XSeries-forum

Hello my car was in at the dealers a couple of weeks ago for an issue with the sunroof. Would not open? The bmw dealer plugged it in to resolve the issue? They could not tell me why it had stopped working typical of bmw techs. However its working fine now until the next time I guess.
I also asked them to have a look at my 20 inch m sport alloys which are strating  to corrode. After 2 weeks of no communication I decided to call them back. And ask if they had heard anything  regarding a warranty claim on the wheels.  There answer was they had not been able to contact me due to a different mobile number not rocket since says you have my name and my adress and there is a thing called the telephone directory . However they did not use this tried and tested system for finding people's telephone numbers.
bmw have now requested I take my car back to them so they can take some more pictures and to mesure the alloy wheels. When I asked what they were going to me sure they did not have  a clue. Was it to me sure the thickness of the paint in microns or to check the dimensions of the wheels.
can anyone throw any light on this one.
why is it so difficult dealing with bmw service centre's.
I vowed I would not buy another bmw again after my last x5. But there you go bought a x5 4d.
Kind regards
apolicies for samsung predictive text
lord t


Update f15 x 5
has been to the bmw garage for 2 hours of inspection on the alloy wheels.
whole raft of questions from the BMW warranty people.
have you had the tyres off the  (NO)
Have you had the wheels off (NO)
what do you clean your alloys with ( Soap and water)
I did question what this has to do with the centre of the alloys starting to corrode. Looks very much like galvanic corrosion to me!
well lets wait and see what the bmw warranty people say about my alloy wheels.
cheers lord t
p.s thanks to mark g m50d for the information.

I just had 3 wheels replaced under warranty, they just want to check they have not been refurbished. I believe the 20" wheels are diamond cut so measuring them will determine if they have been 'skimmed' or not.


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I've just had all 4 19"s replaced under warranty, had no issues or questions at all.  When in for service, I asked for the centre caps to be replaced as they were corroding, it was only when they took those off that they found more corrosion on the wheel itself, bit of overkill if you ask me but what you gonna do, say no to new wheels??

Its all very frustrating.

There is clearly an issue with the quality of BMW wheels. You would think that by now they would have a different supplier or go for a different finish on the wheels or change the design of the  centre caps so that it  drains / maybe has  holes or something else to stop corrosion .
Its really annoying and piss poor from a manufacturer like BMW.

Like you I also  vowed to never again buy a BMW again , mainly  because  the dealers are so shit ( please note I am being polite here )  and like you found myself with another one.

I am going to get my wheels refurbed ( corrosion removed ) and I will then get them powder coated .
That should fix the problem once and for all.

Interestingly I bought a set of aftermarket alloy wheels to use in the winter. They are the same age as the BMW wheels .  Guess what . They are perfect. Not a scrap of corrosion to be seen  anywhere and they are used in the salt/grit/wet.  Tells me all I need to know.

Dealer for me was brilliant, no complaints at all.

And if you think it's just BMW, then go walk round a car park and have a look at the wheels on Mercedes and Audis, there's more corrosion from the acid your local handwash place uses(I never do ) than a bit of water behind the centre cap

I use Bilt Hamber " purple rain ".

Fantastic stuff and the best I have found. Non corrosive etc etc.

Its just a crap finish on the wheels.

Hi

The problem is the diamond cut type of wheel finish is the wheel is only protected by the lacquer on the diamond cut section, so if damaged it goes through that layer quickly and gets to the alloy, whereas painted have the paint and lacquer layers.

When I went  to buy a brand new set of diamond cut wheels from a supplier of aftermarket wheels he said that within 6 months, at the outside, they will need refurbishing, whereas the painted wheels he would guarantee for 2 years. That time I bought the painted set and four years later no problem.

I know when I went to see my X5 E70 with diamond cut wheels and the car was 3 years old  there were 2 wheels needed refurbishing. I spoke to the dealer and they agreed to do them, but when I went to collect the car they had not been done, so after a bit of negotiation,they agreed they would pay the relevant price from a reputable wheel refurbisher, if the were provided with a receipt for the work from them, and I took the opportunity to get the other 2 wheels done as well at my own cost.

However, the catch was there was then no further call on BMW to repair the wheels. In all honesty I think my whell chaps do a better job and I just accept it's the nature of diamond cut type wheels and the price associated with them having a lifespan of about two years and then you refurbish them.

This is the same on my Abarth as the wheels I had refurbished last July, and now I have a couple of stone chips on them which is a shame, but and they will just be redone when they corrode.

The other factor is the weather, as winter does give the wheels a hammering and unless you wash the road salt off regularly (poss even daily) it will add to the corrosion process. I guess you could have two set of wheels, a diamond cuts for the summer and a painted set for winter, but that's extra expense and maybe not what you want, but i know some run a winter set of tyres which is maybe worth thinking about.

One solution that a lot of people who have had diamond cut wheels which have corroded is to have them painted instead, whether in black or ferric grey looks equally good, and gives you a lot harder finish as it painted and then lacquered, and generally lasts longer.

Also a good clean and protection with say two coats of poorboys wheel sealant does help, but doesn't stop it all. Ultimately you just have to decide which route to go as it not just BMW it's all diamond cut wheels are fragile in their finish.

Graeme

All lacquer finishes are now water based (EU Mandated) and these coatings cannot cope with the corrosive materials on our roads.  It is a problem for all 'lacquer only' wheel finishes regardless of manufacturer.  Sign of the times until someone comes up with a clear coat that copes better.

[quote="X5Sport"]
All lacquer finishes are now water based (EU Mandated) and these coatings cannot cope with the corrosive materials on our roads.  It is a problem for all 'lacquer only' wheel finishes regardless of manufacturer.  Sign of the times until someone comes up with a clear coat that copes better.
[/quote]

EU mandated....................another reason to leave the EU . Oh yea we are leaving. You can do it once properly or you can meet 178  EU regulations that make absolutely no sense and do it again every year.
Its the same with their meddling with the hoovers. Because of their meddling you cannot have a hoover with more than 900 W. Now your hoover has the power of an asthmatic ant with heavy shopping. So now instead of hoovering as per normal you will now spend considerably longer hoovering or your house won't be as clean which could lead to health issues as your hoover is not as efficient. All in the name of " green " . Well its not green if you spend twice as much or longer hoovering is it ..!

I have 5 words for the EU ....What a load of b******s .