Just need to rant a little I guess...
Had Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season Plus ties installed on our 2012 Acura MDX at Discount Tire yesterday. I had researched tires and was down to these and the Continental CrossContact LX20. My plan was to wait until Memorial day and take advantage of Discount Tire's usual holiday rebate as well as an anticipated one from Continental or Pirelli (it appeared both had rebates around Memorial Day in 2016) but my wife got a flat that couldn't be repaired yesterday morning. Oh well, that's life I guess.
Anyway, my wife actually took it in as she had the day off. I contacted the store before her arrival and they matched the DTD price. I inspected the tires when I got home last night all four wheels had weight added - 2 had 2 ounces, 1 had 3/4 ounce and the other 1 ounce. I guess that's not a big deal, but I need to take the car back because they scratched up the rims pretty decently removing the old stick-on weights I presume. It looks like they used a wire brush or something. They were the only ones to touch the inside of the rims, the car only has 30k miles and we were replacing the OEM Bridgestone tires.
I trust that they'll make it right, I emailed the "store manager" and their customer relations department but have yet to hear anything.
Thanks for letting me vent, it's cathartic.
Discount Tire Disappointment
- Thread starter desmonsm
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Did they scratch the outside of the rims? You know the part that everyone sees. The raccoons won't mind seeing some scratches on them.
If the old adhesive weights were on the INSIDE, it's not worth getting an ulcer. Hope the tires serve you well.
You trust they will make it right? Good Luck keep us posted.
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Me,when it comes to wheels,they'll get nicked,stretched,etc eventually. I feel there's no way to avoid it. Keeping wheels perfect,just by their very nature,seems impossible unless you just simply don't drive the vehicle.
Given the time allotted to do tires at discount it's not surprising that they took the weights off as quickly as possible i.e. scraped them off. If it's on the inside of the rim and not really visible, I wouldn't have a thrombosis over it. I've tried to remove the residue left by stick on weights and was not successful.
I was looking at new base model Honda Fits the other day ( I want a manual) and was delighted to see steel wheels with fairly attractive wheel covers. When it's tire time take the covers off before going there let them have at it - they're steel wheels! When you get back home put your wheel covers back on and you're good to go. I say this because there are techs that can goof up a wheel covers too.
If it's on the inside of the rim you're likely not going to get much out of them beyond an apology.
Besides, like others said, it's the inside of the rim. Wouldn't worry about it. There's not much they can do to fix those scratches anyways without sending them to a wheel place and they will never do that.
I'd find some zen and let this one go.
And a 2012 with only 30k miles? I've got a 2010 pushing 140k.
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Thanks for the replies, I'm feeling better reading your advice. Who is going to notice the scratches inside the rim? Nobody but me.
I was also worried about the amount of weight needed to balance the tires but have been told that even 2 ounces for a time/wheel combination this size isn't really a big deal. It was interesting to me that I didn't see any match marks on the tires.
It's too soon to offer my opinion on the tires themselves and it's my wife's vehicle. I researched them enough and feel comfortable in my selection at this time.
I'd like to have my alignment checked, does Firestone still offer a free check? A quick Google search didn't yield a definitive answer. The past few times I've purchased new tires I've automatically paid for an alignment, but I'd rather find out if it's even necessary.
Thanks again for your input and opinions.
Any scratches or whatever you are seeing now on the inside of the wheels will soon be covered in brake dust and grime. If you had pictures of any damage I could be more empathetic, but what you're describing doesn't sound like anything to be ranting and calling the manager about. But I'm sure they'll make it right.
It always takes more tape weight to balance a wheel because they are further inboard. It might take 2 ounces to correct for what a 1 ounce clip on weight could do. And, yes some tape weights are hard to remove. If a plastic scraper won't work I have to use a putty knife, and a hammer, but even that doesn't leave much of a mark when done carefully.
Agreed, inside will be dirty and covered. No one will notice.
Interesting read re weights http://blog.tirerack.com/blog/make-driving-fun/how-many-wheel-weights-are-too-many-
Inside I can live with, outside they'd have problems.
Originally Posted By: desmonsm
Who is going to notice the scratches inside the rim? Nobody but me.
I have no idea if the inside of my rims are scratched or not. I suppose I could lie on the ground and use a flash light to have a look? No I don't think I will.
Originally Posted By: NormanBuntz
If the old adhesive weights were on the INSIDE, it's not worth getting an ulcer. Hope the tires serve you well.
I'd like to see pics. No affiliation with DT but have used them many times across different cities and stores with very little negative to note.
Honestly never paid/pay much attention to inside of the wheel where the adhesive sticky weights go on, are scraped off. On my OE alloy wheels, not very shiny in there or visible anyway.
Not worth losing sleep over, imo.
It would have been nice if they used a plastic scraper, or other implement that didn't scratch the finish. Still, it shouldn't present a problem.
I think between one and two ounces of weight for tires of this size (larger and heavier tires will generally require more weight) are reasonable. You used to look for less than an ounce of weight, but that was with small 195/75R14s or similar. That amount of variance typically doesn't/can't happen with larger tires. Your tires probably weigh 50% more than smaller tires of yore, and will, all else being equal, take 50% more weight to balance correctly.
Good luck on many happy miles!
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