Cracked wheels - 19 326 evidence

Z

Zed Five

Senior member
Nothing related to me, but spotted this. :(


'slight cracks' :rofl: I'd hate to see a severe crack on one of these wheels.


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENUINE-SET-BMW-E89-Z4-19-M-Sport-Double-Spoke-326-Alloy-Wheel-and-Tyres-5-7MM-/180925004964?pt=UK_CarParts_Acc_Wheels_tyres_Rims_Car_Wheels_ET&hash=item2a1ff87ca4


:thumbsdown:
 
BackBlade said:
The tires look sun aged and brittle...
Click to expand...


I think that's the least of the worries. One of the wheels is practically split in two. 326 wheels apparently seem to endure cracks too then :(
 
BackBlade said:
The tires look sun aged and brittle...
Click to expand...

Err that's what the seller is refering to I think ??

I did a double take and realised the first image has a water stain/run of tyre black from where he has washed the wheels. Still a lot of dosh though.
 
Yeah, I think he means slight cracks in the rubber, not the wheels.

If he was aware of the issues then I suspect he would've worded the add better!
 
Take it back I thought it was the alloys that were cracked :oops:

Still a bit overpriced though but I guess cheaper than 2K.

Tim.
 
TitanTim said:
ronk said:
TitanTim said:
Way Way over priced, 300 more will buy you a brand spanking new set :|

Tim.
Click to expand...


£300 - You sure ?
Click to expand...

Just over 2K from alloy wheels direct, not sure how much from your friendly dealer although sometimes the dealer can be cheaper :)

Tim.
Click to expand...

Sorry Tim I completely misread your post! It all makes perfect sense now! :oops:

Now write 1000 times, I must pay more attention in the future!
 
One of my local BMW dealership mechanics admitted they'd received a lot of cars with cracked alloys on both rear and sometimes front nearside wheels, in particular on the 3 series Alpina's and z4's with 19" alloys combined with Bridgestone run flats. I had a tyre pressure light warning in August last year and when we popped the tyres off both rear alloys had hair line cracks, the near side was the worst with around five <1mm fault lines within the alloy inner lip which is flush to the inner tyre wall. here's a photo;

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hf8ib2300b8la6u/Alloy%20cracks.jpg

When I raised it with the service manager he ducked and dived and denied it was a regular issue, when I took my car in they gave me this cock & bull that their policy was to only take responsibility for alloy faults that were within a tolerance of 2 degrees, anything outside 2 degrees was not their liability and the fault was with me and the lovely potholes of Sheffield and further afield. And as if by magic, apparently my nearside was >2 degrees and the offide <2 so they were only prepared to pay for one wheel. I've a suspicion my nearside rear is cracked again, feel is not as solid when going over utility patches on the roads.
 
They cannot say what is the cause without a proper examination of the damage . The cracks could be stress, porosity in the casting, incorrect heat treatment , inclusions or even poor design criteria and probably many other reasons.

I very much doubt that a service manager is qualified or has the necessary resources to decide and determine cause of failure - Only a detailed in depth engineering / metallurgical tests will show possible causes - A hunch is not an acceptable explanation.

I'm not sure what you mean about the 2 degree thing?

I see an argument building if mine crack - Indeed I'm getting worried as well!

It very much sounds to me like the dealerships are being told what they have to say and how they deal with the problem.

It's all bringing my decision to buy my E89 with 326's into serious doubt!
 
No dealer will ever admit to being a known fault, or admission of liability. I've had a few wheels crack. 7 in total, 5 under warranty and 2 I have paid for, and the dealer paid for one of those 2....
 
^^ that video clip says it all, good post!

in a nutshell;
18" are a smoother ride and don't seem to have an issue with cracking, at least on roads near me they're the wise choice.
19" are a noticeably harder ride, they're at risk of cracking and cost more money

... But they look much cooler so 19"'s all the way! :driving:

You could cut a window in the side of the tyre wall and those things would still do the job.
 
Over what period have those seven wheels cracked?

I'm very much doubting my decision now. I had thought that it was an 18" problem and felt almost smug - not any more unfortunately. :(
 
well I might be wrong on the 18" not having a problem, I shouldn't have typed that without knowing more.

I guess your questions to Stark... my experience has been over fourteen months.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom