Beware of cheap ebay spacers.

[Ben J]

I put on some 10mm Wheel/hubcentric spacers I bought off ebay on my front wheels a little while ago, but didn't take the car for a drive until today (as I only just got my license back today ). I used proper extended bolts and they were properly torqued when I put the spacers on.

Less than 5 km's of driving today and bad things happened.

This is what's left of the spacer



Was very lucky I was only going slow and could pull over immediately when out of nowhere it got wobbly. Could have ended much worse.

Anyway just thought I'd share the photos. I certainly won't be cheaping out on spacers again, and wont be going with 10mm wheel centric either, they just don't work.

[Deadpool]

FSM, glad you're alright!

Thanks for the heads up.

[Diesel_vert]

That, ladies and gentlemen, is why any component not covered by some sort of regulation, tends not to be roadworthy.

Anyone can make spacers and sell them - so whilst the results are disturbing, they're not surprising.

But the main thing is, you're not dead.

Anyway just thought I'd share the photos. I certainly won't be cheaping out on spacers again, and wont be going with 10mm wheel centric either, they just don't work.

Yeah, best not to cheap out on anything related to wheels or tyres.

They're the only things keeping your 1.5 tonne machine on the road which, rather worryingly, few people tend to appreciate.

[kapowww]

I thought that 10mm wheel and hub centric spacers wouldn't fit in the first place as the hub protrudes more than 10mm? Maybe just some models..

[kaanage]

That, ladies and gentlemen, is why any component not covered by some sort of regulation, tends not to be roadworthy.

Anyone can make spacers and sell them - so whilst the results are disturbing, they're not surprising.

Which needs to be automatically stated whenever someone comes up with the "Why are spacers illegal for aftermarket when Porsche use them on some of their models?" question.

In fact this thread should be linked in all those cases.

I thought that 10mm wheel and hub centric spacers wouldn't fit in the first place as the hub protrudes more than 10mm? Maybe just some models..

Hubcentric means that the hole in the middle of the spacer itself is sized so that it is located (ie centered) by the hub. You can get other spacers that have a massive center hole and are solely located by the wheel bolts or studs.

[Ben J]

On the mk3 they supposedly can work up front, the description said they were to suit this exact model and I know the good brands make some that work. After having a good look at them I have a theory on how they broke, but I don't feel like typing it up on this phone.

Sent from my HTC Wildfire using Tapatalk 2

[gareth_oau]

ask ebay/paypal if they will assist in getting you a deserved refund?

[Stan]

+1 on the refund.

were they new?

[Ben J]

I sent the seller a message with photos asking for a refund, we'll see what happens I guess. I bought them a few months ago and only just used them, so don't like my chances of eBay or PayPal helping, but I'll give it a try for sure. It damaged one of my wheels and possibly the hub (I haven't looked yet, but I have a feeling it may have a stripped thread on one of the bolt holes now) so a refund does seem fair.

Yeah they were brand new

Sent from my HTC Wildfire using Tapatalk 2

[Ben J]

Which needs to be automatically stated whenever someone comes up with the "Why are spacers illegal for aftermarket when Porsche use them on some of their models?" question.

In fact this thread should be linked in all those cases.

This is true. From now on I'll only buy spacers which are approved by the different overseas authorities.

Sent from my HTC Wildfire using Tapatalk 2