[Leem40i]

Has this happened to anyone's wheels? My 2021 X4 has 21k miles and is under full warranty. This is only happening to the rear wheels. If you touch the surface it is completely smooth like the rest of the wheels so the clear coat is separating. I'm hoping BMW will cover this since its not caused by any damage from the outside. Front wheels have nothing so I'm thinking this has something to do with the manufacturing of the rear size wheels.

[lfdal54]

BMW should pay for this as long as there's no external damage to the wheels that would allow anything to get under the coating. One of the questions they may ask (or not) is if anyone has tampered with the center caps, since that looks like where the delaminating is originating.

[avi66]

Originally Posted by Leem40i

Has this happened to anyone's wheels? My 2021 X4 has 21k miles and is under full warranty. This is only happening to the rear wheels. If you touch the surface it is completely smooth like the rest of the wheels so the clear coat is separating. I'm hoping BMW will cover this since its not caused by any damage from the outside. Front wheels have nothing so I'm thinking this has something to do with the manufacturing of the rear size wheels.

It’s white worm corrosion typically caused by the clear coat being compromised on diamond cut surface.

Damage may be caused during assembly, changing tyres etc, and over time it spreads. Some cleaning agents can also accelerate this.

[Leem40i]

Originally Posted by lfdal54

BMW should pay for this as long as there's no external damage to the wheels that would allow anything to get under the coating. One of the questions they may ask (or not) is if anyone has tampered with the center caps, since that looks like where the delaminating is originating.

In order to put new tires on you have to remove the center caps to get it on the tire machine. My issue is the front wheels went through the same things that the rear wheels did. To me that's evidence that is a Manufacturing flaw on the rear wheels.

[avi66]

Originally Posted by Leem40i

In order to put new tires on you have to remove the center caps to get it on the tire machine. My issue is the front wheels went through the same things that the rear wheels did. To me that's evidence that is a Manufacturing flaw on the rear wheels.

Did the same fitter do the front and rear at the same time ?

Sometimes tyre fitters inadvertently cause damage on some wheels but not others. I hate tyre changes because most fitter don’t give a shit.

Could even be slight damage caused by mounting on the wheel on the balancing machine, particularly if the top coat is weaker around the inner edge of the hub.

See what BMW has to say.

[lfdal54]

Originally Posted by Leem40i

In order to put new tires on you have to remove the center caps to get it on the tire machine. My issue is the front wheels went through the same things that the rear wheels did. To me that's evidence that is a Manufacturing flaw on the rear wheels.

What I've seen them do, and it irritates me to the point I remove the center caps myself, is to pry out the caps with a small screwdriver or a pick. I either pull them off with a suction cup or tap them out from behind which does mean I need to remove the wheel myself first. For just that reason BTW, I had a set of wheels get damaged like that 20+ years ago. As to mounting on the tire machine they should have the proper centering tool to protect the wheel. Whether or not they do, is another question.

[fdpxfunix]

Just for context...

This is my rear near-side (UK) 726i. It's almost 6 years old and has been diamond cut (with the other 3) just before I bought the X3 used in April 2021.

The white worming appeared around a year later (on all wheels) and it was obvious the cut and lacquer job was not the best. Those white worm marks on the spokes are from stone chips and not me kerbing the alloys, but the lacquer coat has lifted in all these places too.

You should be able to get BMW to fix this, but I bet they'll try and wriggle out of it with the 'external wear and tear' statement.

For me... I'm about to go down the powder coated route as I don't think my alloys can be cut again, and I can't be bothered for them to look like this in a years’ time. The 726i's will look different powder coated, so not sure what colour to go for.

J.

[Jen4BMW]

I’ve got a little bit of this business going on with a few of my 699M wheels. In fact my damage occurred after BMW swapped my RFT’s out when my car was brand new. It’s annoying.