Horrible Tire Mounting Story [Metro Mitsubishi, Southgate Michigan]
Dec 1, 2009, 03:21 PM
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Horrible Tire Mounting Story [Metro Mitsubishi, Southgate Michigan]
Long story short, stay away from Metro Mitsubishi in Southgate Michigan if you need tires mounted.
I went in for my 10k maintenance / fuel rail system recall / TPMS sensor fix (2 died) / winter tire mounting.
I went to pick up my car and the people in the dealer were being overly nice and saying how good the tires looked on the car. That right there subliminally set something off in a my head. I paid for the services I had performed and went out to my car. I glanced around it and hopped in to leave. Then I though I'd go around and inspect things a little closer. I looked at the rims and upon closer inspection they had the complete **** gouged out of them. (yes, ALL FOUR RIMS) All the way down past the aluminum in some places. I then looked up to see a service guy peeking out the window to see if I left yet. He saw me spot them and they rushed right out. I asked what the heck they did to my rims and they stood there for about 30 seconds not saying anything. Then he spoke up as another service guy came out the door and he said they'd take care of it for me. He said they'd give me a call shortly (like within the next day). Real wonderful, huh? They weren't even going to tell me, just hoping I'd leave.. then when I come back they'd say I curbed my rims or something. Classic dealership tactic. (I've worked at dealerships, so I know what goes on sometimes)
A day or two went by and I got no call. I stopped by the dealership again to see what was going to happen and they said they hadn't talked it over yet with their head service guy who apparently covers several dealerships. The manager said he needs to be filled in on the whole story. They said they would give me a call soon to let me know what they were going to do.
Another two or three days went by with no call, so I stopped in again right before Thanksgiving. They said they still haven't discussed it with the dealership manager and their head service guy who wasn't there again. At this point I'm pretty angry. I said I'd like replacements or reimbursement for new rims. They said they would get back to me after the Thanksgiving break.
Today 12/1/2009 I stop back in the dealership and the manager tells me he's still not filled in on the story, but he comes out and looks at my rims. He doesn't say anything. The guy I bought the car from tells me they want to 'repair' the rims. He says a guy will come out and do it while I wait. I told them that was unacceptable due to the fact my car just broke 10k miles and they want to throw a band-aid on the problem. I know what they do, they just sand it down and spray paint the areas with the damage. So, I tell him I'd like to either be reimbursed or have them replaced. Basically we get nowhere because he says he's relying on what the mysterious regional head service guy says.. so he just writes down what I say and relays it.. I guess.
I went home and then called back the dealership asking for the name of the rim repair service they had mentioned. I got the name and number of the guy who they claim they are going to contract to do my rim repair. I called the guy and it sounds like he just does it out of his garage.. no office, just a cell phone voicemail. He calls back and I talk with him. I describe the damage and he says that the rim repair only works and looks good for scratches/scuffs and lighter damage. He recommends that I have the rims replaced.
I went back over to the dealer and told them what their rim repair guy said and the manager told me he'd see what they can do.. something about what their dealership insurance covers... lots of mumbling.
I went home and called up another Mitsubishi dealer (Wayne Mitsubishi). I talked with their service department and they also told me they haven't had good success with rim repair, especially in the harsh Michigan winters with all the potholes/salt/etc. They said usually the repair epoxy can start to come off and the paint/clearcoat that is used doesn't hold up well with the salt scratching it because it's softer than the original OEM finish. The Wayne Mitsubishi dealer said they'd also recommend replacing all the rims. They even said if I took it over to them, they'd have them replaced for me, and they would file a claim against Metro Mitsubishi and make them pay for the replacements somehow.
Anyway, that's where I'm currently at right now. This situation sucks, especially with winter fast approaching and me being near final exams in college. I'll keep you guys updated.
Enjoy the pix. I couldn't get really good pictures because my camera sucks.. it looks much worse in person, and the gouges are deep. This is just what I can see.. I'm sure the beadlock area is much worse, and maybe the back side too.
