[xueju1121]

Originally Posted by nitrous_nit

Yup, that's what they said.

They said I need a new wheel and control arm.

How can a control arm be bent going over a pothole less than 20 mph??

Another thing that stood out was that the service advisor told me that they haven't seen this sort of damage on an x7 yet.

Is it possible that it was weak or a manufacturing defect from the factory itself.

I rung up bmw of NA and they said that they stand behind their dealership word.

I have a beater car that I bought for $1500, 5 years ago and the times I have gone over and hit a pothole, never once has the control arm bent.

Like what are my options are? Can I try to take this further up the chain at BMW NA??

This is a lease.

Can I just let it drive like this, until the lease ends, or will I have to get it fixed now, since it is on the record?

The quote he sent me was over $2.5k to get it all fixed.

I feel your pain. Relax, it's not the end of the world.

It's not really about the speed. Angle of impact and depth of the pothole all contributed.

The reason they quoted you so high is probably due to labor. I imagine they will have to remove the wheel and parts of suspension to get it replaced. Also, are you running on 22'? Those rims don't come in cheap.

I highly recommend to get it fixed ASAP only for your own safety.

I used to have a X5M and replacing the rear suspension control arm costed me a leg. I didn't hit a pothole but my wife jumped the curb.

[Wild Blue]

Originally Posted by nitrous_nit

Yup, that’s what they said.

They said I need a new wheel and control arm.

How can a control arm be bent going over a pothole less than 20 mph??

Another thing that stood out was that the service advisor told me that they haven’t seen this sort of damage on an x7 yet.

Is it possible that it was weak or a manufacturing defect from the factory itself.

I rung up bmw of NA and they said that they stand behind their dealership word.

I have a beater car that I bought for $1500, 5 years ago and the times I have gone over and hit a pothole, never once has the control arm bent.

Like what are my options are? Can I try to take this further up the chain at BMW NA??

This is a lease.

Can I just let it drive like this, until the lease ends, or will I have to get it fixed now, since it is on the record?

The quote he sent me was over $2.5k to get it all fixed.

Holy crap, man, that's pretty huge. Sorry for you.

[nitrous_nit]

Originally Posted by xueju1121

I feel your pain. Relax, it's not the end of the world.

It's not really about the speed. Angle of impact and depth of the pothole all contributed.

The reason they quoted you so high is probably due to labor. I imagine they will have to remove the wheel and parts of suspension to get it replaced. Also, are you running on 22'? Those rims don't come in cheap.

I highly recommend to get it fixed ASAP only for your own safety.

I used to have a X5M and replacing the rear suspension control arm costed me a leg. I didn't hit a pothole but my wife jumped the curb.

Yah my collison is $250 with progressive, so I think it’s a no brainer to get it fixed ASAP. Another issue is that they don’t even know if they have the parts, since it’s such a new car.

[nitrous_nit]

Originally Posted by Wild Blue

Holy crap, man, that's pretty huge. Sorry for you.

Funny thing is, wheel alignment and the cost of new wheel is almost 40% of the total cost of the whole quote

[BzsBimmer]

You don’t have to have BMW replace the control arm. Any good mechanic shop that deals with suspension and alignment can do it.

You should look to filing a claim with your insurance company and or the city. It’s their responsibility to upkeep the roads.

[nitrous_nit]

Originally Posted by BzsBimmer

You don’t have to have BMW replace the control arm. Any good mechanic shop that deals with suspension and alignment can do it.

You should look to filing a claim with your insurance company and or the city. It’s their responsibility to upkeep the roads.

Yes that is true, but the cost will still exceed at any shop above my collision deductible with progressive, which is $250

[MB21]

Originally Posted by Wild Blue

Holy crap, man, that's pretty huge. Sorry for you.

Gentlemen

We will see more of this, why? Simply cars are pushed to have better EPA and therefore the weight is shaved where it is possible, also cars are being designed not to be like a tank per day to not get damaged but to crumble and deform on impact to save the passengers, so should the large put hole make such a damage? If wheel got damaged then I am not surprised that something that holds it gets damaged as well.

[xueju1121]

Originally Posted by MB21

Gentlemen

We will see more of this, why? Simply cars are pushed to have better EPA and therefore the weight is shaved where it is possible, also cars are being designed not to be like a tank per day to not get damaged but to crumble and deform on impact to save the passengers, so should the large put hole make such a damage? If wheel got damaged then I am not surprised that something that holds it gets damaged as well.

Weight doesn't necessarily has direct correlation with strength. Modern car use Al and composite materials instead of Fe to save weight, yes. But it doesn't mean structural rigidity is compromised while maintaining W/P ratio. Just take modern aircraft as example.

