cracked 326 wheels, have to pay labor?
- Thread starter robertd33
- Start date
To your question, I have been told my BMW Certified warranty covers both parts AND labor for claimed repairs. I know the dealers are recompensed for the their labor, but also know them to try and maximize profits! If its a warranty claim - labor should be BMWs problem.
Having said that, and NFN, but as I looked for a second set of wheels for my E89, I had a chance to visit a company outside Pittsburgh that makes wheels and cast, forged, CNC'ed and assembled alloy parts for the aerospace industry. I learned a great deal. There are six or seven different methods of making a simple road wheel and the costs are different, but the final product is equally different in strength, appearance, etc. I admired the 326 wheels and wanted the split 5 spoke design until that visit. Like many dated technologies in our beloved Zeds, most all wheels from OEM companies are 'gravity cast' wheels and not nearly as robust as low or high pressure fed cast techniques. Since I intend to track this car occasionally, I wanted higher confidence than a gravity cast wheel with a history of cracking could give me. I opted for an aftermarket supplier and a wheel that mimics pretty close the 326 design - and actually paid less for a wheel that was cast with modern techniques, (low pressure casting), that promised a more dense metal and a stronger wheel. Some premium wheels command higher prices simply because their manufacturing techniques are more expensive, but they can be several times as strong as simple OEM gravity cast wheels.
Just saying....
Having said that, and NFN, but as I looked for a second set of wheels for my E89, I had a chance to visit a company outside Pittsburgh that makes wheels and cast, forged, CNC'ed and assembled alloy parts for the aerospace industry. I learned a great deal. There are six or seven different methods of making a simple road wheel and the costs are different, but the final product is equally different in strength, appearance, etc. I admired the 326 wheels and wanted the split 5 spoke design until that visit. Like many dated technologies in our beloved Zeds, most all wheels from OEM companies are 'gravity cast' wheels and not nearly as robust as low or high pressure fed cast techniques. Since I intend to track this car occasionally, I wanted higher confidence than a gravity cast wheel with a history of cracking could give me. I opted for an aftermarket supplier and a wheel that mimics pretty close the 326 design - and actually paid less for a wheel that was cast with modern techniques, (low pressure casting), that promised a more dense metal and a stronger wheel. Some premium wheels command higher prices simply because their manufacturing techniques are more expensive, but they can be several times as strong as simple OEM gravity cast wheels.
Just saying....
