Has anybody had one of the Star bolts break off on their BBS wheels. One of mine apparently broke off before I bought the car and I did not notice it. Has any one tried to take one of these broken bolts out? I do not know if I want to do it myself or take it to a machine shop. I have been looking for a replacement star bolt but have not located one yet, as I do not want to take out the broken bolt until I have a replacement. I think these bolts are made out of titanium and are torqued to 20 lbs. I called a local wheel repair guy, but he did not want to get involved with replacing the bolt, not sure why. He said something about breaking drill bits. All four of my 20 inch BBS's are in real nice condition . The front ones need some clear coat on the spokes, the backs are fine.
Any suggestions would be helpful.

Bill N
03 XKR

 

Bill,

By 'star bolt' do you mean the ones that clamp the trim ring between the spokes and the main hub on BBS wheels?

BBS Wheel Bolt.pdf

If it is this type then they are titanium.

I made enquiries a few weeks ago about replacing the trim ring on my two front Sepangs because the PO had been a bit careless with them.

Trim rings and titanium bolts are readily available in the UK and I was hoping it would be a DIY job. Unfortunately this doesn't seem to be a sensible approach. Apparently it's not uncommon for some of the titanium bolts to shear as they are removed. A common dodge with the less scrupulous wheel refurbishers is to glue the broken head back instead of removing the remains of the broken bolt, filling and then retapping the threaded hole in the rim. Is it possible yours have been refurbished before you purchased the vehicle, this has happened and the head has dropped out?

I'm not surprised you're having problems finding anyone willing to drill out a broken bolt as titanium is so hard. To do the job properly, the wheel will probably have to be dismantled.

Graham

 

Thanks for your input Graham. The pdf you sent is what I am talking about. I emailed a BBS wheel repair service in the UK about getting the bolt for this job, but I have not heard back from them yet. I don't know if I should worry about it or just let it go and fill the hole with something. The only problem with that approach is that I am a perfectionist and will never be completely satisfied until it is fixed.

I watched a video about taking these wheels apart and it appears that they are glued together and then the bolts are inserted, so I don't think missing one bolt would cause a wheel failure.

I think the rims are the originals that came with the car from the factory, but I don't know the history of them. They are in excellent condition, except for the one bolt and some slight clear coat ware on the front wheel spokes that I plan to fix. The chrome outer rings are not scuffed at all. If I can get a replacement bolt some where, then I will try to find a local machine shop to take out the broken bolt.

Bill N
03 XKR

 

Bill,

We must have watched the same video. There appears to be a high risk in disturbing these rims.

I've read reports it can be difficult to get a perfect tyre bead seal afterwards leading to issues maintaining pressure.

I'm like you in wanting everything on the vehicle to be right. There's a Jaguar split rim specialist about 200 miles from me so I'm planning to take the car down and let him fit new rings for me.

I'm sure one missing bolt isn't going to cause you any risk or problems other than annoying you every time you look at it!

Graham

 

Graham

The specialist sounds like the way to go for these wheels. I am currently looking for a silver plastic cap that will fit in the hole and then glue it in for the time being. Maybe, if I don't see the missing bolt I will forget about it!!LOL

Bill

 

I just ordered the bolts from the wheel specialist in the UK. Those bolts are expensive!! They are about $6.00 a bolt. I decided that I will not be completely happy unless I replace the broken bolt on my wheel. I plan to extract it my self as I have some experience doing that kind of job. The hard part is drilling the very center of the broken bolt without breaking the drill bit in it. Getting the bolt out with an easy out should not be a problem as the bolts are not rusted in, so they should unscrew easily. LOL

Bill N

 

At $6.00 a bolt, you'll only be doing the broken one? I hadn't factored that kind of cost into replacing trim rings.

Be interested to hear how you get on with this. If you can successfully DIY extract a broken bolt, I'd be more confident in swapping my own trim rings.

Graham

 

Be aware that the bolts are put in with thread locker. I suggest heating the area before removal to prevent breaking the easy out off in the bolt. If this happens, you are in real trouble. I broke an easy out off once in a throttle body. I had to have the easy out burned out by electro discharge machining, an expensive repair that is not available in many places. I live in a big shipyard town, so the equipment is around. I shy away from easy outs now.

 

It takes shipbuilding scale equipment to move these titanium bolts? Now I'm really getting worried.

Graham

 

I have never broken an easy out but have broken a drill bit in the bolt and it was a #@#%%# to get it out. Heating the area sounds like a good idea. We do have a shipbuilding area in New London, CT, so if things go bad I guess I could use them or leave the easy out "modified" bolt in forever.LOL

Bill N

 

I took my XKR to a very good garage today to get the broken bolt out of the wheel. They were able to drill a hole in the bolt, but when they tried to easy out it, they got one turn and the easy out broke off in the bolt. Whoopee, now If I want it out I will have to take it to a machine shop for some serious work.

As I indicated in my last thread, if that happened I would fill the hole with a silver epoxy and that would be the end of that. Maybe when I have to replace the tires in a few years I will try again with the machine shop.

The XKR is now at the detailer for a nice wax job, then off to our big Jag meet tomorrow in Lenox, Mass. Maybe I will get some good information on where to take it for the wheel repair. The local BBS wheel repair guy in my area did not want to do it, because of this kind of thing happening. Smart guy!!!

Bill N
03 XKR vert

 

I have found that the easy outs most folks have break easily and often. The only way to minimize this is to buy them from Snap On or other top quality tool companies. On this particular bolt, the thread locker needs to be heated until smoking hot before any removal attempts. To remove the easy out, find a shop that does electro-discharge machining and ask them to burn it out. It will cost $150-$250. Look at special machine shops in the shipyard town.

 

I found a stainless steel bolt that has the same head diameter and looks just like the original one. I had to shorten the length of the bolt to make it fit. I epoxied it in, so I am good to go. If I decide to replace it sometime in the future, it will be easy to remove. I just hope the epoxy I used holds the bolt in for a few years. I guess time will tell. If it pops out I will just make another one. There are a couple of these BBS wheels on Ebay for about $425.00. If I could do an exchange for a fair price, I might consider that.

Bill N
03 XKR