tire warranty paying off

[35iDriver]

I did NOT get a tire warranty and that decision is paying off as I have not had any tire issues the first 24k miles/ 2+ years.

I plan to take a nice vacation with all the money I did not have to line insurance company salesperson's wallet's with the past 2 years.

[Jayda]

Originally Posted by 35iDriver

I did NOT get a tire warranty and that decision is paying off as I have not had any tire issues the first 24k miles/ 2+ years.

I plan to take a nice vacation with all the money I did not have to line insurance company salesperson's wallet's with the past 2 years.

19 inch wheels, style 296?

[35iDriver]

Originally Posted by Jayda

19 inch wheels, style 296?

18" Multi-Spoke Wheels.

[ZheHbKa]

Originally Posted by 35iDriver

18" Multi-Spoke Wheels.

exactly

bigger size more crack prone and lower profile tire more prone to damage

i hope no one with a base 328 will chime to say that they have no tire issues, where the tire size 215/55 r17

[marcw]

I don't want to turn into Rolf on this issue so this will be my last post on this topic.

Comparing 19" style 296 with any other wheel is comparing apples and oranges. If you do a search around the internet it becomes clear that the 296 style has a design defect that makes it more prone to cracking. Yes I agree that BMW should step up to the plate and take care of this issue, but so far they haven't. So the cheaper option at this point for owners with the 296 style wheel is to get insurance.

Colorado you are making some wrong assumptions. My dealer made $0 profit on the insurance I bought. I bought it myself not through BMW. I paid $800 and got $2500 worth in claims so far with still 4 more years of coverage to go. It's simple math. I'm up no matter what you say. In general I agree with you that the add on crap a dealer wants to sell you is pure profit margin. We all know about 'undercoating' etc. etc. However, if you are driving around on 19" 296 style wheels you are asking for trouble at this point in time.

Colorado, az34, 35iDriver we will just have to agree to disagree on this issue.

[Colorado]

marcw---$2,500 in claims in 1 year. Where do you drive or how do you drive? And shame on BMW for not taking care of this wheel problem. My bet is there is more to the story on BMW's warranty and these wheels. Are owners racing at the track, etc. If so, all bets are off. This wheel problem seems to be well known. I may just go in and ask my BMW dealer about this today.

[Jayda]

For me, with a "new to me" Z4 that had everything I wanted but had the darn 296, 19 inch wheels, I am happy to the pay the insurance cost. The dealer did offer alot of other stuff I would never consider but thanks to reading up on the wheels on forums like this, I think I made a good decision on the extra insurance. My last post too on this issue. . I'm going to focus on enjoying the car!

[35iDriver]

I never knew that tire issues also resulted from the 296 rim issues. In that case it seems to make sense to have the insurance.

[2gumby]

Originally Posted by Colorado

marcw---$2,500 in claims in 1 year. Where do you drive or how do you drive? And shame on BMW for not taking care of this wheel problem. My bet is there is more to the story on BMW's warranty and these wheels. Are owners racing at the track, etc. If so, all bets are off. This wheel problem seems to be well known. I may just go in and ask my BMW dealer about this today.

Colorado, that's what the problem is. Shame on BMW, indeed. The 296 style rims (standard on the 3.5i with Sport package) are faulty AND BMW is shirking their responsibility about it. Please read up on this forum or one of several others if you are really interested about it.

The BMW Z4 rear wheels are especially prone to cracking just in everyday driving. The most pressing general reason is that they are 19" wheels and NOT forged (because cast is cheaper) - therefore they are not as strong as they could/should be. This is a pretty common issue for MOST 19" and up wheels, but is an extraordinary issue with the BMW 296 wheels for the Z4 and the 225 wheels (also 19") for the 3 series. Add to that the extremely hard run-flat tires that both come with. Then, for the rear wheels, BMW went wider (nice), but also added a 1.5 degree or so camber. This puts an inordinate amount of stress on the inner edge of the rear wheels. Guess where they all crack?

Ask someone in-the-know at a Discount Tire. They know the horror stories of BMW, Mini and Mercedes Benz wheels. Other brands, too, but it seems that these 3 are the worst offenders. Very low profile tires combined with cast (not forged) wheels is a recipe for cracked or bent wheels. This is not really a new thing.

Potential other reasons are owner abuse/unfamiliarity with how delicate 19" cast rims really are. But for most of us that have had this issue (me, too - both rear wheels cracked), I bet owner abuse was NOT the reason.

These 296 style wheels are simply not up to the task, BMW knows it, and is patently ignoring it.

We (wife and I) knew all of this sad story before buying the Z4 (and before that when we were considering the 335 vert), and bought one anyway, with the 296 wheels, because we wanted the Sport Package.
Until BMW's stance changes, a wheel or wheel & tire warranty makes sense (dollars and sense) to mitigate the cost of replacing wheels at $500-600 a pop. Again, read Rolf's story or several other's, for how BMW treats this issue. You will be lucky (at least in the US) to get BMW to do the right thing. If you catch a crack VERY early, you might get a free replacement from BMW. Otherwise, BMW WILL blame it on owner abuse, like hitting a pothole.

