Sponsored by The Tire Rack

[Menotti]

So I bent a rim hitting a pothole a few weeks ago. Wasn't visible, but was sure it was there.

Got a replacement wheel. Went to Goodyear, had them take off the suspect tire and wheel, lo and behold, the interior of the wheel was bent.

Had them replace the rim, $35 out the door.

I get home, and notice a crack and slight warp of the fender on the same side where the wheel was replaced.

Couple of questions...
- I didn't notice the damage before, is it possible when I hit the pothole that the tire pressed up against the fender and caused this?
- Is there any way at all to prove whether Goodyear did this when working on my car?
- Where can I get a replacement fender? Can I find them prefabbed in my paint color or will I need to get it painted, too?

Thanks much

[Bimmer335i07]

Originally Posted by Menotti

So I bent a rim hitting a pothole a few weeks ago. Wasn't visible, but was sure it was there.

Got a replacement wheel. Went to Goodyear, had them take off the suspect tire and wheel, lo and behold, the interior of the wheel was bent.

Had them replace the rim, $35 out the door.

I get home, and notice a crack and slight warp of the fender on the same side where the wheel was replaced.

Couple of questions...
- I didn't notice the damage before, is it possible when I hit the pothole that the tire pressed up against the fender and caused this?
- Is there any way at all to prove whether Goodyear did this when working on my car?
- Where can I get a replacement fender? Can I find them prefabbed in my paint color or will I need to get it painted, too?

Thanks much

What's up Menotti!!! This is Scott! Didn't know you were a member of e90post.

Sorry to hear about your fender. I doubt that you'll be able to say that Goodyear did it. It's kind of hard for them to mess up your fender, just by installing a new wheel/tire. Most likely the damage was caused by the pothole.

If you're planning on getting a replacement bumper, I would suggest you go through your insurance, they should have something for road hazards. Unless your deductible is more than $500. Cause I know a new OEM bumper and paint will cost $$$. And if you go through your insurance, have them reimburse you for the repair to the wheel and tire.

If you need any further help, you know how to contact me.

GL!

[Menotti]

Originally Posted by Bimmer335i07

What's up Menotti!!! This is Scott! Didn't know you were a member of e90post.

Sorry to hear about your fender. I doubt that you'll be able to say that Goodyear did it. It's kind of hard for them to mess up your fender, just by installing a new wheel/tire. Most likely the damage was caused by the pothole.

If you're planning on getting a replacement bumper, I would suggest you go through your insurance, they should have something for road hazards. Unless your deductible is more than $500. Cause I know a new OEM bumper and paint will cost $$$. And if you go through your insurance, have them reimburse you for the repair to the wheel and tire.

If you need any further help, you know how to contact me.

GL!

Scott! What's up man?

I had a friend who worked at Meineke take a look. We didn't find any scuffing or evidence of the tire pushing up against the wheel well on that side. Also, the manager, a mechanic, and I looked at the wheel before anything was changed. No one noticed or mentioned the damage on the fender, which is pretty obvious now. I more and more think it happened in the shop.

It's possible someone caught a tool or hand under there. Popped the hood and saw the crack at the bolt. Doesn't seem like it's been there for too long, the debris from the crack was still there.

I'm going to get an estimate from BMW and try to get Goodyear to cover it. It's not like a shop to not point out supposed residual damage from the incident, so I think it happened during the wheel switch.

Definitely don't want to put it through insurance, I imagine it will impact my policy.

[Bimmer335i07]

Originally Posted by Menotti

Scott! What's up man?

I had a friend who worked at Meineke take a look. We didn't find any scuffing or evidence of the tire pushing up against the wheel well on that side. Also, the manager, a mechanic, and I looked at the wheel before anything was changed. No one noticed or mentioned the damage on the fender, which is pretty obvious now. I more and more think it happened in the shop.

It's possible someone caught a tool or hand under there. Popped the hood and saw the crack at the bolt. Doesn't seem like it's been there for too long, the debris from the crack was still there.

I'm going to get an estimate from BMW and try to get Goodyear to cover it. It's not like a shop to not point out supposed residual damage from the incident, so I think it happened during the wheel switch.

Definitely don't want to put it through insurance, I imagine it will impact my policy.

Post a pic of it.

[Menotti]

Originally Posted by Bimmer335i07

Post a pic of it.

will take one tomorrow

[Menotti]

Originally Posted by Menotti

will take one tomorrow

Here's the photo and the update:

I contacted Goodyear corporate and explained what happened. They seemed pretty nice about it, told me to go back to the shop to have them write the claim up. I get a letter a few days later from corporate claiming they are not honoring the claim because of lack of evidence.

The timeline was as follows:

1. Hit the pothole, bent the rim
2. Examined the car 100s of times before bringing it to Goodyear
3. Goodyear mechanics, managers, etc mention nothing about my fender being bent above the line of my hood
4. Get my car back, fender visibly cracked and bent above the line of the hood
5. Take photos that day

And they're trying to say that it was already cracked. If it was already visibly cracked on the same side where my rim was bent, they undoubtedly would've seen it and mentioned it to me. The manager who reexamined the vehicle agreed that there was no damage to the wheel well or underside of the fender from the tire hitting up into it.

So where do I go from here? BMW quoted $1300 for replacement and paint matching. Bogus in my opinion to pay for it.

[Morpheus]

you won't get anywhere with a shop. I have on at least two occasions personally examined wheels (new in the box) with tire guys and then after they were mounted (and scratched) tell me with a straight face that the scratches were already there. Unless you have a video showing them damaging your car I would just move on. Shouldn't it be considered "no fault" if it came from a pothole? I would think your insurance shouldn't go up.

[Ghost170]

You can order the part yourself, I recommend www.getbmwparts.com. Then have a local bodyshop paint/install. If you know how to work on cars, you can do the install yourself and save some money. This is a body work situation, so no need to take to dealer. Just find a bodyshop that paints really well. Hope this helps.

[lpphreakx06]

A brand new coupe fender retails for $334.17 (Part # 41357168988, please verify before ordering). Tischer sells it for 270.50 plus $95 flat rate shipping (The box is huge). I bought mine used from a forum member, remember to get insurance on all shipping.
Paint should be 200-300, since they maybe have to blend your door to match.

Good luck