To Larry and anyone else who's considering buying Minilites
factory direct:
I bought a large quantity of Minilites from Tech-Del (UK) about 3
years ago. Tech-Del was an absolute nightmare to deal with. Lots
of broken promises and BS I could have done without. Delivery
took 6+ months(!) - only after numerous phone calls and threats to
cancel the payment I made on my credit card. Maybe they've
gotten their act together since then, but I tend to doubt it.
On the positive side, these wheels are very high quality and I'm
quite pleased with them. Unlike Panasports, you don't see real
Minilites very often.
Unless you're prepared to purchase 6+ sets of 4, you're probably
not going to save anything by going factory direct. On small
quantities, any savings on the cost of the wheels will be eaten up
by shipping, customs duties, taxes, documentation fees, etc. - and
don't forget the value of your time and trouble. If you still want to
go factory direct, get the deal from Tech-Del (shipping date, price,
packing fees, etc.) in writing and only pay by credit card (not by a
debit card) to protect yourself. Your credit card company will go to
bat for you if there's a problem. With a debit card you're S.O.L.
once the money leaves your bank account.
My advice is buy your genuine Minilites from Rick at Sunbeam
Specialties. His price is fair (around $185 or so each, depending
on size) and you know he'll stand behind them if there's a problem.
Besides, we should support Rick because he's done so much on
behalf of the marque. And let's not forget Tiger Tom's and Classic
Sunbeam too.
Gary Schotland
> Larry,
>
> Tech Del and Minilite are alive and well. I talked to them in
> England two days ago. They make two versions of Minilites now. One is the
> "Sports Wheel" which I think Rick distributes in various sizes including
> 13x6. Their other Minilite is their alloy wheel which is identical and made
> from the same molds as the original Miniltes except from aluminum instead of
> magnesium. However the originals were 5 or 5 1/2 inches wide whereas the
> smallest size in 13s that they sell today is 6" wide. They make the raw
> castings and then machine these to the customers specification when the
> order is received. They can give different offsets within a certain range
> but they have a recommended one for Tigers. They also can make them for the
> old sleeved lug nuts or for the tapered lug nuts. They have a new telephone
> number in England- 0132 7311456.
> As I recall the Minator that VB sells comes in a 5 1/2 " width and
> some have reported needs some machining to work on a Tiger.
>
> Dave McDermott
>
>
> At 07:54 AM 2/12/1999 -0500, Wright, Larry wrote:
> >Timothy Beloney wrote:
> >*I guess I will conform and go with the
> >*Miniator (they do look nice) from VB (Sorry Steve L.)
> >
> >Are these wheels from Very Bad better or cheaper than Panasports? Or
> >genuine Minilites, as I've read that Tech Del is back in business? I'm
> >not in the market for wheels myself, just curious, as that's the _last_
> >place I'd be looking for a set. Hey, perhaps the Miniator has a feature
> >where it un-spools a length of string while you drive so you can find
> >your way home again.
> >
> >Tom Hall wrote:
> >*It is possible to use pacers up to about 1/4" between the frame and the
> >*crossmember to obtain equal caster angles.
> >
> >Well, whaddaya know, there's a useful application for Pacers. Sounds
> >like you gotta slice 'em awfully thin, though.
> >
> >Lawrence R. Wright
> >Purchasing Analyst
> >Andrews Office Products Div. of USOP
> >lrw@aop.com
> >Ph. 301.386.7923 Fx. 301.386.5333
> >
>
>
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