Take five with color inserts

[captbp]

Are the take five wheels, (I think that's what they're called, correct me if I'm not right) with color inserts readily available? I'm starting to think those would look good on my bug. Thanks
Bob

[gilligan]

I'm not sure what they are called but I think your talking about these. I heard they are very expensive.

[captbp]

Those are the ones.

[FineExampl]

capt, i saw a site today selling them for $300 each. i dont have a link for you though. i was doing a yahoo search on something else and found them. said they were in stock though. if i find the link, i'll pm it to you.

[Oyveychris]

$222 each new, plus shipping on ebay!

[gilligan]

If these are the ones your talking about they are listed as $599.00 per set of four Not quite the same insert. I heard the real inserts are more expensive than the wheels!! anyways this place that is selling them is about twenty five muinutes away from me if I wanted them. But I don't.

[FineExampl]

Or try this on eBay right now
The guy appears to only be selling 3, so if you found a fourth you could paint the inserts to match.
http://cgi.ebay.com/02-03-04-BEETLE-...QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/02-03-04-BEETLE-...QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/02-03-04-BEETLE-...QQcmdZViewItem

They are a little rough, but appear in refinishable condition otherwise.

[GatorBeetle]

There was a time that the inserts were $90 apiece at the VW dealer (Not per set, per piece.) That's 20 inserts for one set of wheels...you do the math. Not sure what they charge now.

I love the Take Fives, they are my favorite VW wheel after the 20th AE's.

[r0nd3L]

Originally Posted by GatorBeetle

There was a time that the inserts were $90 apiece at the VW dealer (Not per set, per piece.) That's 20 inserts for one set of wheels...you do the math. Not sure what they charge now.

I love the Take Fives, they are my favorite VW wheel after the 20th AE's.

Holy crap That is $1800 per set + wheel cost. You could get a nice set of aftermarket rims for half that. I suggest you go to TireRack and look around for wheels and tires. You could probably get a nice set of wheels and tires mounted for about $1500 or less. I just got Mille Miglia HT3 with Kumho SPTs for $1200 shipped. They have a sale on some Mille Miglia wheels and this one for example, Click Click, goes for $109 a piece for 18" rim and looks pretty sexy. I also love the look of Ultraleggeras and also are very light at 18Lbs!

Anyway, good luck on hunting down the wheels you want

[GatorBeetle]

Thing is, you can find the wheels cheaper WITH the inserts...it's silly. I suppose its VW's way of making money on folks who lose an insert or two....go figure.

[squeebug]

If it weren't for the cost of inserts, I would love to have some cyber green ones

[Oyveychris]

Are the inserts plastic or metal?

[gilligan]

Originally Posted by Oyveychris

Are the inserts plastic or metal?

They should be made of solid gold for those prices!! My guess is they are diecast metal. If they are plastic I would be really po'ed paying $90.00 for one. It makes total vw sense to design a wheel and tool up to make it only to stupidly price it out of reach of everyone.

[hestersu]

Originally Posted by gilligan

If these are the ones your talking about they are listed as $599.00 per set of four Not quite the same insert. I heard the real inserts are more expensive than the wheels!! anyways this place that is selling them is about twenty five muinutes away from me if I wanted them. But I don't.

The wheels shown in the above picture (silver wheels with what look like charcoal inserts) are called Monte Carlos and came on the GTI if I remember correctly. The "inserts" really don't come off. These are not the Take 5 wheel though they are very close.

The colored inserts on the Take 5 wheels run around $35 to $37 each - 4 that are alike and 1 that allows for the valve stem. Still pretty pricey. The inserts are plastic.

[captbp]

Thanks everyone for the information.
I'll be saving my rubles a little longer and doing some more looking. I'm pretty much sold on the take fives.


Thanks again!

[yelojkt]

Somebody (I dont remember who) on the old .org was running the take five and said that dirt would fill in behind the inserts and throw off the balance on the wheels. But they do look like they would be very hard to keep clean.

[captbp]

Originally Posted by yelojkt

Somebody (I dont remember who) on the old .org was running the take five and said that dirt would fill in behind the inserts and throw off the balance on the wheels. But they do look like they would be very hard to keep clean.

That's not good news, maybe if they're any current users that could comment on that.
Thanks.

[FineExampl]

Originally Posted by yelojkt

Somebody (I dont remember who) on the old .org was running the take five and said that dirt would fill in behind the inserts and throw off the balance on the wheels. But they do look like they would be very hard to keep clean.

Even still, this is a small issue and truly would only be an issue for people who didnt take care of their car. How much time out of your day would it take to remove the inserts and pop em in the dishwasher?? That and a little powerball on the rims themselves and you'd be good to go. Dirt building up anywhere is just laziness.

My vote is to get the rims Capt. They are one of my favorite rims hands down.

[captbp]

Originally Posted by FineExampl

My vote is to get the rims Capt. They are one of my favorite rims hands down.

Mine too.

[hestersu]

I actually had a set of Take 5 rims. I also have a friend that has had 2 bugs with these rims (Snap Orange and the Flint edition - has burgundy inserts). There is no more dirt build up under the inserts than what builds up on the interior of the wheels. Its mainly brake dust. If your rims are out of balance, then you have something else going on.

The inserts are easy to take off, but you must be very careful to not over-torque the screws and break the plastic. That would be so un-fun. I wouldn't put the inserts in the dishwasher only because the heat of the dry cycle could potentially warp the plastic. I soaked mine in a combination of dishwashing liquid and amonia. I also used a mini-bottle brush (look in the baby dept - called a nipple brush) to get into the corners). Powerwashing works well too. I waxed the inserts before I put them back on so they would be a little easier to clean.

The Take 5's are just so darn good looking they are worth the effort.