Dealer Damaged my rim/tire... Service Manager refuses to take responsiblity

[xxjorelxx]

So im a little frustrated with the service departments at Criswell Honda in Germantown MD. I've used them 2 times before and was fairly happy with my service so I decided to use them again yesterday. I had my car serviced there for my A1 scheduled maintenance and I decided to use a coupon special they advertised on line called "the works" which included an oil & filter change, inspect and rotate tires, battery test, multi-point inspection, brakes and hardware inspection, belts and hoses inspection, and check & top off all fluids. When my car was finished, a lady greeted me in the waiting area and explained what services were completed and the condition of my car. She essentially told me that everything was good and that my car was in great shape. Pretty much saying that nothing needed my attention at the time. Well when I got my car I did a quick walk around inspection, something that I've gotten into the habit of doing anytime my car is being worked on, and I noticed that my rear left wheel had been curbed... on top of that, I also noticed that there was now a bubble on the sidewall of my tire adjacent to where the curb mark is. This was something definitely new because I check my wheels and tires a lot in the winter to make sure the pressure is adequate and I never noticed the damage before. In any case, I brought it up with their service manager and he immediately refused to take responsibility for the damages and told me that the tire would have to hit a curb or pothole at speeds of over 50mph in order to give it a bubble. Now i'm not claiming to be a master mechanic but I believe if I had hit a curb or pothole at those speeds i'm sure I would have noticed it. I also would have probably done worse damage to my cars tire, rim, suspension, and alignment. I also mentioned to him that the tire/rim damage was not noted on the printout on their inspection which made me believe that my wheels and tires were fine during the inspection but their technician probably curbed my rim when he was driving my car out of their service/wash bay and made a sharp left turn running over a curb right outside of the bay door. After that, he just refused to discuss the matter anymore. So in the end, he just refused to take responsibility of the damages to my wheel and tire and told me to just come back the next day to talk to his director. I have a bad feeling that they are going to give me a long drawn out run around and ultimately not do anything to fix my rim/tire. I ended up getting his directors email on their website and wrote him a long email explaining the issue and attached pictures of my wheel. I'm hoping to hear back from the service director sometime today but if anyone has any suggestion on how to approach or handle this problem, please feel free to chime in. Im pretty much open to anything at this point.

John

I've attached some pictures of my car:

 

[webby]

Totally sucks, but a curb can cause that. It's the first item listed as a "cause" on tire racks blog.

http://blog.tirerack.com/blog/docs-advice-on-tires/what-does-a-bubble-in-the-sidewall-mean


Are all of the rim scratches going up towards the lug nuts? It's hard to tell. Are some of the rim scratches going side to side following the lip of the wheel?

 

[Pauly99to17]

Omg ....look at all that rubber on that curb!
It looks like it's been hit repeatedly. Is it only employes who drive the cars in and out of that car wash? If yes, just show that picture and it is pretty darn good evidence. Rear left wheel makes sense too. He probably got on top of the curb and then the car fell down damaging the tire and scratching the wheel. That is why there are black marks in the scratches. The rubber got pinched at the same time.

If the dealership management doesn't budge, then the next step is to ask the dealership manager who he is accountable to at a Honda Head Office and get all the contact information. Contact this person and explain. Show them the photos. If this person is unsympathetic then you will need to ask him/her the same question (who is higher in command) and continue to climb the Honda leadership ladder. Make sure you show certainty that those marks were not there before this servicing. If you leave any doubt and say something like "well, I don't think that was there" they will jump all over that and say they are not responsible because you possibly did it.

 

[andre12dbsi]

I agree that it certainly looks like the curb was the cause. I'd push it. That tire doesn't look safe. You would think their "technician" would have noticed it during whatever inspection they did if it was there when you brought it in.

 

[xxjorelxx]

Thanks for the replies guys.

The scratches on the rim are minimal but they look more like they go side to side following the lip of the wheel. There was more rubber on the lip when I showed it to them but some of the techs were rubbing at the rim trying to see how deep the scratches were and rubbed some of the rubber off. Also, their technicians are the only ones I saw driving vehicles in and out of the service and wash bay.

I'm very sure those scratches weren't there before because I check my wheels and tire pressure frequently in the winter and would have totally seen it. I also just washed my car on Saturday and I know I cleaned my wheels really well and would have definitely caught it then. Its just frustrating that the service manager would act so defensive right from the get go.

 

[webby]

I wouldn't even mention that you think they were fine when going in. Push the agenda that the rims were not commented on the initial inspection, and the tech didn't even say there was a problem with your tire -

inspect and rotate tires

That curb shows clear evidence that someone has at least repeatedly hit it. Any cameras at the dealership lot?