I went in for my 10k maintenance / fuel rail system recall / TPMS sensor fix (2 died) / winter tire mounting.
I went to pick up my car and the people in the dealer were being overly nice and saying how good the tires looked on the car. That right there subliminally set something off in a my head. I paid for the services I had performed and went out to my car. I glanced around it and hopped in to leave. Then I though I'd go around and inspect things a little closer. I looked at the rims and upon closer inspection they had the complete **** gouged out of them. (yes, ALL FOUR RIMS) All the way down past the aluminum in some places. I then looked up to see a service guy peeking out the window to see if I left yet. He saw me spot them and they rushed right out. I asked what the heck they did to my rims and they stood there for about 30 seconds not saying anything. Then he spoke up as another service guy came out the door and he said they'd take care of it for me. He said they'd give me a call shortly (like within the next day). Real wonderful, huh? They weren't even going to tell me, just hoping I'd leave.. then when I come back they'd say I curbed my rims or something. Classic dealership tactic. (I've worked at dealerships, so I know what goes on sometimes)
A day or two went by and I got no call. I stopped by the dealership again to see what was going to happen and they said they hadn't talked it over yet with their head service guy who apparently covers several dealerships. The manager said he needs to be filled in on the whole story. They said they would give me a call soon to let me know what they were going to do.
Another two or three days went by with no call, so I stopped in again right before Thanksgiving. They said they still haven't discussed it with the dealership manager and their head service guy who wasn't there again. At this point I'm pretty angry. I said I'd like replacements or reimbursement for new rims. They said they would get back to me after the Thanksgiving break.
Today 12/1/2009 I stop back in the dealership and the manager tells me he's still not filled in on the story, but he comes out and looks at my rims. He doesn't say anything. The guy I bought the car from tells me they want to 'repair' the rims. He says a guy will come out and do it while I wait. I told them that was unacceptable due to the fact my car just broke 10k miles and they want to throw a band-aid on the problem. I know what they do, they just sand it down and spray paint the areas with the damage. So, I tell him I'd like to either be reimbursed or have them replaced. Basically we get nowhere because he says he's relying on what the mysterious regional head service guy says.. so he just writes down what I say and relays it.. I guess.
I went home and then called back the dealership asking for the name of the rim repair service they had mentioned. I got the name and number of the guy who they claim they are going to contract to do my rim repair. I called the guy and it sounds like he just does it out of his garage.. no office, just a cell phone voicemail. He calls back and I talk with him. I describe the damage and he says that the rim repair only works and looks good for scratches/scuffs and lighter damage. He recommends that I have the rims replaced.
I went back over to the dealer and told them what their rim repair guy said and the manager told me he'd see what they can do.. something about what their dealership insurance covers... lots of mumbling.
I went home and called up another Mitsubishi dealer (Wayne Mitsubishi). I talked with their service department and they also told me they haven't had good success with rim repair, especially in the harsh Michigan winters with all the potholes/salt/etc. They said usually the repair epoxy can start to come off and the paint/clearcoat that is used doesn't hold up well with the salt scratching it because it's softer than the original OEM finish. The Wayne Mitsubishi dealer said they'd also recommend replacing all the rims. They even said if I took it over to them, they'd have them replaced for me, and they would file a claim against Metro Mitsubishi and make them pay for the replacements somehow.
Anyway, that's where I'm currently at right now. This situation sucks, especially with winter fast approaching and me being near final exams in college. I'll keep you guys updated.
Enjoy the pix. I couldn't get really good pictures because my camera sucks.. it looks much worse in person, and the gouges are deep. This is just what I can see.. I'm sure the beadlock area is much worse, and maybe the back side too.
Last edited by wiretap; Dec 1, 2009 at 04:05 PM.
