dgjk

I hate to disagree with the adminstrator, but...
it is true we have not done a statistical analysis, but I feel pretty safe saying that the most common rim is the 138 - and therefore someone with 138 should report a split.

I know you need number with statistical significane to prove that, and it is possible due to some fluke that only the 124's are reported with this problem, and there is a good chance here that many more than the normal of BMW owners have the 124 rims because of the type of people who tend to post here, but..

It is very stong evidence that the problem lies in the 124 rims

As far as a major safety issue - no clue - the firestone thing was a combination of the wrong tire on the wrong car - to make it that serious you need many factors to come into play - and hopefully the BMW is so well designed that a complete blow out would not put anyones life in danger.

rodybmw

Yes. I have the sports package with Steptronic.
[/quote]

How did a US 545i with sports package and 124's end up with non-Runflat tires? It should have come with Runflats from the factory. Did you change it to non-Runflats yourself?

Sorry that I keep persuing this but as far as I remember you are the only one that said his 124 cracked with non-Runflats, which made us conclude that the Runflats may not have contributed to the cracking of the 124's like we had first thought. However, your car (545i w/sport package) should have come with Runflats from the factory, and if it did that means that all the reported cases once again are with Runflats.

To me it looks like the 124's (at least some) have a defect that makes them prone to cracking. If so then it would also make sense that the ultra stiff Runflat sidewalls would transfer a lot more of the impact energy to the rims than a non-Runflat sidewall would. Therefore 124's (or defective 124's) with Runflats should be much more prone to cracking than ones without Runflats.

Having said that, if my 124's were to crack I would much rather be driving on Runflats than non-Runflats (I think the RF's would be safer).

mikeb@webdefy.com

Jeez F!!CK that BMW should replace right away considering the circumstances and his due diligence with pics.

ahightower

Yes. I have the sports package with Steptronic.
[/quote]

How did a US 545i with sports package and 124's end up with non-Runflat tires? It should have come with Runflats from the factory. Did you change it to non-Runflats yourself?

Sorry that I keep persuing this but as far as I remember you are the only one that said his 124 cracked with non-Runflats, which made us conclude that the Runflats may not have contributed to the cracking of the 124's like we had first thought. However, your car (545i w/sport package) should have come with Runflats from the factory, and if it did that means that all the reported cases once again are with Runflats.

To me it looks like the 124's (at least some) have a defect that makes them prone to cracking. If so then it would also make sense that the ultra stiff Runflat sidewalls would transfer a lot more of the impact energy to the rims than a non-Runflat sidewall would. Therefore 124's (or defective 124's) with Runflats should be much more prone to cracking than ones without Runflats.

Having said that, if my 124's were to crack I would much rather be driving on Runflats than non-Runflats (I think the RF's would be safer).
[/quote]

I bought my 04-545i "Certified Pre-Owned" from a local dealer. The car came with 124 rims without runflat tires. The car only had 21,000 +/- miles on it. I'm not sure what it came with from the factory. Not sure if runflats vs non-runflats make a difference post wheel splitting. My non-runflat tire held my "two" piece rim together until it was pulled off my car. As I stated in my earlier post. I was pleased with the way it handled after the rim split. I was doing about 70-75 mph when it happened the car swerved slightly but stayed in our lane. I then crossed three lanes to the shoulder with no problems.

rodybmw

Thanks for the further clarification.

evh5150

wow this is a hot topic. I can't believe how many views it has had!!! Glad I'm getting 172's!!

ahightower

Got word from my dealer. BMWNA is denying the warranty claim they made to replace my tire, rim and wheel bearing. BMWNA's stand is that the rim cracked due to impact. No S#!T! Don't you think the rim would bend or should have bent on impact? The only damage to the lip of the rim was caused by me driving over 3 lanes on the rim. My dealer is eating the cost of the tire, rim and wheel bearing to keep me happy in addition to writing a check for a full month's payment. Even if my rim splitting was a fluke, I still don't feel safe knowing six other cases have been reported on this site alone. My wife's safety is worth more to me than a set of tire and rims. We'll be replacing them immediately.

evh5150

wow thats good! Sounds like you have a great dealer! Good luck. What wheels and tires are you going to get?

JCHouston

Well, long story short, got the FTM warning, went to discount tire to check it out. The tech told me it's not the tire, there's a small crack on the rim (I have 124's also), and it's slowly leaking air. I was like, WTF??? Anyway, I'm so glad that I've look it up here since a few people here is experiencing the same problem.

Anyway, do you think the dealer will replace it for free since the wheel is not split in half? yet? I haven't call the dealer yet.

BTW, mine is an 3/04 built...so I guess it's the first batch of 545i.

z06bigbird

I play on the forums a ton of time. From what I see, there are almost no built in problems with the newer 530s, the Corvettes, and the CTSs. Many 530s have the style 123 rims (ugly 18"ers), but it seems that the 124 rims are the culprit--not the car.