RS4 alloy wheel recall

[Hansen]

Can anyone help..? I read somewhere that Audi issued a recall on the RS4 wheels because the alloy was too soft. Is this true and did it apply to all cars..? I bought mine in Denmark in 2001 and imported it and now the UK dealer says the wheel recall is not valid on an import (which seems odd, as a recall is a recall)...
Also, if I changed the original 18" x 8.5J wheels to replicas do you know if I can bolt on 18" x 8J wheels with a spacer...and if so, what should the spacer size be..?
Finally, if anyone has a set of original RS4 wheels for sale, I'd be interested....
Many thanks.

 

[ChriS3]

The original wheels were soft and tended to buckle. If yours haven't bent yet, then I'd keep them and be happy.

The spacers would depend on the offset of the rep that you buy, not necessarily on the width of the wheel.

A recall is a recall, but its Audi UK, not Audi Gmbh so they might not cover you on a car that wasn't provided by them. I've had some recall work done on the S3, also an import, where other dealers wanted to charge me. Shop around some of the other dealerships and see what they say.

 

[mrw_y2k]

@Hansen - have you got any more info on the source, or part number recall?

I've just replaced 4 OEM RS4 alloys because they were buckled beyond repair. Might have missed the original recall because they were fitted to an A4 Avant Sport as an extra, but would like to know if I've got a case for some new ones.......

 

[Hansen]

I heard about the recall on this Forum a while ago, but I have been google-ing for ages to find out the recall ref. number with no luck.

ChiS3 - if I went for a 18" x 8J with a 35mm offset, do you know what spacer i'd need. I went through a massive pot hole a couple of months ago and really badly damaged 2 wheels..hence the need to replace, but if you know of even 2 original RS4 wheels for sale, I'd be interested.

 

[simon_golf_tt]

Hansen - check out B5 RS4 forum in rs246.com. It has a sticky that lists all you need to know about the wheels including some Audi documentation on the subject. The rs246 server seems to be down at the moment though.

 

[shineydave]

technically it's not a recall. the RS4 wheels are designed to buckle in an impact to protect the more expensive chassis and suspension components.

Because of the ****** UK roads Audi took a corporate decision to offer a lifetime warranty on the wheels subject to certain conditions, ie, not kerbed and the amount of deformation was within certain parameters. this was only offered in the UK therefore any personal imports would be exempt.

they also offer a harder wheel that is more resistant to bending but obviously once the hard wheel option is taken up then only the standard warranty applies

 

[darren young]

can you put wheel spacers on a standard audi rs4 b7 2007