Tbh I'm one lucky so to be writing this as Saturday night my gorgeous vrs se was wrote off :( while driving the car suddenly veered to the left throwing me into the hedge putting me into a spin which then flipped me onto my side where I slid about 25m on my side and then flipped back up again, after luckily being able to get out with all but a face full of glass the passage wheel was mutilated, every single spoke was broken and the outer alloy had come away from the rim leaving the centre of the alloy still bolted to the hub, everyone who has seen it has said they have never see. It happen before and today my dad heard from a friend there was a known fault with the standard vrs wheels being weak and fracturing really easy anyone heard anything about this? As much as I know it will be hard to prove my life was almost taken from me due to a defect wheel and iv now got a undrivable car with no money for a new one :(

Whoaw! Scary. Glad your ok though.

So you didn't actually hit anything?

Any pictures mate? I've heard of rota alloys fracturing from between the spokes and then 'separating' from the centre still attached to the hub as you describe

Never heard of vRS alloys doing it before though. They weren't powdercoated or anything were they? This has been known to weaken alloys particularly ones with thinner spokes due to the large heating and cooling procedures involved can cause stresses

I am so sorry to hear about this, although you are indeed very lucky, could have been a lot lot worse.

I'd start getting a letter together to Skoda UK personally.. that really isn't good enough

Edited 9 January, 201214 yr by Lew_VRS

Any pics of the wheel you mention? Glad your ok sounds nasty.

Never heard anything about Fabia vRS alloys being weak. That's not to say there isn't an issue but if it is an issue then I'm mighty sure there will be lots of discussion about it on this forum somewhere.

However, I think he may be getting confused with the Octavia vRS LE alloys which are notorious for buckling.

No money for a new one? Insurance?

Thats pretty scary, but im glad your alright. Car is only piece of transport so don't feel too down about it, you could always find another.

I've never heard of anything like this, but +1 with the wheel pic, very intrigued to see. Could it be a balancing issue?

Yea I am staying rather possitive and joking it off best I can think a Toyota hilux next - something close to indistructible aha, yea got some pictures but dunno how to post them on here

bad bad news, glad your ok though

Glad you're OK!

To post, upload them to a site like photobucket, or imageshack (photobucket's much better IMO!), then chose the img tag, and paste it into here. [i mg] image address [/im g ], just without the spaces.

Sounds scary! I'd be interested to see pictures of it and the accident, bet the car was a right mess going on your original post. Surely the insurance will pay out? That's what it's there for of you ever need it.

Still, at least your safe and sound. Like someone said- try to think that it's only a car, health is much more valuable.

As said, sounds pretty scary but the main thing is they you are ok. Cars can always be replaced

Same thing happened to a mates vRS, he was driving like a **** a doodle doo though... The centre of the wheel was attatched to the hub and the rim and spokes were not attatched

Oh and it was his front passenger side that happened to aswell

il jump on my mac and upload them tomorrow morning

I have heard before that alloys are unsafe under a certain temp, because they are less dense (hence lighter) they are more susceptible to failures at cold temps...

How true, not sure, was a quite reliable mate that told me.

But yeah, car can be replaced, you walked, that's all that matters (as everyone will tell you lol)

Im sure iv seen this on another fabia vrs, It was on this forum from years ago

Atleast your ok tho

I've seen this once before on a VRS SE that was rolled and written off. Most likely caused by a blow out, tyre flies off the alloy, alloy bites into the road, and forces do the rest. The standard alloys look beefy enough, but do suffer from edge of spoke corrosion after 2-3 years.

As others have said, what's important is that you walked away. I know how terrifying it must have been, because I had a similar experience many years ago. I was driving a 1956 Standard 10 (with steel wheels) at nightime in rural Essex when I felt a slight wobble in the steering followed by BUMP! In the headlights I saw the nearside front wheel rolling away into the night. Luckily I wasn't going too fast, although the car spun it didn't turn over.

The wheel centre was still bolted to the hub, but metal fatigue has split the wheel like a tin can.

I do hope your insurance policy pays out.

Glad that you walked away from this one. Cars are replaceable lives aren't

Another Fabia se bites the dust :'( make sure you get a lottery ticket because your a very lucky man

glad your ok dude. your very lucky by sounds of it, surely your insurance will payout and you cant get another car?

glad your ok dude. your very lucky by sounds of it, surely your insurance will payout and you cant get another car?

At an extra cost of a couple of grand over the few years the claim has to be declared, and the NCB is lost. They make you pay for the claim in the long run. It's like buying a car on hire purchase.

Are you sure this was caused by the alloy fracturing? Such an accident would have put severe stress on that wheel and hence could have been initiated otherwise destroying the wheel in the process? e.g. a blowout as suggested?

I've seen a vRS come in for a wheel bearing and it turned out to be an alloy spoke cracked all the way through. In that case the alloys were powder coated.

Are you sure this was caused by the alloy fracturing? Such an accident would have put severe stress on that wheel and hence could have been initiated otherwise destroying the wheel in the process? e.g. a blowout as suggested?

I've known of someone unintentionally driving on a rim as a result of a deflated tyre (can't understand how, must have sounded/handled horrendously). This is potentially more likely on low profile tyres like those on the VRS wheels. Many people do not bother to check tyre pressures.

I had it happen on a League alloy wheel, I knocked it against the kerb @ about 30mph though