Frank @Powderwheels Review

General conversations about BMW E28s and the people who own them.
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cek
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Frank @Powderwheels Review

Post by cek »

I recently decided to take a bit of a risk and buy some wheels from "a guy on Facebook". It turns out the risk was worth it. He's for real and he does great work.

His name is Frank Franker and his Facebook page is here: https://www.facebook.com/powderwheels/

He lives in Vienna, Austria (at least according to Facebook) and it appears the wheel work is done in Hungary or something.

I had been looking for a set of BBS RZ 394 (8.5x16 ET13 5x120) wheels for a while and was put off by the prices (and reputations) I saw on eBay. I knew I wanted my set finished in a particular way and thus was stuck between expensively priced beaters in dubious condition and extravagantly priced re-finished wheels that I'd just have to pay moar big bucks to get refinished.

Then I found Frank. I don't remember how I saw his page, but I reached out to him right away and started asking questions to see how legit he was. As we all know from our experience with Ivo, these European car nuts can be a bit sketchy... :laugh:

Frank assured me he had a set of RZs, trued, and he could finish them the way I wanted.

My requirements:
* Un-welded & trued
* Lips: polished (including face leading to center)
* No clear coat on the lips
* Centers: Satin black.
* Four BBS RZ center caps, painted matching satin black with monochrome BMW logos.

Frank quoted me $1455 USD ($1325 for wheels, 2x$65 shipping), which I think is very reasonable.

He said he expected to ship the wheels within 7-9 working days of receiving payment. The wheels would be shipped via FedEx, and packaged to ensure they don't get damaged in shipping.

I paid in full via PayPal January 17, 2017.

Then I waited. I bugged Frank about every week via Facebook messenger and he was quick to reply. He sent me a few pictures of the wheels in various stages of being prepped. He was apologetic about the delays.

The wheels finally arrived on March 31, 2017.

The packing was terrific. By far the best packing job on any wheels I've sent or received. Other than being crushed by a Unimog, there's no way the wheels could be damaged in shipment with this packing.
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And the wheels are perfect.
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I mounted the wheels on Vlad and tested each for trueness. They are tits.
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Frank included, for free a BBS center cap tool, and chrome valve stems.
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Summary
Buy wheels from Frank @Powderwheels with confidence. You probably wont get them when he promises, but you will get them and you'll be happy with the packaging and quality of the workmanship.

Of course this is just one customer's experience...
John in VA
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Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: Leesburg, VA

Re: Frank @Powderwheels Review

Post by John in VA »

Glad it worked out & you are happy. He posts wheels to us 2002 guys all the time, and has some rare sets.
leadphut
Posts: 4499
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: Portland, OR

Re: Frank @Powderwheels Review

Post by leadphut »

congrats on a successful endeavor and a very nice set of wheels. those are going to look great. :up:
adrian in florida
Posts: 2344
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM

Re: Frank @Powderwheels Review

Post by adrian in florida »

Wow, those look like a nice set of wheels for a reasonable price. The fact that you checked for trueness gives me more faith in the euro connection. Thanks for taking the time to post on the positive experience!
bkbimmer
Posts: 5863
Joined: Mar 02, 2007 2:33 AM
Location: Portland, Or.

Re: Frank @Powderwheels Review

Post by bkbimmer »

Those are not satin black! Frankly, Frank fucked up.

They look nice though.
Karl Grau
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Re: Frank @Powderwheels Review

Post by Karl Grau »

Frank Franker, doing the jobs Americans won't :) . Seriously though, the wheels look amazing!
And thanks for reminding me I need check the Porsche wheels for runout before I spring for rubber.

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86GT635
Posts: 1897
Joined: Mar 11, 2009 12:09 PM
Location: Kentucky USA

Re: Frank @Powderwheels Review

Post by 86GT635 »

You should check for run out in the bead seat.
cek
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Re: Frank @Powderwheels Review

Post by cek »

86GT635 wrote:You should check for run out in the bead seat.
I did both. I also checked the faces.
Shawn D.
Beamter
Beamter
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Re: Frank @Powderwheels Review

Post by Shawn D. »

Very nice!

Did you check the hub for runout first, though?
cek
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Re: Frank @Powderwheels Review

Post by cek »

Shawn D. wrote:Very nice!

Did you check the hub for runout first, though?
Did that when I replaced the TAs; I was thinking I needed new rotors and was curious if that meant bearings too.
three5ives
Posts: 104
Joined: Sep 01, 2013 2:45 PM
Location: Atlanta

Re: Frank @Powderwheels Review

Post by three5ives »

Just ordered a very similar set of RZ 394s from Frank today. Thus far he's been super responsive. I'll update the thread when I receive the wheels.
wkohler
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Re: Frank @Powderwheels Review

Post by wkohler »

Wheels look ok but I'm tired of him spamming virtually every Facebook group with wheels that don't fit those cars.
three5ives
Posts: 104
Joined: Sep 01, 2013 2:45 PM
Location: Atlanta

Re: Frank @Powderwheels Review

Post by three5ives »

My wheels finally arrived, and my experience was very similar to CEK's. The wheels were expected sooner, I had to nag weekly, Frank was apologetic. The packaging was truly impressive, and while it's hard to imagine a wheel getting damaged with this level of packaging, one of mine actually did. Fortunately, it was a small chip on the inside lip that appears to be fresh. That and because it's rather obvious - I don't believe this was something Frank chose to ignore and allow to leave his shop.

Will take to a local shop and check for issues, but otherwise, the wheels look great.

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gray635
Posts: 1996
Joined: Dec 06, 2006 11:29 PM
Location: Perry, GA

Re: Frank @Powderwheels Review

Post by gray635 »

Clint:

Nice futon! Nice wheels! Which car will get these beauties?

Regards,
Mike
three5ives
Posts: 104
Joined: Sep 01, 2013 2:45 PM
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Re: Frank @Powderwheels Review

Post by three5ives »

gray635 wrote:Clint:

Nice futon! Nice wheels! Which car will get these beauties?

Regards,
Mike
Hi Mike,
Right now I'm just collecting pieces that I 'may' use to transform my 528e into something special. The problem is that it's already an extraordinarily nice e28, so I've been hesitant to muck with it. I should have all the pieces for a euro bumper conversion within the next week or so. Waiting on the last pieces to arrive. And, I already have the MM Sport Head (and other required pieces) for the e-2-i conversion.

Currently no time-frame on when I would do the conversion, just wanted to acquire all the parts before they truly became unobtainable. And there's the chance I may not do any of it, love the car now.

I still have to find a place that I trust to do the bumper conversion. Alan at GCR will probably do the e-2-i work. None of it will be cheap, I plan to sale the futon to to fund it ... :laugh:

/Clint
mr_e.28
Posts: 1
Joined: May 18, 2022 12:38 AM
Location: Hungary

Re: Frank @Powderwheels Review

Post by mr_e.28 »

In case anyone arrives here while considering buying wheels from Frank...

Don't do it. He is a crook. There are many, many stories where he has ripped people off.

He does supply *some* wheels to 'influential' people, who might give him some social media exposure, and can help him acquire new victims.

It's no coincidence that his website, and instagram pages have disappeared recently too.

See more here:
http://www.frankfranker.com
wkohler
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Re: Frank @Powderwheels Review

Post by wkohler »

#ultimatescammer
cek
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Re: Frank @Powderwheels Review

Post by cek »

Ouch.

I guess I was lucky or influential.
garageboy
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Re: Frank @Powderwheels Review

Post by garageboy »

cek wrote: May 19, 2022 7:08 PM Ouch.
I guess I was lucky or influential.
Stop being so humble. BOTH! :)
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