redsoxx

So....it's time to put on my snows. I picked up a nice set of Dunlop winter sport M3's. I've used them before on my BMW 330i and Z4 and they worked great. Of course, I'm very anal about my car and wanted to make sure that my rims would not be scratched when the tires were changed over. So..I went back to my dealership. They offered me a great price..$12.95/tire for mounting and balancing.

When I got there, I specifically asked if they had someone experienced enough to do the job without scratching my rims. They assured me they did and told me they had the latest, state-of-the-art equiptment. Dropped the car off and the car was supposed to be ready for 2:30. I called at 1:15 and they said it would be done in half an hour. I showed up at 2:30 and the service guy, looking worried, tells me that "the guy" he gave the job to was having some problems. I look outside and see two of my tires still sitting there. He offers me a loaner and assures me that the car will be ready within the hour. I call back at 4:00. The service guy tells me that, again, it will be ready within an hour. He finally calls me at almost 6:00 and says the car is ready. Well....now I'm pissed. How did an hour job take all day? What really happened here?

I told him I'd pick the car up the next day because it was dark and I wanted to check it out in the daylight. Can you imagine having to leave a car overnight to get some tires put on?

So....I show up the next day. I pay and go check the car out. The first thing I notice is that they had obviously, originally, installed the tires on the wrong side of the car. The snows are unidirectional and must be installed on a certain side to ensure proper rotation. The tire on the right rear was marked LR. The tire on the left rear was marked RR. They figured it out and swapped the tires over, and this is no big deal except that you would think that an auto dealership would know about tires. Obviously, "the guy" that had this job had very little experience installing tires.

There was some kind of grease smeared all over the rims, so it was hard to tell if there was any damage. So, I drove it home and cleaned the rims. Well......what I found was that 2 of my rims were gouged pretty bad. This is a new 2007 with only 4000 miles on it and now two of my rims are gouged. I was pretty mad.

I called the service department and asked for the service manager. They knew who I was and sounded nervous. They kept asking for my name and my problem before they would get him. I told them the deal and they put me on hold. They eventually come back on and tell me that I can bring the car in and let the service manager look at it but that he will be leaving early today. Of course!

So...I called my salesman and left him a message. I have been dealing with this dealership for a long time and this is the fourth car I have bought from the same salesman. Sure enough, a half hour later, the service manager himself calls me. He's very apologetic and asks me to bring the car in the next day to have him look at it. He assures me that he will fix any damage. I'll be bringing the car in today on m lunchbreak to see what he says. Even if they fix the rims, what a pain in the ass this has been. I have had snows changed over many times and am usually in and out within an hour without a problem. This whole process already cost me a day and who knows how much longer it wil take to get the rims fixed. I'll keep you updated.

Bass

fix the rims???!! nope it's an 07 that was in pristine condition when you dropped it off and now they are ruined

you need "new rims"


also what dealership is this just so no one else uses them

redsoxx

Majestic Honda in Warwick, RI. I don't mind if they fix them. I have had rims fixed before. I had a rim on my Acura TL scratched pretty bad in a car wash and they paid to have it fixed. They can do a remarkable job on aluminum rims. I took it back to the dealership (Inskip Acura) and they sent it out. The rim looked good as new when I got it back. But, if it can't be returned to new condition, I want new rims.

Bass

but what will you drive on while the rims are getting fixed?

i'd just tell them you want new rims and when they come in you'll bring your car in for the swap

daktruckie99

Sorry to hear. I hope they take good care of you.

Ray K.

I don't get why anyone would pay a dealer for any type of service. The only benefit to the dealer is that you get work done under warranty for free. There are so many mechanics at the dealer and you don't get any personal relationship with them since you deal with pencil pushers and not the techs. Go to a good independent and talk with the person working on your car. I have all my mounting and balancing done at a race shop in Peabody. They are $20 a pop, they work on saturdays and are awesome guys. They don't even have high tech equipment, but they know their stuff. They have to get it right or else people hitting high speeds on a track are going to notice the vibrations from a poor balancing job. I would also run a set of cheap, dedicated winter wheels to keep my nicer wheels from being exposed to the salt and crap. I hope it works out for you.

jojipoji

my question is why would you leave the dealership without examing the rims further. Also why would you take your car back dirty? If the rims were dirty with grease, Id yell at them. I would never accept my car in that condition. The reason I say this is they could come back and say, hey you curbed your car yourself. If you neverleft the dealership, you have a stronger case.

redsoxx

UPDATE......I just got back from a lunchtime meeting with the service manager. We inspected all the rims together and found that two were pretty badly gauged. The other two did have some damage but it was pretty minor. After looking at the rims, the service manager said......"I'll get you four new rims, give you a loaner while we're working on it, and I'll have my shop foreman do the job to make sure it is done right." So....they did treat me right. It is a good dealership...it's just that they must have someone installing tires that has no idea what he is doing.

For my cars in the past, I have always had a dedicated set of tires with rims for winter driving. This time, I was going to do the same. I had priced out a package on tirerack for about $1000. Then, I found someone selling a set of Dunlop winter sport M3s for only $300. The tires had about 1000 miles on them and were like new. It was too good to pass up.

redsoxx

Does anyone know of a good tire shop in the RI area that can actually mount a tire on a 17" aluminum rim without scratching it?

daktruckie99

Read closer.

It was dark and he was tired and picked up the car the following morning. Keeping the loaner overnight.