HI OddJobBob, dont worry, wasnt thinking you were being difficult. Have appreciated your input greatly, as I have other people too. I needed some input to my issue here to enable me to see things from a different angle, so honestly, you were fine. If everyone agreed with me then Im not going to get anywhere further than where I am now. My argument with the garage is one of those areas which can be seen either way, apart from the shoddy after care, yes I knew the alloys were non standard but I did not know they were wider than the recommended size given for this car. I believe, and always have done, that they should have checked and advised me on this before selling it to me. They are a toyota franchise and therefore have guidelines to follow to keep to the manufacturers standards. Therefore the car they sold me did not meet up with those standards. I may well be on a losing slant here, who knows, but I will give it a shot this week with the finance company and what they come up with. If its a struggle then I will leave it alone, get a set of standard alloys, sell the wide ones and then at the end of this probably sell the car anyway. Its surplus to requirements now and I really could do with this being settled. Its become a moral issue too as I dont want to sell it with these wheels on. Raydetinu - The wheel size is 8J. The recommended tyre width are 235s. The tyres currently fitted are 205s. These are not illegal but are not recommended. In some countries they are illegal but for some strange reason over here they are not. Essentially, the tyres are overstretched and therefore it looks like the wheels are protruding out of the tyres.

Hi. Thanks for the feedback (to all). Hopefully I can clarify a few things. Firstly, OddJobBob, you make some good valid points but also some incorrect assumptions. The swish looking alloys were not a selling point. Low profiles are standard on this car, as they are on most sports cars. I bought this car on the basis that its the last of the model and therefore had a few manufacturer options as standard (i.e. HD lights, leather interior and sunroof), looked in amazing condition, had very low mileage and a full Toyota service history. I was pleased it had different alloys for the sole reason that standard Celica wheels corrode very quickly. I accepted they were non standard when purchasing it. The garage initially were very cooperative with my concerns about the handling. However, when you are told something has been checked over, then told its fine (but with no written proof) but the resulting drive proves nothing has changed, and then you return it back for a second checking and then you are told it needed some alighment adjustment and heres the written proof you start to wonder whats going on. I had immediate doubts whether anything had been done on the first check up. The car was sat in exactly the same position and stance as when I left it there. I was told the car had been valeted as standard. Then why was it dusty and showing muddy foot prints. Doubts start to enter your head about what you have purchased. Particularly when the handling is still the same. Dont get me wrong, its a lovely car but this is fast becoming personal now between me and the garage so Im having to step back a little and let the finance company deal with it so I dont lose perspective of what Im complaining about. Its very possible that I cannot do anything. The MoT point is very valid of course but there is a clear handling issue with the current tyres on the replacement 8J wheels that is not comfortable for the car. From the garages point of view they are probably clear. The wheels either need wider tyres on it or the car needs a standard alloy set up put back on. Normally this would not have been a problem for me but the handling is so poor at times that its dangerous, regardless of whether the MoT says what it says. Sometimes things are not so black and white, there are many areas in law where this line can be taken but it doesn't mean the situation is fine. Putting a neutral head on this, and agreeing with OJB and many others here, the obvious thing to do is to sell the current wheels on ebay and put the funds towards a new correct set of wheels. This is probably what I will do. But for the next few days I will see what happens via the finance company. Unfortunately the issue has gathered momentum simply because of the relationship between me and the garage which has got more and more sour. There were other issues about the car that I felt were hidden from me at the point of sale and so therefore doubts have continually increased. Its not just the wheels. So, there we go ... Im taking a step back. If the finance company can get an agreement with the garage to supply replacement wheels, then I will be happy to take them. If not, then I will let it go and treat it as an experience. Thanks to OJB and others for your replies, much appreciated and helped me come to a conclusion here and looking at it from an alternative angle.

The insurance aspect has been a massive issue in all this. Consequently I have taken the car of the road. I will give them a call this morning to chat about this issue. Even if legally the tyres are permissible 205s are not recommended through the continental tyres guidelines for 8j wheels. The car drives fine up to about 50mph but after that if the road is uneven it handles like a boat and when braking becomes quite concerning. Quite simply there isn't enough grip on the roads to support that width of wheel.

Dear all. Great to have found this forum. Im really hoping I can find some sort of direction. My problem has been on going for about 4 months now, almost from day one of purchasing the car. Its a Toyota Celica 2006 model. To cut a very long story short here ..... the car was purchased, knowingly by me, with non standard alloys. However, from day one I noticed issues with handling. This was reported several times to the garage. After the first recall I was told that there was nothing wrong but also that a 4 wheel alignment check had been done. This turned out to be untrue. I did not receive any paperwork clarifying this. On the second recall I was told the car was ok still, but a (another) 4 wheel alignment check had been done and found some adjustment was needed, proven with the steering wheel now pointing straight. I can only assume that the first time it was not done as they indicated. Problem still there . .. basically the car feels unstable when at speeds above 50mph and tends to wander and jump depending on road conditions. Having done my own investigations, Ive since learned that the tyres are over stretched on the wheels which are in turn not the correct size for the car. The tyres are the original and true size stretched over wheels 30mm wider than standard. When I reported this to the garage they told me that the car was safe and that "their" tyre centre said the tyres fitted (205s) would be what they would fit on these wheels (8J). This must be untrue as I have since been to this tyre centre and they have told me that they would not fit this size tyre to that wheel and put this in writing. I have since learned that should the correct tyre size be fitted to this wheel (235s) then it would clash with the bodywork in certain conditions. Therefore I take it this makes the car unsafe. The garage concerned are not accepting responsibility for this whatsoever, even though clearly they have been lying and avoiding communication from both myself and the finance company who "own" the car. What I could do with knowing is am I in the right here. Yes, I accept I knew the wheels were non standard, but is it my responsibility to check they are correct for the car? Surely this is the garage's responsibility to ensure that the wheels (and car are fit for the purpose it was sold for and therefore if the wheels are too big than the manufacturer recommend would that not be their call? Or is this my call simply because I new the wheels where non standard. The tyres are too narrow for the wheel so there is not enough grip on the road, therefore making it unstable. Any advice would be very much appreciated. Im about to go to Trading Standards on this, but if anyone here knows anything then please do advise. Thank you Martin (Oxford)