Team-BHP > Modifications & Accessories > Tyre & Alloy wheel Section


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Old 30th January 2017, 23:21   #31
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Re: BMW is not standing by it's product and harassing for months.

4 out of 4 rims bent, in my opinion, definitely looks like a manufacturing defect of that batch. The amount of abuse the car has to go through for having all normal 'BMW' rims to bend has to be considerable and in turn would also damage other components. Since the latter has not happened, a manufacturing defect seems to be a more plausible reason.

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Last edited by Altocumulus : 30th January 2017 at 23:25.
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Old 31st January 2017, 00:46   #32
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I find it very hard to believe a manufacturing defect would be the cause of the damage to your rims. You would be surprised how easy it is to bend a rim. You might never know till you start noticing the trembling.

The idea that other parts need damaging as well is simply not true either. You can bend a rim by nicking a curb at low speed at an unfortunate angle.

I have bend several rims when living in Kansas. The highway look a bit like Indian roads at times, lots of potholes. I have had cases where I ripped a tire as well as bent the rim, but also just the rim with no other damage whatsoever.

Time to get down of the high horse. Shit happens.

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Old 31st January 2017, 00:55   #33
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My wheels are 225/55r16. So not a low profile tyre. Now hitting pothole at rim bending speed would have caused some collateral damage. I do understand that rims are supposed to be very strong in any car. And all 4 rims getting bent is too much of coincidence.
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Old 31st January 2017, 01:48   #34
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Re: BMW is not standing by it's product and harassing for months.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeroen View Post
I find it very hard to believe a manufacturing defect would be the cause of the damage to your rims. You would be surprised how easy it is to bend a rim. You might never know till you start noticing the trembling.
+1 to Jeroen

It is super easy to bend a rim and with the state of Calcutta roads over the last few years, the alloy bends could have very much happened due to them. The bends on all 4 wheels could have happened over various instances and not just one incident.

I personally know so many cases in our city where rims have bent or cracked with no damage to the tyres or to the suspension. Best to stop being unreasonable, quit the battle with BMW and move on.

Warranty/BSI wont be paying for bent rims for sure so best to claim insurance and get them replaced. Incase you do not have insurance for your wheels, maybe you can look for a clean used set around with tyre dealers or go aftermarket with some quality brands.

Last edited by cityvic : 31st January 2017 at 01:53.
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Old 31st January 2017, 09:50   #35
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Re: Alloy wheels of premium cars not meant for Indian roads?

Considering you have 16" wheels I am surprised the alloys have bent. But also remember you have run flat tyres, which will transfer most of the impact to the rim rather than absorbing it. And more often than not I have seen alloys bent, but the runflats are just fine.

Comparing it to your Octavia and Swift Dzire is not fair, since those cars do not have runflats and also their suspension set ups will be much softer. You may not feel a bump or pothole sometimes in the Bimmer, but that doesn't mean its a small impact.

I would say 30% is a fair offer, especially since you cannot prove it is a manufacturing defect, nor are they obligated to give you any compensation since it is a wear and tear item and 28k kms are done.

Another option is you get the wheels repaired outside (will be cheaper, and many places now have specialised machines to repair wheels) and switch to tubeless tyres which will have less of an impact on your wheels.
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Old 31st January 2017, 12:57   #36
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Re: Alloy wheels of premium cars not meant for Indian roads?

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Originally Posted by sinhsha View Post
My wheels are 225/55r16. So not a low profile tyre. Now hitting pothole at rim bending speed would have caused some collateral damage. I do understand that rims are supposed to be very strong in any car. And all 4 rims getting bent is too much of coincidence.
While it is common that the tire blows out during any rim damage, it's not true that there has to be collateral damage to other parts of the car for the wheels to get bent.

I have bent two of the rims on my old merc by bouncing over a unmarked 'car-breaker' and no other damage whatsoever including the tires.

It's very unlikely that there was a manufacturing defect for all four rims on your car, more likely that the damage has occurred over the course of usage and may have become slowly become worse due to the initial bends.

My advise is to claim your insurance which should cover the rims entirely and move on - maybe shift to regular tubeless tires.
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Old 31st January 2017, 21:33   #37
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Re: Alloy wheels of premium cars not meant for Indian roads?

Even in my 320d, during the last service I was told that the left front rim has a small bent. I do not feel any wobbling on high speeds and hence have decided to ignore it for now. Even my car is a 2013 Dec model and in fact both the left front and rear rims were replaced in April 2014 due to a pothole hit at that time. I guess these rims are really not abuse friendly. I too have driven the car with utmost care specially after that ugly incident earlier in my ownership period when both the left rims broke after a pothole hit.

I feel a change to regular tubeless might help ward off this damage.
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Old 4th March 2019, 13:03   #38
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Re: Alloy wheels of premium cars not meant for Indian roads?

