Alberta Wheel

[sexualbanana]

I'm probably gonna take my rims in when i get a chance.

can anyone tell me where it is?
also, what's the process i have to do? do i have to take the wheels off and then just hand it to them so i can still have a car? or do i just give them the car for however long it'll take?

[Superesc]

just give them the wheels, you can keep the car.

[Maxt]

I just got my wheels back from Alberta wheel repair and I have a few things to say..
1) They are super nice people, and a family operation, personally I think they are good people...
2)But business is business, no matter how nice the people are..
3) It took them far to long to finish my wheels, everytime they promised them to me , they were never done, at one point they couldn't even find them in the shop..
4) to give you an idea of how long it took to get my wheels done, the work order numbering system wrapped around in the hundreds..
5) Their work is pretty good if they concentrate on it, and thats why they are so busy, however its better to turn away work, then deal with angry customers, the work will come back, the angry customers won't..
6) They rushed my wheels, to get them out of their shop, even though they had them damn near for 3 months, and they didn't complete the work as was first promised, they look great on the outside, but they did not clean up the insides as promised, they also failed to weld fill the pitting like they said they would..
7) My wheels look good from a far, but really far from good...I will go elsewhere, even out of Alberta if I have to next time around... They are simply to small of shop for the volume they are trying to push out of there, that tends to backfire after awhile...Maxt

[sexualbanana]

so it takeas them months to do work?

[Weapon_R]

No it doesn't. Two weeks maximum, depending on damage.

[Speed_Dreams]

They are the best wheel shop in town , being a parts driver the Dealership sends all its wheels to them and they can fix some pretty F*cked up wheels that have been cracked and stuff. If you just want your wheels resurfaced it shoudln't take 2 long because they don't have to wait for parts. and the price is pretty good when you consider what your getting. Great shop , Nice people and Kick ass work

[rage2]

It's going to take forever at Alberta wheel, even for a refinish. And they're rushing their jobs lately, so quality has gone downhill. I had 2 sets of wheels refinished, and BOTH had serious problems. One set had runs, another set the paint flaked off!

The only competition in town to Alberta Wheel has gone under, so umm, they're the only ones left. Oh, and they jacked up the price... it's more than DOUBLE of what prices are now for their slow and crappy service.

[Fluidic]

I took my wheel there, three weeks later, and $150 bucks shorter... my paint on my wheel is chipping off like skin with a bad sunburn.

I do NOT recommend Alberta Wheel Repair. Have your wheels repaired at a metal welding shop of some sort and have them powder coated. Period.

Peter

[Maxt]

Originally posted by Weapon_R
No it doesn't. Two weeks maximum, depending on damage.
What do you want a sworn afadavit.?.. It took 3 months to get my wheels back, and to be truthful they werent really that bad when they went in...There are at least 4 people on this forum that know me, my wheels and when they went in...
When I did pick up my wheels last thursday, there was a guy there for a BMW wheel who was throwing a shitfit, they had his wheel since last november, you do the math...Maxt

[rsxrsx]

Well, I went there soon after that big so fall we had in May when I curbed my rim. The damage on my rim wasen't that bad at all, no bends just a couple of scraps. Anyway, they did a good job as far as smoothing out the sratches goes. As for the paint, well to say it nicely they did a shit ass job. They didn't even match the paint before they removed it, *idiots*. So anyway, they offered to re-paint it again for me free of charge. So I brang in a sample so they could match the color properly this time, again they fucked up. Not to mention, theyl srached and scuffed my center caps in the process of re-painted my rim. Also, they cost a ton of money for poor quailty work, but I guess there really isn't any other places to go in Calgary. So yeah, go with caution is my advice to you.

BTW, what's the deal with that old guy named "Santa", he claims to be some sort of god of wheel repairing. But he doesn't even know how to match the paint properly.

Yes, I had a bad experience there. I'm not saying that you will, but good luck anyway and I hope things work out better for you than they did for me.

[sexualbanana]

then can anyone else recommend a place for me than?

[rx7_turbo2]

Wow I thought they did good work, sounds like their pretty shitty. For the amount of time they had Max's rims he should of had the work done for free. Not too mention they told him to come pick them up on numerous occassions then said they couldnt find them once he arrived. Bullshit if you ask me, stay away from this shop.

[rage2]

They USED to do good work. It's been downhill ever since they became the local monopoly.

