only recourse was to bring it to the boards attention.

I have the regular NON brembo brakes just so everyone knows.

This is a quick recap of the situation is this. For more details read the emails below.
I wanted the 18 in bullit deep dish rims.
I was told that they would not work. So I bought the 20 in because they said they would work.
I had them mounted and when I went to put them on the car they did not fit the fronts rubbed.
They did take back the wheels but have done nothing about my expenses for mounting and taking off the tires. Nor will they even talk to me about it. The one sales guy on the phone said it was my fault for not test fitting the rim before having the tires mounted.
Besides Not fitting it took a lot of weight to get these tires to balance which even the tire shop guys were surprised about on some tires up to 5lbs of weight.

These are the PM’s that I sent to AMChrisRose with no response from him or the company.
I sent you this message on TMS but you have not been on there in a while. So I figured I would try here as well.

Update so far. You guys have agreed to take back the wheels and paid to ship them back. Which is good but that still leaves me out $170 dollars for mounting and unmounting.

Now you guys project yourselves as the Mustang authority and I know that is true. But if that is your claim shouldn't you stand behind that knowledge? It should not cost me $170 for something that your company clearly states on your website that works. I am not looking to make a statement about your company but I will bring this up on the boards if necessary.

I respect the information you bring to the boards. Which is why I am contacting you first to try to resolve this. But I also understand that you do this mostly to sell your product and maintain you reputation as a Mustang authority.

Please let me know how you want to handle this.

Thanks again


This is the original email I sent you.

Hey chris. I have a little problem and I wanted to find out what you guys can do to solve it.

I purchased the Deep dish 20 inch bullits from you guys last week. I did not go with the 18 inch I wanted because one of your reps said that they would not fit with the 2011. So I followed that advice and ordered the 20's. Well these do not fit as well. They are rubbing the front brake and left a mark on the inside of the wheel from just hand turning the wheel to see if it fit. I am very disappointed because the only reason I went with the 20's which are much more expensive, not only the rims but tires as well, was to not run spacers on my car.

I was also a bit disappointed in the amount of weights that needed to be added in order to balance these tires. I took them to the shop that does all my tires for years now including a few sets of 20 in deep dish rims I have owned. And they do a lot of them as well. Some tires needed to have as much as 5 lbs of weights to balance. They all commented how this was unusual for a brand new tire.

I had to get the tires elsewhere because I need to run the Michelin pilot A/S as we get snow here.

So this is where I am stuck I have already spent $150 to get the tires Mounted and balanced. And now will need to get them unmounted. I am very disappointed because I really like these wheels but I do not want to run spacers on my car. As I have shown by spending at least an extra $600 on the 20 in rims and tires to avoid this.

So how can we correct this problem?

Well apparently I cant attach photos to a private message. If you send me an email address I will send you them. I have also send 1 picture to your customer support email address.
Please let me know.

The mark on the tire is from hand spinning the wheel while still on the jack.

28.

WOW!! that's alot of weights.... Hope this gets resolved and they come through for you. I've been considering getting the CDC chin spoiler from them but I might just wait to see how this gets resolved.. Good luck..

ShowGT

I would like to see this worked out as well, best of luck.

born2run74

Why would the 18s not fit? That's strange

jlmounce

Looking at the wheels in questions, you know 15 minutes with a file would have solved your problems.

The fact is, these wheels are manufactured to the lowest quality standards possible to still meet DOT safety regulations. Which is also why they are so cheap.

I won't speak about American Muscle's business practices, but while they may be distributing a product that has such wide tolerance swings that it may or may not fit a given application, you also missed the boat by not doing your own due diligence in this case.

shotzy

Sorry but I am not about to file down the brakes on my car.

unnoticedtrails

Agreed, you shouldn't have to do that! As AM's videos and such state, "We do the leg work and make sure the wheels don't rub and will fit, so you don't have to."
PS- That sucks about your experience with them. I just ordered some prepainted louvers from them with great success and have ordered a CAI and tuner and clear turn signals from them in 2008 with the same success. I hope you get it resolved!

jlmounce

I wouldn't expect you too, which is why you should have test fit them before going to the trouble of buying and mounting tires.

This all goes back to the fact that the replica wheels that everybody sells for $140.00 a piece are freakishly cheap, low quality pieces. It doesn't surprise me that a couple people have them not fit correctly.

This is completely my opinion, take it for what it's worth. Also know that I've never purchased anything from American Muscle and so I have no reason to side with or against them.

AM did the right thing in returning an obviously defective part that they said would fit. It also sounds like they paid to have these items shipped back. In my opinion, they've covered the extent of their liability because

1. You didn't perform due diligence on your end
2. You had a shop mount and balance the product regardless

I know I'm going to be in the minority here. It's so easy to not do things correctly and have companies cover our own asses because of it. Especially when it's incredibly easy for all of us now to hop on a widely visited forum and start a pissing contest against the company. It's really scapegoating the fact that you were too anxious to get your new wheels on your car that you didn't check to make sure everything was kosher first.

That, is not at all AM's fault and thus should not be liable for it.

Flagstang

Who buys mustang wheels from a company that sells mustang parts and the guy at the mustang company say they will fit and then test fits them when they show up? Why would they send wheels that wont fit? Why would they be shocked that you are unhappy?

lets think of it liek this... If I bought a alternator I would not test fit it before I took it to get it installed... would you expect me to test fit it and catch that it would not fit before going to the installer?

