Belzebutt

I picked up my car yesterday and I had asked the dealership ahead of time if they could put on my new wheels and tires on it. I provided them with the wheels and tires (bought them from two different places), and before I even went there I asked how much it would cost. They told me $60 (CAN) on the phone. I thought it was a great deal because last time I got this done (at Frisby Tire) they charged me $100.

When I got to the dealership with the wheels and tires I again asked how much this would cost, they said $60.

When I came to pick up the car, I went to settle the bill and they said it was actually something like $150. I told them I was told it would cost $60, and they said "oh sorry, ok we'll make it $60 then". When I went to pay, they actually charged me $138! Turns out the $60 was just labor, and there was $50 worth of parts in there + tax. They showed me the original bill and it would have cost me something like $240 apparently if they hadn't given me this "special deal"!!

Is this supposed to be normal? I mean, any tire place on the internet does this stuff for free if you buy the tires from them even at rock-bottom prices, so how can this possibly cost that much?

My main question is, when you call Acura and asked them "how much is X going to cost", is it standard practice for them to quote you only part of the cost, not what you're actually going to pay out the door? Do you have to specify "how much am I going pay you in total" as opposed to "how much does it cost"?

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Why didn't you just buy a torque wrench and install the wheels yourself?

DEI99662

Everytime I have gotten a quote for some repair work, the total cost has been pretty close to the estimate. Main difference is taxes and any uexpected parts needed.

Should this be in the Tires, Wheels, & Suspension section?

STL

Read his post again. I don't think a torque wrench would have helped him mount the tires -- and installing the wheels without them isn't a very good idea.

crisco

Parts??? what parts?? a few nuts and that's it, isn't it? Was this Casino or Camco?

JOZMAN

:killer: sweet

Belzebutt

This was Camco.

So... what would you guys say on your Acura customer satisfaction survey if this happened to you?

PS. One of my rims was also scraped when I picked up the car, I don't think it was done during driving because the tire was completely free of any scratches in that area and also the tire stick out a bit, protecting the rim... they must have either done it during the install, or the rim came like this and I missed it.

VeniceBeachTSX

Good lesson. NEVER take tire issues to a dealer. There are so many independent tire shops around that are experts on this and want your business. My Acura dealer doesn't even do tires/alignment themselves. The send the car to a very good independent shop down the street who has better equipment than they do, as do most of the other dealers in the area.

vwong

When you brought the wheels to your dealer, did you also bring new lug nuts? What about valve stems? If not, I'm thinking that these were the parts that your dealer was charging you for.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Ah...i missed that. Thanks for pointing it out. Still, I would have taken the wheels to a local tire shop and had them mount and balance the tires. It would have been a lot cheaper.

VeniceBeachTSX

You forgot the weights for balancing...

JTso

iTrader: (2)

I took my new tires and stock wheels to Costco and they only charged $9 to $10 USD per wheel for mounting, valve stems, balancing (weight included). I believe most tire shops also charge a flat fee for the same service.

iTimmy

Not to mention done by someone who more likely has a lot of experience doing tires and superior equipment. One of the first things I learned getting in the business is dealerships don't know and don't want to know about tires- and if they have to they charge a premium for second rate work.

Belzebutt

The wheels came with lug nuts, and I also paid for locking wheel nuts, but that was part of the car deal.

Belzebutt

Yep, the only reason I did it was because they told me it would be really cheap, and because I wanted to drive the car out with my new wheels (and so that I don't use my OEM tires).

I guess they screwed me, and I'll be putting that down on my survey.

Maybe they'll give me a free Acura mug.

Infamous425

so they charged u 80 bucks for a couple of air valve stems

Belzebutt

Here's the problem: they charged me $50 for a new set of wheel nuts. They're slightly different from the OEM ones, they're a little bit longer, maybe slightly prettier. I put one of the OEM ones on and they fit just fine. I just don't get it. Is there ANY reason why they OEM ones would not work? I guess I'm going to return them but I just want to make sure they don't give me some BS reason.

Come to think of it last time I got mouting and balancing done at Frisby Tire they also gave me a new set of wheel nuts...

STL

I used to do that too, but Costco is changing their policy to only work on tires bought from them.

rondog

iTrader: (1)

The wheels came with the valve stems, centercap and they where designed to accept the OEM lug nuts. When you mount tires onto the rim, balanceing and putting the wheels on the car should always be included. And with low profile tires, they should be extra careful putting on the tires, even going as far as wrappign the leg that stretches the rubber onto the wheel with a cloth to prevent scratching.

Belzebutt

Allright, I guess they owe me 50 bucks

vwong

What kind of aftermarket wheels are these? AFAIK, most aftermarket wheels have the cone seat, while the factory Honda wheels are ALWAYS with the "ball" seat.