“Genuine” wheel bought on ebay

[mjk1]

Can anyone shed any light on the origins of this new 19” V8V wheel I’ve just bought on eBay. It was advertised as genuine but when comparing it to a wheel I already have which I know is genuine there are a few differences as follows:-
1. The rim has a different profile
2. The ND of ENGLAND cast into the back of one of the spokes has been ground off
3. It is a slightly darker grey
4. The paint on the back of the spokes is very thick partially obscuring the cast letters
5. It is 0.5 kg heavier (11.3 vs 10.8 kg)
Anyone have any ideas?

Edited by mjk1 on Wednesday 10th June 08:05

[oilit]

Not sure if this helps or not, but I have a set of genuine AM wheels in boxes and just took a picture - (not off a Vantage) but to try and see if there was any way the profile etc might help you see what AM suppliers were shipping 1-2 years ago

Mine looks more like the one on the right in your picture (profile wise), but these differences may well be due to them changing suppliers over the years ?

Edited by oilit on Wednesday 10th June 08:32

[john ryan]

The most striking feature is that the well base is completely different. Doesn't look right to me.

[oilit]

I wonder if that is because the original was designed for belt strap on TPMS sensors , and the latter type have the sensor in the valve itself or something like that ?

https://www.tpmsdirect.com/Are_My_Aftermarket_Whee...

Edited by oilit on Wednesday 10th June 08:39

[mjk1]

Thanks for the replies, I should have said the wheel I’ve just bought is on the right of the photos so matches your later wheel Oilit. The wheel I already had on the left, matches the original wheels on my 06 V8V. Seems very odd that they would change the design, I don’t think they’ve fitted this style to the new cars for many years now.

Oilit, is the ENGLAND lettering fully intact on the back of the hub on your wheels?

[oilit]

Hi, There is no stamping of England on the wheel I have at all ! (if you look really carefully though on the bead rim there are some laser etched markings on the inside rim - can try to take a picture if you want ?)

If it is indeed due to TPMS changes, then it might make sense for AM to standardise the wheels for the new TPMS sensors - especially since I think I have seen on a thread that the old original TPMS provider is no longer making sensors - so there may be some logic in the eyes of AM to standardise ??? (Maybe worth speaking to your friendly AM dealer with those two part codes that are on the wheels. What type of TPMS do you have - if it's the belt strap type - how would you fit that to your new wheel given there is no recess ?

In doing that design change, they may have had to make other parts of the wheel 'thicker' to maintain strength whilst retaining the original visible design to the casual observer.

Note this is all speculation on my part about TPMS - happy to be shot down if I am barking up the wrong tree.

Edited by oilit on Wednesday 10th June 09:00

[mjk1]

I think the TPMS straps are only required to instal a TPMS sensor on an aftermarket wheel that wasn’t designed for one. The original Vantage wheel doesn’t have a strap as it was designed to have the sensor.

[oilit]

mjk1 said:

I think the TPMS straps are only required to instal a TPMS sensor on an aftermarket wheel that wasn’t designed for one. The original Vantage wheel doesn’t have a strap as it was designed to have the sensor.

ah you may well be right :-0

[Jon39]

Does a makers name appear on the reverse face of the wheel?

If it happens to be Rimstock, try contacting them about your question. They are usually very helpful.

[mjk1]

I’ve phoned AM Nottingham and the original wheel (6G33-1007-FB) has been superseded (6G33-1007-CA) but he didn’t know what the changes were. This still doesn’t help me much as the wheel I’ve just bought doesn’t have the two letters at the end.




Both wheels have the letters RIM cast into the back of the hub so I guess that indicates Rimstock (new wheel is lower photo).




There is also a logo on both but very thick paint partially obscures it on the one I just bought (lower photo).





Here’s a photo of the inner part of the wheel showing the different profile (new on right).



Maybe the new wheel is a second of the later CA version as some of the lettering is erased or not present. I’ve been told it did come from a factory employee.

Anyway it’s going back as the colour doesn’t match the rest of my car, the seller has been very helpful so absolutely no problem there.

[cayman-black]

For sure the rims on the inside are totally different.

[S1-NOS]

The thicker paint is usually a sign the wheel has been refurbed / repainted. Was it sold as a new wheel ?

[mjk1]

Yes it was sold as new and to be fair I think it was new. There were absolutely no marks where the wheel nuts sit, it was still as manufactured so the wheel had never been on a car. I just don’t know why various lettering was missing which got me thinking it may have been a second for some reason.

[TarquinMX5]

In the first photo showing the part number post at 103hrs) the number starts 6G, whereas in the second picture (wheel you've bought) looks like BG to me, not 6G.

It seems odd that the final letters are missing from the ENGLAND casting. Was it from a trustworthy source?

[Jibberingloon]

Call "Rimstock" as they supplied the original OE wheels for Aston

They cant sell you them, but could give you some informaiton

[R129 300SL]

S1-NOS said:

The thicker paint is usually a sign the wheel has been refurbed / repainted. Was it sold as a new wheel ?

Was about to say the same..

[LTP]

I could be wrong here, but AML use the Ford part numbering system, which starts with a group of numbers and letters, starting with a number (these define original model and model year), then a number, sometimes with a letter in the middle, that is the base part number (so 1007 is the base number for a road wheel casting, not necessarily for the finished wheel) then letters that define the variant (the first letter) then the release level (the second letter). The variant and release level are usually either stamped in or on removable inserts in the tool so they can be easily changed if the part is modified during production. There would also usually be a date stamp or marking to show the year and month of the casting manufacturer.

So, looking at the pictures I'd say that the wheel with the 6G33-1007-FB is a genuine AML wheel and the one with the BG-1007 number is not genuine. Aston would not offer a replacement wheel that was not compatible with earlier variants of the same wheel and, as already noted, the rim shape and profile is completely different between the two.

My opinion? I wouldn't fit the ebay "genuine" part and I'd try to get my money refunded. Rimstock may be able to help identify if it's not one of their castings, which should help your case - and I'm sure they'd be interested if there's forgeries of their wheels in circulation. If I'm wrong I'll apologise.

Edited to add
Also, if the wheel's not genuine then you have no idea what material it's made from or how (or even if) it's been heat-treated. On a car capable of nearly 200 mph. Plus it's a different weight, which is hardly going to help handling or balance.

Edited by LTP on Thursday 11th June 17:52

[TR-Spider]

My 07 V8V had the (most likely original) 7-spoke rims with the step and no TPMS.
Later I bought some secondhand7-spoke rims and they have the flat crosscut and TPMS.
You can run both without issue - if you are ok with the (hardly visible) inside difference.

Edited by TR-Spider on Thursday 11th June 19:39

[mjk1]

Thanks LTP for that very detailed and reasoned response. The wheel has now gone back as the seller has offered a full refund via EBay. I was wrong above, the new part number is BG33-1007-CA. The fact the wheel I bought doesn’t have the CA is very suspicious. I’ll call Rimstock to see if they can offer an explanation. The seller was adamant it was genuine though. He says he got it from a client of his that was an employee at Gaydon.

Edited by mjk1 on Thursday 11th June 21:04

[mjk1]

Tried calling Rimstock but no answer so I’ve emailed them including a link to this thread.

I’m now beginning to think someone has “obtained” a casting from Rimstock and had it finished themselves. The part number BG33-1007 is cast and the final 2 letters are stamped once the finish for the wheel is decided (silver, anthracite, black). This would then explain why the letters were missing, why the finish doesn’t look OEM but refurbished and why the casting looks too good to be counterfeit.

Anyway let’s see if Rimstock come back to me.