[ace008]

Any update on the situation? I am in the same boat as you... Hit a pot hole last night, cracked sidewall, and flat tire. Did you also get a DSC malfunction warning?

[SE3P_to_E90]

Originally Posted by ace008

Any update on the situation? I am in the same boat as you... Hit a pot hole last night, cracked sidewall, and flat tire. Did you also get a DSC malfunction warning?

Aw crap... sorry to hear that bro. No update yet. They said that it should be ready saturday, or tomorrow, but considering it's now sunday, it should be ready tomorrow.

The only thing I'm anticipating is another [sufficiently large] charge for a steering gear. I have my fingers crossed that this is not the case. As for now, the best case scenario is that at the end of the alignment, everything is golden. Otherwise, .

Let me know what your dealer states to be your primary problems/concerns.

[MWcoupe]

Originally Posted by SE3P_to_E90

Do you get tire insurance when you first buy the car? or can you purchase it anytime? And how much is tire insurance?

I have to admit, the BQE has pretty terrible roads, but i have not seen any pot holes there. I'll make sure to be cautious when I take it next time. Were you taking the BQE into manhattan to avoid tolls from midtown tunnel?

i got my tire insurance when i picked up my car at the dealer. they also asked my gf to get the insurance about a month later when she picked up her car. the sales agent was very nice. he told us that he is going to tell the insurance company that my gfs paperwork was misplaced. we paid $488 for 5 years. covers all expense on tire and rim replacement. very worth it. i had about 10 tires changed so far. due to potholes and bubbles on the wheels. i was actually on the bqe heading towards staten island. bqe was never great anyways. hope you figure somthing out with your local bmw. gl

[SE3P_to_E90]

Originally Posted by alpine330

i got my tire insurance when i picked up my car at the dealer. they also asked my gf to get the insurance about a month later when she picked up her car. the sales agent was very nice. he told us that he is going to tell the insurance company that my gfs paperwork was misplaced. we paid $488 for 5 years. covers all expense on tire and rim replacement. very worth it. i had about 10 tires changed so far. due to potholes and bubbles on the wheels. i was actually on the bqe heading towards staten island. bqe was never great anyways. hope you figure somthing out with your local bmw. gl

Yep, that's one great deal... I would've gotten it provided my dealer presented me the opportunity but, unfortunately, I was never even aware that such a warranty existed. And to think, ONE RFT costs $450 at the dealer... notwithstanding the fact that this one mishap is going to cost >$1200

[pdjafari]

first mistake was towing car to dealer. They will make any/every attempt at ripping you a new ass. I wouldve had it towed to some other shop.

I wouldnt pay that much for an OEM rim, I would get aftermarket forged rims. You can still hold MD or the state liable by submitting a claim to the states dept. of transportation specifically their road maintenance sector.

Lastly, why wouldnt you use insurance? As a last resort if costs exceeded $500 I would definitely get insurance involved.

http://www.baltimorecity.gov/governm...w/potholes.php

[SE3P_to_E90]

Originally Posted by pdjafari

first mistake was towing car to dealer. They will make any/every attempt at ripping you a new ass. I wouldve had it towed to some other shop.

I wouldnt pay that much for an OEM rim, I would get aftermarket forged rims. You can still hold MD or the state liable by submitting a claim to the states dept. of transportation specifically their road maintenance sector.

Lastly, why wouldnt you use insurance? As a last resort if costs exceeded $500 I would definitely get insurance involved.

http://www.baltimorecity.gov/governm...w/potholes.php

Hey man, thanks for the link/info.
I don't want to take it to any shop in MD because from my experiences, I really can't trust any of the bodyshops around here -- it's a sad realization, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. Also, this is my first BMW, so, despite paying significantly more at the dealer, I feel that I'm paying extra for that "peace-of-mind."

Second, I'm hesitant to use insurance because my family just switched from Geico to Allstate. Moreover, the car's registered in NY with my father being the primary driver. I'm in MD, so I believe getting insurance involved would raise an instant red flag. On the other hand, if the total bill exceeds $1200 (and it is certain that I must also replace that steering gear), then insurance will certainly be involved.

