The cost of not "Keeping Your Wheels" is often much higher than the cost of just the wheels.
Since we are in the rim lock industry, we constantly receive reports from car owners who have suffered from wheel theft. A rather sad owner of a Mercedes GLE shared with us the juicy bill from the garage after finding his eyeball on a couple of bricks. The damage to the car's undercarriage was serious, but not entirely unusual for a wheel theft.
In addition to the stolen wheels (rims and tires), which cost around SEK 8,000 each, the following costs related to the theft were added:
Tires and rims | SEK 32,000 |
Brake discs | SEK 12,000 |
Side skirt | SEK 10,000 |
Workshop cost | SEK 10,000 |
Total workshop cost | SEK 64,000 |
Fortunately, the owner had good car insurance and the insurance company took most of the costs, however he had to pay a deductible and take public transport and a rental car for a while. However, it doesn't end well for everyone, despite car insurance. This is because insurance companies write down the value of car parts.
Keep in mind that this cost example only concerns direct costs. What other peripheral costs do you think should be added to get a reasonable picture of what a wheel theft actually costs?