clmantis21

So this morning as I walked up to my car to go to school, I noticed my front passenger side tire really low. I thought... damn it needs air. So I drive about 1/2 a mile to a nearby gas station.... and try to add air to the tire. Well after about 20-30 secs of trying to inflate with air, I noticed that the tire was not changing... it was still very flat. I then noticed a stream of air coming from around the center of the wheel, (where the lug nuts and ceter cap are). After further inspection, I noticed that there is a crack running along the side of the wheel.

What should I do? Call the dealer?

The car is pretty darn new, its an 04 RX8 with the 18" OEM wheels and only 5k miles!!

Any advice is greatly appreciate it! I'll post pics so you guys/gals get a better look and know what i'm talking about.

ps- one more thing... how the heck do I take the wheel off? I took all the lug nuts off, but the wheel wont come off. I dont want to force it, perhaps there is still something holding the wheel on? Thanks again!!!

Mugatu

iTrader: (1)

do you SWEAR that you didnt hit a curb or anything the day before? There was a member here that flat out said he skid into a curb, but he was fighting with Mazda on why the rim wasn't covered by warranty.

clmantis21

Here are two pics to show you all what I'm talking about....

Mugatu

iTrader: (1)

wow that IS an odd place for the rim to crack.

clmantis21

I dont remember hitting anything. I did check the tire, there is no "bubble" or any sign of tear/bump or cosmetic damage. The rim's lip also has absolutely no damage at all. The only damage visible to the eye is the crack. I would think that if I did hit a curb or pot hole bad enough to cause that type of crack that the tire would show it... or that the rim's lip would have a big dent on it.... dont you think?

clmantis21

so what would you advice?

Mugatu

iTrader: (1)

definitely call mazda, as there is no evident proof that is was due to negligence or you hitting a pothole or something.

G8rboy

I agree with you- I've bubbled tires on curbs and potholes before, and never cracked a rim... if that kind of damage was your fault, you'd see it in the tire or rim lip. Has to be some sort of stress crack from a casting imperfection or some other manufacturing problem.

Cam

iTrader: (1)

I agree with Mugatu, that crack looks like its due to a defective rim, not abusive driving. Although the rims arent covered under warranty (I think), maybe Mazda will replace it to ensure "customer satisfation".

If the service department/dealer refuses to warranty the rim I would ask to speak with the Regional Director (whatever Mazda calls them).

clmantis21

So there is absolutely no warranty under the "bumper to bumper" warranty for the wheels? Not even if its a manufacturer defective wheel or if it was the way it was mounted (by the dealer) that caused the cracking?

Does anybody here work at a dealership and know first hand whether or not this should be covered?

Anybody else know? or have suggestions? Thanks again guys n gals

AQA101

Just visit a dealer - this type of damage looks pretty critical from a production point of view. Just imagine what such a crack could do if you drive high speeds and what this means for Mazda if this is a systematic problem.

snap-on

If you came to my shop I would cover it..No signs of impact etc

LucasET

This definitely looks like a defective rim. Very peculiar. I can't imagine any type of impact that would cause this type of crack, barring some kind of hammer and chisel action on your part. If there is a crack from an impact, it's usually on or closer to a spoke, not in between them.

Sociopath

If you did hit a curb, your rim would of cracked or bent around the edges, and definitely not the way shown from your pictures. This should be covered under warranty, no question asked.

mysql101

mazda will claim you've been launching your car off of ramps, so not only will they not replace it, they will mark it down on your record that you abuse your car so they can deny you coverage when your tranny brakes.





just kidding of course. i don't see any reason why they wouldn't replace the rim for you.

Kochan

Go to Mazda dealer and get the wheel replaced. Consumer is the king. Maybe the hub has been damaged. You can also claim it! Or cosult Mr. Nader. :D

EandGWZ

:D LMAO

Zoomy

If Mazda doesn't buy your story, I'd take the following action:

Get into the Yellow Pages under Boiler Repair you can find a shop that will refer you to a metallurgy lab that can magniflux or x-ray the crack. They will be able to testify that the crack is stress related and not impact. With that information, I'd then file a claim in Small Claims Court against Mazda. Sue for both the cost of the replacement rim AND the cost of the lab doing the research.

All of this assuming you've not forgotten that curb or speed bump you "touched" without noticing.

Sociopath

Before going with what Zoomy suggested, Call Mazda North America Operations first and speak to customer service there. They're pretty good at resolving these issues. If they won't help, then hell ya, sue their *** off for selling you a Lemon (wheel) :p

clmantis21

Well, I called my local Mazda dealer. They asked me to take the car in for a look Tuesday morning. Since I cannot drive on the tire/rim the way it is, they said I should call Roadside assistance. I told them I could take off the tire and just bring in the wheel/tire... but I think they want to look at the entire car.

So i'm going to call Roadside assistance in the morning and I am guessing that they are going to tow my car to the dealer (about 30-40 miles away) and they are going to take a look.

I really hope they cover this, for its simply not fair for someone to have just bought a vehicle, the car still pretty darn new and have this type of defect happen. I'll keep you folks updated on what happens....

:::: wish me luck ::::: crossing fingers..... :o

Sociopath

Good Luck. I wouldn't worry if I were you. Mazda will take care of it.

Imp

I agree with most people. That looks like a casting defect and not an impact defect.

I would go one step further have Mazda replace all 4 wheels if they're from the same batch, not just one. (There should be a casting on the back of the wheel with a few numbers that shows what batch they were produced on) They all could show signs like this over time and you don't need them to go away at 75 mph or on a turn.

When was your car made and what's your Vin number? There might be a series of cars in the same vin range with the same problem. It's one of them things as a manufacturer you'd just hope it's an isolated case.

--kC

clmantis21

well I just got off the phone with mazda's roadside rescue... they said they'd they have a truck out here within the next half hour. I guess the car is off to the dealership... we'll see what happens, i'll let you all know.

as for needing my vin #... where you going to look something up? or were u just wondering? I can give it to you... a little later... dont have it with me at this exact moment.

Thanks again everyone!

Imp

Later is fine. I'm just thinking those around here with a Vin# in the same area +/- yours might want to check their wheels.

Good luck!

--kC

Gomez

I'm with Imp, this looks at first glance like a very serious manufacturing defect. If all is as you say and the wheel has not had suffered from a major impact, Mazda will definately replace this wheel, and maybe the others too. Those of us with eighteen inch wheels will prepare for a possible recall.....