Dealers stealing wheels and tires

[Capt W]

I sold Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge from 1992-95; even in those days we "upgraded" wheels and tires very frequently...especially for Jeep vehicles that sat on the showroom floor. The buyer has zero "right" to parts on a vehicle that's been modified if he/she wasn't the person who asked for the mods in the first place. Pre-sale, the dealer owns the vehicle and can generally do with it what they wish (within the law...such as emission regs). Any mods must be listed on a Monroney addendum.

The OE rims (and tires, if applicable) were generally disposed of in one of three ways. And bear in mind each section of the dealership is run as its own mini-business:

1. Traded in as take-offs to the wheel/tire dealer
2. Sold to parts department for eventual resale
3. Sold to used car department (this was very common for our dealership) for use on same make/model used car

Unless the buyer includes desire for the OE wheels and tires in the negotiation and subsequent sales contract, they're not his and never were. This is a price for wanting to "be seen."

 

[mk378]

Yes the deal is for what the car is and what is attached to it when the deal is made. Any changes or extensions to that would have to be itemized in writing at the time of signing.

There certainly is a market for new stock wheels and they wouldn't just be thrown away.

 

[dogememe]

I mean the dealer didn't do anything wrong here - they charged for an upgrade to different wheels and tires and a lift kit. I suspect if the buyer wants the originals in addition to the aftermarket stuff, they would have to ask for them, either negotiated into the asking price or pay extra for them. But most likely by the time you're buying the vehicle those parts are long gone.

Whether it's wheels, tires, or suspension parts, t's very, very, VERY unlikely those things are scrapped! Most likely that stuff gets sold as used online, to employees or friends and family of employees, put on used vehicles, sold to shops for a discount, etc.

Are dealer installed customizations like bigger wheels or a lift kit dumb? Yes, in my opinion. But at the end of the day there is no difference in the end result between buying the truck and spending $10K at the shop down the street for that stuff and then selling the old stuff on Facebook marketplace for $1K (just random hypothetical numbers) to just buying it off the dealer lot with those "upgrades" already on the truck and the original parts gone.

In a way it might even be better. Sure, I understand if something goes wrong under warranty or the workmanship is poor and your wheel falls off 100 miles down the road after you bought the car, it's going to be a big mess either way, but you're more likely to be able to get it resolved and have accountability handled than if you bought it stock and took it to Random Two Man Tire and Wheel Shop on the dirty side of town.

 

[Hall]

I saw where a vehicle that had been preloaded with upgraded wheels and tires was denied warranty for the transmission due the tires on the vehicle being slightly larger than the spec on the door frame.

Isn't this a case where you go back to the original dealer that "preloaded" it and let them sort out the warranty (fraud) with the manufacturer ? Or tell us that this was a different dealer that blamed the non-stock tires as the cause.

 

[dogememe]

Isn't this a case where you go back to the original dealer that "preloaded" it and let them sort out the warranty (fraud) with the manufacturer ? Or tell us that this was a different dealer that blamed the non-stock tires as the cause.

Yeah I mean it would be a sucky situation to be in but as I mentioned in a previous post I think you have much more of a leg to stand on in terms of getting any potential warranty issue resolved when you bought the car brand new from that brands dealership in that condition vs buying it stock then taking it somewhere to have the work done with parts done so if you are going to have a modified vehicle it's probably the safest way to go.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Unless the oem wheels and tires were listed on the monroeny then they aren't part of the sale.

They were likely listed on the Monroney. By law the dealer must display and may not edit the Monroney sticker - because there are many things on it beyond the options - like rated MPG and US content.

What the buyer most likely did was sign a addendum saying there accepting aftermarket wheels in lieu of. Most likely in the mound of paperwork he signed but no one other than me ever reads. Even if you did not want the old wheel / tires you overpaid by double likely on the aftermarket rims. But some people don't care, or couldn't afford the rims without burring it in the financing.

On the list of dealer transgressions - which I agree are quite real - I would call this one caveat emptor.