Wheel advise please

L

landlord

Member
My silver 2002 A2 1.4tdi is officially a Cat N now :( but that does mean I now have a little project to work on. I have been running thru some plans in my head, and in a couple weekends time I'm going to Naedugs to get replacement parts (thanks Naedugs and everyone that helped me find him). I am thinking about tinting my back windows (light tint), maybe putting on smoked indicators and potentially putting black wrap on the roof but not 100% convinced of that yet.
Long story short is my wheels really do need a refurb and was thinking of going black instead of the current silver on them (wheels are standard 6 spoke 16inch). The tires are newish, so I don't want to buy rims that couldn't use them, hence the refurb idea. I have around £150 to play with. Either refurb or buy something a bit more unique (I like BBS LM style alloys).
Any thoughts on different alloys or refurb colours? Or anyone selling alloys in good condition in my price range?

Thanks in advance.

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From Autotrader:

What is a Category N vehicle?

Category N — Cat N, for short — is a description used by insurance companies to describe the level of damage to a vehicle they have written off.
A Cat N vehicle has suffered some damage, probably in an accident, but not to its structural frame or chassis. The insurance company that handled the claim decided that repairing the vehicle would have cost more than replacing it.
Insurers often sell Cat N vehicles on for salvage. Many are also safely repaired and returned to the road.


This will obviously have an effect on the cars value, so bear this in mind before you spend a fortune on it with no chance of getting a return on your investment. Tarting up an a2 is not a good idea and some of the items you are talking about you will need to notify your insurance.
In my opinion the a2 does not look right with black wheels. If I were you sort it out and drive it as is, or split for parts.
You can see yourself the cost of the parts to replace is more than the PRE ACCIDENT VALUE of the car. Sorry but "boy racer" mods have the same effect on an a2 as painting your car pink, really small market. Sell good bits off the car and put that money and your £150 into something else. Sorry...
 
I refurbed a set of 17's with a couple of cans of etch primer, primer, wheel silver and semi matt lacquer. All in about £20 and few hours sanding. Decided against black and anthracite as its a blue car and didnt want it to look like ot had no wheels on it....

The car, as said is worth roughly 25% less than its pre accident value once back to its former shape. So a £1000 car would be around or under £750 once cat N. Saying that whats it worth to you? unless youre looking at repairing and selling on then its probably close in outlay vs return.
However, many on here spend far more than the value of an A2 to keep them going, Ive spent a few £100 simply smartening mine up. I doubt Id get what Ive spent back on it but thats not the point.
 
audifan said:
From Autotrader:

What is a Category N vehicle?

Category N — Cat N, for short — is a description used by insurance companies to describe the level of damage to a vehicle they have written off.
A Cat N vehicle has suffered some damage, probably in an accident, but not to its structural frame or chassis. The insurance company that handled the claim decided that repairing the vehicle would have cost more than replacing it.
Insurers often sell Cat N vehicles on for salvage. Many are also safely repaired and returned to the road.


This will obviously have an effect on the cars value, so bear this in mind before you spend a fortune on it with no chance of getting a return on your investment. Tarting up an a2 is not a good idea and some of the items you are talking about you will need to notify your insurance.
In my opinion the a2 does not look right with black wheels. If I were you sort it out and drive it as is, or split for parts.
You can see yourself the cost of the parts to replace is more than the PRE ACCIDENT VALUE of the car. Sorry but "boy racer" mods have the same effect on an a2 as painting your car pink, really small market. Sell good bits off the car and put that money and your £150 into something else. Sorry...
Click to expand...
You are indeed correct that a Cat N car is of lower values. Insurance companies will only pay out 75% of value of a car that is Cat N. As you say, Cat N cars are cosmetic damage only. In my instance, two doors and a front wing need to be changed. The cost of the salvage is typically 23% of valuation. For that kind of cash, on a simple cosmetic repair, it's a bit of a no brainer to buy as I know it has absolutely no mechanical issues. Like 100% no issues. If I was to buy something else, it would be a risk due to the unknown. With my car, I know exactly what has been done in the past and what I will need to do in the future. Cars that have no issues and in good condition are high priced and I really hate seeing good cars go to waste.

I appreciate your comments on the black wheels. You maybe right. It is a daily driver and so keeping it standard might be the best decision. A2s already stand out from the crowd so maybe there is no need to make it any more unique. I just love BBS LMs and always wanted the for my corrado but sadly never got the funds together.

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Did not mean to "preach" to you. I agree if you like the car and know its history AND it is only cosmetic then yes buy it back. You can get your existing wheels professionally refurbed for the £150 and if you wanted to change their colour, but I feel that black wheels on a silver car look like cheap steel wheels not expensive black alloys. So yes fit the replacement doors ( and wing ) from @Naedugs and you will have a perfectly serviceable car. Out of curiosity have you had a quote to insure the car now they have written it off? Yes new car new problems. BBS are nice but for that price you could buy another A2. Fix and drive it, keep it standard and if you need to break it ( eventually ) there is always a call for good spares. Best of luck and hope it is repaired soon.
 
audifan said:
Did not mean to "preach" to you. I agree if you like the car and know its history AND it is only cosmetic then yes buy it back. You can get your existing wheels professionally refurbed for the £150 and if you wanted to change their colour, but I feel that black wheels on a silver car look like cheap steel wheels not expensive black alloys. So yes fit the replacement doors ( and wing ) from @Naedugs and you will have a perfectly serviceable car. Out of curiosity have you had a quote to insure the car now they have written it off? Yes new car new problems. BBS are nice but for that price you could buy another A2. Fix and drive it, keep it standard and if you need to break it ( eventually ) there is always a call for good spares. Best of luck and hope it is repaired soon.
Click to expand...
Yeah rang around 5 insurers before buying the salvage. All said they insure Cat N and it would not effect premium. They just need to see a valid MOT and they payout would be 75% of none Cat N car.
You've convinced me to stay standard (unless someone has BBS alloys going very cheap ). Think I'll get them refurbed in silver, or do myself and buy a new headunit (really want an android auto or at least a dab one).
Ta

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Unfortunately if you find a cheap set of BBS the chances are they will need a refurb anyway. As it is useful to have a spare I would find a second hand one, then try painting that yourself. If happy with the results then swap for one on the car and repeat until all done. A pack of playing cards make ideal masking for the tyres. Also with the wheel off the car you are not rushed to finish the job. Or get someone else to paint for a premium.
 
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