Tire shop ruined my new TRD Rims... Now what?

[Blitzkrieg]

This is exactly why I give the front counter guy my disclaimer about how terribly anal I am .....

Exactly. There are so many people/places that just don't give a shit anymore you have to go out of your way to cover yourself legally.

A few years back I took my prisitne M3 in for a recall on the clutch pivot mechanism. I specifically told the service writer DO NOT WASH THE CAR.

They call me a few hours and say the car is done and I get there and what do I see? My car sitting in the sun all wet from being sprayed off by the lot boy.

Pissed me off but whatever. So I get it home and go to wash it to get all the water spots off and BAM, nice deep door ding on the passenger door of my previously pristine car.

I called the service manager and let loose and his reply was "We hear that all the time. How do you know the dent wasn't already there?".

1) Because my car has never seen a parking lot
2) Because it is only stored in my garage and the passenger side is against a wall
3) Because I am anal about my vehicles and that car did not have a rock chip much less a door ding

Ended up costing ME $110 at dent doctor to have it fixed and it still wasn't perfect because the ding also scratched the paint.

So now I have a rule: If I have to leave my vehicle somewhere with somebody else (which I avoid at all costs - I won't even use the "free" Toyota oil changes for not wanting to risk damage) I make the service writer do a full walk thru of the vehicle and clearly note any damage or more specifically in my case write down "Vehicle has no dents or scratches or damage".

I am certain that raises enough of a flag that anybody who touches the vehicle will be warned to be careful, that the owner is a picky *******.

Thats okay. I'm not an ******* but yes, I am very picky.

 

[96 ToyRunner]

Yea I usually watch the workers do the work on my 4runner unless its at the garage I trust but yea that's bull crap there's no frigin way that some worker would tell me it happens my rims are nice they have some scratches on a little dent on some of the center caps but that's from trail ridding ......good luck man

 

[Saker]

If they ruined them, they should replace them.

My dealership scratched one of mine when mounting the OEM's on my rims...they replaced it no questions asked.

 

[<<<<]

Little late now but remove caps before you go to tire shop. When I had my forged TRD's ballanced and installed by small tire shop I removed and left center caps at home. They did great job, no scratches or any issues. Also good shop will install wheel weights inside your rims as opose to on the face.

 

[RESQLAB]

New center caps are definitely in order!

However, you learned a lesson many already have about Discount Tire shops. They try to NASCAR pit stop the work... turn & burn it. In return, care is often the biggest problem.

I have had numerous problems with Discount. The latest was actually mounting those old school wheel lip type weights on my F150. I also noticed that they never took prior weights off... needless to say, it drove like crap.

When I returned, I said I wanted the stick on weights, so the kid proceeded to rip them off with a pair of pliers right in front of me (instead of breaking the bead and removing them properly). When he ripped them off, a huge gouge came right out of the wheel.

I threw a total cow and the manager just happened to have an OEM replacement in the back. Then the kid proceeded to put to thick of weights on the rim and I ripped them off as they hit the brake calipers driving out of the parking lot. Total morons at my local Discount Tire... I now drive and extra 15 mins to get to one that is better.

This is my routine:
1.) Take Center Cap off before you arrive and replace yourself.
2.) Work with the manager... ONLY!
3.) Tell Manager your concerns...a good Manager will walk out to inspect your rims and note any existing damage before they work on them.
4.) Tell Manager you want his BEST employee on it.
5.) When the employee pulls your truck in, meet him and tell him to take his time and you are not in a hurry. (I often give $20 at this point & tell him to please be very careful).

I watch the whole process... hovering is not illegal and I will stand just outside the bay and watch like a hawk. If they know you give a shit about your truck, most of the time they will too.

I've found most whack marks occur from the Torque wrench and allowing it to bang against the wheel during removal.


* Toyota dealers use a plastic sleeve over their air gun socket to prevent damage to the rim.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Thats too bad about your experience at Discount. I think a lot of it is the management. A good manager knows that sloppiness costs money and that eats into their bottom line.

The Discount Tire I have been going to for years - never had one problem.

I do agree with your points though - let them know right up front your wheels are perfect, you are picky and you want them back perfect.

The weights are an odd one. My Discount hasn't used lead bead weights for as long as I remember. They have only used the lead sticky weights and only on the inside of the rim.

 

[aweaver65]

Sorry to hear this. I've experienced this and worse. Sadly you have to be very demanding and watch them like a hawk. Even then you're still not safe. Had my off road rims on an 08 FJ destroyed by a Sam's Club tire shop. Makes me crazy.

 

[DesertCanyons]

damaged rims

The tire shop should replace the rims. Take your receipt in and ask them to cut a check or pay the supplier directly for a new set. Are the rims available locally?

You'll need the tires remounted and balanced as well. Do you want them to do the work or do you need to take them to another shop? If they're going to do the work, ask them how they will avoid causing the same damage to the new rims. If they don't make good on their mistake you can always take them to small claims court.

There is no reason not to name the shop here and elsewhere. Tell them their reputation in the community is on the line. Let us know when they make amends.

 

[Saker]

Check your dealership.
If they have some, let them know you may be purchasing some.
Have them check to make sure they can/will order you some with out issue (in advance).
When the shop pays you for the new ones, have the dealership remount your tires and balance ...
All this at the expense of the tire shop!

 

[ECLIPSE21]

I have been lurking on this site for months waiting on my 4runner to arrive from the port. I like doing slight mods to vehicles to make them "mine". That being said I ordered a set of graphite trd rims and bilstein 5100 shocks to lift/level the vehicle for that more aggressive stance.

