thegov3

Costco could not eliminate a slight vibration during my first rotation of the Pilot HX MXM4 I bought from them in December 2013. They tried twice to balance them on a traditional balancer. No luck. So I just paid to have them road force balanced at a nearby local wheel and tire store that specializes in high end custom wheels. They used a Hunter GSP9700 and were very thorough. The high end wheel store said it appears that the front passenger tire's belt had slipped and that was the cause of the vibration I felt and not a balance issue. The flaw was obvious to the naked eye they said. so....

I went back to Costco to have it replaced figuring it was covered under the manufacturer warranty or Costco's road hazard warranty. Well....they are going to replace it, but only after some arguing. The Costco tire manager told me that Michelin clearly discourages road force balancing on their tires due to the fact it can cause belt separation during the balancing. I said "bull". I asked where they learned this Michelin "fact", since my Lexus dealer did for me all the time when I rotated my OEM set. They said it is published on Michelins web site. But I can't find it. Costco's Asst manager finally came in and said we will eat this one, but your tires are no longer under warranty. I left a message for Michelin to see what they say. Any one had this issue with Costco.

CJITTY

That is so much boolschit...a tire going down the road at 80mph is a helluva lot more stress on a tire than a road force pressure roller..foh costco..lames

chpten8

I would definitely get a refund for the warranty then, even if they did replace the tire, then call the corporate offices and argue with them and have them reissue the warranty at no charge. Definitely keeping an eye on this thread

Nospinzone

I'm a Costco member and I like their stores, but that is one of the last places I would ever buy my tires. Why didn't you go to the place that had the right equipment in the first place?

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

To me,it's like going to Jiffy Lube for an oil change.
Too many horror stories.

tyrenfroe

You don't go to Jiffy Lube, you go to YOUR Jiffy Lube. You introduce yourself to the person in charge, explain you have special and exacting requirements, and bring along your own oil, filter, drain plug gasket, and even the correct filter housing special tool. You then critique their oil change procedure telling them EXACTLY what you want (not a drop spilled in engine compartment) and what you don't (no fluid checks or dirty hands/feet in your car). Once you've got them properly trained, you call in ahead of time to make sure Jerry or Fred are available to do your oil change.

The key is to develop a professional relationship with individual service people who are willing and able to meet your specific needs. All you have to do is ask and you'll never have a "horror story" of your own.

roadfrog

And as the franchise owner, I politely turn you away fearing that your business will be more drama than I 'm prepared to deal with, for the paltry 15 bucks I'll get out of you.

Like others have said, this is why I do my own oil changes.

thegov3

I have bought tires at Costco before and never had an issue. It will be my last tire purchase there. I will only buy at tire store with a road force balancer.

tyrenfroe

What franchise do you own?

thegov3

I sent a note to Hunter Engineering, Michelin and Costco about the issue. So far only Hunter Engineering has gotten back to me. The Product Manager in their Wheel Balancers group said he had no clue what the customer service rep at Costco would be referring to. He said Hunter has a good relationship with Michelin and never seen anything from them that speaks poorly of Road Force. He also said that the Road Force measuring process mimics the process Michelin and other tire manufacturers use to measure tires in their factories and therefore does not harm the tire in any way.

The story continues....

roadfrog

The same hypothetical franchise you brought your car too...

tyrenfroe

The point I'm trying to make - unsuccessfully, it seems - is that acceptable routine servicing (cost and quality) of these fine cars requires either a DIY approach (like frog's) or a "concierge" or personalized treatment (like mine). It used to be decent levels of service were generally provided everywhere. That is no longer the case. As people are paid less and are less personally accountable, reasonably-priced service levels have fallen to unacceptable levels. Since I refuse to be raped by the dealer and I'm not interested in doing it myself, the French approach is called for. This entails developing personal relationships with vendors of all kinds - the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker.

I get my oil changed ONLY at either my local Walmart or at a close-by Express Oil Change. I KNOW the people doing the servicing on my LS and they KNOW me. They are happy to see me, LOVE working on the Lexus, and NEVER miss a trick anymore. I'm in and out in no time with NO hassles and at a reasonable cost. Most importantly, I KNOW the job has been done correctly. All it took was a few minutes time contributed my me and the supervisors to seal the deal. It works for me and it works for them.

thegov3

Well, we now know that Costco was wrong. Here is Michelin's reply to me:

Thank you for your email. We welcome the opportunity to serve you.

In regards to the email you sent stating:
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Does the use of a Road Force type balancer, like the Hunter GSP9700 Wheel vibration Control System, damage Michelin tires? I have a set of Pilot HX MXM4 tires and the dealer I bought them from is telling me having it done voids warranties of Michelin tires and causes belt separation issues. Is this true?
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No, the Hunter GSP9700 Road Force Balancer should not damage or harm your tires. Also, using this type of balancer will not void the warranty.

We value your business and thank you for choosing Michelin.

It is our goal to ensure that your issue has been resolved or your question answered to your satisfaction. If we can assist you further, please respond to this email or call us at 1-866-866-6605 (toll free) between 8:00AM and 8:00PM Eastern Time Monday through Friday or between 8:30AM and 4:30PM Eastern Time on Saturday.

Sincerely,

Consumer Care Department
Certified Michelin Product Expert

Should I share it with Costco and expose them for their bold face lie? I am mad.

shrikelex

Hmm sorry to hear, but I've never had an issue at Coco's, they've always refunded anything I brought back. As for tires, if I'm not happy with it, I bring it back, same goes for anything they sell. It's all about who you talk to nowadays, and it comes down to you either know or you don't know. Coco's also has pizza and hot dogs, what an awesome place, only thing better is walmart's nachos

tyrenfroe

You have the Truth on your side. Now you need to apply a little psychology. Give the Costco dweeb a way out of his predicament - YOUR WAY OUT.

Figure out exactly what you want him to do to make things right. Then, calmly and coolly, explain to him that you checked with Michelin and discovered that there must either have been some miscommunication of previous Michelin policy regarding road force balancing or maybe it wasn't even Michelins he was thinking of but some cheaper brand that actually can't be RFB'd (I don't think there are any). But that unfortunate misunderstanding belongs in the past, and here's the current policy according to Michelin. "Now about those tires, what I'd like you to do is ..."