Cracks in rims

[ryushe]

Hi guys,

I've had my 2003 Z4 3.0i for 2 months now and have been really protective. Haven't hit a pothole or bump yet. Now yesterday I managed to get a screw stuck in my rear wheel passenger side tire (Bridgestone Potenza run flats) so naturally I go by the tire shop here which is kind enough to fix this kind of thing for free. After the fix all looked good, so drove the car home and didn't think more of it.
This morning after about 3/4 miles of driving, my tire pressure light came on. I measured the pressure in the tire (same one which got repaired) which turned out to be 27 PSI. So having a branch of the same tire shop nearby, I headed over for them to have a look at it. After getting the wheel off, they spotted 2 cracks on the inside of the rim pointing outwards. This is already bad enough, but the even worse thing is, the other rear wheel tire ALSO has two cracks.
By the looks of it, as the cracks where already quite dirty, they've been there for some time and are most definitely not new.

A crude drawing is attached as I don't have pictures.


Now here are my questions:

1. Has anyone else ever observed this?
2. My car is out of warranty, but this really does look like a manufacturing defect. Any chance of talking to BMW about this? There is a webpage I found that says that BMW is very aware of this problem! http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/...oy_wheels.html
3. Why would one tire with the same type of cracks leak and the other one won't?

Anyone have any recommended course of action before I buy 2 brand new 18x8.5 107s back from BMW for 420 USD a piece?

This has me pretty bummed to be honest. I wasn't expecting to have to replace to complete rims within the first 30.000 miles of the car's life. That's why I bought a low mileage one in the first place!!

Thanks!

[inTgr8r]

Sorry to hear about your problems.

I'm afraid you will get no satisfaction from BMW, they will blame it on pot holes etc.
FWIW, I would consider aftermarket wheels before spending a lot of money on overpriced OE wheels.

..or check the classifieds for used.

[BU Z4]

If you decided to buy, let me know. I have both the rear wheels 18 x 8.5

[blender]

There are sources for BMW wheels other than the stealership: Lots of guys sell takeoffs when they upgrade, so the forums are a source [above] ; Ebay; Craigslist. Also, refurbished wheels can be bought online depending on your preferences.

As for "Why would one tire with the same type of cracks leaks, and the other one won't" - just a few thousandths of metal or paint would keep the air in the tire *for a while* until it fatigues through. Also the run-flats have reinforced sidewalls that absorb/flex less than a conventional tire, and therefore transmit more force to the rim. You want the sidewalls to flex; it cushions the wheel and everything riding above it.

Definitely don't drive fast on the cracked rims. I've seen them fail literally right in front of me, dig in, and flip a 328 at speed.

Good Luck with yours!

[gizmo83]

Yea, definitely check out other sources to purchase the wheels. I recently sold my set of 107s to some guy on Craigslist for $475.

[Blind32]

You could also have those wheels repaired. My local dealer has a guy that refurbs wheels. Cost me 85 a wheel and they looked good as new when I got them back. He took care of all the curb rash and scuffs. I was referred to him by a bunch of people who were happy with his work. Bring them on up to Dallas for a weekend!

[inTgr8r]

^
JMO, but I wouldn't want to repair structural cracks in a wheel.

[Blind32]

Originally Posted by inTgr8r

^
JMO, but I wouldn't want to repair structural cracks in a wheel.

This crossed my mind too. The wheel I had repaired was a full sized spare. I'd check with a wheel expert and have him examine it before having it repaired. And I would want the repair to be welded, not some paste/epoxy crap.

[M II]

You can always opt to go with a set of aftermarket wheels instead for a fraction of the cost.

[mx0321]

i purchased my z4 at 52k and ended up hitting a pot hole somewhere around 60k front and back passenger side wheels. at this point i only at cpo left over. this is how they ended up. i never checked with bmw, but i'm pretty sure they wouldn't have taken the bill. i ended up calling my insurance and reporting it as a road hazard.

[Hoa]

wow so oem wheels arent that stong?

[Z4Murder]

damn that looks bad

[M II]

Originally Posted by Hoa

wow so oem wheels arent that stong?

OEM wheels from BMW are low pressure cast wheels with load ratings that exceed the normal requirements.

With that being said, there are NO wheels that are invincible. It all depends on the depth and size of the pothole or road imperfection.

[ryushe]

Originally Posted by BU Z4

If you decided to buy, let me know. I have both the rear wheels 18 x 8.5

Hi, I wanted to PM you, but the system won't let me PM people yet. Please let me know (via PM or send me an email at 03bmwz4@gmail.com) if you still have those rims for sale. I've been looking around these parts and can't find a thing sadly, besides dealer supplied rims at more than I'd like!

Originally Posted by mx0321

i purchased my z4 at 52k and ended up hitting a pot hole somewhere around 60k front and back passenger side wheels. at this point i only at cpo left over. this is how they ended up. i never checked with bmw, but i'm pretty sure they wouldn't have taken the bill. i ended up calling my insurance and reporting it as a road hazard.

Out of curiosity, what did the insurance company say about it? Did they simply pay out after applying your deductible?


Thanks for the rest of the comments so far. I called BMW who've simply said it's not their problem. So much for that.
One last question on the 107s, is it possible to fit non run-flat tires and if so, what recommendations on tire type do you have?

Thanks again.

[ryushe]

Seems the PM thing did work after all. Long story short, wheels were sold
Anyone else have a set of 18x8.5 107s available?

[CFoote]

You should check EBay, just make sure you research the seller and make sure he has good feedback...you might be able to find someone local to you on there.

Sorry to hear about the wheels, thats a real pain in the you-know-what...

Chris

[mx0321]

Originally Posted by ryushe

Hi, I wanted to PM you, but the system won't let me PM people yet. Please let me know (via PM or send me an email at 03bmwz4@gmail.com) if you still have those rims for sale. I've been looking around these parts and can't find a thing sadly, besides dealer supplied rims at more than I'd like!


Out of curiosity, what did the insurance company say about it? Did they simply pay out after applying your deductible?


Thanks for the rest of the comments so far. I called BMW who've simply said it's not their problem. So much for that.
One last question on the 107s, is it possible to fit non run-flat tires and if so, what recommendations on tire type do you have?

Thanks again.

yeah, i actually didn't know i had a "road hazard" type of coverage. i just told them i hit something on the highway and they kind of filled in the blanks. then of course, the adjuster came out and they sent me a check in the mail.