BHPian samyakmodi recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
So I have been facing some issues with my BMW 630D every now and then and have been wondering - are others facing this too?
I think I had mentioned earlier the plight of the alloys cracking for no rhyme or reason inspite of babying the car around. In 87000kms so far - we have experienced 3 alloys cracking and none of the times there was any damage to the rubber wheel as such.
BMW Secure policy which I was sold with an assurance that alloys would be covered - didn't cover them, and the manufacturer doesn't think it's a manufacturing defect.
No idea who is responsible for making such fragile alloys for Indian driving conditions and then add on run flat tyres for added giggles because you will need to change them each time there is a puncture.
After recovering from the alloy fiasco - last Saturday I noticed that the car is behaving weird over bumps and is scraping the smallest of speed breakers inspite of being super slow (3-4kmph) - got down to check only to be greeted by the front suspensions going kaput. Fortunately the car is still under warranty - but for the life of me I am unable to understand what is the engineering behind the air suspensions which fail in 87000 kms.
The car has again gone to the workshop - and it would take them 8-10 working days to get the suspensions from the company.
If not entirely wrong - my car has spent over 4 months in the dealership waiting for parts in the past 4 years of ownership - again wondering - is this normal?
Total cost incurred to use the car over 4 years
Cost of using the car without fuel so far in 4 years - approx 29 lacs.
Here's what BHPian avira_tk had to say on the matter:
The 29 lakh figure is astronomical by any yardstick, but given you average 20k a year in an expensive 6 cylinder German luxury sedan with a staggered 19 inch set up, the costs are par for the course. The alloys are known to go bad if they look good, that seems to be the case with all aesthetic choices. The practical option would to get an 18 inch square setup to reduce both wheel and tyre issues. 255/50R18 size will be ideal, but that means getting another set of alloys.
Here's what BHPian androdev had to say on the matter:
Air suspension has rubber bellows, they tend to fail as early as within 4 years if you are unlucky. If one of the front pair fails, be prepared for the other one also to fail soon. Rear ones tend to last longer.
BMW low profile RFT tires and cast alloy wheels are not a great combination for Indian roads. Say you noticed a speed breaker too late and end up with an impact: this can potentially cause a crack in alloy without any damage to the tire. Tire damage usually points to hitting something sharp. Moving to tubeless tires, higher profile tires, good quality forged alloy wheels etc can help mitigate the issue.
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