If the wheels and tires are your biggest unforseen expenses, you're probably doing well.
$6000 for both is 4% of $140,000, and if you buy an engine and transmission, you're headed to $180k amirite?
$6000 is 3% of $180,000.
3% is not so much regardless of the gross dollars involved and moral outrage not withstanding.
$2750 for BRM wheels is 1.5% of $180,000.00
I think that you are facing a 1.5% "optional wheel dilemma".
Someone recently posted a photograph of their SPF car rolling around the factory finishing area on a steel frame with casters while wearing BRM rims with no rubber.
As requested by Brian, I have started a separate thread for my car. I am in Scotland so the car will be RHD but I will keep the shifter on the sill. I lived in the US for 11 years and have a manual LHD car so shifting with right hand is quite natural. it is a Mark 1 in dark blue gulf and orange...
www.gt40s.com
Sure looked suspiciously ready to roll into a container to ship - no tires.
My January 2022 deposit generated a dealer-furnished spreadsheet-based paper price list that I was sent home with.
It said to me that Halibrands are included, that BRM are $2750(?) extra, and that tires are not included - would I like cheap crappy placeholder ones (my inference) as rollers for a few hundred or Avons for $2600 or something.
I bet you get Halibrands if you don't step up to BRM's for extra.
Tires were probably always an expense from the beginning. Get a $400 set of placeholders if you're really ticked off and go buy the Avons elsewhere if you must out of spite, but probably hardly worth the energy that it would take to do.
We're dealing with a cottage-industry company here, not Toyota.
See background in photos in link above.
You asked what I'd do?:
- I'd go there in person and assume that I'd personally made a listening error until I could prove to myself otherwise.
- I'd recognize that while I try not to make errors, I somehow still do - your mileage may vary.
- I'd keep in mind that I have pretty consistently been my own worst enemy in life (1st wife being exhibit A), despite doing pretty well in life so far overall, so look out if you've had similar experiences with self-inflicted errors.
I'd NOT use emails to the dealer or messages in this forum to decide anything until I'd gotten to the bottom of it with the person or people responsible for making or breaking your build, whoever that might be. They might put snails inside of your gas tank for revenge...
After that, I'd probably keep my cards close to my chest regardless, unless there was really good news to share.
I just don't see chatter online about SPF dealers or Hillbank in particular being generally problematic, and people LOVE to share pain online.
Nobody's perfect, so give them some slack and see what happens, and keep in mind that this is probably a misunderstanding over 1.5%.
On a high-end, bespoke sports car.
I sincerely hope that you find a path through to your dream and don't let this bump get in the way.