Warranty denied for transfer case - aftermarket wheels

[640ijims]

I suspect that BMW believed that "coding", which you did not explain whether it was a tune and how strong ,could be culprit..

"Finally received a call from the Service Manager. When I asked him how wheels and tires that were virtually identical to OEM could cause the transfer case issue, he said "it wasn't the wheels and tires, it was aftermarket coding". I told him all of the paperwork in my invoice said "wheels and tires", no reference to any coding at all. He said "Sorry, that was a mistake and shouldn't have been on there.""

Over stressing beyond design parameters will cause problems. Not sure from post how far over allowed differential on rolling diameter you were . It is not difference from a stock setup, but allowable difference in rolling diameter between front and rear that causes issues. But, fight it non the less.. you never know

[SupersixM]

Gotta be factory warranty. If it was aftermarket warranty,, they would of done it, no questions ask. Always better to go to a certified reputable European mechanic that specializes in BMWs. Why?

BMW always try to wiggle their way out of performing warranty work

[640ijims]

The over 1% difference does NOT crater the transfer case. It is the constant and unnecessary additional torque/power sent in response to the signal

[640ijims]

Congratulations

[Yuille36]

Originally Posted by superflybaby

Either way, it doesn't matter. I took the car to my independent shop (run by guys who all worked previously for BMW) and they did a transfer case fluid flush. Apparently what came out was pretty ugly.

Two days later when I picked it up, the car ran perfectly fine, no issues whatsoever. I paid $335, compared with the $9k BMW was asking for to replace the transfer case out of warranty due to non-OEM wheels (or was it the coding?).

Two days after that I traded it for something completely different. For the first time in 21 years I don't own a BMW vehicle, and I can honestly say I never will again.

(My username has changed from my original post - mods banned my previous username for life for posting comments critical of the new 3/4 grilles.)

So what did you replace your bimmer with?

[LarryM4C]

A totaled car is 100% better than a nearly totaled car. Look at the bright side, be happy.

[8202632]

How’s the raptor. Looks like you bought at the perfect time. They’re all going up in $$$!

[Yuille36]

Good Choice

[Pedal Commander]

Hire a lawyer if you must. They are looking for ANY reason to avoid a warranty payout. Here at Pedal Commander, we advise our customers to remove ANY aftermarket part when going in for warranty work. They are ridiculous and they will typically always submit to your displeasure.

[Ehloo]

don’t know much about all this. if you think your transfer is going out would you feel this in the front or rear of the car. feeling like some slipping in rear

[pennsiveguy]

Originally Posted by F85MTuNED

Seems alike bimmer is about to start giving everyone hell..

I can confirm that I've also had this same experience. Car was scanned and the tune (BM3) was flagged even though I had flashed it back to stock. They wouldn't do any further work on the car until I agreed to let them re-flash the entire car with their latest software - with me paying them $345 to do it. Any warranty coverage is on a case-by-case basis from here on out.

[m3fuz]

Sadly, this is nothing new. I had the 5th gear detent issue in an E36 M3 and the dealership tried to avoid replacing the transmission because I had a Dinan intake and Stromung exhaust (and related software updates).

I went back in to the dealership with over 300 pages of discussion forums chatter, the TSB, etc., and they were happy to replace it after getting a very angry call from someone at BMWNA. Dealerships just don't make money on warranty work which is why they always try to kick it out.