[Sankar]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Could be Neo wheels. Mahindra is listed under OEM & corporate partners (link, page 2).

Yes looks like they are.
The unfinished alloy wheel on the extreme right on the top row in the image below looks like the XUV5oo OEM accessory wheel that broke.

[Trojan]

Definitely a worrying item, the fact that SDPs post shows the alloys broken in a similar manner (from the center) that implies
1. its not due to a pothole as in that case the break would start from the outside
2. or the compound is brittle in nature
3. or the joints at the center have not been tested for stress and force

the W8 alloys themselves have also broken off though on the outside, but that again shows that the compound used is brittle rather than having a more elastic property which would maybe damage it in case of a bad bump but not break.

[prakhar1998]

This is some scary news. I've heard many stories of bent alloys, cracked alloys or scarped alloys, its the first time I've seen an alloy shear of completely. This is very dangerous and very strict action should be taken by Mahindra towards the manufacturer.

Being an OEM accessory, this is extremely disappointing. Yes, Mahindra has come a long way with quality, but such incidences are totally unacceptable.

[sagarpadaki]

The first iteration of the i20 came with 14 inch alloys manufactured by Borbet. Each one costs a whopping 12K. And i have not come across any first gen i20 owner complain or broken/chipped alloys upon hitting the pothole.

However, the newer i-Gen and Elite i20 alloys are manufactured locally and cost less than 6K a pop. This is a significant cost cutting! And quality also has gone down

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

The first iteration of the i20 came with 14 inch alloys manufactured by Borbet. Each one costs a whopping 12K. And i have not come across any first gen i20 owner complain or broken/chipped alloys upon hitting the pothole.

However, the newer i-Gen and Elite i20 alloys are manufactured locally and cost less than 6K a pop. This is a significant cost cutting! And quality also has gone down

I believe it's a similar story with VW OEM alloys too, at least on the 'budget' models. Seems to be a wider trend.

[gurudutt]

I remember a friend mentioning a similar thing which happened to his friend. He had bought a W6 and opted for the alloy in discussion here as an accessory. After sometime, he started having issues with his steering and M&M after several futile effort decided to replace it with the OEM alloy. I had never liked the alloy offered as an accessory and hence opted for HRS instead. No complaints so far.

[humyum]

Very strange, Alloy wheels are something which never really break, bend yes, crack yes, but break is something unheard of.

Mahindra as well as Neo wheels both are reputable manufacturers.

I don't know how this is going to end for whoever purchased these alloys, but I am sure a recall is in order by Mahindra.

[rahul_kej]

This is something very serious. These are speed rims by Mahindra for XUV and I have got them installed on my W6 right from 1st day. The company should take action immediately else it can lead to life risks. Hope Anand Mahindra is listening and will do something about it.

[SDP]

Originally Posted by SDP

On the XUV500 niggles thread, I had shared a pic of an XUV accident with a broken alloy. Some bystanders had claimed that the alloy broke and caused the accident.
...

Just to ensure that all related information is in a single thread, even at the risk of duplication, let me share the post and pics of the original incident.

Originally Posted by chevyman

Just saw this XUV. 70km before Salem, from Bangalore. As per locals the car was coming from opposite direction, hit the divider, crossed over and turned turtle. They are saying the front alloy wheel broke while running. Don't know how far it's true.

Link:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...ml#post3650534

Pics:








---------------------------------------------------------------------
The alloy wheel breaking at regular highway speeds would have disastrous effects.

Disclaimer: No concrete data in this particular accident if the alloy wheel broke and caused the accident or the impact with the divider caused the alloy to break

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

The first iteration of the i20 came with 14 inch alloys manufactured by Borbet. Each one costs a whopping 12K. And i have not come across any first gen i20 owner complain or broken/chipped alloys upon hitting the pothole.

However, the newer i-Gen and Elite i20 alloys are manufactured locally and cost less than 6K a pop. This is a significant cost cutting! And quality also has gone down

Isn't it a good thing that alloys now cost 6K to replace instead of 12k??
I think its wrong to assume that anything manufactured locally is bad. Cost cutting is desirable as long as it does not result in compromising on quality. Anything made is Europe is going to be very expensive when imported to India with all the transportation costs and duties involved. Car companies always look to develop local vendors in the long run in order to keep costs down. In the initial phase of any new product you will always find more imported components and parts. But once the product starts selling in decent numbers, it is very much justified to localise content as much as possible .

