What's going on at Fikse? - Page 5

DWalker · 07-25-2009, 03:20 AM

Im in that boat. I currently have BBS 17X10's and 12's on the 911 and am looking at either buying a new set of 17's or selling my current set and building two sets of 18's. My wallet flatlined at the mere mention of the per-wheel price, let alone the 8-wheel total. $500 per wheel half from Bob Woodman doesnt honestly seem like that bad a deal though in the grand scheme of things, and it is nice to know that if I NEED my wheels the BBS people and 99% of the people who carry them understand that when I NEED the damned wheel/center/barrel/hardware or whatever I effin need it now and will not jerk me around just because they can.

tsheehan · 07-26-2009, 09:27 AM

Jscott,
I hope that you did not have a 8.5 X 18 inner wheel half repaired. I have been waiting 6 weeks for mine. I have purchased full sets in the past , had wheels repaired a number of times and was good for an average of @1800 per year in revenue for Fikse. The largest issue I have is the lack of communication. E mails are free. Hey " I will call you back"

Regards
TSheehan

Chuck Price · 07-26-2009, 10:06 PM

Glad to hear everyone's experiences. I'm the satisfied owner of CCW, BBS E88 and some Champions. I love them all!

DaveConn · 07-30-2009, 12:46 AM

Well, take it for what it's worth, but I have recently had to take the route of filing paperwork with both the credit card company and the State Attorney General's office in Seattle, and I am beginning the process of working with an attorney in Seattle who specializes in Consumer Protection Act cases, all due to Fikse's inability to deal honestly with me on my SECOND set of Fikse wheels.

Please believe me when I say there is a great deal of history and detail to this ordeal (that, for now, will not be enumerated here), but as an example of the absurdity, I've been told six (6) times in the past ten (10) weeks, by Jim Fikse directly, that they would refund my money, and each time they have not followed through on either the refund, or the return phone call that was promised. For the record, this second set of wheels was delivered with one wheel defective, and as was verified somewhat later, two of the four wheels built incorrectly.

I must point out that initially my dealings with Will @ Fikse were very positive, and my impression was of a company that understood customer service. Since that time (March of this year), however, it has become painfully apparent, in my opinion, that they have no clue, or simply do not care, about customer relations when all is said and done.

BTW, if anyone out there has a legitimate gripe with Fikse, especially regarding monies and/or refunding of money, feel free to PM me and I will pass along the case information from the Attorney General's office.

Dave

mooty · 07-30-2009, 02:39 AM

^ it takes 5 min to reverse the charge back to your credit card. what's fikse's excuse? jim fikse could run the card while on the phone.....

imo, if u have a budget, buy CCW
if you dont have a budget, buy bbs motorsport.
nothing else matters.

333pg333 · 07-30-2009, 05:12 AM

"imo, if u have a budget, buy CCW
if you dont have a budget, buy bbs motorsport.
nothing else matters."

This echos my research thus far although I would say that Jongbloeds may also fall in there somewhere however the CCWs seem to have quite a few more choices designwise.

DaveConn · 07-30-2009, 09:53 AM

mooty -

You've hit the nail on the head. I've lost count of the number of times, over the last few months, that I've simply shook my head and said, "WTF?".

It seems funny, or maybe scary, but as this thing has drug along, I've wondered if the problem (or part of it) has to do with Fikse not having the cash flow to return $3,800.00. The irony here, obviously, is that if this amount had the potential to put them in financial straits, they're ALREADY sunk!

What a clusterf...

Dave

85Gold · 07-30-2009, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John H

Some of the 245's and 225's were made on a bad mold. I have returned three 245's to Hoosier this season. I was told that if they fall in the right date range, I'll get replacements. I turned in two at the VIR club race. I have yet to hear from Hoosier. I suspected valve stems or the seal between halves but the wheels checked out.

Yes, Bad 245/40 17's from Hoosier leaking around the bead. My SCCA T3 S2000 runs that size on the rear with 1 piece rims and they would leak down in 2 days. Hoosier replaced them through Appalachian Tire where I purchased them.

Peter

por29 · 07-30-2009, 05:18 PM

After dealing with Fikse for more than fourteen years, overall we have always been happy with the service and turn around time. I personally own six sets of 18" Fikse wheels for two of my personal race cars. They are still going strong after years of service. I do have two sets of BBS also without trouble.
My favorite wheels are my race provebn BBS monoblocks but, they are way out of my budget for replacements,.