Dec 1, 2009, 04:20 PM
#3
sorry to hear that. man they really mess that up! thats why its aways good to check your ride before you leave. i made the habit of checking everything thoroughly top to bottom and in and out. if they wont pay for the rims, i say sue them or threaten to sue them. there's no wheel repair place in Michigan? at least make them pay for that.
Dec 1, 2009, 04:23 PM
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some pretty serious damage. i dont understand how people dont care enough to just be careful with other peoples things. ridiculous. i hope you figure it all out.
Dec 1, 2009, 04:30 PM
#5
Dang, well next time bring it to a wheel shop and make sure the machine they are using to mount has the little plastic thing so it doesnt scratch your wheels like a metal tire separator will. I had Firestone do something similar to my integra and they gave me a free lifetime alignment. Looking back on it now I should have made them replace the wheels.
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Dec 1, 2009, 05:02 PM
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You are over reacting. Most of those scratches or what you call gouges are caused by the previous clip on weights It is IMPOSSIBLE to remove and apply them without scratching the wheels.
You should have asked for tape weights for inside of wheels. Some of the damage is also due to debris hitting your wheels on the road. I'm actually surprised the dealership didn't mention this.
They also may have tried to balance the wheels with an out of calibration balancer, which means when they apply the clip on weight, spin it, the balancer says to add/remove weight.
Good luck.
You should have asked for tape weights for inside of wheels. Some of the damage is also due to debris hitting your wheels on the road. I'm actually surprised the dealership didn't mention this.
They also may have tried to balance the wheels with an out of calibration balancer, which means when they apply the clip on weight, spin it, the balancer says to add/remove weight.
Good luck.
Dec 1, 2009, 05:11 PM
#10
I feel you man
. When I bought my 05 new,at 400 miles I needed warranty work done. I pick the car up, not looking it over stopped on the way home and realize the whole passenger rear is messed up. I go back to the dealership and they were like "oh yeh, no one told you we backed your car into a poll?" Needless to say I almost burnt the place down. Good luck with your situation.
. When I bought my 05 new,at 400 miles I needed warranty work done. I pick the car up, not looking it over stopped on the way home and realize the whole passenger rear is messed up. I go back to the dealership and they were like "oh yeh, no one told you we backed your car into a poll?" Needless to say I almost burnt the place down. Good luck with your situation.
Dec 1, 2009, 05:21 PM
#11
I agree with DannyK24...those are scratch marks from the old weights. No way around it...it is normal. I have the same scratches when I took off the weights off my own set of wheels with 2000 miles on them.
Edit: Actually, upon looking closer, a few those gouges and scratches looks a little too deep to be caused by taking off the weights...hmm
Edit: Actually, upon looking closer, a few those gouges and scratches looks a little too deep to be caused by taking off the weights...hmm
Last edited by Tantrum X; Dec 1, 2009 at 05:27 PM.
Dec 1, 2009, 05:30 PM
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They are all around the rims.. not in places where weights were. And I've never had this problem at any other dealership or rim place that has mounted and balanced rims/tires for me. I am not over reacting.. I just don't want my rims on my new vehicle looking like **** and corroding because someone gouged and scratched the hell out of them. It's totally unacceptable. You may not over react, and that's fine. You may feel it's perfectly ok for a dealership to ruin your rims. I do not feel that way. I will get the situation taken care of in one way or another.
Dec 1, 2009, 05:44 PM
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Call MMNA and register a complaint. Get your dealer motivated. Mistakes happen but not taking care of it (one way or another) is unprofessional.
For customer service inquiries:
1-888-MITSU2009
(1-888-648-7820)
For customer service inquiries:
1-888-MITSU2009
(1-888-648-7820)
Dec 1, 2009, 06:09 PM
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This is the second thread I've seen about dealerships being neglegent when replacing tires. Same situation as well, except that particular person had the wheel lip totally destroyed because they forgot to take off the wheel weights. No one cares about the work they do anymore. Sheesh...
Good luck on getting your problem solved, man.
Good luck on getting your problem solved, man.