[SpudGT]

I recently purchased a 2015 328i with the M-sport package and installed Dinan springs this weekend.

I had a heck of a time getting the wheels off the car. I sprayed them with PB Blaster, pushed, pulled, and kicked until they finally broke free.

This made sense on the passenger rear which had a lot of rust/corrosion, but the other hubs and wheels looked remarkably clean. I cleaned them all up with a wire brush and put a coating of anti-seize on the hubs.

Putting the wheels back on was difficult as well, they really didn’t fully seat over the hub until I carefully pulled them on with the lug bolts.

By contrast, I only have issues on my 2016 M235i when rust/corrosion is involved.

Is this sort of thing considered normal?

[SpudGT]

The wheels in question:

[rjd_F30]

I had the same issues removing my wheels. It's normal. It's likely a product of road grime and salt getting in there and causing the wheel to start to rust to the hub.

[obert]

Normal. I usually put a little something on the hub to keep the rust away.

[SpudGT]

Thanks for the replies.

Makes sense that getting rusted/corroded wheels on and off is a chore.

But do you folks also have trouble getting the wheels back on after doing any needed clean up?

That part seems really odd to me ... I have never had a car where the fit was that snug.

[bmwchue]

You can do a stud conversion.

[rjd_F30]

Originally Posted by SpudGT

Thanks for the replies.

Makes sense that getting rusted/corroded wheels on and off is a chore.

But do you folks also have trouble getting the wheels back on after doing any needed clean up?

That part seems really odd to me ... I have never had a car where the fit was that snug.

The only time I've taken my wheels off myself was to replace them with aftermarket ones, so I've never actually put my stock wheels on. However, the Dinan wheels I was fitting, designed specifically to F30 specs, took some wiggling to get seated correctly. I'm gonna say, as long as it wasn't difficult to get them back on, it's normal for it to be a bit of a PITA.

[tsbrown]

I've had similar issues getting my 403M wheels off due to rust/corrosion on the hub. I usually clean that off with a wire brush, then wipe a little anti-sieze (same as you would use in a brake job, around the mating surface of the hub before re-installing the wheel so the it releases the next time. A dead-blow hammer also helps get the stubborn wheel off.

[viperguy212]

If it makes you feel better I have a lug bolt that's stuck at the moment. Prior owner must have torqued them with the strength of god.

I went out and bought a bolt extractor, then I broke my socket adapter, sheered in half. It's work in progress.

[MacklinUSOB]

Originally Posted by viperguy212

If it makes you feel better I have a lug bolt that's stuck at the moment. Prior owner must have torqued them with the strength of god.

I went out and bought a bolt extractor, then I broke my socket adapter, sheered in half. It's work in progress.

This same thing happened to me on one of my old cars. I bent my own breaker bars trying to get it off. I had to bring it to a tire shop where they hit it with heat and used a 6 foot breaker bar, I shit you not.

Seized lug bolts are nightmare fuel for me now. I replaced every lug on my car when I got new wheels.

[SpudGT]

I took my F30 into the dealer today to get some warranty work done, and I asked them to figure out why the wheels were so hard to get back on the car (after wrestling all the wheels off and cleaning up the rust/corrosion).

Turns out that the previous owner of the car had all the wheels refinished, and on closer inspection it was a pretty crappy finish. Extra paint had accumulated on the wheel where it contacts the hub.

The dealer lightly sanded that area of the wheel to remove the excess paint, problem solved.

[metallicpea]

My car is just short of 2 years old. I have had wheels off several times, and they are an unusual PITA. The hub and wheel just don't get along - always corrosion, debris in there. I have had to lightly sand them each time. Last time I put a little bit of oil to coat the hub before I put the wheels back on. We will see how it is next time.

I have seen several comments about rusty hubs and my experience matches this. Guess this is likely to be an ongoing hassle.

[wdeerfield]

I would recommend a wire brush to clean the surface of the hub and rotor face and to put anti seize on the rotor face and the hub. Make sure to clean the inside of the rim too where the center cap is. I change wheels twice a year and never have an issue.

[The Airman]

Here is why those wheels are so hard to get off.

This is a picture of the hub on my brand new, fresh from the factory 2018.



And here is the inside of my wheel hub.



Mine were hard to get off and I only had 100 miles on it at most. I ended up using a wire brush on the hub and a 3M scratch pad on the wheels. I taped everything up and painted the inside of the hubs with anti rust high temp paint. Then I put some anti seize on the lip of the hub and the taper on the inside wheel.

I really hate doing this to a new car.

[wdeerfield]

^ that looks like it has sat outside in the elements for a while. When dealers do not move cars this will happen. Ive even seen brake pads become stuck to the rotors because of rust build up