GTI Mk7.5 Wheel Dilemma!

[swright9]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this board but not new to GTI ownership. Just bought my latest used GTI and having a dilemma re. the wheels! It's a White Silver Mk7.5 with Art Velours interior, Panoramic Roof and Seville wheels. Due to be delivered next week and the only thing I'm dubious about is the Seville wheels. Unsure whether to change to Parkers, Santiagos or Brescias or just have the Sevilles powder coated in a Gloss Black?

Has anybody done anything similar or have any Mk7.5 Wheels for sale?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Guzzle]

I have diamond cut Seville's on my GTD. I think they're a great looking wheel in diamond cut form, but they take some looking after to keep them that way. They're not the easiest wheel to clean either. The GTi version of the Seville isn't quite as nice looking to my eyes, but the painted finish should be more durable than the diamond cut finish on mine.

Changing to any of the wheels you mention will mean a having diamond cut finish (unless you refinish them). The Brescia's and Santiago's are both 19 inch so will be easier to kerb, you'll have a slightly harder ride and tyres will be more expensive. Some with Santiago's have experienced buckling. They do look great though. 

At the end of the day this will mostly boil down to personal preference. If it were me, i'd stick with the Seville's.

[SRGTD]

If I was buying a car with painted / powder coated alloys, I definitely not change these for a set of diamond cut alloys.

IMO, diamond cut alloys have great ‘bling’ appeal in the showroom, but the thin lacquer coating on diamond cut alloys isn’t particularly durable. Any slight damage to the lacquer (e.g. a stone chip) allows for water ingress, creating the ideal conditions for the onset of white worm corrosion that creeps over the polished surface of the wheel under the lacquer, which can only be removed by refurbishing the wheel. Many diamond cut wheels succumb to white worm corrosion when they’re between two and three years old - even if they’re meticulously well cared for - especially if they’re kept on the car during the winter months. In fact many alloy wheel retailers state on their websites that diamond cut alloy wheels (also known machined or polished) aren’t suitable for winter use.

In addition to poor durability and white worm corrosion, other disadvantages of diamond cut alloys over painted / powder coated alloys;

• more expensive to refurbish, and can usually only be refurbished a maximum of two times, as the refurb process involves cutting a layer of metal away from the face of the wheel. More than two refurbs and the structural integrity of the wheel can be compromised.
• white worm corrosion usually comes back again within a couple of years of a wheel being refurbished.
• easily damaged by inexperienced tyre fitters and poorly maintained tyre changing equipment. There’s quite a few forum members who have suffered damaged diamond cut alloys - either as a result of new tyres being fitted or the VW dealer damaging them while the car was in the dealers for servicing, repairs or warranty work (most recently, forum member kmpowell).

The dark powder coated Seville alloys with the red rim do seem to provoke quite a lot of differing opinions; I personally like them although there are others on the forum who don’t, but it’s good we don’t all like the same things, otherwise life would be boring. I would choose them over a set of diamond cut alloys, and I recently saw a White Silver Golf GTI in a supermarket car park with the dark grey Seville alloys and thought they looked really good.

If I was going to get them refurbished to remove the red rim, I’d get them done in a slightly lighter anthracite grey powder coated finish. I’m not a fan of gloss black alloys, as unless they’ve just been washed, they tend to look a dull brownish-grey from brake dust and road dirt. An anthracite painted / powder coated finish hides the dirt well and looks good with most car paint colours. That’s just my opinion though.

[Watts]

I'd give it a few months and see if they grow on you. If you still don't like them how about a set of aftermarket wheels and keep the Sevilles so when you come to sell you have the car original and with immaculate wheels? You'll also be able to sell the second set to offset their original cost.

[Exonian]

I'd give it a few months and see if they grow on you. If you still don't like them how about a set of aftermarket wheels and keep the Sevilles so when you come to sell you have the car original and with immaculate wheels? You'll also be able to sell the second set to offset their original cost.

I agree totally with Watts.

In fact being as the Sevilles are powder coated I think I’d be tempted to buy a set of winter tyres for them and use them for four months of the year or so.

Welcome btw.
What were your previous GTI’s swright9?
You must’ve liked them if you’ve come back for more!

[Jim_mk7.5]

Not a fan of the Sevilles for the GTI (like them in GTD form though) so would personally be changing them before I drove it. 18" Sebrings look nice if you can find a set, not a GTI wheel but reckon they would look great as would show off the brakes really well.