911S3.6 · 07-30-2009, 06:54 PM

Daveconn_ are you the guy who found the pin hole in the forging of the wheels you had made from
Fikse?
My BMW shop was telling me about this cat who had bought these trick black Profil 5 wheels from Fikse.
When he tried to air one of them up after mounting, he found a pin hole to the side of the valve stem.
You could shine light through it!!

Hope you get your money back_ if not, there are always cocktails to be had.......incendiary type, of course.

ew928 · 07-30-2009, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 911S3.6

My BMW shop was telling me about this cat who had bought these trick black Profil 5 wheels from Fikse.
When he tried to air one of them up after mounting, he found a pin hole to the side of the valve stem.
You could shine light through it!!

Cross-drilled rims for less Sprung weight.

DaveConn · 07-30-2009, 07:54 PM

ROFLMAO!!!

My apologies to all; Ernest has shown me the error of my ways - my "modification exercise" over the past several years has been mostly focused on shedding weight (from the car, that is). I should have seen that Fikse was trying to help that along by taking MORE metal out of the rim...

911S3.6 - Yeah, that was me. Believe me, with the number of regular cocktails this whole ordeal has driven me to, I wouldn't trust myself with the incendiary kind!

Regards all,

Dave

mooty · 07-31-2009, 04:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 333pg333

"imo, if u have a budget, buy CCW
if you dont have a budget, buy bbs motorsport.
nothing else matters."

This echos my research thus far although I would say that Jongbloeds may also fall in there somewhere however the CCWs seem to have quite a few more choices designwise.

jongbloed is great, i know ryan personally.
however, i am an EXTREMELY impatient man. CCW ships faster. and quite frankly it still took five days. that's a bit too long for me. but no one beats CCW's speed. so i put up with their slowness ;-)

when i want something, i want it NOW. right NOW.

mooty · 07-31-2009, 04:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveConn

mooty -

You've hit the nail on the head. I've lost count of the number of times, over the last few months, that I've simply shook my head and said, "WTF?".

It seems funny, or maybe scary, but as this thing has drug along, I've wondered if the problem (or part of it) has to do with Fikse not having the cash flow to return $3,800.00. The irony here, obviously, is that if this amount had the potential to put them in financial straits, they're ALREADY sunk!

What a clusterf...

Dave

i was in banking. pit peeve of mine is that no vendor shall use me as their line of credit. they can charge me a small deposit up front. but do not charge me until product is shipped. i had a conversation with fikse about that a while back. they did return the upfront charge, but i was upset with that principle. i do have 3 sets of fikses, the product is good but the turn around speed is unbearable. oh... did i mention i am not very patient?

Rick · 07-31-2009, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 333pg333

What's the approx price on the Jongbloeds? Say 18" x 12"?
Also which Forgelines to go for. Do you deal direct with these manufacturers or buy them cheap from an outlet?

I have 4 sets of Forgelines...I couldn't be more pleased. I bought 3 of them directly from them (contact info on www.forgeline.com) and one of them used.

I've had 2 service needs since I bought them...both caused by race incidents and the service has been great.

I'd highly recommend them.

Best,

Rick

(PM if I can help...I know the owners well and can help with an intro & possibly some pricing help)

07-26-2009, 10:06 PM	#63
Chuck Price Addict Rennlist Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan Posts: 943	Glad to hear everyone's experiences. I'm the satisfied owner of CCW, BBS E88 and some Champions. I love them all! __________________ Chuck Price 2004 GT3 White '96 Polar Silver 993 '87 911 Red

07-30-2009, 02:39 AM	#65
mooty Addict Rennlist Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: san francisco Posts: 13,843	^ it takes 5 min to reverse the charge back to your credit card. what's fikse's excuse? jim fikse could run the card while on the phone..... imo, if u have a budget, buy CCW if you dont have a budget, buy bbs motorsport. nothing else matters. __________________ PCA National Certified Instructor HWFMR Team Director of "Unsanctioned" Track Events Rennlist Member #021125-3378

07-25-2009, 03:20 AM	#61
DWalker User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 296	Im in that boat. I currently have BBS 17X10's and 12's on the 911 and am looking at either buying a new set of 17's or selling my current set and building two sets of 18's. My wallet flatlined at the mere mention of the per-wheel price, let alone the 8-wheel total. $500 per wheel half from Bob Woodman doesnt honestly seem like that bad a deal though in the grand scheme of things, and it is nice to know that if I NEED my wheels the BBS people and 99% of the people who carry them understand that when I NEED the damned wheel/center/barrel/hardware or whatever I effin need it now and will not jerk me around just because they can.

