65 replies to this topic

[darrend]

just had a call from ford. 2 buckled passenger side wheels. yep a titanium 1.4 16" wheels. so looks like im on the look out for 2 now. only covered 17,000 miles

[james_60]

Borbet make alloy wheels for ford

The 16" problem alloys on the titanium are made by Ronal if iam correct

Jamie

[Davey Boy]

There would definately seem to be a problem with the titanium 16" 15 Spoke alloys. There don't seem to be many other sizes or types affected as much. I have previously owned an 07 plate fiesta with the old 5 spoke alloys. These did experince minor damage from potholes but i have always been able to get them repaired at my local specialist £35ish. When i took the new alloys to him he shook his head and said that he had been having lots of problems with these new alloys. The problem is that when they deform they twist through the spokes as well which makes them impossible to repair. My Ford dealer not interested, so will be contacting watchdog and local council as well.

[Jack7]

Sorry i know this thread is kinda old but im looking at buying a zetec S, would I be safe from buckled alloys buying a zetec S with the 16" ones? It seems to be the 17" zetec S and 16" titanium ones most people are complaining about.

[PumpkinSteve]

Sorry i know this thread is kinda old but im looking at buying a zetec S, would I be safe from buckled alloys buying a zetec S with the 16" ones? It seems to be the 17" zetec S and 16" titanium ones most people are complaining about.

They've fixed the Titanium ones BTW, new design. I think I have read about the 16" ZS wheels being buckled.

[Jack7]

They've fixed the Titanium ones BTW, new design. I think I have read about the 16" ZS wheels being buckled.

Really? damn :/ it looks like it depends on your luck with some folk saying no problems and other people seeing their who set buckle!
Id be looking to get a 58/09 plate so mines will have the original zs alloys. I dont know what to do now, I really want to buy this car but on the other hand I dont want to be lumped with an expensive problem

[mountninz]

a mate experienced the same problem and got the same feedback of road conditions :/

i think his was over a 4m period tho :/

[Motocrossmad]

If the car is 3 year old and drives fine on test drive, chanses are the wheels are not from the problem batches and will be solid. Unless ofcourse they have all been replaced. Check for the amount of weight on the wheels to see if they are damaged. I.e, amount and if there in more than 1 place on the wheel

[Jack7]

If the car is 3 year old and drives fine on test drive, chanses are the wheels are not from the problem batches and will be solid. Unless ofcourse they have all been replaced. Check for the amount of weight on the wheels to see if they are damaged. I.e, amount and if there in more than 1 place on the wheel

What on more than one place on the wheel?

Aww was it just some batches that were dodgy? Thats gid

[Motocrossmad]

If there is wheel weights all over the inside of the wheel then chanses are 1) Balancer has been chasing a buckle on the wheel and cannot get it to balance correctly 2) The tyre technician should not be allowed anywhere near a tyre machine

My bet is that if there is a fault with the wheels it will be a batch problem. Either with the casting or the curing of the wheel, mabye even a sub standard ingrediant. If every single mk7 fiesta on the roads had even 1 buckled wheel im fairly sure ford would do a safety recal. Altho on forums the numbers may be high with complaints, think about the percentage of owners who only register to voice a complaint or are members on more than 1 forum doing polls on exactly the same thing. The mk7 fiesta must easily be one of the most popular cars on the roads today, i wouldnt say the percentage of complains is any more than other vehicles on the market.

Saying that i do hope ford acknowledge the wheels are weak and either change supplier or up there quality testing.
I have ordered my new fiesta after reading the comments on various forums and it has not deterred me one bit.

But hey, i might be wrong and all 4 of my wheels buckle after 10 miles

[Jack7]

If there is wheel weights all over the inside of the wheel then chanses are 1) Balancer has been chasing a buckle on the wheel and cannot get it to balance correctly 2) The tyre technician should not be allowed anywhere near a tyre machine

My bet is that if there is a fault with the wheels it will be a batch problem. Either with the casting or the curing of the wheel, mabye even a sub standard ingrediant. If every single mk7 fiesta on the roads had even 1 buckled wheel im fairly sure ford would do a safety recal. Altho on forums the numbers may be high with complaints, think about the percentage of owners who only register to voice a complaint or are members on more than 1 forum doing polls on exactly the same thing. The mk7 fiesta must easily be one of the most popular cars on the roads today, i wouldnt say the percentage of complains is any more than other vehicles on the market.

Saying that i do hope ford acknowledge the wheels are weak and either change supplier or up there quality testing.
I have ordered my new fiesta after reading the comments on various forums and it has not deterred me one bit.

But hey, i might be wrong and all 4 of my wheels buckle after 10 miles

I think your right tbh, you made various true points! Btw.. what would wheel weights look like? Im such a newbie aha!

[Motocrossmad]

Alloy wheel weights are peices of lead in 5g-10g sizes with a sticky pad on them, when a tyre is fitted the wheel ends up having a heavy point and light point. When balancing is done it tells you where the heavy end is and the amount it is heavier in g's. The fitter will then add the same amount shown to the light point of tyre ( 180 degree from heavy point) and will balance the wheel again. This time there should be no heavy or light point and the wheel will now be balanced.

alloy wheel weights

excessive wheel weight



the problem with a buckled wheel is you will never get it balanced properly and when fixed one point then another heavy point will show up, This is what you call chasing a buckle, You can tell this when there is various points around the tyre where weights are fitted.

[TDCiST]

Borbet make alloy wheels for ford

The 16" problem alloys on the titanium are made by Ronal if iam correct

Jamie

My 16" focus Edge alloys were Ronal, and i buckled two...... 1 from a pothole, and the other i have NO clue how!

[rojariggs]

My 16" focus Edge alloys were Ronal, and i buckled two...... 1 from a pothole, and the other i have NO clue how!

I have no problems at the moment but is there a way of identifyng the problem Ronal wheels?

Cheers

Rog

[TDCiST]

The manufacturer should be stamped on the wheel, maybe on the face thats hidden by the tyre... i only know as i have my old buckled alloy in the shed! lol