R32 faulty rim ... warranty claim

[JayTee]

Hi guys

I've done 60,000 kms in my 07' R32.

Over the last month, the front tyre had been losing pressure on a regular basis. Couldn't find any leak or puncture, nail etc ...
Anyway, eventually we took the wheel off and found a leak around the inside seal. Once i rubbed all teh brake dust away ... SHOCK HORROR ... a 2 cm crack on the inside of the rim!!!
Has anyone seen this before?
I've never hit the wheel anywhere, or driven over any potholes to speak of.

I went to VW asking for a warranty claim, and they've basically assused me of having the wheel repaired before .... which i never have.
Now they have come back and said that i cant claim it ...

What should i do?
I'll forward some photos, when i get a chance.
Can it be repaired?

thanks
JT

[bazzle]

You will have to post a clear pic before Anyone can make a fair comment.

Bazzle

[JustCruisn]

Try another dealer

[gregozedobe]

Maybe get the dud wheel assessed by an engineer from your motoring organisation (RACV ?) and see what he says is the cause. If it is a manufacturing fault then use the report as support for a warranty claim.

[scotty1991]

70,000km's is a lot of distance to cover before this showed up, they probably assume you caused it.

[bazzle]

70,000km's is a lot of distance to cover before this showed up, they probably assume you caused it.

Or it is fatigue that shouldnt happen. Castings do have faults.

Follow the advice above.

Bazzle

[JayTee]

thanks guys for the advice.
I'll post some pics soon.

Cheers
JT

[JayTee]

how do you post pics from your pc ... its asking for a http// location???

excuse my ignorance

[bazzle]

how do you post pics from your pc ... its asking for a http// location???

excuse my ignorance

go to

www.photobucket.com or www.imageshack.com and join for free. After you load your pix there just copy the IMG link and paste on your reply here.


Bazzle

[JayTee]

r32 rim crack ... now ith photos

[/IMG]

[/IMG]

thanks
JT

[gerhard]

If it's legal to do so (which I don't know), I'd say that will weld up easily.

Whoever changed the tyres has left a nasty imprint in the wheel, but I doubt that has caused the crack as it's probably not close enough to be considered the culprit.

[gregozedobe]

Looks like it has had a decent whack to me (looking just to the left of the crack in the second photo). If so it is no surprise the dealer doesn't want to replace it under warranty.

[bazzle]

There is a scuff mark in that area but it shouldnt be a factor in the crack. The ally should smear across if it was hit hard enough to cause a crack IMO.

Sadly your only recourse is for a place like Sinclairs to have a look and give a failure report. I use them all the time for metal and associated material analysis.

http://www.sinxray.com.au/

Their opinion will hold up in court if required.

Bazzle

[gregozedobe]

The reason I said it looks like the rim has had a decent whack (and it is very hard to tell for sure from that photo) is because to me it looks like the rim to the left of the crack might be depressed slightly (ie has been bent in towards the tyre).

I would have thought the ally would only smear if whatever hit the wheel was moving in relation to the wheel at the time of impact. If it was a sharp edge of a pot hole then both the edge and the bottom of the tyre are usually both stationary (unless the tyre was skidding across the road when it hit the far side of the pot hole). If it was a pothole the tyre would bulge outwards and stop the hard surface from making direct contact with the rim, so no gouge in the ally.

As Bazzle says, might be worth getting a report (unless the report costs too much, in which case look for a new/secondhand rim). Good luck.

[logger]

Jay Tee try, Alloy Wheel Repairs in Moorabin. Their website looks like they should be able to assess and advise you how to proceed with a repair if it is possible. I note they say they do not weld spokes or structural areas of a wheel so I not sure how the rim fits in to this. Not a crack, but a month ago when my MK6 was 2 days old I buckled a rim driving on a flat (don't ask) ever so slightly, in essentially the same location as your crack. The tyre repairer sent it out somewhere (perhaps to the same mob) to get rolled true and seems as good as gold now. Cost $50.