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326 M Alloy Cracked

Alloy wheels and tyre discussion
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Wrs
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326 M Alloy Cracked

Post by Wrs » Thu Sep 29, 2016 10:12 pm

Z4 went into Vines of Guildford last week to fix a couple of issues. During the health check they discovered 2 cracks in one of the rear alloys :thumbsdown: . I did have a hunch as I was losing about 0.5 bar between checking pressures. Gutted :( especially at £585 for a replacement.

After numerous phone calls with Vines & BMW they will not replace under AUC warranty. I received conflicting information from start to finish but bottom line is they will not cover under warranty or contribute as a gesture of goodwill. Trust me I tried! Sales Manager at Vines Ian Hughes even threatened to report the courtesy car I had as stolen :o "as your car is ready for collection and you are using one of my company cars". It got a bit silly to be honest and its safe to say I won't be going back to Vines after my recent experience.

From what I have established if your Z4 is less than 3 years old your cracked alloys will be replaced under Manufacturers Warranty (subject to a run-out test). If older than 3 years, very unlikely.

I am deliberating whether I should sell the 3 x 326 M alloys (very good condition) individually with run flat tyres (6-7mm treads) or buy a replacement and sell as a set?

I am going to go for some aftermarket alloys to prevent more cracks and get rid of the run flats at the same time.
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ronk
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326 M Alloy Cracked

Post by ronk » Thu Sep 29, 2016 11:20 pm

It's all a bit one sided when they want to hit you with the runout test - they should be asked for the inspection report for the wheel when it left the factory !
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326 M Alloy Cracked

Post by MACK » Fri Sep 30, 2016 5:12 am

Not good, but only what I have come to expect from main dealers to be honest. Have you considered just replacing the damaged wheel, or even have it welded/repaired professionally. Then replacing just the tyres. I didn't think the 326 was particularly problematic wheel in this regard and its probably more down to bad luck/poor roads and of course the awful runflat tyres.
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326 M Alloy Cracked

Post by Wrs » Fri Sep 30, 2016 8:31 am

ronk wrote:It's all a bit one sided when they want to hit you with the runout test - they should be asked for the inspection report for the wheel when it left the factory !
Yep agreed! Congrats on the new car btw. Stunning!
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326 M Alloy Cracked

Post by Stark » Fri Sep 30, 2016 8:38 am

I'm the king of cracked E89 wheels. 11 in total - 0nly paid out for one. Only way around this is to swap the tyres. Jimbo did and has had no issues since.

326's look the best so try and keep them if you can

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326 M Alloy Cracked

Post by Wrs » Fri Sep 30, 2016 8:49 am

MACK wrote:Not good, but only what I have come to expect from main dealers to be honest. Have you considered just replacing the damaged wheel, or even have it welded/repaired professionally. Then replacing just the tyres. I didn't think the 326 was particularly problematic wheel in this regard and its probably more down to bad luck/poor roads and of course the awful runflat tyres.
Yes did consider just replacing the damaged alloy Mack.. before tyres etc.

I am only 5 months into ownership of my 35is and would like to avoid the cost of replacing another 326 M alloy as from what I have read its likely to happen again. Some say it because of the run flats side wall.. others say it still happens with non run flats fitted. It's a shame as I love the 326 M style.

Just wondering if it's worth it / whether I'd get my money back buying a replacement & selling as a set rather than not buying a replacement & selling the 3 individually.

Either way thinking of upgrading to Michelin Pilot Super Sports and purchase either CSL reps or 5 spokes from cmwheels. I am not sure if CSL reps are going to suit...
Gone - Black Sapphire Z4 E89 35is
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326 M Alloy Cracked

Post by Wrs » Fri Sep 30, 2016 8:51 am

Stark wrote:I'm the king of cracked E89 wheels. 11 in total - 0nly paid out for one. Only way around this is to swap the tyres. Jimbo did and has had no issues since.

326's look the best so try and keep them if you can
11 :o . Wow. Is your Z less than 3 years old by any chance? Thanks for the advice Stark.
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326 M Alloy Cracked

Post by Stark » Fri Sep 30, 2016 9:00 am

I sold mine two years ago but yes it was 4 years old when I sold it.....but it's the tyres 100%.....

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326 M Alloy Cracked

Post by Stark » Fri Sep 30, 2016 9:01 am

3 of them were outside of warranty and they did it as a goodwill after a huge issue I had in Germany on a Euro trip the summer before......

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326 M Alloy Cracked

Post by MACK » Fri Sep 30, 2016 12:22 pm

I am only 5 months into ownership of my 35is and would like to avoid the cost of replacing another 326 M alloy as from what I have read its likely to happen again. Some say it because of the run flats side wall.. others say it still happens with non run flats fitted. It's a shame as I love the 326 M style.

It is a real shame and the 326 are my favourite E89 wheel aswell. I hadn't realised this style was problematic, I thought it was the 296 that were the issue on the E89.

Just wondering if it's worth it / whether I'd get my money back buying a replacement & selling as a set rather than not buying a replacement & selling the 3 individually.

I would personally sell them individually, it will take longer but wheels seem to go for more individually rather than a set so to speak. Also have you considered hanging on to them and having the damaged one repaired to put the full set back on the car come sale time?

Either way thinking of upgrading to Michelin Pilot Super Sports and purchase either CSL reps or 5 spokes from cmwheels. I am not sure if CSL reps are going to suit...[/quote] I have read good things about the new PS4 tyre. If the reviews are right its supposed to be more of a replacement for the PSS than PS3. They are a lot cheaper than the PSS to buy and come in around the same as the PS3, in fact some places list them cheaper than the corresponding PS3! Strange but true.
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326 M Alloy Cracked

Post by ronk » Fri Sep 30, 2016 1:12 pm

If you ever consider trading the car into a dealer then it's worth hanging onto the original kit as the dealer will probably deduct the the cost to return it to standard.
You don't stop playing when you get old - You get old when you stop playing!
So I bought a 35is with all the toys to play with. :thumbsup:

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326 M Alloy Cracked

Post by lowrider » Fri Sep 30, 2016 5:51 pm

I have 296 alloys made out of chocolate. I've had the cracked alloy problem. Best advice get the wheel repaired and change the tyres for non runflats and change to 40 and 35 ratio. This should solve your problem and improve the ride quality especially if you have roads like in Manchester with speed bumps and pot holes. Happy motoring.

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326 M Alloy Cracked

Post by Wrs » Fri Sep 30, 2016 6:05 pm

Thanks for the advice guys.

Ideally yes I'd like to keep hold of the original alloys for the next owner but as my 35is is not my daily and I don't plan to sell anytime soon I am thinking of putting the cash from selling the 3 good alloys / tyres towards the £1300+ bill for after market alloys & new non run flat tyres. Less costly and will stop me being paranoid about the others cracking.
Gone - Black Sapphire Z4 E89 35is
Gone - Midnight Blue Z4 E85 3.0si

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326 M Alloy Cracked

Post by Wrs » Sun Oct 02, 2016 4:51 pm

MACK wrote:I am only 5 months into ownership of my 35is and would like to avoid the cost of replacing another 326 M alloy as from what I have read its likely to happen again. Some say it because of the run flats side wall.. others say it still happens with non run flats fitted. It's a shame as I love the 326 M style.

It is a real shame and the 326 are my favourite E89 wheel aswell. I hadn't realised this style was problematic, I thought it was the 296 that were the issue on the E89.

Just wondering if it's worth it / whether I'd get my money back buying a replacement & selling as a set rather than not buying a replacement & selling the 3 individually.

I would personally sell them individually, it will take longer but wheels seem to go for more individually rather than a set so to speak. Also have you considered hanging on to them and having the damaged one repaired to put the full set back on the car come sale time?

Either way thinking of upgrading to Michelin Pilot Super Sports and purchase either CSL reps or 5 spokes from cmwheels. I am not sure if CSL reps are going to suit... I have read good things about the new PS4 tyre. If the reviews are right its supposed to be more of a replacement for the PSS than PS3. They are a lot cheaper than the PSS to buy and come in around the same as the PS3, in fact some places list them cheaper than the corresponding PS3! Strange but true.
Yes the 326's are known to crack based on the research I have done, many horror stories online. Thanks for your suggestion re: selling individually. I had a quick look on eBay and can see they are fetching more individually. Its annoying as all the tyres (Bridgestone Potenza's) have 6-7mm tread left :headbang: and you get nowhere near the £180 (front) & £240+ (rear) prices paid back when you re-sell.

I am now contemplating getting the one that is cracked repaired and keeping hold of them for when I sell my Z. I will defiantly be buying aftermarket alloys in the meantime. Too many choices!! Learning offsets etc as we speak.

How strange re: PS4 prices. Unfortunately when I had a search on BlackCircles only PSS came up. I didn't get the PS4 as an option. Thanks again.
Last edited by Wrs on Sun Oct 02, 2016 4:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Gone - Black Sapphire Z4 E89 35is
Gone - Midnight Blue Z4 E85 3.0si

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326 M Alloy Cracked

Post by Wrs » Sun Oct 02, 2016 4:55 pm

Does anyone happen to know a good welder for repairing 326 M alloys in Surrey? Any dealings with http://www.thewheelwizard.ltd.uk/alloy_ ... pairs.html?

Here is a (not very good) video of the 2 cracks on my alloy: https://video.citnow.com/vxKBMjC598U

Cheers
Gone - Black Sapphire Z4 E89 35is
Gone - Midnight Blue Z4 E85 3.0si

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