Do you also have Cracked Wheels? Uneven tyre wear?

Maniac said:
Never looked at my rears until today... Have a very odd wear pattern. Looks like the prior owner may have under inflated and there's a groove on both rears on the inner edge.

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When I bought the car I never checked the tyres this closely, durr. I've set the pressures to match the sticker on the drivers door and this looks fine now tho the ride is harder. It's going in for brake fluid shortly so will ask the dealer for thoughts on the grooves.
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Hi "Maniac",

I bought my car today for a service to the dealer. I was asking him about the 296 crack problems so one of the mechanics checked the wheels. He made the remark that the inner of the tire surface was worn, just like your pictures are shown. He stated that my tire pressure is too low and will cause this kind of wear out.

How many bars of air pressure did you use in the rear wheels before. How many miles?
 
I had the car about 6/7 weeks before I checked the tyres, rears were at 2,2 bar as I recall. Should be 2,9 that's over 10psi lower than they should be. A lot. Mileage is very low as I commute only 10 miles a day. It was also thru winter.

Am hoping now I'm on the correct pressure that I can get more miles out of them as they're around £280 a tyre to replace!

I'll be speaking with the dealer I got the car from tho, as these pressures would have been set for me when buying... While it's my responsibility to check them, I think they are partly culpable given they supplied it this way. He said he said scenario tho so I don't hold much hope.
 
Maniac said:
I had the car about 6/7 weeks before I checked the tyres, rears were at 2,2 bar as I recall. Should be 2,9 that's over 10psi lower than they should be. A lot. Mileage is very low as I commute only 10 miles a day. It was also thru winter.

Am hoping now I'm on the correct pressure that I can get more miles out of them as they're around £280 a tyre to replace!

I'll be speaking with the dealer I got the car from tho, as these pressures would have been set for me when buying... While it's my responsibility to check them, I think they are partly culpable given they supplied it this way. He said he said scenario tho so I don't hold much hope.
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I ran the car with 2.3-2.4 bar for several months (~2700miles). The dealer advised to keep the pressure arround 2.8 and keep an eye on the rear tyres to be sure it isn't getting worst. He showed me a RFT tire where the inner side wall was ripped apart from the tread. It looked like the stiff side wall had cut the tread part of the tire.
 
Maniac said:
When I bought the car I never checked the tyres this closely, durr. I've set the pressures to match the sticker on the drivers door and this looks fine now tho the ride is harder. It's going in for brake fluid shortly so will ask the dealer for thoughts on the grooves.
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BS from the mechanic, I have exactly the same wear pattern and run 44psi in the back as per the sticker in the door , also the service manager told me he has "piles" of tires that look just like it with inner wear. It's from the camber setup on the car.
 
I actually checked my tyre pressures yesterday (296 wheels).

The fronts should be 2.3 bar ( ~33 to 34 psi)
The rears should be 2.8 bar ( ~ 41 psi)

The ride does usually feel a lot firmer after they have been set to the correct values, but I would rather have it like this which should hopefully protect the wheels from cracking...? :?
 
mcbeee said:
BS from the mechanic, I have exactly the same wear pattern and run 44psi in the back as per the sticker in the door , also the service manager told me he has "piles" of tires that look just like it with inner wear. It's from the camber setup on the car.
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Then that's outrageous if BMW sell cars who's tyres last less than 10k miles and can burst on an inner edge under correct pressure and guidance.. People would look at most of the surface and think they're ok. This means run flats could actually cause failure.
 
It would be but I have 26000kms on mine and a fair bit to go yet and I didn't get that much on my PS2's on my M3 with less torque and the same with my first Z3, I figure a set of rears every season and a half and fronts every two seasons. I'm actually surprised at how long these P.O.S RFT's have lasted....
 
I was going to buy 19" for mine but I decided a while ago to stay with 18". The roads near me are just too bad! Seeing this has just cemented my case!

Hope they get it sorted, but will you have confidence in the replacements now? :?
 
