[greaseman85]

Some time ago before I replaced my tires I hit a major pothole that apparently bent the wheel and caused a slow air leak. Initially I thought it was the tire since it actually got damaged too, which gave me another reason to replace the stock tires. Anyway, that tire still slowly leaks after putting the new tires on and to be fair the installer told me the wheel is bent and I should have it checked out.

I found a used OEM wheel on eBay for $200, half the price of a new one from Mazda. The guy selling it guarantees it has no cracks and bents, just some scratches which I'm OK with. And it hasn't been repaired or remanufactured or anything like that. I could've gotten my wheel repaired but I think that would end up costing more, and I don't know if I feel comfortable with a repaired wheel.

Anyway, the lesson I learned from this is I should've purchased the tire/wheel warranty when the dealer offered it back when I bought the car lol

 

[Vipre77]

Precisely the reason I went for the Touring model with the 16" wheels instead of the GT with 18" wheels. Roads here in Milwaukee are like a war zone and the bigger wheels on two of my previous Mazdas didn't hold up to it. Bent an 18" wheel on my old '05 Mazda 6S and a 17" wheel on my old '07 Mazda 3S GT. The Mazda factory wheels are overpriced, IMHO, and you rarely can get deals on them beyond 10% off. And, around here, I've learned that these wheels aren't easy to come buy in good shape and sold individually. Guys selling factory take-offs because they got aftermarket wheels only want to sell you all four. Junk yard wheels are a gamble that they're actually straight or in good shape and any usable factory wheel at all can be hard to get here locally because other people with Mazdas have the same problems. Factory Mazda wheels are a hot item around here apparently.

And it's not just the wheel you have to worry about either. Any hit big enough to bend the rim, probably damaged the tire, too. The CX-3 doesn't have to worry about this, but if your car has TPMS sensors inside the wheel, that's another possible expense. The Mazda 3 I had came with those and they were a nuisance. So one wheel + 2 tires (or 4 if AWD) if you need to get a matched set + TPMS sensor + mounting and balancing = big money.

Unless something changes around here in Milwaukee, I can't see buying another car with low(ish) profile tires on aluminum alloy wheels. They look great, but just aren't worth it because they won't take the abuse around these parts.

 

[st3v3cx-3]

One thing that has really surprised me is the price of the 18" diamond cut alloy wheel in the UK. According to the accessories website they are £145 (roughly $180) each. Managed to scratch the edge of the rim on one of mine against a kerb recently which hopefully I can get repainted cheaply. If it had been worse then a new one is a feasible proposition.

 

[mainemanx]

Oh No! The Greaseman stubbed his toe

But it sounds as though you came up with the optimal solution.

 

[JPA]

One thing that has really surprised me is the price of the 18" diamond cut alloy wheel in the UK. According to the accessories website they are £145 (roughly $180) each. Managed to scratch the edge of the rim on one of mine against a kerb recently which hopefully I can get repainted cheaply. If it had been worse then a new one is a feasible proposition.

In Finland they are 1359,00 € / set!
(339,75 € / pcs)

 

[greaseman85]

They're $399 each here. Ridiculous.

 

[nik007]

For 500$ i will sell you mine. All 4 ! ��

 

[Vipre77]

They're $399 each here. Ridiculous.

Seriously? Then your dealer is jacking up prices far above list prices and you should find another dealer, if possible. List price was $300 last time I looked for all offered wheels/sizes on CX-3 except for the spare and 16" steelies for the '16 Sport models. Looks like prices have adjusted a bit, but still in the $300-330 range.

Mazda USA | Shopping Tools

 

[greaseman85]

Huh apparently it has gone down to $299, it was definitely $399 on Mazda's old website back when I bought my car.