Trouble Shooting BMW M-Coupe Wheel Defects

Ohio Detailing

Ohio Detailing

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Hi guys,

I was tending to a client's vehicles this week (he has a personal collection), and during the initial prep stages I of course noticed some very apparent spotting on his wheels. I asked him about it, and he said they have been there since shortly after he purchased the car new (custom order direct from BMW) in 2002. His vehicles are all nearly mint condition, this one for example only has a few thousand miles on it, and it's 12 years old.

Anyway, although I thoroughly cleansed his wheels, since the spotting was still very obvious after my usual steps (APC and Sonax Full Effect) - I wanted to make SURE my next step(s) were precise and calculated. I wouldn't want to deal with the ramifications of harming a collectable BMW M-Coupe of which there are only six EVER MADE by BMW in this configuration!!

So... with the image I'm attaching, what would your prognosis be, and furthermore, what process should I use to either totally remove or even marginally improve this spotting defect?

Acid based spray (wheel brightener), wheel polish with a high speed drill and a foam attachment (cone, buffing ball), perhaps something else I'm not considering... OR... is this perhaps a permanent defect caused by environmental fallout or driving habits and allowing brake dust to bake on for years on end?

THANKS! I return to the client's home tomorrow (Friday August 13th), to begin work on a couple MORE BMWs, so let's hope my luck won't be UNlucky on FRIDAY THE 13TH! :)

PS: The original image was high-definition from one of my Canon cameras, but after uploading it was severely scaled down, so I hope the resolution is alright.
 
That is strange. It's almost like a splatter of some sort that stained the paint over time. I like the high-speed drill idea with a cleaner wax or a fine compound so the surface doesn't scratch. (Obviously you know that!)

Be sure to post results!
 
Hmm..it's like i've seen something like that before and couldn't get it out either. What about using a clay bar?
 
This has happened to the front right wheel of my wife's BMW. It is exactly the same thing. Now I haven't tried to fix the issue yet. I just wanted to bring this up and say your not alone. My wife's car is a 2011 328i.

Anyways I would try a light polish first as the wheels are clear coated.
 
The wheels on my Audi are exactly like that. I haven't tried anything yet as far as claying or polishing but will try to see what results I can get.

FYI, I've seen this on a few BMW's I've worked on. In for your plan of attack.
 
mdeepauto said:
That is strange. It's almost like a splatter of some sort that stained the paint over time. I like the high-speed drill idea with a cleaner wax or a fine compound so the surface doesn't scratch. (Obviously you know that!)

Be sure to post results!
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot - I think the cleaner wax is a great idea, I think I'll combine this with a clay bar idea from GenesisCoupe below :)

GenesisCoupe said:
Hmm..it's like i've seen something like that before and couldn't get it out either. What about using a clay bar?
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot - I think this is a great idea, I mentioned just above I'll combine a clay bar with a cleaner wax tomorrow and a foam attachment on my Makita

smack said:
This has happened to the front right wheel of my wife's BMW. It is exactly the same thing. Now I haven't tried to fix the issue yet. I just wanted to bring this up and say your not alone. My wife's car is a 2011 328i.

Anyways I would try a light polish first as the wheels are clear coated.
Click to expand...

Sounds awesome, I'll try a cleaner wax and maybe some of my Menz polish if that doesn't work. The nice thing is the client realizes it was preexisting for years, and doesn't expect me to work wizardry on something that may not be fixable.

JSou said:
The wheels on my Audi are exactly like that. I haven't tried anything yet as far as claying or polishing but will try to see what results I can get.

FYI, I've seen this on a few BMW's I've worked on. In for your plan of attack.
Click to expand...

I can't believe such finely engineered vehicles have had this issue plaguing them... ugh! Haha, I'll definitely report back with my process and new images this weekend as soon as I'm able :)

THANKS GUYS
 
What's the rareness of this particular M-coupe? Is it that seafoam color or something?

As far as the spots go, wonder if there was a contaminent in the wheel finishing process and it reared it head down the road?

Sent from my SPH-M930 using AG Online
 
Klasse Act said:
What's the rareness of this particular M-coupe? Is it that seafoam color or something?

As far as the spots go, wonder if there was a contaminent in the wheel finishing process and it reared it head down the road?

