Ebay Wheel Crests
 

I post this just as an FYI. (Sorry if I offend anyone). After getting new wheels that allow for a OEM Porsche insert....I could not put out $190-$260 for a set of 4 pieces of plastic. Just couldn't do it. That is just a whole lot of Fairy Dust I couldn't go for.

These are off eBay for $16 SHIPPED. Are they identical to OEM? No. Are they as nice? No. Am I happy for $16. Oh yeah. The fit is very good.


http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1409021409.jpg


http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1409021438.jpg

Just remember that the point of the crest goes towards the air valve or the concours judges will subtract points. :) (there should be a font called "sarcasm")

I got SUCKERED by this on eBay.

Seller said they were OEM, original Porsche part. Had nice picts, and the exact same packaging including the bar code, Porsche Part #, etc..

I bought them for $99. After placing my order, I began digging really deep into these and realized that all the photos on eBay (and some independent parts houses) have the same Porsche Part# sticker. There are several posts on other Porsche Forums about identifying the fakes. I canceled my order, but was too late as the item shipped. Seller allowed me to return as long as I didn't open. I refused shipping and back it went. The seller actually sells tons of wheel caps for various cars including antiques. I believe the seller may have actually thought they were real.

Yes, I did pony up for the originals from Suncoast for $169. (Techquiptment packaging) Why? Because I'm OCD of my 986.

You got to love the real cheapies on eBay, selling for under $20 or so.. "Made in Italy".. shipped from China direct! At least they're honest of origin.

Running down to the garage to see if my 'real' inserts are like this.....

Nicely done....sarcasm or not...nicely done.

I'm very new to this whole thing, and personally I wouldn't care if they were "real" or not :)

I plan to replace my seats with Sparcos and maybe add a Sparco or Momo steering wheel and shifter knob. I have already ordered aftermarket rear speakers and plan to replace the OEM radio/CD with a JVC receiver head that has USB/iPod connections.

More importantly, what WHEELS are those? They look nice, esp with the caps

They look fine. If you have to research and look closely to determine whether or not they're fake…then they're fine. I've often wondered what I would do in such a situation. I still have all of my original caps. I'd probably consider going the same route as this if that time comes.

Thing is the paint on those fake ones chip easily. I guess it's ok for $16 as you can buy 10 sets before reaching the cost of the genuine set.

I bought a set. They faded out in a year. My car only hand washed and is kept in a garage 75% of the time. The tip broke that secure them in the wheel when removed and reinstalled the first time.

Those look pretty good. Do you mind sharing which seller you purchased them from?

Don't forget to hit those with a few coats of UV clear coat, as others have stated the paint will fade on those.

I bought a set of gold on silver on eBay a few months ago
They came with a set of valve stem caps as well all for $13.99
So far they are fine.
Only problem is the silver is slightly different than my 18" Carrera wheels. Can't really see the difference unless you are right up on them and I'm not planning on Concours

I figure for $14 , I can go through a lot of them and still be ahead of the gamne

"ebellking-eu"

Tucker. Do you remember the name of the site. Jinx:dance:

I would be embarrassed to put these things on my car. I had one crack - original-...replaced it - with an original- ...ended up buying 3 more since the new one looked so much better.

Back to the super model analogy....there is no way I am buying knock off anything to keep my girl looking good. Isn't the reason we buy a Porsche because they are well-engineered and German (ok, Finnish :) ) made?

Frankly, I would be embarrassed to spend $200++ on the real caps! But that's just me, I have other priorities in life than my centre caps.
The ebay ones look fine - and yes, hit them with some clearcoat and they will last long enough - then just chuck 'em and replace with another $20 set!
The boxster is one of the best engineered cars out there and is amazing to drive. You won't notice any decline in it's driving ability with $20 centre caps vs $200+ and neither will your neighbours notice.

You're getting what you paid for with the factory crest... or clever marketing!

Manufacturing an unmistakable trademark: the Porsche Crest - YouTube

I bought a black with silver crest for 35 bucks and not a damn person would have ever told me they weren't original...know why???, because not a damn person is going to bend down and look at them...good for you..save your money for the maf or AOS or any other must have OE part.

I guess it is just me. I buy quality Gold Toe socks because they last...

To me, the key to long lasting love is attention to the little things as the affair goes on....I don't want my Porsche becoming more and more Chinese as the years go by. A piece here, a piece there. My car is bone stock and 100% original, with the only exception being the LN Engineering IMS bearing :) I am very proud of this fact and plan to keep it that way. When something is worn or breaks, I fix it immediately with a factory original part - no Chinese crap going here. But again, this is just me - to each his own.

$200 is too much? You do realize you guys bought a Porsche, right?

^ You do realize that your Kia is worth more than your Porsche, right?
Would you pay $200+ for some bits of plastic for the Kia?

Are you pissed because you overpaid? Makes sense now :D
It's a WHEEL CAP, not some vital part. Do you work on your own car? Are you a Porsche certified mechanic? No?
You do realize that you drive a 986, right? :rolleyes:

The are 20" Victor Innsbrooks. Many thanks for the compliment. They are *stunning* on the Cayman. Highly recommended.

Ebay. Just look for that seller on Ebay. I have no idea if they have their own personal business site.

Oh wow.... Yes, in fact I joke that my Soul cost more than my Porsche all the time...Am I pissed I overpaid for what? No, I am just not a cheap son of a biyatch. I respect my Porsche...and the six I owned before it....And yes, I buy nothing but factory parts for my Kia...I do not get parts from Autozone for either car. And by the way, I have rebuilt several Porsche engines....I may not be certified, but I know what I am doing.

I guess that is the difference between you and me...I bought a 2000 986 because it is the exact car I wanted....you bought one because it was all you could afford. :) :dance:

Go easy on him. Really to each his own. I just changed the oil on both my Cayman and Boxster and I went fully OEM + the Mobil 1 Synthetic I-Am-Super-Expensive-Oil because I think that's the right thing to do. $200+ dollars for 4 small pieces of painted plastic that *literally* probably cost under $1.00 to manufacture is to much for me. I will say that if Porsche's OEM caps were in the $40-$50 (still insane) I would purchase the OEM version. But the current price point is complete madness.

My wife bought me a set as a Christmas gift a long time ago for my boxster. The crests came off after 10 years and needed to be glued back. My take is if the eBay ones appear ok what's the big deal. I need some plain gold ones for my996tt as they are a bit faded and worn. let me know who sells decent ones. I hear some don't fit well.

Porsche OEM Set of Silver Wheel Caps NEW
 

I have a set of four caps in silver, new and perfect from Porsche. The first decent offer can have them......shipped. Lee NY

I'm still not sure how spending $200+ on 4 caps makes the Porsche more of a Porsche? Centre caps are not vital pieces. Hey - where's your TV from? What about your computer? Probably all Chinese. Why? Cause they actually do make some good stuff....they just know how to make them cost effective. It's because I'm smart with my money I can afford a few nice cars....I spend my money on the important things.

do you actually think that there are no parts in a Porsche that come from China?
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1313460084.jpg

The smiley face doesn't make up for you coming across as an arrogant, factory certified A_hole.

In his defense, tonicristi started the nonsense.

I have them as well. I chose to spend my money my way and save for larger, more important items in my life, not wheel center caps.

I think I read somewhere the OEM`s gave at least 2 more HP than the knock-offs.

D'oh! Totally forgot about the performance upgrade OEM parts give. I'm sold - get me some $200+ caps!

+1 Xpit77

The Porsche wheel cap factory in China is probably the same factory as the ebay knockoffs...the ebay sellers just take their molded plastic and paint it in a separate, cheaper paint booth with 'china' paints

Not that a Chinese-made part is necessarily bad, depends on who made it and who it was made for. New Corollas come with Chinese-made alloys, for example. If there is proper QC in the build process, consistently, then there shouldn't be any issues with the overall quality of the part.

However, it's not exactly a surprise that there is a massive number of counterfeit parts made in China. That could potentially explain the center caps being low in cost, as genuine parts shouldn't fade within a year.

Personally I won't put knockoff parts on either of my cars. Will I use parts made by an OE supplier? Sure. In many cases, the OEM parts for my Mercedes come with the MB star and part number on them, since it's made by the same manufacturer. If I can't get an OEM part (Hella, Behr, Bosch, Reutter, Lemfoerder, etc.), then I'll go OE. Used when available if not a wear item.

Since we are talking a bit about quality - it is good to note that although the lower cost caps do fade (hitting them with some clearcoat does slow the fading) the OEM parts are not perfect. Two years ago rims were replaced and new OEM centre caps were installed (by previous owner). In those two years, two of the centre caps lost their logo. If you search on this forum, you will find this is not uncommon. Therefore, not sure how much higher quality the OEM caps are?

A very valid point. One of my caps has lost the crest due to the adhesive letting go. I used to see this frequently with VW center caps in the late 1990s/early 2000s. My mom's 987 has center caps like the ones in the OP (except OE in silver), and are still looking quite minty. The caps on my dad's 964 are the all-silver debossed variety.

When I replace mine they'll be the newer style without the crest glued on.

wow, emotions are running high in the wheel cap thread!

mine were faded, and it looked like some punks had removed the crest from two of the caps with a screw driver or knife when a previous owner had the car. My turbo twists didn't look all that hot, so I got a new cheap pair on ebay and then plastidipped the wheels.

They look good. They cost $15. Replacing them every now and then if they fade or chip won't be a big deal.

My issue with the fakes are some sellers representing them as OEM at a price slightly lower than OEM, with some people getting ripped off thinking that they bought OEM.

If the selling price is $16 for 4, I'm pretty aware that they are fake and I'm okay with that. If a seller represents that they are OEM, cost $100+ or so, and are counterfeit, that's just wrong.

I saw some gold/black/red shields on Ebay the adhere over the existing B&W shields. Has anyone purchased them?

Also, I see some full replacement caps are listed as 75mm while others are listed to be 76mm...... anyone know which my 89' Boxster (non S) with stock wheels uses?

Thanks