 

[andre12dbsi]

The lack of any comments on your tires during the inspection should definitely help your cause as Webby said.

 

[xxjorelxx]

Yeah, Good points about the initial inspection and the cameras. I didnt even look to see if they had any cameras outside their service and wash bays. I'll have to check tomorrow. I just tried calling their service director and found out he leaves at 5pm EST... Makes me wonder if he saw my email at all today. He didnt even try to reach out to me about it. I'm going to try again tomorrow and see if get a hold of him. If I still get no response from him, I may just drive straight there and try to catch him in person.

 

[Nomar06]

Def keep pushing the issue and go along the line on Webbys comments.

I had a similar issue where my car was scratched during an oil change. After dealing with a couple managers they fixed the scratch as "good faith".

 

[xxjorelxx]

*quick update* I just got off the phone with their service director and he basically told me since the tire damage was not "caught" during their inspection, he will just go ahead and buy me a new one but also said they are not going to take responsibility of my rim because it was not part of the inspection. Pretty much sounded like he was still denying that his technician damaged the wheel and tire and insinuated that the it was already damaged when I brought my car in but they just failed to catch it, which is why he decided to simply give me a tire instead of sell me one. I'm not happy with the way he worded it but at least they are replacing my tire.

 

[webby]

I wouldn't accept it. They didn't mark the wheel or tire damage down. I wouldn't accept just a replacement tire. Call corporate 1-800-999-1009.

I've had dealerships mark down every freaking scratch and stone chip before they took the car in for service. It's specifically there to show they can't be held responsible for damages during service. They didn't even mark down the tire bulge and curbed rim... yet they specifically did the tire rotation? BS. I wouldn't accept just a tire.

 

[webby]

for reference, that rim is $244.89 msrp. CHH sells it for $191.02.
http://www.collegehillshondaparts.c...atic-engine/chassis-cat/wheel-disk-ka-kl-scat

get a few more posts and you'll qualify for forum rewards
http://9thcivic.com/forum/threads/forum-rewards-pricing.2392/

not that I suggest buying, but if you've given up.....it's there.

 

[xxjorelxx]

Thanks for the advice Webby. I havent given up yet but I'm feeling a little better about them at least offering to cover the tire replacement. I'll be going to the dealership hopefully tomorrow and i'm looking forward to getting a chance to talk to the service director in person and try to come to a more acceptable resolution.

 

[sircoffee]

From the pictures, I would agree with you that it was the Tech's fault.

There are marks on the curb, evidence of something did happen. There is also curb rash and a bulging tire on your car. It may not be possible that the marks on the curb are your tires and rims, but at least you can make a case that this has happened before and this could have been your tire marks on the curbs.

When they "inspected" the tires, they didn't mark down the bulge. So that bulge happened after the service (like coming out of the car wash). Evidence that the tire was fine coming in. And damages happened AFTER the service.

I think A1 service runs like >$100? (not sure) but if you paid with a credit card, call the CC company and file a dispute. Make them fight for their money.

So call American Honda and file a claim there.

Not all Dealerships are BBB accredited, but see if it is and file a claim.

 

[Pauly99to17]

Do not accept that new tire offer! You need a new rim too. Keep up the good fight man.

 

[xxjorelxx]

So I'm back at dealership after having agreed to have them replace my tire and inspect my rim for any damage. Told them that if there was any damage found , then I would pursue having my rim repaired/replaced. Well, I had my tire replaced yesterday and had them inspect the rim and turned out the curb rash they left on my rim was minimal but then I found even more scratches around the outer edge of the rim after they returned my car to me. My wife actually found the scratches when I brought the car home. Looks like who ever replaced my tire used a rag that had a rock stuck in it when he/she wiped down the wheel. I called them right away after finding the scratches and told them I would be coming back the next day (today). Now I'm having them look at the scratches to see if it can be fixed. Im not even sure how they would fix the scratches other than refinishing the entire rim. Here's pictures of the scratches:

 

[webby]

My guess is the tire mounting/balancing machine did that damage. The fact that it looks to be in the same spot all the way around. Sucks man, but that should really get you a replacement.

 

[andre12dbsi]

Wow. It just gets better. I would probably call Honda customer service at this point. That and suggest their retailers take a course....or spend some times in this forum to learn how to properly detail a car.

 

[andre12dbsi]

Webby is probably right. It does look like the machine could have done that. I'm thinking you'll be good for a new rim.

 

[Michal006]

Wow. It just gets better. I would probably call Honda customer service at this point. That and suggest their retailers take a course....or spend some times in this forum to learn how to properly detail a car.

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