[alpine330D]

I know some of you guys have been through this process already.

One of my wheels (704's i think) is very bad around the centre cap and a little on the 'spokes', the other 3 are just starting to show signs. I bought the car (2016 F36) used so to my knowledge there hasn't been a wheel repair but im not 100%. There's no stone chips or damage to the areas with corrosion.

I took the car into my local dealers and they've booked it in for inspection, but they've already pre-warned me that if there's any damage to the wheels such as curbing, then bmw would ask for 20% toward the cost of replacing that wheel, or if they deem the wheels to have already had any kind of repair then no claim would be made and id be on my own. The last part i can understand, but the 20% im not so sure about.

For those that have had wheels replaced for this under warranty, what was your experience?

[lethbridge]

Just had mine replaced at the 3 year warranty check (at my request). The process has changed recently and the dealer now has to send a video off to BMW. Mine were all what I would consider fairly minor worming at the hubs. Two wheels were in otherwise perfect condition, 1 had a big 2"gouge on the rim & 1 had minor kerb rash. Mine were videoed and then a week later all replaced with no hassle or money changing hands...

I gather the process has changed as apparently BMW were getting fed up with replacing completely trashed wheels for free so they will now make a decision based on overall condition. Strictly speaking I would think they would have to repair the corrosion for free under the terms of the warranty? They choose to do this by replacing the wheels but that's up to them - I wouldn't expect to pay unless I was given a choice of a free repair vs paying 20% for replacement (in which case I would take the replacement)...

[ushafiq]

I got my F36 (435d GC) AU - it had one year AU warranty plus a balance of manufacturer warranty. AU warranty lapsed recently (end of Apr) - noted corrosion around center caps on 3 wheels - the fourth 4 had corrosion / coating degradation appearing on the inside (slightly visible on the outside as well) All my wheels were damage free. Booked the car, and 03 wheels were approved for replacement under a 'good will claim' - the fourth one, according to my local dealer, had been refurbished in the past so cant be submitted for a 'good will' claim. Called the dealer I got the car from, and they agreed to pick up the cost of full refurbishment on the fourth one (which will take full week!) The car is with the dealers to fit the replacement and refurbishment on one rear wheel. I have been asked to pick up £75 for fitment & balancing though - not entirely happy about - anyway decided to absorb £75.

[karma mechanic]

Mine had its end of warranty check last week. I had made a note when I booked it in that I wanted the wheels checked. When I picked it up I was told it was all fine.

What about the wheels?

Somebody then came out and had a look, and then the 'warranty person' apparently said there might be grounds for a claim. So I booked it back in for the wheel inspection today, and I'm expecting to hear from them in due course.

Three have some mild white/grey blemishes around the centre cap, one has similar but on the curve where the spokes meet.

They did seem slightly puzzled at my request, or perhaps that's a studied indifference because corrosion on the wheels must be such a rare thing that it must be extremely unlikely and not even worth checking for...

Awaiting their response with interest.

Edited to add: these are 598M's

[teaston]

Had tiny corrosion on mine, Coopers replaced them for free no questions! Both wheels had kerb damage that I had diy repaired.

[H2B]

Corrosion on diamond cut wheels is always going to happen eventually, no matter how well you seal your wheels or dry them after washing. Its a fact of life.

My car is a year old, and I've developed white worm and corrosion on the wheel hub (orange/rust spots) on all 4 wheels. Now living in Scotland simply accelerate this process, and I never knew about the issue until I read about it on the forums.

Good news: local BMW dealer is changing them under warranty tomorrow, no extra charges asked. When I originally booked, they mentioned there might be a 20% deductible I had to pay for the rim damage, but that was waived after the inspection took place. Thank you BMW for a great warranty coverage!

I also took the time to see if the dealer could provide a set of non-diamond-cut wheels so I wouldn't have to suffer these issues again, but the only other 19 inch wheels at the moment are the 401M, and I'm not a fan. The service rep and I had a laugh that every single new car in the showroom also had diamond cut wheels (cause they look good) and they're all going to have to come back for a warranty replacement at some point!

Take advantage of your rights under the warranty, and have the dealer replace your set. As long as you're having a decent and respectable conversation, it won't cost you or them a penny!

[Nobby Clark]

Has anyone had 624M and experienced corrosion? They seem to have a very small portion of the spoke that is machined so I'm thinking they me less susceptible (but not necessarily immune) to the corrosion issue.

As I will be getting a third set of wheels in as many years, I think I'll chance my arm on a change of style.

[Russbmw]

Had one of mine replaced under warranty. There were no problems as such, but they said BMW UK were now insisting on a video being taken of the car, showing the wheels on it and the damage on each. Mine had no kerbing or anything, and the corrosion was pretty minor compared to others I've seen.

The no kerbing thing is because people were fucking mashing their wheels up, then getting BMW to replace them under the guise of "there's corrosion"; hence BMW are, and rightly so, getting the hump with people taking the piss.

Would suspect if the corrosion damage is significantly worse than any kerbing damage, you'll be ok; but if you've driven home using the Kerb God as your guide, and the corrosion is minimal, BMW will take the view that it's not the corrosion that's really the issue.

[carrm]

I've recently made a claim on all 4 alloys, after less than 2 yrs from new. The dealership had previously refurbished one of the wheels for cosmetic damage around the edge of the alloy, and due to this BMW refused to replace it. So i've got 3 out 4 being replaced under warranty. For such a well known issue it's crazy that they'll refuse 1 of 4 on a technicality.

[gippy]

Originally Posted by alpine330D

I know some of you guys have been through this process already.

