I need some HELP from Forum Members

R

Rolf-Dieter

Active member
 Near Niagara on the Lake tasting fine wine
I need some help or your opinion at least ...

What do you think came first ... a wheel bend or the crack?

I am attaching more close up photographs of the BMW Type 296 driver side rear wheel that has a 2.00" long crack approximately 0.031" (1/32") open at the very top.

I believe BMW runout check tolerance is 0.300 mm (Out off round check of the wheel)

Photos here (if this does not open I have a link below, go to Page 3 ---> http://web.me.com/solgain/My_New_BMW_Z4_sDrive35i/Photos_3.html

NOTE THE WHEEL IS CLEAN, ON THE OUTSIDE DIAMETER OF THE RIM THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO MARKINGS OR EVIDENCE OF ANY IMPACT DAMAGE WHATSOEVER.

What you think?

A) Crack came first ...

B) Bend came first ... (BMW refers to a bend as the wheel no longer being round)

C) Don't know ...

Thanks Fellow Forum Members for your Help :bow:
 
I know that on the 3 series coupe's with 19" M sport wheels, there were many issues and BMW eventually changed the design of the 19" M sport wheel. You are the only person I have heard that has had this issue with style 296.

My thoughts would be that you hit some kind of pothole that perhaps bent the alloy and weakened it at the same time. Perhaps a small crack appeared that eventually got bigger through general driving. During last winter I hit a lot of nasty potholes and at times was expecting the rims to be totally ruined. :(

How often do you check tyre pressures - can you be certain they were at the correct pressures before this issue occurred? From memory the 19" 255/30 y rated tyres are 2.8 bar (or 41 psi).

I find this quite worrying since I have style 296 also. I would also be inclined to escalate this past your dealer and onto customer services.
 
Z4 Beemer said:
I know that on the 3 series coupe's with 19" M sport wheels, there were many issues and BMW eventually changed the design of the 19" M sport wheel. You are the only person I have heard that has had this issue with style 296.

My thoughts would be that you hit some kind of pothole that perhaps bent the alloy and weakened it at the same time. Perhaps a small crack appeared that eventually got bigger through general driving. During last winter I hit a lot of nasty potholes and at times was expecting the rims to be totally ruined. :(

How often do you check tyre pressures - can you be certain they were at the correct pressures before this issue occurred? From memory the 19" 255/30 y rated tyres are 2.8 bar (or 41 psi).

I find this quite worrying since I have style 296 also. I would also be inclined to escalate this past your dealer and onto customer services.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your post.

I do check my tire pressure on a weekly basis. It might have happened during a 3 week US road trip I just took. It was discovered due to a flat RFT in IDAHO USA. The driver side rear wheel was changed, as we did this I had all other wheels checked as well. We found 2 hairline cracks on the rear passenger side wheel. I drove home with the hairline cracks. Then my BMW dealer changed the wheel with hairline cracks under warranty.

Perhaps you are right that the driver side wheel cracked some time back (before the flat). Then opened up during the initial road trip. BMW claims the wheel is BEND and will not replace it under warranty. I am quite alarmed, based up on what I read in many posts at the UK Watchdog Site (I googled "19 inch BMW wheel cracks) and the Watchdog site came up. Like yourself I could not see anyone making reference to wheel type only to the 19 inch size.

Thanks again.

PS. I plan to check the runout next week in a vertical boring mill to establish the magnitude of the runout (dial readings). Perhaps this will shed some light on it. IMO I think that BMW should not sell 19 inch wheels with RFT if this is the outcome. I hate to think what would have happened if the wheel totally failed during high speed like over taking a truck I do get up to 90 miles per hour even here in North America.
 
Lots and lots of people talking about cracks with 19" alloys on 3 series and specifically M Sport models, which will have style 225 alloys. These were the ones that BMW stopped offering on 3 series coupe and cabrio models, then eventually they offered a new style altogether.

If there is no visible damage on the wheel, other than the crack, then that would be my argument for trying to argue that a manufacturing defect is present.
 
Thanks ... I am surprised of how little help / response there is, considering that so many 19 inch rear wheels have cracked

seams like no interest at all Hmmmmm
 
Z4 Beemer,

Yes I did go thru a small pot hole also a sep (road construction) in the road. However, there was no contact at all with the pothole or step in the road, they were both fairly small.

It must have been the RFT stiff sidewall exerting elevated stress, bending forces to the weaker side of the inner outer rim. My feelings anyway.

I ADDED ONE MORE PHOTO SHOWING THE INSIDE OF THE RIM, NOTE THERE ARE NO ROAD MARKS WHATSOEVER

For the photo click here ---> http://web.me.com/solgain/My_New_BMW_Z4_sDrive35i/Photos_3.html#1

There are marks on the inside from the tire machine as the tire was removed by others. The small BMW Dealership in Idaho had n Tire Machine so they took me to another place. The bend that BMW is referring to might very well have been inflicted by the tire machine. As we well know it does not take much force to deflect a round alloy wheel. Go figure, this BMW Dealership can sell cars costing well over 100K however, cannot handle tire changes.

Thanks for your post and vote :thumbsup:
 
I've just noticed this thread, sorry.
I think it was on your road trip thread I made comment. (may even told you to google for watchdog programme) I did ask dealer before buying car and he assured me it was only 3 series that had problem. Both my offside wheels are scuffed on outer rim due to bad multi-storey desigm :thumbsdown:
 
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