Sent from my SPH-M930 using AG Online
Click to expand...

It was one of only 6 ever made with a special white color - I'm sure it has a very fancy name, haha, but the owner shared so much with me about it and his other BMWs etc, I forget. He was very adamant about the 1-of-6 though :)

I think you might be dead-on regarding the wheel... if it was something from the factory that might be the only way to explain how this coupe with so few miles and driven in only flawless rainless days, would have such severe spotting. Perhaps the clear coat was faulty, and allowed the brake dust to penetrate or discolor?
 
I'd defiantly polish those.
Looks like it's embedded in the Clear Coat, so treat it like a paint defect.
M105 should do it, but start with a polish first like M205 and the like.
This really should be that hard to fix.
 
I have seen Brake clean leave that same kind of defect. I agree with everyone else that said to polish it out. But I would start with a cleaner wax, I like Prima Wheel Armour it has great cleaning ability.
 
I'm subscribed due to curosity and also if you could share with the group his other Beemers, sounds like he's great taste! Does he have a Laguna Seca Blue E46 M3?

Sent from my SPH-M930 using AG Online
 
I went through clear coat failure on my M Roadster. Based on the color of the damaged areas it looks like it may be that, but the pattern is odd and not typical. However, there is a spot on the spoke that looks either like clear coat failure or an anomaly in the photo.

I can tell you in 2002 BMW didn't make a lot of M Coupes, or M Roadsters for that matter. I also can tell you that the "brilliant silver" they used for those wheels looks awesome, but the finish is not durable. I'll bet you dollars to doughnuts the only fix for that wheel is a professional re-powder coat job.

Clear coat failure on BMW silver wheels shows itself by the "failed area" looking grey - not silver. Usually its sort of jagged, like a mountain top pattern. Likely if you try to hand polish it (if its cc failure) you will see the clear coat flake off in minuscule flakes and the area expand slightly, and that is a pretty sure diagnosis that's what it is.

Those wheels where finished in Germany, the car was assembled in S. Carolina. I was told at the time BMW was using a paint for those "brilliant silver" wheels that contained lead and that this paint was not available in the USA for refinishers.

Now, there is a substitute for this lead paint for the wheel refinishing industry that matches, but I'm sure it cost more than regular silver and not everyone uses it. If the owner is interested in getting the wheels refinished, you want to make sure whoever is doing the job can replicate the "brilliant silver" finish, and not just use silver - as it will detract from the uniqueness and appearance of the vehicle.
 
2000 M coupes and roadsters had the E46 M3 engine (333 hp compared to the previous 240 hp E36 engine) and they must pull hard, being in a smaller car!

Sent from my SPH-M930 using AG Online
 
Hi gents,

I just wanted to offer a quick update since so many of you are interested and I feel like this is a problem that seems to be more wide-spread that I thought.

At the clients home I tried the techniques we talked about here, and with zero... ZERO... visual benefit. It was really odd.

*I spoke with the client, and told him I'm contact BMW on his behalf with images and a description. I'm not sure who, or what department to email though... but I'm really intent on getting at least the issue resolved so I can inform future clients.
 
swanicyouth said:
...I'll bet you dollars to doughnuts the only fix for that wheel is a professional re-powder coat job.

Clear coat failure on BMW silver wheels shows itself by the "failed area" looking grey - not silver
Click to expand...

THIS is my thought exactly... :( What a shame.
 
Dynamic_Detailing said:
THIS is my thought exactly... :( What a shame.
Click to expand...

BMW won't do a thing so don't waste your time, I've been through it. Plus, that car has to be at least 11 years old. Your only chance is if the guy is in good graces with the dealer or its a recent purchase, the dealer may offer to refinish them as good will.

The problem with that is, the "re-finisher" likely will use rattle can style paint that isn't very durable. That was what happened to me. The paint was peeling again within a few months, all he does is paint over the failing clear coat.

A true fix is a re-powder coat. When its all said and done, that's about $1000. I use Wheel Collision Center in Bethlehem PA and I would strongly recommend them if he goes this route.

You can ship wheels there and they have been doing this for 30 years - its all they do. They have done probably 10 wheels for me and I've never had any issue what so ever. The finish they apply will look new and be truly permanent.
 
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