[MB21]

Originally Posted by xueju1121

Weight doesn't necessarily has direct correlation with strength. Modern car use Al and composite materials instead of Fe to save weight, yes. But it doesn't mean structural rigidity is compromised while maintaining W/P ratio. Just take modern aircraft as example.

To clarify I am not talking about material strength this does not change unless you go to thin walls then you will see some side effects.

if you use the same material and reduce cross sections to reduce weight you will alter the strength of the part.

Steel and aluminum have very different strength and what is worst with aluminum is fatigue.

You missing my point, if you have Al components they are lighter but once stressed they crack, crumble while steel you can work to straighten due to its properties.

Do not get me wrong I am big fan of Al bodies and structures, however knowing that once is stressed it need to be exchanged unlike the old times with steel you can make thighs straight again

[xueju1121]

Originally Posted by MB21

To clarify I am not talking about material strength this does not change unless you go to thin walls then you will see some side effects.

if you use the same material and reduce cross sections to reduce weight you will alter the strength of the part.

Steel and aluminum have very different strength and what is worst with aluminum is fatigue.

You missing my point, if you have Al components they are lighter but once stressed they crack, crumble while steel you can work to straighten due to its properties.

Do not get me wrong I am big fan of Al bodies and structures, however knowing that once is stressed it need to be exchanged unlike the old times with steel you can make thighs straight again

I got you. I think we are on the same page.

Good thing that BMW uses forge Al. I know some manufacturers use low pressure cast Al which is unacceptable in my book. High pressure forge, or even 3D printing Al, if done right, can maintain or even increase rigidity while losing weight.

I guess this is a small price we have to pay for better performance and fuel economy.

[KRS_SN]

my mrs hit a kerb(f15x5) control arm was bent. £1500 paid in repair this was 3 yrs ago. in answer to your question yes slight impact based on the angle of impact can damage things. i paid out of my own pocket as did not want insurance premiums to rocket. I got it done at a reputable indy.

[nitrous_nit]

Update:

They still cant get the rear passenger wheel aligned to specs, even after replacing the upper/lower arms as well as steering knuckle.

Now they have ordered the whole new subframe, which is coming from Germany, and wont arrive before 11/14/2019.

Cost of repairs so far, in excess of 8K, not including the subframe so far.

[BzsBimmer]

Wow, just wow

[nitrous_nit]

Originally Posted by BzsBimmer

Wow, just wow

I know... not even sure what my options are at this stage.

Sure they have given me a loaner, but we need a bigger car, and our X7 is out of service.

[nitrous_nit]

Update:

My car still hasnt been repaired, they ordered the wrong part first, and now, I have to wait for "right" part to come in again from Germany.

Its been almost 2 months, that I have been paying lease on a car, that I cant even drive.

What really got to me, was BMW of NA was not really helpful at all. I spoke to the case manager's supervisor and she was like... "once the car has been repaired... then call us back and we will see if we can compensate you".

Like wth, at this stage I dont even know what my options are.

Paying for a car, which hasnt been repaired...

BMW of NA exact words were " We standby our dealers"..

[TheBingoBalls]

Originally Posted by nitrous_nit

Update:

My car still hasnt been repaired, they ordered the wrong part first, and now, I have to wait for "right" part to come in again from Germany.

Its been almost 2 months, that I have been paying lease on a car, that I cant even drive.

What really got to me, was BMW of NA was not really helpful at all. I spoke to the case manager's supervisor and she was like... "once the car has been repaired... then call us back and we will see if we can compensate you".

Like wth, at this stage I dont even know what my options are.

Paying for a car, which hasnt been repaired...

BMW of NA exact words were " We standby our dealers"..

You're frustrated and that's understandable but it is highly probable that you can and will get a lease reimbursement of at least a month once the repair is done and you contact BMWNA.

BMWNA is not some hotline where you just complain and get compensated. They're actually more fair within reason. Once your repair is done, they will review the entire process and will likely grant you a month of lease reimbursement - the dealership did order the wrong part which caused an extensive delay in repair.

[Jspeed29]

You can file a claim with the City of Chicago for the damages caused by the pothole.

https://www.chicityclerk.com/community-affairs/claims

[nitrous_nit]

Originally Posted by Jspeed29

You can file a claim with the City of Chicago for the damages caused by the pothole.

https://www.chicityclerk.com/community-affairs/claims

Thanks, but its been so long ago, that I hardly remember the exact address and plus we didnt file a police report that day.

[vink]

Originally Posted by nitrous_nit

Thanks, but its been so long ago, that I hardly remember the exact address and plus we didnt file a police report that day.

I thought filing police report is not necessary. Take pictures and Notes for exact location and situation and submit the claim to the city.