OK so the dealer has confirmed these tyres should be replaced. Great news after just six months of ownership. While I press ahead on a battle with BMW and Bridgestone, I've been told I should replace the tyres with Pirelli P-Zero's (RFT). Does anyone know the cheapest place to get these in the UK? (255/30/19)
 
lacroupade said:
To be absolutely fair, I think that while the dealer does their best to help, anyone running 19" rims and ultra-low profile tyres on a fast car in the UK with the roads in the state they are, and doesn't expect damage, is kidding themselves. IF all you do is motorway mileage then its a fair cop, but outside of that its realistic to expect damage on any car, not just a BMW.

Contentious maybe but its my opinion. :)
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OK, I accept your opinion, however I purchased this vehicle from BMW UK with these 19” wheels with RFT’s already fitted. I did not specify this set up, it’s what BMW UK delivered the car with. I therefore expect at the least the vehicle to be safe and fit for purpose, irrelevant to what the road conditions are. If the UK roads are of such a state that these wheels and tyre set-ups cannot deal with it adequately or safely, then BMW should not be supplying this set-up on UK roads. I am not a mechanic or a car dealer with experience in these areas, I am a consumer that expects to have my consumer / statutory rights provided and protected.
 
Maniac said:
OK so the dealer has confirmed these tyres should be replaced. Great news after just six months of ownership. While I press ahead on a battle with BMW and Bridgestone, I've been told I should replace the tyres with Pirelli P-Zero's (RFT). Does anyone know the cheapest place to get these in the UK? (255/30/19)
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Same here Maniac; I have 6 months on this vehicle and have a bill for £1500, so will be following up on the BMW Bridgestone battle too. PM me and let me know your plans.
 
Hi all

To update you on my experiences so far I have had a wheel replaced that was cracked and have had to have 2 tyres replaced due to (SUB NORMAL) uneven wear. The vehicle was supplied with 19” wheels with RFT’s. I did not specify this set up; it’s what BMW UK delivered the car with. I therefore expect at the least the vehicle to be safe and fit for purpose, irrelevant to what the road conditions are.

The crack is on the inside edge of the wheel and a proper look would easily have missed it. If the tyre had not gone flat it would have been missed and carried on cracking until goodness knows what could have happened.

Important to note is the fact that the flat tyre indicator completely missed this (as I am led to believe this system only notices a sudden drop in pressure) so be aware you need to regularly check your tyres, not only visually but with a tyre pressure gauge. At the least, I check mine every tank of fuel.

The fact that these tyres are low profile and RFT can no doubt mean that low pressure could be missed and this is therefore IMHO a serious safety issue.

So at the cost of 1 and a half thousand pounds after only having the car 6 months how do I feel?

In summary I am unhappy about this and am unwilling to let this go; it is not the money, rather the principle.

Notes / reasoning:
The refund on a cracked wheel; BMW’s “get out” clause here is that if the wheel is 3 mm (0.12") out of round then they will not refund the cost of your rim. IMHO this is unacceptable, as they did not provide me with any proof that the rim was not out of round when I purchased the vehicle, therefore out of goodwill, they should provide the replacement FOC.

BMW Commitment:
I was lead to believe that any issues with the vehicle within 12 months of purchase would be dealt with under this commitment and covered by BMW warranty. It appears that cracks in your alloys are not part of the “contract.” I am therefore currently investigating this further as a breach of contract issue.

Back wheels only:
The fact that the only reports are of back wheel cracking makes me further suspicious of what’s going on here. Let’s be honest here BMW, you do not have to be a rocket scientist to accept and understand that if this was a pot hole issue, then front wheels would be cracking also.

If there was a reason other than this, I would assume it could be attributable to either one or several compounding issues (all of which are under the control of the manufacturer)- for example:
Defects in the wheel during design & manufacture stages
Defects in the tyre during design & manufacture stages
Unsuitable wheel design with this tyre selection
Unacceptable strength & durability of wheel
Unacceptable strength & durability of tyre
Unsuitability of this wheel design and tyre choice as suitable for this vehicle / weight / suspension etc.
Unsuitability of this wheel on this tyre with the high camber of this vehicle on rear

NOTE*
Also interested to know if this issue is further compounded by the fact that the roof of this vehicle gets placed over the rear wheels when folded into boot space, therefore considerably changing the weight ratio of rear end.

