Re: replicas vs. OEM. Even the road-force balance guy scratched my rims. It's just not worth spending so much money on something like this only to have it scratched by guys who will service your car. Spending $100+ to repair the scratch only to have the next guy maybe do it again is also not worthwhile. It's really frustrating that you have so little control over a car you keep so well otherwise. I've given up on keeping perfect rims.

If over time it gets damaged enough that it looks glaringly bad, I could spend the $250 to get a new one. That or learn to do the repairs myself involving sandpaper, putty, and paint of course.

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'08 X5 3.0si - Alpine White / Saddle Brown interior
Specs: Sport Pkg, Premium Pkg, Tech Pkg, Comfort Access, Aero Kit, Style 433 staggered 20s on Conti DWS
Mods: Carbon 35 tint, LED angel eyes, GP Thunder 7500k fogs, H&R 20mm/25mm spacers, clear reflectors, gunsmoke-tinted taillights
Coded: Digital speedo, windows/sunroof/tailgate close via keyfob

X5 pics at Flickr