I have an interesting story that perhaps you guys can shed some light on. About one month after buying our Accord, I ran over a nail. Hubby and I went to buy a replacement tire and when they took our original stock tire off, the tire guy pointed out that, while the nail did not puncture the tire, there was a patch on a different section of the tire. We were shocked to say the least and demanded at the dealership that we be reimbursed for a new tire, after showing them the old one. They agreed and Honda sent us a check for the tire. We forgot about this for some time until we recently purchased a whole new set after 60k+ miles. When the old tires came off, guess what was found--a second tire with a patch. How can something like this happen? I'm furious since, as you all know, I paid a tidy sum for my new car. The stock tires were well over $100 per tire! We're pretty convinced it was Honda and not the dealership that would put this on and since Honda covered it the first time it was noticed, it's like admitting guilt, IMO. Has anyone ever heard of such a thing and is this a normal practice?? I would think not! I'm not looking for any kind of reimbursement since the tire is disposed of at this point, but if this seems out of the ordinary to you guys, I would be writing a letter to Honda!!

 

Hmmmmm............I'll be taking mine in for a slow leak in the right rear tire. I'll ask about those patches.

 

There's just no way that I see that happening at the factory - the tires must have been patched between the factory and dealer/you. I wouldn't put it past the dealer doing this. Obviously Honda/dealer wanted to save the $100+/tire so it patched them figuring no one would notice - come to think of it you didn't on the second one until it was worn out. Even the car carrier could have done it - and Honda/dealer wouldn't know about it.

 

Thats definitely a dealer thing.

 

Honda wouldn't do that from the factory. And the car has brand new tires from the factory, so something must have happened between leaving the factory and it being turned over to you that would have required the tire being patched.

 

with everything above. There's just no incentive for Honda to patch tires at the factory. They would just hit their suppliers for new tires instead of wasting time and money patching them. I definitely think it was your dealer.

 

To me it's almost inconceivable that someone from the factory would run to a local tire shop, get a patch job done and then put it on the car.

 

Honda would not do this. Honda dealer would.

 

I wonder how much a patch job would be for the TSX in Japan?

 

Let me float another theory here:

Someone with the same wheel tire combo had to get some tires patched. They were pissed about having to drive patched tires, so they found another Accord, parked in an unpopulated area, and swapped the wheels and tires from their vehicle to yours. So you ask, why would they bother putting their tires on yours as opposed to just outright stealing your wheels? I think there are levels of dishonesty, and perhaps this person can't stomach the idea of being a flat-out thief (I've seen a guy I know buy rollerblades but having swapped out the blades in the box he purchased for a more expensive pair because he knew they wouldn't check that the box contents matched the box at the register, I think this was so he didn't feel guilty about it because he paid for a base product and only marginally stole), so they swapped them. That way they see it more as a victimless crime and are able to sleep at night. You got wheel locks?

Otherwise, I think it was the dealer. They're inherently shady. Can't imagine it'd come from the factory that way.

 

What do you mean patch job? as in, used to fix a previous hole?

 

Hmmm..I thought dealer too, but hubby was convinced that dealer would not go through the trouble. It would be more likely, in my opinion. I don't know who is responsible and I guess that's what bugs me even more. No one to blame!! Like you said, I drove on them for 60K+ with no problems, so no harm no foul I guess, but it still ticks me off considering the overall purchase price of the car. I expected better...

 

Yes, patch was used to cover existing hole in tire. My therory would be that the dealer was test driving, moving on the lot, vandalized,...whatever and instead of replacing the punctured tires, they patched for a quicker sell. Grrr.. it's most unnerving.