Cracked alloys - is bad driving to blame?

HELPDESK:Answering all your motoring queries is MICHAEL McALEER

From DMcG, Donegal: Reading your BMW 530d GT SE review last week I noted the 19” alloys. Has the problem with these alloys cracking, as highlighted by BBC’s ‘Watchdog’, been resolved?

The 250 comments posted on the BBC blog do not offer reassurance. As a first-time owner of a BMW 520d M Sport, I am very concerned.

Apparently BMW UK blames potholes for the problem. What chance has the Irish road user and what is the warranty position with BMW Ireland?

If potholes prove such a threat to the integrity of the alloys, then you’re right to be concerned when living in Ireland. The Watchdog programme highlighted the case of several BMW owners, one of whom, in the space of two-and-a-half years, was advised by his BMW dealer to replace six wheels. BMW said the wheels had been damaged by road impact, such as hitting a pothole at speed. The drivers, however, claimed they just drove normally, and weren’t to blame.

One of the annoyed owners reflected on the fact that all the cracks appear on the inside wheel rims, and almost always affect the rear alloys. “You hit a pothole with a front wheel. I’ve had no front wheels damaged. There’s more weight over the front of the car than the rear so I’m astounded that the fronts haven’t cracked,” he said.

The problem seems to only affect BMW’s 19-inch rear alloys, coupled with runflat tyres. It also concentrated on BMW 3 Series coupés and convertibles.

According to a BMW spokeswoman, the firm will pay for defects that are attributed to a manufacturing problem. “If a wheel rim is present with cracks, a full technical evaluation is made in every case.

“If the wheel is found to be deflected from a perfect circle by 0.3mm or more, this is evidence that an impact has taken place and this has been the cause of the cracks. Then the customer would be responsible for the repair.

“If the wheel is deflected by less than 0.3mm and yet is cracked, it will be replaced under warranty. We would advise anyone who has this problem to contact their dealer.”

Our advice would be that if these alloys are so easily damaged by potholes, they are best avoided. Go for 18” alloys instead, which don’t seem to have caused similar problems.

From DM: I’m looking for a family-sized car that falls into the lowest tax bracket, but I’ve a limited budget of €15,000, so a new Prius is out of the question.

The thing to remember is that the current tax regime only applies to cars registered after July 1st, 2008, or those registered earlier last year whose owners opted to include them in the emissions tax system.

The good news is that there is a growing list of models that qualify for the lowest tax band, and they’re not all superminis. The problem is that these cars have not really been on the market long enough to be retailing within your budget.

That said, there are a couple of cars that I would recommend you enquire about.

Primarily in the family car class, the 1.5-litre diesel engine developed by Renault some time ago emits just 115g/km in models like the current Megane. While it starts at €20,000 new, you may be able to avail of the firm’s own scrappage promotion or pick up a low mileage used demonstrator within your price range.