Bubbling wheels?

[KyleR]

Went out to wash the car today ready for a viewing, who of course never turned up Noticed this whilst washing the wheels




Both rears are very badly bubbling around the centre, the outer half of the rims are fine and the fronts are perfect. It wasn't like this last week when I washed it and I never used anything specific or new on the wheels, just the .50cal snow foam and Meg's NXT shampoo that I've been using for the past year or 18 months. Any idea what may have caused this to pop up almost literally over night?

Rather pissed off that i'll have to get them refurbed, which is exactly what I don't want when trying to sell the car

 

[Wild Thing]

age of car? bmw anticorrosion warranty may cover it if original paint

 

[O.C.D]

I'll have a guess and say that looks like heat bubbles, was anyone driving with the hand brake partially on for a while and has built up a lot of heat if you look at the top pic the small M.badge nearly looks burnt a bit.Im no expert BTW

 

[Coog]

Rear brakes binding? Seems odd it would happen over night if you definitely didn't use any different chemicals.

 

[Big Pimp]

You definitely haven't used anything else?

Looks like moisture under the paint

 

[C4L]

think as above, excess heat causing the paint to bubble (surely not to this extent!?) or moisture under the paint or a combination of one then allowing the moisture in. Look at the larger wee bubbles, clearly were bubbled up then have popped an 'sunk' back in.

 

[KyleR]

age of car? bmw anticorrosion warranty may cover it if original paint

It's an 08, so still under the 12 year warranty, god thinking, but I guess they'll find a way to wiggle out of it. Might look into it though.

I'll have a guess and say that looks like heat bubbles, was anyone driving with the hand brake partially on for a while and has built up a lot of heat if you look at the top pic the small M.badge nearly looks burnt a bit.Im no expert BTW

Good spot, I'll have a look in the morning again incase it's reflection as the sun was shinning on that side. I did drive with the HB partially on for a bit a while back like a tube, but that wasn't in the past couple of weeks.

Rear brakes binding? Seems odd it would happen over night if you definitely didn't use any different chemicals.

I haven't noticed any binding, I experienced that quite a lot in the 350Z, but not in this.

You definitely haven't used anything else?

Looks like moisture under the paint

100% haven't used anything else, I've actually been to lazy of late to use the Fallout remover or Wonder Wheels.


If I poke them they are very soft and nothing comes out, so i'm assuming it can't be corrosion.

 

[Wild Thing]

BMW have been great with wifes convertible mini on the anti corrosion issue. Its worth asking about

 

[O.C.D]

Heat transfer the more i look at those pics ..happened to me years ago on an X-type.

 

[KyleR]

Heat transfer the more i look at those pics ..happened to me years ago on an X-type.

I'm inclined to agree with you because surely if it was from a chemical reaction it'd be all over the rim, not just the centre where the hub/disk is.


Apart from the handbrake idea (which is completely plausible) what else could cause the heat? And surely it'd need to be a **** load of heat to affect the paint like this?

 

[O.C.D]

Does anyone but you drive the car like a .......Female !

 

[KyleR]

Does anyone but you drive the car like a .......Female !

haha, no just me.

 

[Paddy_R]

The anti corrosion warrenty won't apply to wheels.

 

[Coog]

Could be a dodgy line, load sensing valve, tcs module or anything in between really. Take it a run And check the heat coming off the rear wheels. If it was anything other than heat youd expect to see it beyond the centre of the wheel.

 

[KyleR]

Could be a dodgy line, load sensing valve, tcs module or anything in between really. Take it a run And check the heat coming off the rear wheels. If it was anything other than heat youd expect to see it beyond the centre of the wheel.

Good idea, I'll take it for a spin tomorrow.



Cheers everyone for the brainstorming

 

[KyleR]

Actually, another question for anyone with experience, Genuine or eBay centre caps and M Power badges? IS there much of a difference? Are the genuine caps worth £40 a set?

 

[c11ris]

Judging from your sig these are M6 wheels. Did they not come from the factory with a diamond cut / lacquered finish? And if so then they have already been painted silver so the bubbling is the original metal finish corroding and causing the paint to bubble?

 

[KyleR]

Judging from your sig these are M6 wheels. Did they not come from the factory with a diamond cut / lacquered finish? And if so then they have already been painted silver so the bubbling is the original metal finish corroding and causing the paint to bubble?

I'm pretty sure it's not corrosion, the bubbles are soft, like little balloons, so I'm thinking the guy are right here, it's heat.

Considering going back to the diamond cut finish when I refurb them, though, but thats a convo for another thread

 

[Paul RS]

I'd doubt its heat. You'd notice something wrong with the brakes if they dragged that long to build up enough heat to cause the damage. The brakes would stink and smoke like mad. I've had brake discs glowing red hot on numerous occasions and have never had the paint on my wheels bubble.

 

[KyleR]

I'd doubt its heat. You'd notice something wrong with the brakes if they dragged that long to build up enough heat to cause the damage. The brakes would stink and smoke like mad. I've had brake discs glowing red hot on numerous occasions and have never had the paint on my wheels bubble.

This is what I was thinking, even if I drove miles with the handbrake on, it surely wouldn't create enough heat to do this? But as I said, I've washed the car a number of times since I did that and they were fine. It also isn't original paint, so maybe it was done on the cheap by the dealer?

 

[Eager]

Cold weather all of sudden can cause paint to lift. Literally overnight. If the paint job isn't prepared properly and applied right. Seen it first hand before. Moisture trapped under/in the paint

 

[KyleR]

Been for a couple of short drives today, wheels still felt pretty cool when I stopped, so doesn't appear to be any issues. Maybe I did the damage that time with the handbrake and then water ingress over a few washes made it much much worse.

 

[weeloaney]

Have the wheels been painted before that you know off @KyleR? The bubbles would either be created by heat or water and if they have been painted before the most likely case is water getting behind the paint, or already moisture trapped in it and the cold weather making it bubble.

We have a rover 220 and the rh rear door, 1/4 panel, tailgate and rear bumper were painted before we ever owned it and there must have been moisture in the airline where the car was being painted. Over the years dimples/bubbles formed over the painted bits getting worse over the winters till eventually they've popped and the paint lifts in we dots showing the primer.

If you want try and pop one of the bubbles and see if water comes out, might be able to feel water in one or a few of them. If water comes out that's your problem, not heat and they probably have been painted before.

 

[Lyons]

I'd say they've been painted before.

 

[KyleR]

Have the wheels been painted before that you know off @KyleR? The bubbles would either be created by heat or water and if they have been painted before the most likely case is water getting behind the paint, or already moisture trapped in it and the cold weather making it bubble.

We have a rover 220 and the rh rear door, 1/4 panel, tailgate and rear bumper were painted before we ever owned it and there must have been moisture in the airline where the car was being painted. Over the years dimples/bubbles formed over the painted bits getting worse over the winters till eventually they've popped and the paint lifts in we dots showing the primer.

If you want try and pop one of the bubbles and see if water comes out, might be able to feel water in one or a few of them. If water comes out that's your problem, not heat and they probably have been painted before.

I'm certain they've been done before, I'm pretty sure they're diamond cut from the factory, not painted and even if I am wrong with that, they were in too perfect a condition when I bought it for them to be original paint. I'll go poke a bubble in the morning, but when I prodded them the other day they felt empty, like a bubble in naan bread lol