Prodrive USA / Cosworth LLC

[sirwilliam]

HEADS UP!

A fellow forum member over at SF.org had a terrible experience:

After damaging one of my Prodrive PFF7 wheels back in February and the original Prodrive group pulling out of the U.S. around the same time I was having no luck sourcing a new wheel. Luckily for me (I thought) in mid March Cosworth LLC announced that they would be carrying the Prodrive line. I immediately e-mailed them to check the availability of replacing the damaged PFF7.

Gilbert Gonzalez Jr. from Prodrive USA/Cosworth LLC replied back with a price and stated that he had the wheels in stock. I work at a dealership that is a Cosworth dealer so I figured I would have the shop order it since it would be mounted there and I would be there to check it out when it came in. Manny from our parts dept. called on March 20th and placed an order for 1 Prodrive PFF7 in Bright Flitter and paid in full with my personal CC.

Fast forward to today...March 27th:

The wheel arrived today and I immediately opened it to make sure it was the correct color, model, etc. and instead of finding a new wheel in the box, found a wheel that appears to be a former display wheel, the wheel has several chips in the finish showing bare aluminum, scratches on the face and what appears to be red paint in a small section of the lip...to top that off the metal inserts in the mounting holes are rusted. Definitely not the "new" wheel I was expecting or that I paid the new higher price for. The box it arrived in was in great condition and was not damaged so I assume the wheel was packed that way.

I called and explained the damages and condition of the wheel to Gilbert who told me he had inspected and packed the wheel himself and there was no damage. I asked if he would send a new wheel to replace the damaged one and he replied "No, that was the last wheel in the country in that style" and "there is nothing else I can do".

No offer to refund my money, no resolution to the problem.

When inquiring about the wheel it was implied to be "new", no mention of it being a display, or blemished, etc and it certainly was priced as new.

I am a huge Prodrive fan and have had their wheels on 3 different Subaru's now...but I would not recommend purchasing any Prodrive items from Cosworth LLC, Gilbert or Prodrive USA as what you get may not be quite what you were expecting, and they do not care about satisfaction after the sale.

He will be posting pictures shortly of the damage which I will post up here.

[complacent]

That's a real shame. Here's hoping it is an isolated incident.

[zaxrex]

With the shortage of wheels out there, isolation is an understatement.

[hotsam]

For every terrible experience, there are x good ones. People with good experiences don't usually post.

My major complaint with the new regime is the insane prices.

[complacent]

For every terrible experience, there are x good ones. People with good experiences don't usually post.

My major complaint with the new regime is the insane prices.

Funneh, that was my complaint about the old regime!

[hotsam]

For every terrible experience, there are x good ones. People with good experiences don't usually post.

My major complaint with the new regime is the insane prices.

Funneh, that was my complaint about the old regime!

Insaner prices.

[BryanH]

The prices on the P1 and P7 rims were fantastic for the quality of the rim. The axelback is also my favorite and at the old price a screaming bargain.

If I could find a set of P7 in good shape at the old price I would go after them in a heartbeat.

[zaxrex]

Yep, I took my chance and got the P7s in any color they made. Two sets aren't doing so well though...