Can't Refurb Web-spoke split rim wheels

[tommywaterston]

Hi, this seems to be a common problem. I have R98 Web-spoke Split rim wheels on my mini and the outer rims are corroding on all 4, some worse than others, due to chips in the laquer.



Unfortunately warrenty has run out so, contacted BMW/MINI to get them refurbed. two dealerships now have said they can't do them because its a split rim.

Apparently the problem is splitting them, and more specifically putting them back together again. They didnt say why!

They quoted "whilst it is physically possible to take them apart and put them back together, BMW do not advise dealerships to do it, so I cant, sorry!" Rediculous! To busy covering their own back than serving the customers with parts they supplied!

Anyway, 'the wheel specialist' said they could refurb them fine as long as they came pre-split and quoted £253 for full refurb of the outer rims. They wont split or put them back together either! This still leaves me with the problem of splitting them and putting them back together!

Has anyone had split rims refurbed?? and if so where did you go??

Thanks

[rivet588]

£253!

there not that hard to do yourself mate - ive done a few sets of r90s.

splitting the wheel is easy and so is re bounding it back again

[jonnyh8]

We have exactly the same corrosion problem with my wifes webspokes. I spoke to a couple of places. One of whom siad that they cant do it, another was a mobile company that said they would have a look.

We will try and get them done in the new year but someone on these forums must have had someone refurb webspokes before??

Otherwise, they will go on ebay!

[scotty01]

why not just repaint your outrim a different colour for a bit of a change? the colour of your car for example, just sand it, prime it, paint it! when you sand it you should be able to get rid of some corrosion!

[Nick_from_Suffolk]

The construction of your wheel does not look to be massively different from the 108 split rims on my wife's Z4. After 6 years the Z4 wheels are showing similar signs. I am going to have these wheels refurbished when the poor weather sets in and the car is confined to the garage.

The 108 rims get a good airing on Z4 forums. Here is a link (I trust it will work even if you are not a forum member) that shows what can be done. Note that when I asked BBS about splitting the rims I was given a very emphatic 'No'. That has not deterred the owners of 108 Z4 rims and will not deter me.

Z4-forum.com • View topic - bmw bbs 5 spoke split rims

[silverous]

I had split rim AC Schnitzer wheels refurbished. I think the problem is to do with the thin nature of the split bit and they have to machine it even thinner. They did mine but said they couldn't be done again then. Pristine Alloy Wheels in/near Milton Keynes are very good, why don't you give them a call? I know not particularly near you but they did mine and are well respected.

£253 isn't that bad for 4 alloy wheels refurbed IMHO, particularly split ones - but only if they did the whole wheel - for the split bit that seems a bit much. That said, how far out of warranty is your car? Don't forget the sale of goods act. That isn't limited by the artificial warranty period a dealer might put on them, they have to be of reasonable quality and not have an inherent fault. If they've all gone in a short period then I'd say there was an inherent fault (assuming you haven't been cleaning them with acid!).

[adam_Randell]

£253 is extortion! especially considering you will have to get your tyre off too. i can get all 4 of my wheels refurbished, wheels/tyres taken off, balanced and put back on for between £40 and £50 a wheel.

[Themajickman]

Quote: Originally Posted by tommywaterston (original)

Apparently the problem is splitting them, and more specifically putting them back together again. They didnt say why!

I was reading on the North American motoring mini site that the problem with breaking down and reassembling the R98 wheels is due to the bolts. Apparently they are made from titanium and once they are used they are stretched and cannot be used again. At any rate, people have reassembled the wheels using the old bolts. The important thing is to make sure that they are torqued correctly. 28lbs and be sure to use blue loctite. You might even be able to order the bolts through BMW, but good luck on that.

[tommywaterston]

Quote: Originally Posted by adam_Randell (original)

£253 is extortion! especially considering you will have to get your tyre off too. i can get all 4 of my wheels refurbished, wheels/tyres taken off, balanced and put back on for between £40 and £50 a wheel.

Is that for split rim wheels tho? I know you can get one piece wheels refurbed including tyres reassembled for very little, but everywhere I ring and people I speak to say split rims are much more expensive due to the nature and risk of having to split the wheels before refurbing them.

I've decided I'm not going to spend getting them refurbed. For the amount it will cost for someone to do them, you might as well spend the money getting a brand new set of wheels, and sell these for a bit of extra pocket money.

I might have a go taking them apart myself and sanding them down. I was worried about doing it myself initially however the Z4 link posted earlier " Z4-forum.com • View topic - bmw bbs 5 spoke split rims " (thanks Nick) has a step by step guide on it, and it looks fairly easy.

[DaFlake]

I'm going to have to keep tabs on this thread. I just had a tire place mount some tires and they did this to all 4 of my wheels...

[DaFlake]

You know, I was just looking at your photos and it looks like what happened to mine. Whoever mounted your tires damaged your wheels buy using the wrong tools on them. TIres with a low profiles are hard to mount and without the right tools fitters have a hard time getting them off. I asked my fitter why he just didn't ask me to go elsewhere rather than take the risk

[M.O.S]

I take it you're getting a new set of wheels?

[DaFlake]

Quote: Originally Posted by M.O.S (original)

I take it you're getting a new set of wheels?

I complained on Friday. He had to make a few phone calls and his insurance will likely be involved. I'll have to get a quote from a MINI dealer to see what four new one will cost.

I should know more Monday. I sure hope they don't force me to take them to court.

[M.O.S]

Keep us posted... They aren't cheap wheels unfortunately

[DaFlake]

Will do, I'm not a happy camper right now.