[colinderksen]

I also dont recomend them. I had 2 wheels done and it took them 2 weeks when originally they said 3-4 days. They charged me a good price of $50/rim for polishing and $30/rim for fixing rash. Then a few months later I go back to get the other 2 done. They were trying to charge me $175 for the job which should have costed me $100. Also they cleared the first 2 but didnt clear the last 2. So I have to polish the passenger side every 10 minutes. Now the cleared set are peeling like said before "A bad sunburn".

[buh_buh]

I have a friend who got wheels done by them. It was originally a 3-4 day job and it took a month and a half. And it also cost $150 per wheel. I would not recommend them.

[Weapon_R]

Originally posted by Maxt

What do you want a sworn afadavit.?.. It took 3 months to get my wheels back, and to be truthful they werent really that bad when they went in...There are at least 4 people on this forum that know me, my wheels and when they went in...
When I did pick up my wheels last thursday, there was a guy there for a BMW wheel who was throwing a shitfit, they had his wheel since last november, you do the math...Maxt

Well there is always someone who is going to complain about their work. Personally, i've done three wheels with them on three separate occaisons, two were seriously damaged, one was just a curbed wheel, and it never took more than a couple of weeks for them to finish the repairs.

[MistaBrent]

When I got my rim fixed there they did a pretty good job. They did it pretty fast but for the little amount of damage the price was way too high.

[rage2]

Like I said, the change in price and quality is only recent. I've had wheels fixed by them before (the exact same wheels, OZ's on the 944) and they did a terrific job about 3 years ago. The latest fix, the paint has already flaked off hardcore. I'll post a pic up tomorrow.

[boi-alien]

what other options do we have? edmonton??

[VWhooligan]

i went there to get a dent pulled out on the wheel in october of last year. they said 3-4 days, took 6 with me there the last 3 days bitching for it to get done.

but i was happy with the work.

[James]

Lol, i was GONNA say "what everyone needs to do is stop hitting curbs etc. , then you wont need to be gettin your wheels fixed :D "........THEN i remembered i tapped a curb at about 10km/h in a parking lot 2.5 years ago :rofl:.....next time i wont even open my mouth with a smart ass comment!:tongue:

[kenny]

There is a real simple solution to this. Get your wheels fixed at Alberta Wheel. After it is fixed, take it to a good paint shop like Maranellos (pretty close to Alberta Wheel) and get them to paint the wheel for you.

[sexualbanana]

Originally posted by kenny
There is a real simple solution to this. Get your wheels fixed at Alberta Wheel. After it is fixed, take it to a good paint shop like Maranellos (pretty close to Alberta Wheel) and get them to paint the wheel for you.
wouldn't that cost a ton of money?

[choweyt3t4]

i just recently dropped one of my wheels off and hope it gets done soon, but come on seems everyone nowadays expects instant gratification. if you want quality then expect to wait, if you want shit work then expect to get things fast. and if i was to get my rims painted i sure as hell wouldnt take it there, a bodyshop would be better cause most places have a color match camera of some sort that can match paint and spits out a paint code - im not too sure what they call it but i've seen used on shadowz car when he had to match his front bumper. but i agree that i would probably lose it after about month.

[sexualbanana]

Originally posted by James
Lol, i was GONNA say "what everyone needs to do is stop hitting curbs etc. , then you wont need to be gettin your wheels fixed :D "........THEN i remembered i tapped a curb at about 10km/h in a parking lot 2.5 years ago :rofl:.....next time i wont even open my mouth with a smart ass comment!:tongue:

yeah and don't forget about the bell housing :rofl: jk

[Maxt]

Might be a good time to open a wheel repair shop, one with customer service....Maxt

[James]

Originally posted by sexualbanana


yeah and don't forget about the bell housing :rofl: jk


hey!...just cause i drove over a median!, my wheels were all fine! :rofl:

[CeeLo]

They do an excellent job of fixing damage, but a very half ass
job when it comes to the finish of wheel.

Take you wheels somewhere else if you want them painted, polished or clear coated.

It seems they have the only wheel lathe in the city, so be cautious
if you find an alternative shop, they may just outsource it
to AWR.