The local off road shop did a great job with the lift and rim install, but didn't have the best equipment to balance the tires.

I took the 4runner to an (unnamed for now) tire shop to balance the tires. 2 hours later i go to pick up the vehicle and notice paint shavings all around the lug nuts. Upon inspection, I notice that the area around EVERY lug nut was scratched horribly. Not only are the rim caps mangled, but the rims show significant scratches inside the lug area and on the rim surface near the lug holes. It looks like the guy was either racing to see how fast he could reinstall the wheels or he was blind folded and asked to pin the tail on the donkey with a power tool.

Regardless, the damage is done and the service manager and I had a long conversation. He said he could have the rims fixed/painted and repaired. I told him that I brought him brand new rims to balance and I expected brand new rims upon leaving. I also said that if i wanted refurbished rims that I would have purchased them to begin with. He was hesitant to agree to my demands but admitted fault and said he would call his regional manager and toyota parts to see what could be done.

What should I expect? Am I overreacting? Any insight or previous experience would be greatly appreciated.

I'm currently living your exact nightmare. Purchased brand new 17x8.5 Stealth Custom Series SR8 wheels in Jet Matte Black. Took them to a local tire store to have them installed and 3 of 4 wheels were damaged when I picked up my T4R. I wasn't happy, shared my concerns and was told they'd get back to me in 1-2 days with how they would resolve the issue. That was last Monday and still nothing from them.

To be continued.....

 

[Range]

I just thought about this but why don't you file a charge back with your CC'd company if they dick you around?

 

[spooln30]

Yeah the shop didn't remove the center caps when installing the wheels. Same thing happened to the wheels on my Limited 4Runner but mine happened at a Toyota dealer and not only did they scratch the lug area they also nicked the wheel with their impact socket when they were rushing, i assume. My wheels were in perfect shape before taking it in for a oil change/tire balancing/rotate special. I didn't notice it until a few days later so I called the Toyota Dealer and told them what they did. Since this is a dealer I used to work at they took care of me all of the way but my story gets worse. I took the truck back in to show then what they did and they said they would have all four wheels refinished. I'm not a fan of refinished wheels but I just wanted them fixed. The first set of refinished wheels lasted 4 months before I noticed corrosion under the clear on the machined part of the wheel and one wheel the clear was coming off where the corrosion was. Now this happened on all FOUR wheels almost in the exact same spot not just one so the place that refinished the wheels, Keystone is the place, screwed up somehow. Called the dealer again told them what happened and took the truck in again. I was getting pissed because the first time the process took 2 weeks. Anyways the dealer called Keystone and said they needed to warranty the wheels which Keystone said they would. Only this time I inspect very closely each wheel and noticed many flaws in all of the wheels. Well all four wheels had bad paint work like the color wasn't applied evenly and just looked horrible. One wheel had a rust/water drip mark that was 6 inches long under the clear on the machined part of the wheel. I figured after they machined the face of the rim they used compressed air to blow off the metal shavings and there must have been water in the compressor tank and it blew out of the tank through the line and onto my wheel. The service manager called Keystone again and sent the main office pics of the trash work and Keystone told the dealer they weren't going to warranty the work anymore and there was noting wrong with the wheels. At this point I was super pissed. I told the SM to call me once they figured out a solution and said to him I didn't understand why new Toyota wheels weren't just ordered from the get go. I never felt comfortable with refinished wheels in the first place. Like I said I used to work here and in the end the dealer took care of me. Got a call about a week later and was told to stop down because they had four brand new OEM Toyota wheels waiting in the parts department. Went there waited while they got installed and again closely inspected every wheel to make sure they didn't scratch any of them during the tire install. They were perfect FINALLY! So stay away from Keystone, they won't stand behind their work at all. I did find out later Keystone tried charging the Toyota dealership for both of the refinishing jobs and they told then to shove it. Lol. Also learned the dealer had to eat my wheels and at almost $400 a piece their cost it wasn't cheap.

 

[02SE]

There are a lot of careless hacks in life. The automotive service industry is no exception. In fact not wanting careless hacks to touch my vehicles, is why I originally became a Master Tech. Or Mechanic, as we called ourselves back in the day..

Careless hacks would never make it in the line of work I do these days. I occasionally see some new recruits that think they are highly qualified. In reality they are hacks, and are quickly shown the door.

I would demand they replace any damaged parts. They carry insurance to cover their employee's screw-ups.

 

[spooln30]

That's funny because I too am a Master Tech. While working I'm always very careful not to cause damage to customers vehicles because I wouldn't want mine screwed up.
Usually I change my own oil but I wanted to have some maintenance recorded at a Toyota dealership because of the warranty I have on my 4runner. The Toyota Dealer I bought it from offers a Lifetime Drivetrain Warranty and had warned me that the company is a stickler about maintenance being kept up and records to show such. Plus the oil change special was pretty cheap for the services. It was $89.99 for an oil change, tire rotation, wheel balance and inspection. Which if you have bought oil for them can run north of $70 depending on the oil you purchase.
I'm not to fond of the engine noise these 4.0 engines make at idle and I think the oil being 0w20 and like water has something to do with it. Next oil change I'm gonna try some 5w30 Amsoil and see if it helps quite down the noise. I first thought there was something internal happening but I had a 2013 4runner come into my shop and it made the same noise. Weird.