Pot Holes:
I avoid pot holes like the plague and cannot recall hitting one yet; however, some roads are so bad that you would become a dangerous driver due to the pot hole avoidance radar being constantly on. This is where the design & manufacture of your wheels and tyres come into play, as they have to be fit for the task at hand ; i.e. fit for purpose

Fit for purpose:
Personally I find it utterly irrelevant that Britain’s roads have pot holes. Our consumer law clearly states “FIT FOR PURPOSE” so - if a wheel and tyre system has been supplied on a vehicle by BMW UK (i.e. a BMW 296 wheel & Bridgestone RFT) that is not up to the task of keeping you safe on our roads, then this is a serious safety issue and we need to be contacting VOSA. VOSA is responsible for investigating safety defects in vehicles on UK roads.

VOSA states
The codes define a safety defect as:
“A feature of design or construction liable to cause a significant risk of personal injury or death”.
Evidence must exist to show that there is a safety defect as defined above and the defect must be common to a number of units.

Do you accept and agree that uneven tyre wear and cracked wheels are a safety issue?

So if you are experiencing, or have experienced issues with your wheels being unsafe; or your tyres performing inadequately or wearing unevenly, then complete a safety defect report here at VOSA site
http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/onlineservices/vehicledefects.htm

Warranty issues? Motor industry code of practice
http://www.motorcodes.co.uk/our-codes/vehicle-warranty-product/

Finally: I am unhappy that I have been sold a vehicle that has inherent issues with not only uneven and costly tyre wear but safety issues like cracked wheels. I will be contacting the manufacturer with an aim of a full refund - if they are not forthcoming then the wheel is going to MIRA for a full investigation and possible further action post the report stage.
 
Some time ago BMW admitted, did they not, that there was an issue with 19" wheels on the 3 series coupe. They also stopped them from being ordered on the BMW configuration website. I thought the issue was specific to that model/design of alloy. I'm disappointed that style 296 also seems to be affected, since this is a new style that's only been around 2 years?

I'm guessing if you look under the car from the rear, where you can see part of the inside edge of both alloys, that is where you are likely to see a crack starting?

Something has just occurred to me as I type this...is it only vehicles with 19's and sports suspension that are affected, or perhaps more susceptable to cracking?

Good luck in getting this sorted and keep us updated on how you get on. :thumbsup:
 
Only 35is comes with adaptive sports suspension as standard. All other models have standard suspension.
 
I specifically asked salesman with witnesses present before purchasing car if any Z4 had problems with 19s cracking and was told it was only 3 series on a specific alloy type.
Was told if car developed faults then they would replace them with 18s as they had done for 3 series' with fault.
Be interesting to see if they do!
Two of my alloys are scuffed on outer rim after running alongside Kerb in multi-storey they my say this has caused tyre wear problem :thumbsdown:
 
So whats the plan of action then?

I will check my wheels monthly now......my two rears were gorn to the metal on the inner part of the tyre
 
iwatchlive said:
Fit for purpose:
Personally I find it utterly irrelevant that Britain’s roads have pot holes. Our consumer law clearly states “FIT FOR PURPOSE” so - if a wheel and tyre system has been supplied on a vehicle by BMW UK (i.e. a BMW 296 wheel & Bridgestone RFT) that is not up to the task of keeping you safe on our roads, then this is a serious safety issue and we need to be contacting VOSA. VOSA is responsible for investigating safety defects in vehicles on UK roads.
.
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No disrespect - I have every sympathy with your plight - but I find that statement naive in the extreme.

This is not a BMW-specific problem - you can Google almost any make of car you like and find a smorgasbord of cracked alloys. Its just that people make a bit more fuss because of the cost and envy issues.

And fit for purpose is a common-sense description. Would you happily drive up a standard kerb in a Ford Focus (slowly)? Of course. Would you do it in a Ferrari? Of course not. Does that make the Ferrari unfit for purpose? Of course not.

Fact is many of the roads in the UK are in an appalling condition and getting worse every year.....not just with potholes but drain covers, manholes etc that have dropped and cause massive trauma to a vehicle passing over them at speed, and I'm not surprised that such low-profile rubber causes problems.

But good luck with your initiative. :)
 
I have had 13 cars in 8 years, and not one of them has had a cracked wheel...4 of them have been large wheeled sports cars - and 2 x 6 series both with 19 inch wheels with runflats - and no cracks
 
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