Now my turn on the 296 Wheel of Fortune

[Kryton]

These 296's really are a naff wheel

Avoid like the plague and buy 326's

[Kryton]

I have run this through our QC already and he is very confident of a win on this if we decide to move on it, especially with the history and evidence we have

so you/others have a spare £50+k to spend fighting BMW?


I also expect compensation for the direct costs I have been subjected to (wheels, KDS, Tyres, Tyres, etc etc) due to the faults with these wheels.

It would also be advisable for you to offer some form of good will gesture to make up for the associated inconvenience these issues have caused not to mention the loss of business due to re-scheduling appointments with customers every time I get another cracked wheel / flat tyre / etc. etc.

I hope that you do in fact want my continued custom and do not want to lose any more customers over this issue and expect you would prefer us to not be considering switching to your competitors.
I hope you are genuinely sorry for not only the hassle we have endured due to faulty & dangerous wheels but also the associated loss of use that entails when this happens to us.IWL

and you live on which planet?

[Z4 Beemer]

I still have a gut feeling its got something to do with the setup on the 35i, although sars did say she knew of a 23i owner that was affected.

[iwatchlive]

so you/others have a spare £50+k to spend fighting BMW?

It all depends on whether we want to pursue the moral perspective really doesn’t it, and in reality you need money to make your point heard in today’s society. From previous experience I am confident this could be done relatively cost effectively; I have for example taken up litigation against large multinationals before, the last time was settled on the day of the main court hearing (5th time in court on this case) and we won (accepted an out of court settlement) so we got all the costs back anyway, but these were in the order of 15K direct costs including the solicitor, QC and court time. (& this does not include putting a value to my personal time spent on the case spread over the 5 years getting to court) so lets be honest here - litigation is time consuming and costly no matter how its performed.

FYI on costs (i.e. claims) less than 5K this would be settled in small claims court and from recollection this costs about £80 to submit to court if you know what you are doing and DIY it (i.e. if you are not using professionals, solicitors, expert witnesses etc)

This issue would no doubt go this way unless there was a class action, and TBH I would need everyone interested in this route to contact me first to gauge whether this was a route worth pursuing anyway.

and you live on which planet?

Touché – I am from Planet Kryptonite

To cut to the quick though, IMHO- BMW have sold / fitted a product that does not perform to the standard that one would normally expect, this is why the 296 wheels have been redesigned isn't it. Secondly they are clearly not fit for purpose which contravenes trading standards (in the UK at least) which also results in what are in fact quite dangerous issues when you consider that wheels are cracking and the tyres are going instantly flat. This is not good on any vehicle, let alone on a considerably high performance vehicle that offers increased performance / speed, etc.

For me , this issue is compounded by the fact my primary concern is the safety and reliability of my beautiful Z4 not the money this has cost me- hence my preference to have all the wheels on my Zed to be the new style 296's, what I would be prepared to settle for in litigation would be different if I am forced to pursue action, I would rather that BMW takes the bull by the horns and deals with this issue promptly and efficiently, thus minimising any further inconvenience to us the customers and negates the need for us to start publicising this rather concerning safety issue in the press and on TV as others are suggesting.

We all must remember too that generally (and in my case at least ) the purchase of an E89 is an emotive one, this surely brings out strong emotions when something isn't as it should be or something isn't dealt with efficiently when its my safety at stake

regards

IWL

[bazzae123]

Hi Guy's,

24 hours later and a new wheel fitted under warranty. I was expecting a fews days for BMW to decide the outcome but received the call this morning to say the new rim was already at the dealers, so off I went.
Full marks to Fairfield BMW in leigh on sea so 1 down 3 to go, I hope not!

Just out of curiosity, there in mention of the 296 being redesigned is there any info on this anywhere outlining what was actually done? Fairfield are saying the rim hasn't been changed otherwise it would have a new part number and according to them it hasn't changed.

Bazza