[jefe2000]

I looked down at one of the rear wheels on my M2 today and noticed the center cap was outright missing. I checked the other rear and found a very loose cap — it was halfway popped out of its perch in the center of the wheel. I pushed it back in and drove home. When I got home, it was halfway popped out again. I think it’s only a matter of time before I lose the second rear one.

I put OEM floating wheel caps in about 1 ½ years ago. So they should still still be under the 2-year parts warranty. I made an appointment at the local BMW dealership for Wednesday morning. I know the wheel caps are a minor thing in the grand scheme of things. Even so, hopefully they’ll see the looseness of the rear one that I still have and honor the warranty for both.

[samsamdar]

Yeah it happens when they get dirty. Always clean both the wheel and center cap really well when installing them with rubbing alcohol. They get super loose when dirty/dusty. Hopefully your dealer warranties it

[jefe2000]

Originally Posted by samsamdar

Yeah it happens when they get dirty. Always clean both the wheel and center cap really well when installing them with rubbing alcohol. They get super loose when dirty/dusty. Hopefully your dealer warranties it

Ah, thanks for the tip. I wouldn’t have linked dirt with loose caps!

We’ll see what the dealer says on Wednesday morning…

[ThreeStripes]

I used to send one of these flying off when tracking on stock wheels so much that the $16 replacement cost for the non-floaters just got factored in.

They fit much tighter in Apex wheels so now that I run those this isn’t a problem.

[jefe2000]

My local dealer visit for this issue on Wednesday morning didn’t end how I hoped. I’d verified over the phone with them before scheduling the appointment that they’d be able to honor the 2-year parts warranty even though I’d purchased the center wheel caps from a different dealership’s parts department. Over the phone they said yes, they’d honor the warranty.

But in person, the story was different. The SA said nope to honoring the warranty (and so did the service manager). They said I’d have to work through the original reseller that I’d purchased from. So, I’ve now reached out to Schomp BMW in Colorado for help. My wife originally purchased the center wheel caps via Schomp’s Amazon.com storefront. We’ll see how it goes…

[samsamdar]

Originally Posted by jefe2000

My local dealer visit for this issue on Wednesday morning didn’t end how I hoped. I’d verified over the phone with them before scheduling the appointment that they’d be able to honor the 2-year parts warranty even though I’d purchased the center wheel caps from a different dealership’s parts department. Over the phone they said yes, they’d honor the warranty.

But in person, the story was different. The SA said nope to honoring the warranty (and so did the service manager). They said I’d have to work through the original reseller that I’d purchased from. So, I’ve now reached out to Schomp BMW in Colorado for help. My wife originally purchased the center wheel caps via Schomp’s Amazon.com storefront. We’ll see how it goes…

Yeahhh that's typically how it goes with the BMW dealers here in CA... 99% of them suck lol. I would maybe try calling around at other dealers in your area and see if any of them bite. That's what I had to do to find a dealer that would honor my coolant expansion tank replacement after the car had been tuned.

[///M TOWN]

I use a bit of 3M vhb tape to hold them in place

Keeps them in place and keeps them from spinning

[ggggbmw]

Originally Posted by ThreeStripes

I used to send one of these flying off when tracking on stock wheels so much that the $16 replacement cost for the non-floaters just got factored in.

I don't even put the centers in for my track wheels. They will just pop out sooner or later and litter the track.

And more track cred running without them.

[jefe2000]

Originally Posted by ///M TOWN

I use a bit of 3M vhb tape to hold them in place

Keeps them in place and keeps them from spinning

Sounds like a great trick. I think I’m not following where you put the tape. On the plastic tabs at the backside of the wheel cap?

[jefe2000]

Originally Posted by samsamdar

Yeahhh that's typically how it goes with the BMW dealers here in CA... 99% of them suck lol. I would maybe try calling around at other dealers in your area and see if any of them bite. That's what I had to do to find a dealer that would honor my coolant expansion tank replacement after the car had been tuned.

I ended up hearing back from the dealer that sold us the parts via their Amazon storefront. Their response basically echoed my own expectations: “uh yeah, your local dealer should be able to honor that warranty for you. No need to go through us.”

Armed with that, I wrote a note to the service manager at my local dealership
and let him know that I wasn’t pleased with how things went. I was polite and collaborative about it, but I didn’t mince words. He replied this afternoon with some technical legalese about warranties and that they would goodwill honor the replacement after all. I think they didn’t want to lose a customer over a couple $20 parts. So, all’s well that ends well!

[samsamdar]

Originally Posted by jefe2000

I ended up hearing back from the dealer that sold us the parts via their Amazon storefront. Their response basically echoed my own expectations: “uh yeah, your local dealer should be able to honor that warranty for you. No need to go through us.”

Armed with that, I wrote a note to the service manager at my local dealership
and let him know that I wasn’t pleased with how things went. I was polite and collaborative about it, but I didn’t mince words. He replied this afternoon with some technical legalese about warranties and that they would goodwill honor the replacement after all. I think they didn’t want to lose a customer over a couple $20 parts. So, all’s well that ends well!

Good on you man. Majority of the time, for minor stuff like this, these dealers always give in after a bit of pressure!