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[germ]

Just replaced the tires three weeks ago at America's Tires (Hankooks). Soon thereafter the TPMS told me that the rear left tire has been losing pressure. Filled up once, but it came back. Today I brought the car back to the tire shop, and they found nothing wrong with the tire, but a cracked wheel (on the inside rim, see attached pic). They claim the leak comes from these cracks. This sound believable to me.

Searching this forum I could find only a single thread on cracked wheels:
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...=cracked+wheel

So, apparently cracked wheels aren't covered under warranty. (I am still going to call the BMW center). And I can get one online for ~$260.

Well, this kind of s*cks. In 10 years of driving a TT on the same bad roads I never had a cracked wheel.

How common is this really? Are BMW wheels crap?

[1013mm]

Its common. hasn't happened to me though.

[Bimmer-Bob]

What size wheels and tires did you ride on in your TT? I'm betting that the wheels weren't as big nor the tires such low-profile. Those are the contributing factors here - wheels these days are simply exposed to greater impacts than in the past. I don't believe it is a quality issue at all, particularly if you're comparing OEM VAG wheels to OEM BMW ones.

[Lester]

Spray some soapy water on the wheel where the crack is showing, if air is leaking through you will see bubbles. Wheel should be replaced anyway.

[germ]

Originally Posted by Bimmer-Bob

What size wheels and tires did you ride on in your TT?

TT: 225/45-17
BMW: 215/40-18 and 245/35-18

So yes the TT's wheels had a marginally higher profile. But shouldn't the car maker compensate by making the wheels stronger if they fit lower profile tires?

[germ]

Originally Posted by Lester

Spray some soapy water on the wheel where the crack is showing, if air is leaking through you will see bubbles. Wheel should be replaced anyway.

I will try, but the leak is a slow one. It takes a week or more before it triggers the TPMS warning. PSI dropped from 39 to 34 during that time.

[Bimmer-Bob]

Originally Posted by germ

But shouldn't the car maker compensate by making the wheels stronger if they fit lower profile tires?

Well, the wheels are TUV-certified, so they should be manufactured to meet some minimum standard. You could try to take the wheel to a dealer, insist that you didn't hit anything, and try to claim that the wheel is defective.

More than likely, though, they will tell you that they are not responsible for damage caused by "road hazards" if you're not carrying the optional wheel and tire coverage. I think it's just an unfortunate risk of large-diameter wheels. I honestly don't know how people ride on 19"s, 20"s, or anything larger (not only because of the increased risk of wheel damage, but also the degradation of ride quality).

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by germ

Well, this kind of s*cks. In 10 years of driving a TT on the same bad roads I never had a cracked wheel.

How common is this really? Are BMW wheels crap?

I don't ever recall reading about a one series with a cracked wheel... but over on the e90 forum it is very common! It is even a STICKY!

Cracked BMW Alloy Wheels --- Taking legal action

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...ed+alloy+wheel

results for a search on "cracked alloy wheels" on the e90 forum...

http://www.e90post.com/forums/search...rchid=18322316



Dackel

[timhatimay]

I cracked a wheel. It cracked much worse than in that picture too! I think one of the other 135i's in NY cracked several wheels. Doesn't seem that surprising considering we have RFT, low profile tires, and cast wheels. Typically its not covered under warranty. I bought mine online and a new tire from tirerack and had a local shop mount it.

Check your tire too, because if it happened after you mounted the new ones, I'd be surprised if it didn't bubble. If it happened before you mounted them, I can't believe the tire shop didn't pick that up. I don't think that BMW Wheels are crap, but with very small sidewalls you are increasing the risk of wheel damage.

Tim

[MrBimmer]

I cracked 2 of them so far and bent like 3-5 since 2008. Bubble after bubble after bubble on top of that. The tire and wheel insurance is a must. I broke a sway bar link while ripping a gash in the front right tire. The wheel didn't crack but it is bent pretty badly. I also had to get my auto instance involved after hitting a pothole at 60 on the van wyck expressway that ballooned/ mushroomed my strut tower. Amazingly my rim and tire made it through that one...

[roadburn]

Both rear wheels on my 2008 135i developed cracks visually similar to yours, germ -- radial hairline cracks on the inside of the wheels, 1 crack per rear wheel.

They were spotted when the dealership was putting on new tires. They hadn't widened to the point of leaking yet.

But here's the thing: The dealership went to bat for me. They sent digital photos of the cracks to BMW and vouched for the fact that the wheels showed no signs of impact damage.

Result: BMW replaced both real wheels at no charge. This happened last week.

So: It's possible. Good luck.

[johnr265]

Where are you getting a wheel online for $260 for?

[ken1137]

Originally Posted by roadburn

Both rear wheels on my 2008 135i developed cracks visually similar to yours, germ -- radial hairline cracks on the inside of the wheels, 1 crack per rear wheel.

They were spotted when the dealership was putting on new tires. They hadn't widened to the point of leaking yet.

But here's the thing: The dealership went to bat for me. They sent digital photos of the cracks to BMW and vouched for the fact that the wheels showed no signs of impact damage.

Result: BMW replaced both real wheels at no charge. This happened last week.

So: It's possible. Good luck.

Wow! Great service.

[BrokenVert]

I cracked a stocker back in march...went down to 17s and now not even a bend


My crack was identical to yours

[info@VMRWheels]

Cracking wheels is somewhat common, but it really depends on the bumps in the road. Also, it looks like you got Hankook Ventus V12s which have a pretty soft sidewall. They're great tires but after a while they feel a bit squishy.

It's possible that the dealer may replace the wheel however from what I've seen they may not be willing to at first. Good luck though.

[NA_Villhauser]

I was told by my dealer that RFTs absorb less impact than non-RFTs and can contribute to wheel damage.

[Qbrozen]

Sorry to revive an old thread, but better than a new one.

I just found this weekend my rear left had 2 cracks, looking exactly like the OP's pic. You can't let it go, BTW. The leak will get worse if you find yourself in this situation. I lost enough air to trigger the TPMS about 2 weeks after mounting new tires. Over the next month or so, that time got shorter and shorter until, finally, this past friday, it lost about 12 psi on just my 30 minute drive home from work (had to stop and fill it at the gas station nearby just to get home).

There are a couple of places online selling used replacements for less than $200. There are also several wheel repair shops. I emailed the pic to a few places and one got back to me within the hour who said they could fix it for about $150, assuming it was cracked and bent. So I dropped it off that night and hope to have it back in a couple of days.

I pondered just replacing the whole set with aftermarket for about $600. If this happens again, I probably will go that route and hope for better quality. I've never had this happen before. My previous GTI had 18s with similar sidewall height, and while I did bubble a couple of tires, I never had any wheel damage.