BTW, most of the "BMW" wheel & tire warranties (sold by the BMW finance guy) are not truly BMW products. They are by a third-party insurance company. Ours sure is. I'm sure the finance guy gets a commission, but the total dollar amount is not pure dealer profit, it's premium for this insurance. That insurance company just shelled out over $1100 for our two new rear 296 style rims (and remounting/balancing the old run-flats). And they have 3.5 years more to sweat it out.
Eventually, this wheel or wheel & tire warranty will cost too much to make sense for new-car buyers to consider, because of all the claims. For now, it's a reasonable extra expense ($800-$1200) that we SHOULDN'T have to pay, but really need to. Or, keep paying for new wheels as they continue to crack.
We've already more than broken even on it.

Also, I'm old enough to potentially have grandchildren. Not that it's any proof of driving habits, but we're not speedracers. Owners are NOT racing at the track. Most aren't anyway. We're not, for sure.

One last thing - ask BMW about it, almost anyone - and they'll act like they've never heard of this issue. The only thing you will hear is the generic "all low-profile tire/wheel combos are more susceptible to damage from potholes and such." While true, this only scratches the surface of this problem. I asked (repeatedly to different folks at different dealerships).
The same "what on earth are you talking about?" was uttered from them when asked about the infamous HPFP issues - right up until the actual recall. You are much more likely to get the straight scoop here long before the manufacturer will admit to any issue. And I've been on this site, lurking and learning, for a long, long time.

[Jayda]

Originally Posted by 2gumby

Colorado, that's what the problem is. Shame on BMW, indeed. The 296 style rims (standard on the 3.5i with Sport package) are faulty AND BMW is shirking their responsibility about it. Please read up on this forum or one of several others if you are really interested about it.

The BMW Z4 rear wheels are especially prone to cracking just in everyday driving. The most pressing general reason is that they are 19" wheels and NOT forged (because cast is cheaper) - therefore they are not as strong as they could/should be. This is a pretty common issue for MOST 19" and up wheels, but is an extraordinary issue with the BMW 296 wheels for the Z4 and the 225 wheels (also 19") for the 3 series. Add to that the extremely hard run-flat tires that both come with. Then, for the rear wheels, BMW went wider (nice), but also added a 1.5 degree or so camber. This puts an inordinate amount of stress on the inner edge of the rear wheels. Guess where they all crack?

Ask someone in-the-know at a Discount Tire. They know the horror stories of BMW, Mini and Mercedes Benz wheels. Other brands, too, but it seems that these 3 are the worst offenders. Very low profile tires combined with cast (not forged) wheels is a recipe for cracked or bent wheels. This is not really a new thing.

Potential other reasons are owner abuse/unfamiliarity with how delicate 19" cast rims really are. But for most of us that have had this issue (me, too - both rear wheels cracked), I bet owner abuse was NOT the reason.

These 296 style wheels are simply not up to the task, BMW knows it, and is patently ignoring it.

We (wife and I) knew all of this sad story before buying the Z4 (and before that when we were considering the 335 vert), and bought one anyway, with the 296 wheels, because we wanted the Sport Package.
Until BMW's stance changes, a wheel or wheel & tire warranty makes sense (dollars and sense) to mitigate the cost of replacing wheels at $500-600 a pop. Again, read Rolf's story or several other's, for how BMW treats this issue. You will be lucky (at least in the US) to get BMW to do the right thing. If you catch a crack VERY early, you might get a free replacement from BMW. Otherwise, BMW WILL blame it on owner abuse, like hitting a pothole.

BTW, most of the "BMW" wheel & tire warranties (sold by the BMW finance guy) are not truly BMW products. They are by a third-party insurance company. Ours sure is. I'm sure the finance guy gets a commission, but the total dollar amount is not pure dealer profit, it's premium for this insurance. That insurance company just shelled out over $1100 for our two new rear 296 style rims (and remounting/balancing the old run-flats). And they have 3.5 years more to sweat it out.
Eventually, this wheel or wheel & tire warranty will cost too much to make sense for new-car buyers to consider, because of all the claims. For now, it's a reasonable extra expense ($800-$1200) that we SHOULDN'T have to pay, but really need to. Or, keep paying for new wheels as they continue to crack.
We've already more than broken even on it.

Also, I'm old enough to potentially have grandchildren. Not that it's any proof of driving habits, but we're not speedracers. Owners are NOT racing at the track. Most aren't anyway. We're not, for sure.

One last thing - ask BMW about it, almost anyone - and they'll act like they've never heard of this issue. The only thing you will hear is the generic "all low-profile tire/wheel combos are more susceptible to damage from potholes and such." While true, this only scratches the surface of this problem. I asked (repeatedly to different folks at different dealerships).
The same "what on earth are you talking about?" was uttered from them when asked about the infamous HPFP issues - right up until the actual recall. You are much more likely to get the straight scoop here long before the manufacturer will admit to any issue. And I've been on this site, lurking and learning, for a long, long time.

Well said, captures my feelings exactly!