Oh No
Cracked as well as bent
Last Saturday I was feeling particularly good about my 2002 M5. Over the past few weeks every fluid (minus power steering) has been refreshed on the car. Brake, coolant, oil, transmission and differential fluids have all been replaced. I had just removed an old and faded clear bra from the car the week before. Then a local road gave me a brand new issue to address.
I was driving down Ft. Hunt Road in Alexandria, and my right rear tire hit a deep gulley right by the side of the road. I must have drifted slightly to the right, but I did not go over the white line. The drop must be at least 12 inches, and I heard the kind of loud bang an owner never wants to hear.
The car immediately started driving roughly, and I pulled over right away. The right rear tire was flat, and initially I thought that was the extent of the damage. I had just replaced a flat tire two months ago. Unfortunately, when I got the wheel off the car I saw it had been bent and cracked. See the sad images above.
Everything on this car is more complicated than most vehicles, but fixing this problem is especially so. Not only are they very expensive, but the color of the E39 M5 wheel is called shadow chrome, a mixture of black and silver that can vary substantially from car to car. Matching the look of the replacement will be challenging.
After doing some local searching and coming up empty, I decided to contact a company called All Factory Wheels. I had purchased original, refurbished wheels from them two years ago for my E36 M3. They did a good job matching the finish of the three wheels I purchased from them with the one brand new wheel I purchased from TheBMWPartsStore.com.
I’m really hoping they come through for me. If not, I can always return the wheel and go brand new from BMW. I’ve placed my order, and waiting on delivery. I’ll update this story when the replacement is done.