[ggggbmw]

Blerg! Walked out to my car after work, and noticed that the wheel center was missing on my front drivers side. Dang. Then I noticed a paint chip on the edge of the opening. ARGH. Some miscreant appears to have pried the center out and chipped the wheel in the process. Bastard.

So, I have two questions:
1) Where is the best place to get a new wheel center? Is there a specific part # or size I should be looking for?

2) What's the best cheap way to fix the paint chip? Can I get something like a paint pen in that color to fill it in? (Don't feel like spending $100+ for a perfect repair.)

Here's a picture, and yes my wheels are filthy.

See Answers, Fixes, and Pictures below, farther down the thread, posted 1/14/18.

[msej449]

I'm just getting some BMW wheel centres ('roundels') for my second set of winter wheels which seem to have lost a couple during the spring swap. You need to measure the diameter and look for these on Amazon/eBay. 68mm seems to be the standard BMW size but there are others. There's a vast choice, and on my first order they sent the wrong type (black+white, not blue+white, as in their photo's) so be wary. I wouldn't necessarily buy the cheapest - some seem just to have four clips as opposed to 10/11 on the original roundel. And of course, it's hard to judge quality from photos. Also, some items are just stick-ons (?): it's easier than you might think to miss that they're not actual roundels. Also, suspiciously, many vendors claim 'genuine original' but don't quote any BMW part number ....

It might be worth asking your BMW dealer what they would cost. I assumed they'd be more expensive but must admit I didn't ask. Most retailers only sell in packs of 4 so if you only need one, a single from an official dealer might be cheaper overall. And they might even do it for free.

Don't get confused with the bonnet and boot badges. Some of the vendors just use the term 'roundel' or 'badge' to describe these as well but they're obviously a different part - their descriptions don't always make this clear. Bonnet roundels seem to be 82mm so this should alert you.

You can also get blank roundels that you then colour as you wish. I did wonder whether to get these and then paint them EB-II to match the bodywork. But I'm not sure it would look right. But if you're concerned about further theft then blanks may be a better bet. There are also plain alloys. It's just that of all the badging on the car, the wheel roundels are the one thing that I'd like to retain, even 'though I'd be happy to remove some of the 'M' badges.

You can also get 'M' roundels too, but why you'd add yet another four 'M' badges, I can't imagine.

And apparently, you can get self-levelling BMW roundels as well! And these are also self-powering LEDs too:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4x-Blue-Li...38.m2548.l4275
For £45 I'm tempted to give them a go just to see! But I suspect that I might not get universal approval for the illumination (would it even be legal?).

[crabu2]

ebay.. I bought a 2nd set for like $15 bucks shipped from TX. Make sure you get the right sized ones.. I think the size is 68mm.

[Charlie_N]

Go to RealOem.com with the info on your car. Then just check thru the details until you find the exact right part number and size. Good to go then.

[BEM-S4]

For the paint chip - your dealer has a wheel guy who comes once a week. Ask to be notified the next time someone with the same color wheels has an appointment. While they are doing that it will take him literally 30 seconds to fix yours since he'll already have the paint out and everything. I cannot imagine them even charging you. It's not worth trying to fuck with yourself. The damage is so tiny and as you've said you don't need concours perfect, the guy will literally spend seconds touching it up and you'll be good.

[RoundelM3]

You're lucky it wasn't one of the tow-hook covers that were stolen. This happened on my wife's previous 128i convertible twice (one front, one rear). While the replacements are cheap enough at $12, the cost of painting them was substantially more, paricularly because they had to be color-matched to the bumper. Getting a small spot near the hub of the wheel touched up should be easy and cheap.

[pz619]

So pro tip, I did this with my stockies and aftermarket wheels. Take a little bit of clear silicone and use that to attach the center caps (on the inside). It'll keep it locked in place but you could still easily pop them out if you need to.

[ggggbmw]

First, the wheel center. Got the part # from realoem.com. This appears to be a VERY common item.

36136783536 Wheel center cap with chrome ring

The usual parts houses (FCP, Bavauto, etc.) have these for ~$15 each. I expect dealer pricing would be similar.

I found several sellers on Amazon selling a set of 4 for ~$25, so I did that. I figured that way I would have spares. You always have to be concerned about fakes (which is why I rarely use eBay), but the package I got had all the BMW style bits in the plastic, and BMW tags on the bags. If it's fake, it sure is a good one.

For the touch-up paint, the color is 'B55 Ferric Grey II' I ordered a bottle from QuikTouch in Hong Kong. $10 bucks, plus $5 shipping. Added a bottle of Clear Coat for another $7. $22 all in. Like eBay, I'm always leery of Hong Kong, but this site has excellent reviews all over Bimmerpost. So for the price I figured it was worth a chance. The reputation is well earned. Easy purchase, and I had it in my hand in just over a week. I thought the color was an excellent match (see pictures). A good post on the color and using Quik Touch is here:
http://www.2addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1289811

The paint touch up was much more difficult than I would have thought. Main issue is that the paint on these wheels is THICK. I must have put 20+ coats of the paint on to bring it up to level. And you have to let it dry between each coat. It dries fast, but still 20-30 minutes between applications.

After a few coats, I gave up doing it on the car. Was taking too long, and the angle was just awkward. So, when I changed out the wheels for the snows, I brought the wheel inside. Still a pain, but easier, and I could do a coat or two every evening. The exact spot of this chip made it very difficult to fill in, as it is convex. Couldn't fill the hole without it spilling over the edge. And if I just built the paint up it was impossible to sand it flush and follow the compound curve edge. The nail-polish brush on the paint didn't help much at this point, but I don't know what kind of applicator would have been much better. So, this is as good as it got. (And my wife wanted the wheel out of the dining room. <grin>) Hoping it won't be too noticeable from from a few feet.

Another thing I found out is that the little 'M' stickers in the wheel are soft vinyl. Be sure to keep any solvents away from them or they will get dulled. A little bit or 91% alcolhol I was using to clean the chip got on it, and really dulled it. (I'm going to try a bit of wax to shine it, otherwise not worth replacing.)

Below are a few pictures of the work in progress, and the final result.

[wjones14]

You can get replacement self-adhesive wheel emblems. Part number 36 11 2 228 660.

You can buy them here for $10: https://www.pelicanparts.com/More_In...1-2-228-660-M9

[Viffermike]

Originally Posted by pz619

So pro tip, I did this with my stockies and aftermarket wheels. Take a little bit of clear silicone and use that to attach the center caps (on the inside). It'll keep it locked in place but you could still easily pop them out if you need to.

What also works: One layer of duct tape around the inner flanges.

Never had to do the above myself, but since the plastic center caps lack a metal retainer ring, this is a very, very common issue -- so much so that many dealers replace them under warranty on the spot. After you get your replacement, I would pop all of yours out and duct (or silicone) 'em up.