Choosing a forged wheel maker: 12 checks before you pay

Before you pay for a set of forged wheels, check twelve points, all of which can be checked in writing: the seller's identity, its VAT number, the full price, the alloy and the process, what the standard statement covers, the measurements, the design, the lead time, payment, cancellation and returns, the warranty and the invoice. Each one can be checked before the order, in the seller's documents or in a public register. They are the same questions for every seller, ourselves included.

The 12 checks

Point by point

1. The company exists and gives its name

A company's website must show its legal notice: its company name, legal form, registered office address and share capital, its RCS or SIREN number, an email address and a telephone number, its VAT number (Service Public Entreprendre). With the SIREN, the Annuaire des entreprises shows:

• the date the company was created;
• its activity;
• its registered office.

2. Its VAT number is valid

An intra-EU VAT number can be checked in a few seconds in VIES. A number unknown to VIES raises a question about the invoice you will receive.

3. The price covers the full set

Compare like with like: the set of four, including VAT, delivered. Some sellers show a price per wheel, others a price excluding taxes or in dollars. Payment fees and import duties are sometimes added at the moment of paying or on delivery.

4. The alloy and the process are named

“Forged” and “flow formed” are two different processes: a flow formed wheel has a cast centre. A precise seller names the alloy and the construction. The differences are explained in Forged, cast or flow formed.

5. The standard statement says what it covers

A wheel can be designed to a standard without having been cleared for your vehicle in your country. Before you order, ask:

• what the body in your country will require;
• which documents the seller can give you.

The French, Belgian, Luxembourg, Swiss, German and Austrian rules are set out in Forged wheels, the French roadworthiness test and registration.

6. The measurements are sent in writing before manufacture

The width and the offset decide where the wheel sits in the arch, and therefore whether it passes the roadworthiness test. Ask who works them out, from what data, and whether you receive them for your agreement before manufacture.

7. The design is agreed before machining

The design of a forged wheel comes from machining a block. A render or a drawing agreed before production starts avoids discovering the design on delivery.

8. The lead time is in writing, with its starting point

The seller gives a lead time or a date. Otherwise, it must deliver no later than 30 days after the order (service-public.fr). For a wheel made to order, check:

• what starts the lead time: payment, a deposit or your agreement to the measurements;
• whether it includes shipping;
• what you can do if it is exceeded.

9. What the first payment is worth, and the payment schedule

As a general rule under French law, a deposit called an acompte binds both parties firmly, while a deposit called arrhes allows withdrawal: the buyer loses it, and the seller who does not deliver repays it twice over. But these rules do not apply to products made to measure (service-public.fr).

For forged wheels made to order, the clause in the contract is therefore what counts. It should say:

• whether the first payment commits you, or whether you can withdraw, and at what cost;
• when the following payments fall due;
• whether the balance is due before or after delivery.

10. Cancellation and returns are in writing

The 14-day right of withdrawal does not apply to goods made to your request or clearly personalised (service-public.fr). The same text states that simply choosing standard options, such as a colour or a finish, is not enough to make goods clearly personalised.

If the seller excludes withdrawal, it must be able to say how the wheel is made to your specifications. It must also put in writing:

• until when you can cancel, and at what cost;
• within what time damage found on receipt must be reported.

11. The commercial warranty is in writing

A commercial warranty is optional, but its content must appear in a written contract that sets its conditions (service-public.fr). It is in addition to the legal guarantee of conformity, which lets you take action for 2 years from the delivery of new goods (service-public.fr).

12. The invoice shows the VAT

A company's invoice shows in particular its company name, its SIREN, its registered office address, its legal form and share capital, its VAT number, the applicable VAT rate and the total amounts excluding and including VAT (Service Public Entreprendre). Keep it: it is used for the warranty and for registration procedures.

Our answers to these 12 points

We apply the same checklist to ourselves. Each answer refers to the document that commits us.

A question before you order: write to customer service from the contact page.

Sources

• Service Public Entreprendre, mandatory information on a company's website, in French, checked on 31 July 2023.
• Service-public.fr, delivery of a distance purchase, in French, checked on 5 September 2025.
• Service-public.fr, right of withdrawal, in French, checked on 1 January 2026.
• Service-public.fr, legal guarantee of conformity, in French, checked on 17 August 2026.
• Service-public.fr, commercial warranty, in French, checked on 2 September 2025.
• Service-public.fr, acompte, advance, arrhes and credit note, in French, checked on 5 August 2025.
• Service Public Entreprendre, mandatory information on an invoice, in French, checked on 11 August 2026.
• Annuaire des entreprises and VIES, accessed on 3 October 2026.
• Onyx Forged Terms and Conditions and legal notice.

Written by the Onyx Forged design office. Updated on 24 October 2026.