I have a 530D which I bought in Jan 2017. I have been informed 3 of the alloys need to be replaced. Reason "could be high speed impact in potholes". I asked them to define high speed and obviously they don't have an answer. These alloys were pinching the tyre near the mouth and causing air pressure loss in long drives and it took them 6 months to keep saying there's no problem and then finally a street tire guy figured it out.
Have written to BMW. Let's see what they say after maha shivrathri vacation.
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Old 9th August 2020, 21:47   #39
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Re: Alloy wheels of premium cars not meant for Indian roads?

Hi, I am using a Volvo V40 with 18 inch wheels, and low profile tires (factory fitted R design). I hit a bump at high speed today and noticed a slight bent on the outer edge of the wheel. THe bend is more like a 2 cm area that has flattened on the rim lip.

I couldnt feel any vibrations or diff in driving dynamics. Should i get a replacement wheel, or just roll with it. I plan to get wheel balancing done anyway to see if something is not too off.

Please suggest.
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Old 22nd August 2020, 21:37   #40
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Re: Alloy wheels of premium cars not meant for Indian roads?

I hit a pothole with my 4500km 330i M Sport 18" Light Alloys. Both wheels of left side got bent. I asked my friend Karan Shah (K. S. Motors), did a lot of research and decided to replace the stock alloys (which are manufactured using Cast process) with FORGED alloys, and selected Beyern Ritz through authorized dealer Toplift, Mumbai. I downsized to 17" and replaced tyres with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 squared 225/50 R17 tubeless.

Providing high performance cars with delicate cast alloys in India, backing it up with an expensive secure policy, compulsarily transporting car on a flatbed even though not needed, then charging depriciation on both alloys and tyres (which are forcibly replaced even though perfectly fine), and charging for replacement- its an elaborate scam. I'll detail this soon.

The only way out is to go for forged 17" alloys, I guess.
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Old 6th September 2021, 12:27   #41
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Re: Alloy wheels of premium cars not meant for Indian roads?

I am facing somewhat of a similar issue, using a Volvo S60 2015 D4 with 235/40 R18's (factory fitted). I had gotten a set of Pirelli's after 3-4 years. One by one all of them had developed bubbles or cracks. I am now running 2 dunlops, 1 apollo and 1 pirelli (availability issue). I request all of you for your good advice. I am planning to downgrade to 17" alloys (wanted to go for 16" but apparently the brakes are 17") so that the sidewall can be increased, every time I take the car on the highway I need to get one tyre replaced. I cannot increase tyre size outwards as there is no space in the fender, has to be done inwards.
Thank you so much everyone for your valuable feedback
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Old 6th September 2021, 13:40   #42
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Re: Alloy wheels of premium cars not meant for Indian roads?

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Originally Posted by kratant View Post
I request all of you for your good advice. I am planning to downgrade to 17" alloys (wanted to go for 16" but apparently the brakes are 17") so that the sidewall can be increased, every time I take the car on the highway I need to get one tyre replaced. I cannot increase tyre size outwards as there is no space in the fender, has to be done inwards.
Thank you so much everyone for your valuable feedback
A comparison of tire size for you to look at, should be an ideal compromise. It is an expensive change but considering the alternative making the vehicle unusable, its alright. The cheapest tire of this size is below 10K, you certainly need to look at the speed rating, weight rating etc before making the swap.

Alloy wheels of premium cars not meant for Indian roads?-tiresize.png
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Old 6th September 2021, 13:51   #43
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Re: Alloy wheels of premium cars not meant for Indian roads?

A thousand thanks to @Kosfactor , you have put my mind at ease. I will go for the suggestion you have given and will make sure I suggest the speed/weight rating beforehand. How much would the average/turning radius/ride quality/handling/pick up be affected?
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Old 6th September 2021, 14:09   #44
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Re: Alloy wheels of premium cars not meant for Indian roads?

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Originally Posted by kratant View Post
A thousand thanks to @Kosfactor , you have put my mind at ease. I will go for the suggestion you have given and will make sure I suggest the speed/weight rating beforehand. How much would the average/turning radius/ride quality/handling/pick up be affected?
Since the section width is not calculated at the thread and the difference between the two sizes are not very different. At the very first instance there is likely a bit of a float, steering could get a bit light.

These are common symptoms of moving from a worn out set of tires to a brand new set of the same size in just about any other vehicle, mostly this is what you would experience. You`ll get used to it in a few days. I do not know how tight the wheel well is, but this much variance should be accounted for even then. Good Tire shops will certainly offer you a test fit and check for steering as well as brake caliper clearance before sending you out on your way.
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Old 6th September 2021, 14:45   #45
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Re: Alloy wheels of premium cars not meant for Indian roads?

Thank you again, I think even if the compromise is a bit of handling, mileage at least its a safer option on the highway (high speeds and bumps), and the city (violent potholes).
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