Torque and Chrome

Should a Mercedes dealer. give you cash/credit if u change your chrome wheels for aluminum and they keep them?

My mom didnt like her chrome wheels on her 2001Mercedes S-500 and she took it in to downgrade. After she left she realized that she wanted to keep them but they didnt have them anymore. They didnt offer her any money and that just doesnt seem right to me. Is this normal? Should she have recieved some sort of credit for them?

Public Comments

1. depends on what each was worth, and if they charged you for changing the tires from one rim to the other, that could be up to $50 a wheel from Mercedes should have asked b4 you had it done
2. I personally think they should have gave her cash or some kind of credit. But if the chrome wheels came stock, or optional, and she decided to go with aluminum, I guess they have the right to do what they want with the chrome.
3. You think the car should come with two sets of wheels? She should have worked out the cost before she asked them to change the wheels out. They did have some labor involved here. Did they put the old tires onto the aluminum wheels? Also, consider that while chrome wheels are expensive when new, used ones are worth a fraction of the price of new. Frankly, I don't think you've got a beef here. Rick I'm a retired ASE Master/L-1 Technician. I still keep current with the latest automotive technology. Visit my blog for cool articles and TSB's: http://free-auto-repair-advice.blogspot.com
4. Absolutely. However, if you don't ask, you don't get. Most dealers will give you a credit, albeit about 10-20% market value. However, if you don't say anything or don't ask for the original wheels back, most dealers don't have the integrity to do the right thing. They will just keep the wheels, and most likely the service tech or manager will sell them himself and pocket the money. High end dealers do this often, since so many weathy customers just don't care to bother with stuff like that. It is worth trying to go in and ask for them. At this point I would first ask for them back. They are your property. If they can't provide them, then ask for a credit, accusing them of theft. You may be able to get something out if this yet, but you are very disadvantaged by not doing this up front. The dealer now has a defense of "we threw them away per company policy if the customer doesn't ask for them at the time of sale." Still, it is worth a shot. If those are high end chrome rims they may be worth quite a bit of money, even if used. You can go on Ebay or to a Mercedes forum to see proof of this. It depends on the wheel. High end Brabus or Lorinser wheels, or MB factory chrome wheels can still be valuable in good condition.
5. She was not smart enough to keep what was her's???
6. i personally would talk to manager, and if they dont credit you something, I would consider small claims court. Those wheels could be worth $1000 on ebay. Dealers love people like your mother because they make a fortune off people who dont know any different. sorry!
7. I would think so unless that was already figured in. They are required to give you parts removed or replaced if you ask for them
8. This is how it goes. Take old chrome wheels value, minus depreciation,minus dealer charges to do a job, plus value of the new rims. Anything below zero you should have got a compensation for, but do not count on dealer to tell you the truth. Guy who did the job probably got your wheels on his car by now for free! What a deal!