Rock Dog

Just got my car back from the dealer. I had them replace the front left tire because after having the tires "Road Force Balanced" the tech at the shop I had it done at stated the left front tire was bad. There are harmonics (vibration limits) the tire is supposed to operate in, and mine was out of spec. So I had the dealer replace the tire.

When I got there, the car was filthy due to a day and a half of snow and salt we had just had. The service guy said he wanted to wash the car t go over it and look for scratches and such. So he had the porter run it through the wash.

Today I get the car back, and that same wheel is all scratched up. About 1/4 of the lip, and then a circular guage near one of the spokes.

I just washed the car the day before we had the snow. I use the quarter wash in the winter, and I scrubbed those wheels with the brush. So I know what each one looks like. Those scratches were not there.

The service guy states that his tech called him over when he went to replace the tire and told him about the scratches, plus the general manager. And that it's not their resposibility. My wife, my son (he was with me at the wash) know those scratches were not there. The service guy says "I've got three people who saw it right away when it came in" I said it wasn't there when we did the walk around. But he insists it was, and that they're not responsible.

How do you like that treatment? I've got 2, count 'em 2, CL-S wheels in my garage right now, that have scratches in them, from a little curb rubbing, that I did. I'm not affraid to pay for my own mistakes. So it's not like I'm trying to pull a fast one. If I had done it, I would have sucked it up, and bought a new wheel. But I did not do this, it wasn't like that, and I screwed...

Tripp11

Search under username "Spud" or "Spuds". There are tons of wheel refinishing places that will make it look like new for $50 - $100.

Sure, it's the principle of the matter and I think the dealership is hosing you because some tech messed up your wheel when replacing your tire; however, you don't have to purchase a new wheel. Just get the blemished one refinshed.

Here you go:

http://www.acura-tl.com/forum/showth...threadid=67376

need4spd

If they did a walk around when you droped it off, and did not note it, you should tell them that they should have notified you before proceeding (especially if the tech, svc mgr and gen mgr were all involved in viewing it, they must have thought it was significant). I would tell them, that since they did not note it on check in, and since they did not notify you of the issue once they saw it BEFORE removing the tire, it is their fault, not yours.

Ask to speak to the owner, and explain what happened, if they had three people look at it, they should have contacted you BEFORE removing the tire.

Lore

I agree with need4spd. Unless their walk-around shows you ACKNOWLEDGING the damage, it is damage caused by them and you should hold them to it.

Majorhouse

Amen, something similar happened to me with my Mustang and it took a few calls to Ford's Customer Service Dept. but I got the item replaced for free.

If Ford will do it, I am sure Acura will.

danno

Let them know you are calling customer service first

Rock Dog

I mentioned that I was calling customer care (service) and the service guy says. Well I'll contact them too and let them now that 3 people here saw it before the work was done.

I took the car to 2 seperate and non related (to each other or myself. I didn't know anyone at either shop) tire stores this afternoon, and had them look at the rim. I told them I had the tire replaced and that the place that did it (didn't say dealer or anything) scratched the rim, but was claiming that it was there.

One of the scratches is like a swirl on the edge of the rim, at the edge of the spoke. BOTH tire shops said it looks like something the "duck head" does if it slips, when the tire is being broken down. The "duck head" is the little arm they put against the rim when they are separating the tire from it.

Here are some pictures of the damage. Notice that the edge of the rim has a lot of damage to it, and then the "swirl" I mentioned above.





You know, I think the tech did the damage, and then called the service advisor over and told him that the wheel was like that as he pulled it off the car.

Any thoughts?

KJSmitty

First off,
sorry about the rim damage whatever the cause was. I have read your posts and by no means am pointing fingers at anyone. And I would also say that before I saw your pictures I was already convinced the dealer was to blame due to poor equipment or lousy technicians.

Playing devils advocate, having used several tire machines, seeing and witnessing the types of scratches they can cause etc,,, My conclusion after seeing your photo's, is it was caused by a curb, not the removal of the tire.... The scratches are more perpendicular to the rim edge. If it was a tire machine the scratches would run with the rim edge due to the machine arm rotating/dragging against the rim/bead area as it worked itself around. The swirl scratch and other scratches look like a minor moving contact with a curb. Could the dealer have parked the car after the tire replacement and caused the damage?

Sorry again - just my observation.

Rock Dog

The scrape along the edge of the rim, runs about pretty long around the outside of the rim. and it's perfectly on the edge. That's almost like riding a curb without the tire. It's just way too long, right on the edge, and no other damage on the face, for it to be a curb scrape. There would almost certaimly have to be auxilary damage to the face. Plus those tools that are used to separate the tire from the rim, the one whose slot sits on top of the "Axle or Rod" that comes out of the top of the tire break machine. I've seen the damage that tool can do to the edge of a rim if one is not careful, or in a hurry. Heck when I was a kid, working in a gas station that had a couple of bays. We had oone of these tire breaks. And I scratched the edge of a couple of wheels. 1. The were black steel, that a hub cap went over. 2. I OWNED up to my goof!

The swirl, is right on the face, and has far to small an arc to be a curb scrape. If you look at the radius of that swirl, and the angle of that arc, you'd think it would be longer and more drawn out of an arc if it hit the curb. That arc is really sharp. Think about the wheel rotating and hitting a curb. (which I did do in my other car) and the mark it made was much longer in the length of the radius.

Plus, it sure looks like that swirl mark started on the right (looking at the picture) and came out on the left. Moving forward that would not happen. OK, so... then how about rolling backward? That seems like an even more unlikely scenario. Then you have the small scratches that go up, and a little to the left. The "duck head" tool that is used on those tire break machines, is damn near the exact same length as that damage. Plus when the whell is on the machine, face up. The "duck head" comes in, on and arc, from the right. It has a heavier section at the back end. Right where the swirl would be.

Can you tell I've been really thinking about this all day? I have have some sort of ammunition to fight this with.

Tomorrow I'm getting rid of those EL42s. And when MY tire guy works on the car, I'm going to check out the "duck head" theory.

need4spd

I would settle the rim issue with the dealer before mounting any new tires on that wheel! Once you touch it, it is over in my book, you now own it.

BTW - sorry you are having this issue.

Talk to the owner!

Good luck!