[Roadrage]

Had 2 wheels done with them last year (went over a curb like everyone else on a snowy day). The owner/manager told me that it was a very simple job and that I'd get it back in 3-4 days and by Friday (dropped the wheels off on Monday morning) at the very latest. Guess what...4 weeks later, I get it back. Very simple huh? They did do a good job but for the time I waited and the $$ I paid...:thumbsdow

Driving 4 weeks on those damn spares...:banghead:

[Khyron]

Crap I was about to call them up to fix some dents (surprise construction at night in High River) but now I'm reconsidering...

Khyron

[choweyt3t4]

heres and update with the wheel i sent to alberta wheel. i dropped it off on last weds and the guy told me it should be done by friday afternoon if i was lucky. of course when someone tells you say monday reality is really saying add 3 to 4 days. well i called them friday afternoon and they told me they would call me back. to my surprise they actually did and told me should be done by early next week. well i got a phone call today(weds) afternoon and they told me my wheel was done and to come and pick it up. went there to pick it up and i have to say i was impressed. the wheel looked brand new, now my wheels are 1987 SSR formula mesh. the lip looked like it was chrome and a mirror like finish to it. now when i dropped the wheel off the lip of the wheel was basically folded about 2 1/2 inches in depth for about the length of 4 to 5 inches, my wheel was basically fucked. but i have to say for the first time going there i was impressed and will defineately be going back or recommending them to others. but who knows maybe i got lucky?

[Weapon_R]

It's hardly luck. With the volume of customers they have, not everyone will always be pleased. I will NEVER be able to accurately choose the wheel that they repaired for my own car from the four.

What I don't understand is, why would the unhappy customers even accept the wheel if it's not up to standards. Point the mistakes, and ask them to fix it before paying. Not hard to do.

[Khyron]

The problems posted above are ones that appear days or weeks later - like Peters flaking wheel. Not something you can pick on the spot.

Khyron

[rsxrsx]

Originally posted by Weapon_R
What I don't understand is, why would the unhappy customers even accept the wheel if it's not up to standards. Point the mistakes, and ask them to fix it before paying. Not hard to do.

After screwing up the first time who's to say they won't screw up even worse the second time. I know, I know your going to say they might to it a 100% job the second time, but that's really just a gamble, IMO.

See in my case they did a good job fixing the rash, but the first time they painted my rim it was a 40% percent match to the original color. The second time they painted it, it was a %85 match and I even gave them a sample, geez. Anyway in the process of re-painting, they sratched the shit out of my center cap. They said they would paint it for the third time free of charge, but who knows what else they might fuck up. So I just settled for the %85 match.

Plus you have to pay them right, because they did do their job, it so happens that it was shitty but your obligated to pay for their services, I guess...

But like someone said earlier get them to fix the damage and get somebody else to do the painting.

[rx7_turbo2]

Originally posted by Weapon_R
It's hardly luck. With the volume of customers they have, not everyone will always be pleased. I will NEVER be able to accurately choose the wheel that they repaired for my own car from the four.

What I don't understand is, why would the unhappy customers even accept the wheel if it's not up to standards. Point the mistakes, and ask them to fix it before paying. Not hard to do.

Your not listening to what people are saying.

[rage2]

Originally posted by Weapon_R
What I don't understand is, why would the unhappy customers even accept the wheel if it's not up to standards. Point the mistakes, and ask them to fix it before paying. Not hard to do.

Originally posted by Khyron
The problems posted above are ones that appear days or weeks later - like Peters flaking wheel. Not something you can pick on the spot.
:werd:

Took 1 week before I lost a 2 sq inch area of paint.

[bookem]

Originally posted by rsxrsx
BTW, what's the deal with that old guy named "Santa", he claims to be some sort of god of wheel repairing. But he doesn't even know how to match the paint properly.
His name is not Santa, it's Santo, and he's the owner. He has been in the business for a very long time, so he is some sort if god of wheel repairing. If Santo was the only one doing all the repairs on the wheels then everyone would be satisfied, but he's got probably 10 people working in the shop, with a couple (new hires) constantly coming and going.

[rx7_turbo2]

Originally posted by djdante

His name is not Santa, it's Santo, and he's the owner. He has been in the business for a very long time, so he is some sort if god of wheel repairing. If Santo was the only one doing all the repairs on the wheels then everyone would be satisfied, but he's got probably 10 people working in the shop, with a couple (new hires) constantly coming and going.

He should start firing some people before he looses his business.

