Wheels corroding - mainly around center caps

[Kzang]

Originally Posted by nyalpine90

this was one of the wheels on my 2015 x3 msport, had the same issue on the rest of the wheels.

last year when i address the issue to 2 service advisors, they walked outside and took pictures of the wheels. It took probably a month and all 4 wheels were replace under warranty.

Has it happened again since? I wonder what caused the corrosion. I don't understand how BMW replacing the wheel would fix it an issue like this unless the wheel you replaced were originally defective in some way.

[AntMan]

Hi

I had an issue a few months ago with the lacquer peeling from my 469M's......took the car to my local dealer and they submitted a warranty claim. A couple of weeks later the dealer had ordered 4 replacement wheels for me under warranty. No idea what the issue was with the original wheels but happy to say that the replacement ones have so far been unaffected

[nyalpine90]

Not sure if it happen again, i trade it in this year. It was probably defective batch of wheels that BMW was aware.

Originally Posted by Kzang

Has it happened again since? I wonder what caused the corrosion. I don't understand how BMW replacing the wheel would fix it an issue like this unless the wheel you replaced were originally defective in some way.

[stewy604]

nyalpine90, that's the same issue I had on mine. AntMan, that's brutal about the clear/lacquer peeling, never seen that before. Glad you got them replaced.

[turboawd]

i'm surpriesed bmw is actually swapping out rims.
i remember when i had my nearly new trailblazer ss with clear coat peeling and corrosion. i pretty much got told its normal. never gm again!

[RR-NYC]

The rusty stuff is weird. Maybe wheel cleaner got into the hub and caused corrosion?

Maybe the newer wheels are now covered or this was a one-off case. The finish on the wheels is not part of the manufacturers warranty, or so I was told (by 4 different dealers who serviced my M3). I think it's ridiculous but any damage to the finish is a wear and tear issue.

[AntMan]

I too was a little surprised (but obviously very happy) that BMW agreed to swap my rims out, as I was expecting them to say that I must have been using corrosive alloy wheel cleaner. However, with the lacquer peeling from the spokes and no evidence of 'curbing', it must have been down to a poor quality batch of wheels from the supplier. The car is hand washed every week a with non-acid based wheel cleaner being used, so I know that it wasn't anything I could have done to bring on the fault. We all know how having clean, unmarked rims really makes any car look better

[IanW555]

Oh great, looks like we have the corrosion issue on our 469M wheels, ALL 4 wheels!

Booked in with dealer for a couple of weeks time to start the warranty process. Hope this is not gonna be too painful.

Ian.

[IanW555]

All 4 wheels replaced under warranty which is good, however, I am worried that if these now corrode outside warranty, will BMW still replace?

[martin mustang]

We experienced the same issue with our previous 2011 X3, this was on all alloys and in year 4 of ownership, BMW changed all alloys for free even after warranty, your dealer should work on getting the same, it is simply out of order for this to happen this soon.
Looking at the quality of how the X cars are put together is simply not up to standards of example the 5 series, our 2017 X5 dashboard is not aligned properly on one side, and the seats control casing came off, dealer needed to replace broken screw. I believe this our last X BMW, it simply not on for the money they charge.

[CWL21]

Like others, had it happen on my 2013 MSport. Dealer replaced all 4 no questions asked.

[FLx5tbay]

Having the same issues with all four rims. All center caps are falling apart. The capsÂ’ edges are corroding heavily to the point theyÂ’re falling off. The borders/edges the caps touch on each rim are are various stages of corrisom inside of the cap hole and also the edges. Waiting to hear what a bmw factory rep says based on photos sent to him/her from dealership.

[originalgoods13]

It looks to me that there's not enough lacquer or coating around the hub area causing oxidization and pitting from water or salt.

I would take the new wheel replacement and spray the area with clear coat for added protection.

[FLx5tbay]

Originally Posted by originalgoods13

It looks to me that there's not enough lacquer or coating around the hub area causing oxidization and pitting from water or salt.

I would take the new wheel replacement and spray the area with clear coat for added protection.

Still waiting to see what the outcome is from the dealer and factory contact. Online contact has BMW saying this to me: I don't buy it.

[originalgoods13]

Tough call. If BMW does not cover it, you can always take it to a wheel shop and get it refinished.

OEM wheels usually have a generous amount of clear coat to protect the wheel. A small nick or scrape exposing the bare metal will oxidize right away given the conditions.

[LocksmithNick]

I'd take them to the powder coat/wheel refinishing shop. Look at it as an opportunity to mod lol. Also, ECS has center caps for $50.

[turboawd]

spray some fluid film or other type of rust inhibitor in there before putting the caps on. moisture/water gets in behind the cap and probably takes a long time to dry since there isnt much air movement behind the cap.

[LocksmithNick]

I wonder if this is why there’s a new style center cap? The parts department mentioned that when I went in there to price check. Ended up going with ECS who also had the “new style”..

[FLx5tbay]

Originally Posted by LocksmithNick

I wonder if this is why there’s a new style center cap? The parts department mentioned that when I went in there to price check. Ended up going with ECS who also had the “new style”..

Is the new cap redesigned visually/looks or is manufacturing different? If you look at the close up of the caps I posted the ends are peeling back and look like they were put together like elementary school plastic badge presses.

[LocksmithNick]

Originally Posted by FLx5tbay

Is the new cap redesigned visually/looks or is manufacturing different? If you look at the close up of the caps I posted the ends are peeling back and look like they were put together like elementary school plastic badge presses.

The old style fit loosely in my wheels. The new style is a tight fit with different looking inner tabs. They look the same once installed, but different in the hands.

[FLx5tbay]

Rims approved, ordered by BMW dealer and being replaced.

[ikheetleon]

Thanks to this thread, I'm also awaiting approval for replacement. The dealer said however that they might refuse the swap due to some curb damage.