Sam’s messed up my OE wheels

S

Splat54

Joined
Jan 8, 2024
Messages
15
Last Monday, I took my 20 year old Ram 3500 into Sam’s to have the tires rotated. The truck is in pristine condition, with less than 130k miles on it. I’ve taken it to this particular Sam’s location the last three times I had the tires rotated. I do most of my own maintenance, but I no longer rotate my tires because of the weight of them.

On Saturday, after greasing the front end, I noticed dimples on my OE wheels. It looks like the tire tech used something to pry the lug nut cover off that put 15 to 20 little dents in the driver side chrome wheel. The front passenger side has a few as well. I was pretty upset, so I didn’t even look at the rears.

After getting cleaned up, I went to Sam’s to show them the damage. I was polite but firm with them. They said they would review the video and, in the meantime, I should get three quotes for new wheels. Now I’m debating whether it’s even worth my time to get the quotes. Practically everything on my truck is OE. The rims were a beautiful chrome. What should I do?
 
I don't believe an unrestored vehicle can be in "pristine" condition after 20 years.But that's just me.....it does have over 100,000 miles on it.
 
jeepman3071 said:
Regardless of the condition of the vehicle, they damaged it. I'd be looking at quotes to have the wheels refinished.
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That is why I'd like to see pictures. Any time you are replacing tires, rotating, etc, you are going to get marks, scuffs, it's wear and tear. Things are only new once. If it was something negligent it's a different story.
 
jeepman3071 said:
Regardless of the condition of the vehicle, they damaged it. I'd be looking at quotes to have the wheels refinished.
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There could be any number of reasons 20 year old wheels have cosmetic imperfections in them. The video will show if they really damaged them.
 
Splat54 said:
Last Monday, I took my 20 year old Ram 3500 into Sam’s to have the tires rotated. The truck is in pristine condition, with less than 130k miles on it. I’ve taken it to this particular Sam’s location the last three times I had the tires rotated. I do most of my own maintenance, but I no longer rotate my tires because of the weight of them.

On Saturday, after greasing the front end, I noticed dimples on my OE wheels. It looks like the tire tech used something to pry the lug nut cover off that put 15 to 20 little dents in the driver side chrome wheel. The front passenger side has a few as well. I was pretty upset, so I didn’t even look at the rears.

After getting cleaned up, I went to Sam’s to show them the damage. I was polite but firm with them. They said they would review the video and, in the meantime, I should get three quotes for new wheels. Now I’m debating whether it’s even worth my time to get the quotes. Practically everything on my truck is OE. The rims were a beautiful chrome. What should I do?
Click to expand...
Definitely see if Sam's will make it right
I had an '84 honda accord in high school. The fuel filler neck rotted out and was fixed free of charge. The Honda dealership broke my radio antenna. They finally admitted to breaking it. They gave me a new one but wouldn't install it.
 
In fairness, it took you nearly a week to see the damage and it wasn't until you were paying close attention. That doesn't mean that it's acceptable. I suspect Sam's will write you a check to have them repaired/replaced. On a 20 year old truck, I'd just cash the check and leave it be.
 
Johnny248 said:
That is why I'd like to see pictures. Any time you are replacing tires, rotating, etc, you are going to get marks, scuffs, it's wear and tear. Things are only new once. If it was something negligent it's a different story.
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You expect some amount of damage to the wheels when you get work done? I expect no damage whether the vehicle is new or 20 years old. A new Discount tech scratched every wheel on my truck because she didn't understand how to use the weight removal tool. They made it right. After that deal I took a tire that needed a patch off of the RAV4 and took it to a indie shop and the tech there scratched and nicked up the wheel. They denied it until I showed them pics I took before I gave it to them. They replaced the wheel. It's not asking too much for people to not damage your property. They get away with it because some (most?) people don't care enough to look. I had 5 tires mounted on new wheels for the Jeep last summer at a different indie tire shop, zero damage.
 
AZjeff said:
You expect some amount of damage to the wheels when you get work done? I expect no damage whether the vehicle is new or 20 years old. A new Discount tech scratched every wheel on my truck because she didn't understand how to use the weight removal tool. They made it right. After that deal I took a tire that needed a patch off of the RAV4 and took it to a indie shop and the tech there scratched and nicked up the wheel. They denied it until I showed them pics I took before I gave it to them. They replaced the wheel. It's not asking too much for people to not damage your property. They get away with it because some (most?) people don't care enough to look. I had 5 tires mounted on new wheels for the Jeep last summer at a different indie tire shop, zero damage.
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Not what I am saying. I'm saying that if there is a small scratch or nick on a wheel from doing service, it is what it is. If they ruin a wheel, that's a different story. The nature of mounting and dismounting tires means that sometimes something minor may happen. No different that driving through a carwash. This is why I wanted to see some pictures.
 
Johnny248 said:
A tire tech could have the best training in the world. It's humans using equipment to stretch tires on and off of wheels. I can promise you that no person who has ever had a job doing tires has been 100% perfect all of the time. See it every day.
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I can promise you 20 year old wheels are not "pristine". If Sam's club damaged them (beyond the wear and tear they already had) that is one thing-but calling a vehicle pristine after twenty years and over 100,000 miles is a stretch.
 
AZjeff said:
You expect some amount of damage to the wheels when you get work done? I expect no damage whether the vehicle is new or 20 years old. A new Discount tech scratched every wheel on my truck because she didn't understand how to use the weight removal tool. They made it right. After that deal I took a tire that needed a patch off of the RAV4 and took it to a indie shop and the tech there scratched and nicked up the wheel. They denied it until I showed them pics I took before I gave it to them. They replaced the wheel. It's not asking too much for people to not damage your property. They get away with it because some (most?) people don't care enough to look. I had 5 tires mounted on new wheels for the Jeep last summer at a different indie tire shop, zero damage.
Click to expand...

I think Johnny meant there are going to be some minor cosmetic imperfections almost anytime a wheel is remounted. This is especially true with polished and/or low-profile rims. You may need to get down low and look close, but you'll be able to see evidence the tire was previously removed. Within reason, some of these very minor cosmetic "blemishes" may be considered normal. I agree with everyone else that without pictures it's all unknown.
 
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