Now my turn on the 296 Wheel of Fortune

B

Buckie

Member
 Sydney
Hi Guys,

I recently purchased my friends 2010 sDrive 35i (he traded up to a Ferrari California) and i'm loving just about everything to do with with this car.

I got on the boards and had a read when I noticed reoccurring posts about cracked 296 wheels! I took your advise, and over weekend dropped off and
inspected my wheels only to find that BOTH rears are cracked. This is a car that has only done 14,000 km's in 18 months and not driven hard at all.
It's all very disappointing :cry:

The car is now with BMW Sydney so here we go. I'm ready for a fight as I feel this SHOULD be a warranty issue and after what I've read here
it is certainly a known issue. I'll Keep you posted and let you know how it turns out.
 
Some photos for you

Right side:
http://gallery.me.com/jamiebuckton/100093/IMG_0318/web.jpg?ver=13121723350001

Left side:
http://gallery.me.com/jamiebuckton/100093/IMG_0321/web.jpg?ver=13121723470001
 
Sorry to hear about the wheels...let us know how you get on mate
 
Good luck, just had mine replaced under warranty :thumbsup: and hope you manage to get them sorted without hassle.
 
srhutch said:
zebedee said:
Good luck, just had mine replaced under warranty :thumbsup: and hope you manage to get them sorted without hassle.
Click to expand...

Due to cracking?
Click to expand...

Yep, did all of the required tests and apparently found the wheels were not out of round so replaced under warranty.

Got some for sale now as I erred on the side of caution and bought some but pleasantly surprised when the job was sorted courtesy of BMW so don't need them now.
 
bazzae123 said:
With the cracks shown in the above photos does this cause them to lose pressure?

Bazza
Click to expand...

Hi Bazza,

No, the wheels haven't been losing pressure. The only reason decided to check the rims was the repeated posts on this forum complaining
about cracks. Really glad I did!

J.
 
Good News,

BMW Sydney have just phoned to say BMW will replace the rims under warranty :thumbsup:

The only down side is that the two rear tyres need to be replaced at AUD$650 ea.(£430.00 ea). Had
expected this as the wheel alignment had been out and the inside edge of each tyre was completely
worn. Still makes for an expensive trip to BMW.

J.
 
Hi Buckie,

:thumbsup: Welcome to the forum

FYI- the inside edge will always wear down far faster due to the reverse camber the wheels have. They are designed this way, its not a tracking, balance or alignment issue. If you search posts for more info you on this fact will find it.

Glad to hear your wheel issue is sorted though, great news

Regards - IWL :crazydude:
 
Sods law, I was just driving down to my local fitter to ask about fitting my set of Vredestein that I took of my 3 series to my E89 296's when my tyre warning message came up. Whilst it was on the ramp I checked all four for cracks. Yes, you're got it. The one that was reported as low pressure had these two little babies on the rim.

IMG_0038.jpg

IMG_0036.jpg


I phoned the dealer and I'm waiting to speak with the sales guy. Hopefully things will go my way but I'm not holding my breath.

Bazza
 
I know iwatch has a game plan but can't we just call Watchdog, I am sure they would love to rip another arsehole in BMW......
 
Hey Nick & all
It's really up to you as to what you do buddy, go ahead and talk to watchdog if you want –

FYI I have had the second cracked wheel replaced under warranty and have just been told that the first one that cracked (which cost me in £££'s) is now covered under warranty, :crazydude: so I expect they will be giving me a refund???
It's important to note that as well as two new rear 19" 296's I have had two tyres replaced as well, (at £400 a piece) all of which I am not expecting BMW to want to pay, however I do not see this as good enough myself, along with the rather costly venture of having KDS geometry check up too, all of which I feel BMW UK should be coughing up for. Add this to the other long list of issues I and many others have experienced and the historical evidence of cracking BMW wheels in other non Zeds BMW's too & there is a picture starting to be painted (we all know that at least this is how a judge would probably deem it if this continues into litigation)

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, but action is a lengthy matter and common sense & experience dictates that we should give BMW UK a chance to rectify this to our approval before taking action, so I am happy to give it a go first.

So BMW UK, if you are listening...

I am very unhappy with the fact that the BMW 296 wheels are not fit for purpose and are clearly a serious safety issue. You will see that there are many other drivers / forum members that feel the same that have also had serious issues with these wheels; clearly this is why you have pulled the wheels from sale and have redesigned them, isn't it? Why have they not been recalled then?

I am unhappy having any of the old versions of the 296 design wheels left on my vehicle at all and expect the two front ones to be replaced with the new design Free of charge with no question.

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.
I expect you genuinely want to restore my faith in your brand which to be honest is not at its peak right now, due to this and other issues I and many others have experienced / are still experiencing.

So come on BMW UK, here's your chance to respond publicly before you have to respond in writing to the papers coming to you this week.

regards

IWL
 
Good luck IWL, I hope BMW UK are listening.

Thanks as well, I did a search on rear wheel tyre wear and the results were again fascinating. It there some link between uneven tyre wear and cracked rims??
The service guy here at BMW Sydney has blamed both directly on under inflated tyres. I've only owned the car for 5 weeks so I can't vouch for the tyre
pressures for the past year but I will certainly be keeping a VERY close eye on them now. I don't plan on going through this all again (good luck you laugh and say).

The good news here is I had BMW put Perilli P-Zero RFT's on the back and, with the wheel alignment, they have transformed the car. It's an absolute pleasure
to drive now and I'm even more in love with this car :thumbsup:

J
 
These 296's really are a naff wheel :thumbsdown:

Avoid like the plague and buy 326's :thumbsup:
 
iwatchlive said:
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
Click to expand...

and you live on which planet? :)
 
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.
 
Kryton said:
so you/others have a spare £50+k to spend fighting BMW?
Click to expand...

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.

Kryton said:
and you live on which planet? :)
Click to expand...
Touché – I am from Planet Kryptonite :roll:

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 :poke: ) 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
 
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! :D

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
 
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