Again, thanks for the link. I'm going to try as much as I can to get some money back. On another note, does it matter whether or not I'm an MD "citizen" when I request reimbursement?

[SE3P_to_E90]

Thanks to PDJAFARI, I went to the link and called their hotline. They transferred me to their claims department (410-396-3400) where they asked for my mailing address -- so that they can mail me a claims report.

The lady on the line (who was extremely kind), said that I need to mail them the completed report supported by repair-estimates or receipts. However, the type and amount of reimbursement is unclear at this immediate moment.

For those in MD that have experienced a similar [crap] situation that I am currently undergoing, I will keep you guys posted every step of the way. That way, just as PDJAFARI helped me, the rest of you guys don't have to go through the hassle of searching for reimbursement, etc.

[SLV335I]

Can anyone take a picture of the're bad tire? I just replaced one but forgot to take a picture of it. I need a picture to try to get the city to pay for it. Thanks for the help.

[ace008]

did you get your car back?

[SE3P_to_E90]

Originally Posted by ace008

did you get your car back?

Nope, not yet. They said the rim (style 197) is expected to arrive tomorrow. As for now, I'm still cringing my teeth thinking about the final cost. It's going to be haggle-city tomorrow

[gregarious]

Originally Posted by SE3P_to_E90

Nope, not yet. They said the rim (style 197) is expected to arrive tomorrow. As for now, I'm still cringing my teeth thinking about the final cost. It's going to be haggle-city tomorrow

Did you sustain any suspension damage? Just a bent rim? I'm in the same situation. My rim is definitely square. Hope that's all. I was quoted $420 for an OEM 18 inch wheel (front) for e90 335i.

[itsbrokeagain]

I am more surprised that people blow their tires out. Ive hit two huge craters, which resulted in nothing but a bent wheel.

I dismounted the tires at work and checked out the insides to make sure they werent bruised or cut (the cuts are breaks in the steel sidewall, which is what forms a bubble..just the rubber is holding the air in, and it balloons out)...and sure enough..nothing. Mounted them up, balanced them, and they were as true as ever.

I avoid the BQE tho like its the plague...for me, I only go two ways to NJ. Either 495 to 59th street bridge, or Cross Bronx...and yes I said Cross Bronx, but Ive driven it so much I know were all the bad manhole covers are and which lanes to stay in and when....I was only caught by surprise on the GWB, and the first time I wacked my wheel, well I knew the crater was there but my brain was somewhere else and I happened to run into it one night...

Also my alignment was out, but that was because my rear tire toed in after it ran over the pothole, causing the car to steer off to the left. 40 minute fix on the machine and off I went.

I find that its pretty hard to bend or break a control arm on these cars....your alignment bolts will give out first and move in their slots before you break something...as was my case really.

[gregarious]

My alignment seems ok. I bubbled a tire and bent the rim. Bent more on the inside then out. The fact that the inside of the rim bent more then the outside makes sense due to the negative camber. What I don't get is why the bubble occures on the outside of the tire rather then the inside. RFT. They all seem to bulge on the outside in spite of the negative camber. This seems puzzling to me. Also, I was told that bushings tend to get damaged in pot hole scenarios before the control arms.

Originally Posted by itsbrokeagain

I am more surprised that people blow their tires out. Ive hit two huge craters, which resulted in nothing but a bent wheel.

I dismounted the tires at work and checked out the insides to make sure they werent bruised or cut (the cuts are breaks in the steel sidewall, which is what forms a bubble..just the rubber is holding the air in, and it balloons out)...and sure enough..nothing. Mounted them up, balanced them, and they were as true as ever.

I avoid the BQE tho like its the plague...for me, I only go two ways to NJ. Either 495 to 59th street bridge, or Cross Bronx...and yes I said Cross Bronx, but Ive driven it so much I know were all the bad manhole covers are and which lanes to stay in and when....I was only caught by surprise on the GWB, and the first time I wacked my wheel, well I knew the crater was there but my brain was somewhere else and I happened to run into it one night...