07-26-2009, 09:27 AM	#62
tsheehan Addict Rennlist Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 64	Jscott, I hope that you did not have a 8.5 X 18 inner wheel half repaired. I have been waiting 6 weeks for mine. I have purchased full sets in the past , had wheels repaired a number of times and was good for an average of @1800 per year in revenue for Fikse. The largest issue I have is the lack of communication. E mails are free. Hey " I will call you back" Regards TSheehan

07-30-2009, 12:46 AM	#64
DaveConn Addict Rennlist Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 126	Well, take it for what it's worth, but I have recently had to take the route of filing paperwork with both the credit card company and the State Attorney General's office in Seattle, and I am beginning the process of working with an attorney in Seattle who specializes in Consumer Protection Act cases, all due to Fikse's inability to deal honestly with me on my SECOND set of Fikse wheels. Please believe me when I say there is a great deal of history and detail to this ordeal (that, for now, will not be enumerated here), but as an example of the absurdity, I've been told six (6) times in the past ten (10) weeks, by Jim Fikse directly, that they would refund my money, and each time they have not followed through on either the refund, or the return phone call that was promised. For the record, this second set of wheels was delivered with one wheel defective, and as was verified somewhat later, two of the four wheels built incorrectly. I must point out that initially my dealings with Will @ Fikse were very positive, and my impression was of a company that understood customer service. Since that time (March of this year), however, it has become painfully apparent, in my opinion, that they have no clue, or simply do not care, about customer relations when all is said and done. BTW, if anyone out there has a legitimate gripe with Fikse, especially regarding monies and/or refunding of money, feel free to PM me and I will pass along the case information from the Attorney General's office. Dave

07-30-2009, 05:12 AM	#66
333pg333 Addict Rennlist Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Australia Posts: 8,900	"imo, if u have a budget, buy CCW if you dont have a budget, buy bbs motorsport. nothing else matters." This echos my research thus far although I would say that Jongbloeds may also fall in there somewhere however the CCWs seem to have quite a few more choices designwise.

07-30-2009, 09:53 AM	#67
DaveConn Addict Rennlist Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 126	mooty - You've hit the nail on the head. I've lost count of the number of times, over the last few months, that I've simply shook my head and said, "WTF?". It seems funny, or maybe scary, but as this thing has drug along, I've wondered if the problem (or part of it) has to do with Fikse not having the cash flow to return $3,800.00. The irony here, obviously, is that if this amount had the potential to put them in financial straits, they're ALREADY sunk! What a clusterf... Dave

07-30-2009, 05:18 PM	#69
por29 Addict Rennlist Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Seaford NY Posts: 212	After dealing with Fikse for more than fourteen years, overall we have always been happy with the service and turn around time. I personally own six sets of 18" Fikse wheels for two of my personal race cars. They are still going strong after years of service. I do have two sets of BBS also without trouble. My favorite wheels are my race provebn BBS monoblocks but, they are way out of my budget for replacements,.

07-30-2009, 06:54 PM	#70
911S3.6 Addict Rennlist Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: in the Hinterland Posts: 359	Daveconn_ are you the guy who found the pin hole in the forging of the wheels you had made from Fikse? My BMW shop was telling me about this cat who had bought these trick black Profil 5 wheels from Fikse. When he tried to air one of them up after mounting, he found a pin hole to the side of the valve stem. You could shine light through it!! Hope you get your money back_ if not, there are always cocktails to be had.......incendiary type, of course.

07-30-2009, 07:54 PM	#72
DaveConn Addict Rennlist Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 126	ROFLMAO!!! My apologies to all; Ernest has shown me the error of my ways - my "modification exercise" over the past several years has been mostly focused on shedding weight (from the car, that is). I should have seen that Fikse was trying to help that along by taking MORE metal out of the rim... 911S3.6 - Yeah, that was me. Believe me, with the number of regular cocktails this whole ordeal has driven me to, I wouldn't trust myself with the incendiary kind! Regards all, Dave