[Fluidic]

Originally posted by Khyron
The problems posted above are ones that appear days or weeks later - like Peters flaking wheel. Not something you can pick on the spot.

Khyron

I just thought for the $158 bucks or whatever I paid, the paint job on the repaired wheel would hold-out longer then 3 weeks. Guess I was wrong.

Peter

[Maxt]

I was so Hyped up to get my wheels back, I kinda turned a blind eye to the blemished when I picked them up, but upoon closer inspection, the paintwork is absolute shit... there are runs in it, and its soft like they missed the catalyst in the paint... I wil post some pics of it...Maxt

[Maxt]

On the inside of the rear rim, they never got enough weld on to really fill the area, so when they machined it, it left line where repair was, then instead of skim cutting the inside surface to make it all match(like they said they would), they only did enough to cut down their shitty weld job...
http://www.nucleus.com/~maxt/rx-7/P1010018.JPG
http://www.nucleus.com/~maxt/rx-7/P1010015.JPG

[rx7_turbo2]

Somebody needs to have a chat with this Santo guy before he has rims flying through his shop windows. If you're paying big bucks and waiting a long time you expect decent work. The stuff decsribed in this thread is unacceptable.

[Ben]

Originally posted by rx7_turbo2
Somebody needs to have a chat with this Santo guy before he has rims flying through his shop windows. If you're paying big bucks and waiting a long time you expect decent work. The stuff decsribed in this thread is unacceptable.



:werd:
I think what they charge is outragious for the quality that has been reported by ALOT of members. Someone should forward them this thread and tell them to step it up.

[Fluidic]

Already done! :D

Seriously -- there service is bad, there quality is terrible -- a waste of money!

Peter

[rx7_turbo2]

Originally posted by Fluidic Digital
waste of money!

Peter

That's the bottom line. I would rather keep my damaged rims and use the money elsewhere on the car than use that money to get my rims repaired by some shop that's going to do a half assed job.

[Khyron]

Update: Well I took my fronts in to get them fixed - had to be done, and I don't need painting. Took them in last Friday, he told me 80 bucks per wheel to straighten them, and they'd be done on Wed.

They were done, and they were straight. Now for the interesting part. :)

I asked Santo to put one of my wheels on his balancer so I could see that it was straight. He got really defensive right away, insulted I was questioning his work, etc but he did it. Sure enough it was straight again - I told him his shop was getting a shitty rep online (made him even angrier) and that there's more than just a few people unhappy with the results.

His reply to all of you - if you have a problem bring it back, even after a year, he'll stand behind his wheels. Except a few guys who were assholes and he threw them out - they can't come back. :banghead:

And I have to admit - while I was waiting, this kid was picking up his 4 MINT looking momo rims for his integra - but he had wanted m5 gunmetal, not factory refinish. Santo said "no problem, we'll strip them and do them all again" - that's pretty good I think.

2 of the other paint guys in there said a lot of the flaking problems can be caused by guys using those touchless spray washers too soon and too close to the wheel (which is true).

And they just got a 2nd "machine" (I'm assuming a stretcher?) a few weeks ago so things should be quicker.

Khyron

[dogstar]

Originally posted by rsxrsx


Plus you have to pay them right, because they did do their job, it so happens that it was shitty but your obligated to pay for their services, I guess...


actually, if their services and work arent up to the standards that were explained, implied or guaranteed, you should NOT pay for them.
go to small claims court if need be, more than likely the company will just make it right or dismiss the bill before it gets to the courtroom.
if they dont, they know that the judge will probably look at the shitty work and award you a victory.

seriously people, thats what the small claims court system is there for, use it if you cant resolve a problem any other way!

[Maxt]

If you have given them money, even small claims will not get it back, if they hold your wheels till payment is issued, same thing, you'd be amazed at how toothless small claims court actually is when it comes to enforcing the decision, you can sue all you want, you may not get anywhere..Maxt

[wheelguy]

if you can take take your wheels to Kelvins Wheel in Saskatoon...they do amazing work and have fast turnarounds

[futurecivic]

dude 7 year old thread

[sexualbanana]

Not to mention it's in Saskatoon

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by wheelguy
if you can take take your wheels to Kelvins Wheel in Saskatoon...they do amazing work and have fast turnarounds

if you become a sponsor, then you can brag about your business all you want, instead of bumping 7 year old threads.