Double-EDad

To me this all hinges on the fact that AM stated that the wheels WOULD fit. Not "may" fit, or "might" fit. Therefore they are 100% culpable in my opinion. Period. Their claims are absolute, and therefore there should be no expectation on Shotzy's part to confirm something such an authority as AM has so boldly "proclaimed" as fact.

While they may have covered their minimum legal obligation, AM has lost Shotzy and me and probably a few others as customers due to this decision to save $150. This was a great opportunity for AM to create incredible customer loyalty and enhance long-term revenue (you don't want to know what Shotzy has spend on his car since buying it, but it's a LOT of $$). I hope their saving $150 was worth the $thousands in revenue they will now forego. Idiots.

Shotz I hope you took a screen shot or two of their claims for evidence in case they decide to make them disapear. I am on your side on this.

Flagstang

remember the CJpony parts thread? rememebr how everyone jumped in and defended CJ?

Double-EDad

No. Can you throw us clueless folks (like me) a recap or link?

jlmounce

This is precisely why AM did the right thing in excepting the return of the items and processing a full refund. They said it would fit and they didn't, so they returned it.

But again, AM doesn't manufacture these wheels. They don't have anything to do with their design, how they're made or the quality control. They are simply a distributor.

If you've ever purchased wheels directly from a company that actually makes them, they are going to first make you measure your car. Why? Because EVERY car is different. Some cars may need a bit more offset on one side than the other, where you might get an 11" wheel on one car, the same car sitting next to it may not be able to fit them.

It's called manufacturing tolerance.

My 1969 Firebird is a good example of this. every fitment guide you see online or through retailers is going to show that the Firebird has the same wheel fitment as a 1969 Camaro. They are for intensive purposes the same car with different skin. However there's one very small and minute difference that's not in any fitment catalog. That's the fact that the rear-end in the Firebird is 1" wider than that of a the Camaro. "Wide Track" really did mean something back then. But that half an inch per side was enough to throw the wheels I purchased for the car off enough to cause severe tire rub. It wasn't the suppliers fault, they didn't know that and really if it's not in their manuals they shouldn't be expected to. I however should have actually measured before spending the money.

In regards to your alternator reference, you would find out while attempting to install. The company would likely take it back and supply a refund (as AM did). The issue here lies in the mounting fees.

Again, had a simple test fit been done, this issue would have been caught long before that money had been spent. The purchaser could have returned or exchanged the product at that point without being in this position he's in now.

YSUsteven

Would a spacer have solved the rubbing issue???

jlmounce

Yes, but even then the amount of clearance that wasn't there could have been rectified for free by filing the caliper slightly.

My guess is that the calipers being used on the 2011 cars are slightly wider which hasn't been accounted for in manufacturing tolerances of these wheels.

When it comes to wheel/caliper clearance, if it clears, it clears. Heck there's probably only a 16th of an inch clearance between the stock wheels and calipers on my Brembo package car.

shotzy

This is the top of the wheel page.

2010+ Ford Mustang Wheels

Does your new 2010+ Ford Mustang still have the ugly stock rims? Then upgrade them today! We have compiled a catalog of Mustang wheels that will perfectly fit your newly redesigned 2010+ V6, GT, or Shelby GT500 Mustang, from Bullitt to FR500 styles! Whether you are traveling at high speeds or just cruising down main street, have your Mustang looking its best.


Find me one spot in the whole website that states one should test fit wheels prior to installation.


I haven't found one yet.

Miserable

Sucks they didn't fit and you're out that money but I don't see why AM should be on the hook for your mounting fees.

They seem to have done the right thing by paying for return shipping and refunding your money. It sucks but you should have test fit the rims before mounting the tires. I ordered Ford Racing wheels and made sure to test fit them before getting the tires mounted since you never know and it only takes 10 minutes to jack up the car and swap the front and back wheels real quick.

I order a lot of stuff online and AM has always been a great place to deal with.

28.

This doesn't matter. If a company is selling goods and is receiving payment for them, it is/should be their responsability wether they are the manufacturer or not. That's why when our cars have problems and are recalled, the agency takes the blame, whether it was a faulty part manufactured by someone else or not. It just doesn't work that way..

Flagstang

All cars might be different... But a mustang is a mustang is a mustang and I have owned more mustangs them most at the age of 27. If hes trying to put these wheels on another mustang of the same year(or gen) and trim level he would have the same result.

Is hs saying they owe him the money? I dont think thats what hes saying.. I think hes saying they SHOULD pay.

But you are on the line for what you sell. I work for a medical company and guess what I do? I work in a cleanroom on the manufacturing of the product and work with engineers on R&D. All "manufacturing tolerance" means is that its in the scope of fitting whats it made to be used on. These rims are not in that scope. I would bet they are not even for the right year.

Thinks about it this way.. If you went to jiffy lube and they forgot to put your oil back in and you get down the block and you motor goes. Who do you think should pay the bill? "hey you should check the oil in parking lot before you leave" is the wrong reply.

When you claim something in the real world of business you are held to it and sometimes thats the cost of doing business and the risk of putting up a guarantee.

Flagstang

its like going to a burger place and getting food poisoned. You sue the burger place not the meat distributor. Its the burger places job to sue the meat distributor. Its a chian of linked events.