I believe most OEM alloys are made in India. I hope it is a case of one bad batch being produced for which I hope Mahindra takes appropriate measures to recall affected batches/ pull up supplier etc.., rather than faulty design which can potentially affect a large number of vehicles. If my XUV had these alloys, I'd be worried, very worried.

[SDP]

Originally Posted by Sankar

Anybody know who makes these alloys for XUV and for Scorpio? Who's the OEM for alloys?

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

....

Wild guess - Enkei.

EDIT: Not. Don't see M&M listed under their OEM supply.

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Could be Neo wheels. Mahindra is listed under OEM & corporate partners (link, page 2).

If I remember correctly, I have noticed "Made in China" markings on the W8 stock alloys that my car has. Let me confirm that.

[vinjosep]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

However, the newer i-Gen and Elite i20 alloys are manufactured locally and cost less than 6K a pop. This is a significant cost cutting! And quality also has gone down

The i20 Elite 16" OEM alloys are 13k a piece here in Bangalore, or so I was told by the SR recently.

Back to the topic. SDP, could we check with the owner if the other remaining alloys show any sign of wear/ cracks/ damage? I assume chances are that they are from the same batch.

[rahul_kej]

Have escalated the following mail to the company. Hoping for some response.


To: customercare@mahindra.com Cc: mahindra.anand@mahindra.com; Bcc: gupta.sanjoy@mahindra.com, singh.rakesh@mahindra.com, archanadiaz@gmail.com, dipra.kmw@gmail.com

TO WHOMSOVER IT MAY CONCERN

I would like to inform you that I had bought XUV 500 w6 from Khokan Motor works Siliguri on 29th of August 2014.

I had got speed rim alloys provided by Mahindra as standard accessory installed right from the first day of the delivery of the car. But currently I have come across many incidents where the speed rims alloys has broken in running car without any external impact on the wheels which has lead to serious accidents. The following link (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...oy-wheels.html) will provide further details along with pics about the incidents which are occuring due to the speed rim alloys for the XUVs

After such incidents it wont be possible for me to drive my XUV with these alloys any further and put mine and my close ones life at risk.

Its a kind request to take the necessary action as soon as possible and replace these alloys with the OEM ones so that our life is risk free and we can continue the pleasure of driving XUV without any worries.



Regards,

Rahul Kejriwal

[NST440]

Another feather to the cap of cheap Mahindra SUV with a gaudy name and looks. One reason why people stay away from XUV is the scare stories all around the web regarding the poor quality of their product. I still like the scorpio, not for its looks but having kept one five years ago, it was certainly a better product in which the manufacturer charges apt. for its parts rather than XUV which has too many cheap bells and whistles at the cost of quality and safety. Thank God, i did not buy this vehicle, the day i took its test drive, its door jammed, the breaks squealed and had awful braking in addition to the radio refusing to power off through the entire test drive. The TD vehicle was driven just 3000 kms. Quality they say comes at a price indeed.

[Trojan]

Found some interesting stuff worth reading from Borbet on Aluminium alloy wheel testing.

Mathematics and rigid testing make beauty safe
It goes without saying that the delicate looking aluminum version needs to be as reliable and sturdy and to withstand the same loads as its more rugged looking relative made of steel.

First of all, a wheel is a safety component. Technical know-how, mathematics, physics and extensive strength tests turn creative design into "safe beauties". Developers simulate the newly designed wheel using the finite element method (FEM), a recognized calculation method in solid-state simulation.

Computations are based on Hooke's Law. It describes the relationship between the acting force and the resulting deformation in a solid's elastic range. When a force acts on an elastic body, it is either extended or shortened, with mechanical stress occurring in the material.

In a solid's elastic range, this relationship is linear, i.e. occurring mechanical stress is directly dependent on the material-specific modulus of elasticity and the strain. The modulus of elasticity or Young's modulus is a constant that specifies how easy or hard it is to elastically deform a material. Young's modulus for aluminum alloys, for example, is 70 - 75 kN/mm² while for elastomers (rubber) it only ranges between 0.01 to 0.1 kN/mm².

http://www.hbm.com/en/menu/applicati...tudies/borbet/

Link for website

So well, while aluminium alloys being much harder than steel, it also means that their elasticity is lower as well but then again all facts need to be looked at and thoroughly investigated and quickly as wheels are not just a matter of utility but of safety.