Dumbas

Hi, As my username suggests, I'm none too bright. I have a 525d Touring 2010. It was one of the last of the "old" shape. Will the dealer (Claytons) contact me, or should I contact them? Does the fact that I haven't been contacted mean that I am unaffected?

Other options to Runflats? You can go the can of goo, but I harbour serious doubts about its effectiveness and I am told it makes the tyre unrepairable. Some people change to non-RFTs and throw a spare in the boot when they do a longer journey. It's a fair compromise, but it's hardly commensurate with the BMW image of the joy of driving. BMW's answer is that there is no need for any of this. They say just pull over, check the tyre is still structurally sound and then consult the manual. From the manual, pick a speed and then drive to a BMW Service Centre. It all sounds good until you realize that the service centre won't have a RFT tyre and the cost and hassle of getting one couriered to you (possibly from overseas), makes it all a nightmare. Another problem I encountered. I was not prepared to drive on the failed RFT as the tread was peeling away and the tyre punctured because the sidewall was splitting away from the tread. I did no more than 5kms on the tyre, no way would I do 150 km. I think the tyre manufacturers factor their calculations on the basis of a simple puncture, not a structural failure like I had. As M5v8 said, what's the chances of a structural failure? I have been driving for decades and this is the only time a tyre has structurally failed.... and it occurred during the 23500 km of driving on RFTs... Bad luck or what? Actually, I think maybe the tyre failed because it was a RFT, in that the inside of the tyre became worn/stressed. Whilst BMW point to my failure to monitor my tyre pressures every fortnight (remember the car doesn't monitor Tyre Pressure as such), I have been checking other 5 and 7s around town and the inside wear is common and I think maybe it's due to the rear suspension being angled, coupled with the RFTs non compressing tyre wall, causing the inside of the Tyre to stress/wear prematurely and ultimately failure. Whilst maintaining the Tyre pressure at the max recommended helps spread the weight/wear across the width of the tyre, I remain unconvinced it is a solution. The inside tyre wall is still bearing the weight of the car. A normal tyre will deal with this stress by flexing, whereas the RFT doesn't flex and the inside tyre wall bears the strain. I think BMW would be wise to review the history of Betamax. It can be very expensive to back the wrong technology. As aside, I am told that Porsche with the Panamea and Maserati with Quattraporte are no longer designing space for a spare tyre. I understand they not using RFTs and essentially rely on the AA. This information on the Porsche and Maserati comes second hand, so I stand by to be shot down.

For anyone with a similar scenario, I put 2 Pirelli Rossos non RFTs on the front and swapped the 2 Dunlop RFTs to the rear axle. After much debate and head-scratching it was decided the car was warrantable. The source for this was 2 Service Centres authorized to warrant vehicles, including Jerry Clayton BMW. I have driven the car a bit over the weekend and the car drives no differently. We haven't done a long trip yet to establish if the tyre temps rise enough to possibly increase the circumference of the non-RFTs and trigger the Tyre Failure warning. In sum, so far so good. However, as to whether or not I would buy another late model BMW, that will be the subject of another thread when I have collected my thoughts. In the meantime, if you have a BMW with RFTs, you must buy a tyre pressure gauge and religiously check your pressures every month (fortnightly, if you read your handbook!!!). You also have to check the rear tyres for wear on the inside edge. Although not recommended by BMW, it is probably wise to swap your tyres around 6 monthly to limit the wear to the rear inside edge. Failure to religiously carry out these measures will not only result in higher fuel burn and tyre wear, but will almost certainly result in tyre failure, long before the tyres get close to the wear indicators!! Alternatively, you could just buy an Audi and save yourself the grief!!

Hi kiwi535, The size is 245/35R19.

Having wasted 2 days of my life attempting to learn about tyres ( with very limited success) I seek opinions/views on the mixing of run flats "RFTs" and non-run flats. Firstly, i accept that this solution is not ideal and certainly not in line with BMWs commitment to "run flat technology". However I have a 2010 5 Touring and need to replace a tyre and no suitable RFTs are available in NZ. I have decided to switch away from RFTs (I am lucky the car has a space saver). Two of the fitted RFTs are in good condition and probably have at least 10000km left in them. Secondly, the consensus of opinion is that a mixed configuration is warrantable so long as each axle has matching tyres. So some questions; 1. Does the mixing of RFTs and non-RFTs markedly affect the handling of the car? The car has some electronic trickery that assists handling and I am sure some immensely intelligent German chap has done some calculations on the suspension based on the fitment of RFTs. That said, the car very rarely does more than 130kph.. Oops... I mean 100kph. Whereas the clever German chappie would have based his sums in 200+kph. 2. If I do mix them, would you put the new non-RFTs on the front or the back? If any of you have any experience of this, I would be appreciative of your advice.

Hi Westie, Thanks for the offer of the blanks, however I might try and get the Foglamps working again as the glass looks better (I think?) I will remove them to get the car through the WOF and then try and import some polycarb lenses. Could be a "dumbas" idea, but how hard can it be? Just noticed a small problem however, neither foglamp is working and when I select them "on", I do not get the "on" light indicating on the dashboard. It could be a double bulb failure or something more sinister. So some more questions, if anyone has any experience in this field; 1. The fuses look OK, however the handbook mentions a relay K8 in the fusebox; could this be the problem, and 2. If I do replace the bulbs, other websites float the idea of using larger bulbs. I am a bit cool to this idea, however if anyone has had sucess I would interest in hearing about it. Thanks in anticipation.

Resurrecting the thread may have been to my good fortune as it attracted the attention of my google search tonight. I am a newbie here and I am seeking your collective advice on replacing the front foglamps on my E30 1991 318. Unfortunately, it failed it's warrant today with one inoperative and one cracked slightly. I tend not to use them, so I am just looking for a cheap fix. It's tempting just to remove them, but the car will look naff with 2 holes in the front. Google tells me that if the units and reflectors are sound, I can just replace the glass lenses with some patience and silicon and of course some new lenses. Does anyone know if the lenses are available in NZ? Failing that..... does anyone know of another cost effective way of solving this problem? Thanks......