Also my alignment was out, but that was because my rear tire toed in after it ran over the pothole, causing the car to steer off to the left. 40 minute fix on the machine and off I went.

I find that its pretty hard to bend or break a control arm on these cars....your alignment bolts will give out first and move in their slots before you break something...as was my case really.

[SE3P_to_E90]

still keeping my fingers crossed...

edit:
Got an update from my dealer... although the situation sucks, everything turned out as expected. After the alignment, everything aligned perfectly. I did not need to replace the steering gears. Great news. In all, the bill totaled $1181.30.

I also got a few other things done under warranty:
1. Inner door handle (driver's side). I know a lot of you guys face the paint from the inner door handle peeling off -- perhaps due to fingernails, etc. Anyway, I got this replaced under warranty.
2. Mtech fog bulb. Although the parts are, indeed, authentic BMW components, at first, they said that they would have to charge me for replacement of the bulb. However, they replaced my fog light bulb -- which resulted from hitting the pot hole -- under warranty.
3. This was NOT covered under warranty -- so I thought i'd just throw it out there for those who were interested in getting the same thing done. I complained about my hubs rusting (the inner part of the wheel, center of rotors). They said that they did and will not replace that under warranty as it will just rust again. They also stated that all minis/bmws face that problem -- even the m5/m6. Therefore, they woudln't touch that.

All in all, they took my car out for a road test, and it feels like new. I'm excited about that. As my odometer is nearing 30,000 miles (currently at approx. 28,000 miles), they also went and did the 30k service. Also, i will post an update once i get my car back -- tomorrow morning.

[SE3P_to_E90]

update: feel of the car is better than before. Brakes are solid, car feels balanced, etc. Fantastic.

On another note,
I'm not sure why my front drivers brake is squealing... it's not the same brake squeal that results from worn brake pads, etc. Rather, it sounds like a squeal that sounds from a faulty connection of some sort. In my receipt, it said that they had performed (a due) brake flush... I'm going to go back to Towson BMW to see what the problem is, but have any ideas?

[e90fanatic]

get tire and wheel insurance man.

claim the city for the damages. you might have further damage but lets keep fingers crossed. The worse i heard from pot hole is the entire engine rebuild since it fuked up the oil pan and basically the engine was cooking itself without oil

[SE3P_to_E90]

Originally Posted by e90fanatic

get tire and wheel insurance man.

claim the city for the damages. you might have further damage but lets keep fingers crossed. The worse i heard from pot hole is the entire engine rebuild since it fuked up the oil pan and basically the engine was cooking itself without oil

Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately, I can't get the insurance because I've had my car for too long now. I wish i knew about it earlier -- i would've definitely opted for that insurance plan.

As for the brake squeal, it was the sensor rubbing against the rotor. I was about 5k away from replacing brake pads, so when i complained about the seal, they took care of it in less than an hour. Fantastic service on BMW of Towson.

Finally, I have phoned the city of baltimore for reimbursement. They sent me a claim. However, the only problem is that my car is registered in NY, and i am a resident of NY; however, i am currently living in baltimore for school... so i'm not sure how this will turn out. I requested reimbursement for $1180 (the extent of my repairs). Nevertheless, i will keep everyone posted regarding this situation.

If anyone else has any claims in the MD area, you need to call 410-396-3400 -- the claims department. Once you call, they will send you a claim. Duplicate copies will not work -- someone initialed the top of the claims sheet.

Finally, the address you need to send it to (or hand deliver it to) is:

Department of Law, Central Bureau of Investigation
Room 31 City Hall, 100 Holliday Street
Baltimore, MD 21202

[karliejai]

good luck to you! heop u can get ur reimbursement!

[SE3P_to_E90]

Originally Posted by karliejai

good luck to you! heop u can get ur reimbursement!

Hey man, you live in livingston? One of my close friends lives there. She's got a nice white is250... nevertheless, great area!