One of my wheels (704's i think) is very bad around the centre cap and a little on the 'spokes', the other 3 are just starting to show signs. I bought the car (2016 F36) used so to my knowledge there hasn't been a wheel repair but im not 100%. There's no stone chips or damage to the areas with corrosion.

I took the car into my local dealers and they've booked it in for inspection, but they've already pre-warned me that if there's any damage to the wheels such as curbing, then bmw would ask for 20% toward the cost of replacing that wheel, or if they deem the wheels to have already had any kind of repair then no claim would be made and id be on my own. The last part i can understand, but the 20% im not so sure about.

For those that have had wheels replaced for this under warranty, what was your experience?

i had a battle with my dealer over this but in the end the head of department came through for me. Experiences seem to differ depending on the dealer so it feels like a bit of a lottery.

mine is 2016 model, had about 18 months left on the original warranty when i bought it last year. At first the dealer said 'all your wheels have been refurbed mate, so sorry, no can do'. I was like 'wtf', and kicked up a fuss - that no one had said anything about this when i bought the car, nothing on the AUC report, no mention that the wheels had been refurbed, etc..etc...

in the end i've had 2 wheels replaced via BMW giving the green light, and 2 refurbed for free as a goodwill gesture (BMW wouldn't replace those due to damage, though where exactly they could see damage i've on one of thsoe 2 wheels, i've no idea. The other one did have the tiniest amount of kerbing)

dunno if any of that helps but gives an idea of what you can do to try and get what is rightfully yours.

[Blacktemplar]

I've had all four replaced with relatively minor corrosion in the past 12 months. And that's with swapping onto winters every November.....

Dealer was great, took a video and pictures, but replaced under warranty with no quibbles.

[SteveChester]

They need to stop diamond cutting them and selling normal powder coated wheels!!

It must cost them a fortune in replacements and admin costs!!

[sensible]

Originally Posted by SteveChester

They need to stop diamond cutting them and selling normal powder coated wheels!!

It must cost them a fortune in replacements and admin costs!!

They need to develop an attractive looking painted/powder coated colour and wheel design for premium 19" wheels. A good colour like smoked chrome on a design that works best with that colour.

[fuzzybunny]

I had all three 19" wheels replaced under warranty with BMW Yeovil. Then the fourth one developed corrosion in the middle so was replaced as well. Minor curbing on two of the wheels, no questions asked. The fourth replacement required a video to be taken and submitted to BMW UK, but all fine. I suggest if one dealer bums you out go to another.
Must be costing BMW a fair few Euros to replace all the corroded wheels, serves them right for introducing such crap diamond cut wheels!

[dr_tripwire]

Hi

I've just had a warranty claim raised for a corroded wheel (just by the hub) by my local BMW dealership - BMW have accepted the claim and are willing to send out a new wheel but the dealership are asking for £150 to fit it - I've spoken with BMW GB who are not helping whatsoever - was there any cost to you for the replacement(s)?

[Jeff123]

I had all four replaced at the three year warranty check. They all had minor bubbling around the centre cap. They also replaced the roundrels that were looking a bit "tired." All FOC - no issues whatsoever.

[dr_tripwire]

Originally Posted by Jeff123

I had all four replaced at the three year warranty check. They all had minor bubbling around the centre cap. They also replaced the roundrels that were looking a bit "tired." All FOC - no issues whatsoever.

I think it's just my local dealership not wanting to retain my business!! When I read so many posts about the same issue being resolved without cost to the owner, it tells me that the dealerships clearly value their customers enough not to charge them for something that wasn't their fault - this will be the last time I use these guys and will go 30 miles down the road to the next dealership (I'm waiting to hear back from them about them taking over the warranty claim and hopefully doing the work FOC)

[Liquidfox]

Originally Posted by dr_tripwire

Hi

I've just had a warranty claim raised for a corroded wheel (just by the hub) by my local BMW dealership - BMW have accepted the claim and are willing to send out a new wheel but the dealership are asking for £150 to fit it - I've spoken with BMW GB who are not helping whatsoever - was there any cost to you for the replacement(s)?

If the car is under new car warranty then tell them to charge BMW for it. You can't be charged for work carried out under warranty! I had 5 wheels replaced in 18 months with not so much as a word, I didn't even spot the corrosion on the last wheel they replaced.

[SantaEugence]

So they cover this sort of thing on an extended warranty taken out but with a gap since the last one expired?
Have a 2014 bought from a non-BMW garage and noticing the corrosion's kicking in around the centre caps (403m) full BMW service history if it makes a difference

[RobUK]

I had a complete set of 442Ms replaced when they did my end of warranty check last year. Dealer was very good and even told me that corrosion on these wheels is inevitable within the warranty period.

I guess you could argue that if BMW are prepared to replace your wheels because of corrosion for up to 3 years after they are new then why don't they also honour that when they supply new wheels as replacements, I mean they're the exact same wheels that would get fitted to a new car? Of course that's just wishful thinking because no manufacturer would ever put themselves on the hook like that

[dr_tripwire]

Originally Posted by Liquidfox

If the car is under new car warranty then tell them to charge BMW for it. You can't be charged for work carried out under warranty! I had 5 wheels replaced in 18 months with not so much as a word, I didn't even spot the corrosion on the last wheel they replaced.

I've got the car booked in with another dealer now - hopefully they'll be a bit more accommodatng than the last dealership!

[Jeff123]

They shot a video of all four wheels and actually sent me a copy. TBH, they weren't that bad, but having said that, the wife's 7 year old Corsa had perfect wheels other than the slight kerbing.