flyer0029

2015 GS350 FSport AWD
Michelin Primacy MXM4
235/40R19/XL 96V
MSPN 74327

Greetings,
First I would like to say hi, my name is Rich, I am new as of today, and really happy to have found this forum!

I have a 2015 GS350 FSport AWD. Recently I noticed a decrease in air pressure according to the on dash tire readings. I had a packed day but received a couple of messages from my SAdvisor. The first message was my SAdv stating that the tire on the Left rear had a nail and it would be patched. So, I didn't bother to call him back until he called about an hour or so later, and I was in a meeting, he left no message. Once out of the meeting I called him back again getting voicemail and said, If nothing has changed since the last call, I would see him in approx 2 hours if something had changed to please call. He did not call.

Upon arrival to the SVC Dept, I was asked for $68, assuming it was the patch. Nope, the tire had been replaced under warranty and according to the invoice, "Customer states replace tire." I asked where the damaged tire was, and of course, it was already disposed of, off-site. I immediately felt my blood pressure rise. My Advisor was at lunch, and I had to be at another appt in 35 minutes, and I was flying out of town in the morning for a week.

I am back in town, and the following is a string of what has happened. I am reaching out to the members here because I am receiving conflicting info between Michelin and my dealership service.

-I am under the impression that all four tires should be replaced d/t the car being AWD, decreased performance, and possible differential damage if the tires are not operating in sync.
Back left- New Tire 10/32
Back right- 6/32
Front RT- 5/32
Front LT- 5/31 and tire is not wearing evenly

-The performance has, in my opinion, changed dramatically for the bad.
-Stopping distance has increased remarkably
-Michelin opened a case when I called and stated that tires should all be replaced.
-The dealership is saying that "maybe" a four wheel alignment should be done at a cost to me of $145 after stating earlier in the call that they do an alignment as a warranty item if they change only one tire.
-Tires currently minus the new, are one year old with 9000 miles, and all four were replaced under warranty from Michelin at the cost of 15% to me d/t the uneven wear with four diff alignments. The dealer never recommended I call Michelin for assistance after almost all four tires were bald and worn at 7800 miles. I contacted them on my own, Michelin made contact with the dealer stating they were to retain worn tires. Svc Dept threw them out anyway, causing the warranty terms to change drastically. It took me having to lash out at Michelin to come back to my side and not penalize me as a result of my service departments stupidity.

Any input would be greatly appreciated as I want to know what stance I should be taking here. I am still livid about being referred to on the invoice as giving the order to do this work and dispose of the tire.

Also, my Advisor knows how neurotic I am about my car and how he thinks that this crap would fly by not talking to me about options and replacing one tire is just baffling to me.

I am extremely unhappy with my servicing dealers Svc Dept for many reasons. One is an incident last summer when I was picking my car up, and no one noticed that it had been in an accident on the dealers watch. $1500 worth of damage. I never received any level of concern or more importantly an apology.

I have another issue that I will post about separately to keep everything straight.

peasodos

iTrader: (1)

If they changed the one rear tire, they really should have changed both. The uneven wear and tread thicknesses will probably mess with the ride quality.

After I bought my GS used I just got better quality tires(Perelli P7 Cinturano Plus) and did a 4 wheel alignment. Rides better than the crappy Bridgestone's that it came with. All 4 toes were out of spec and the alignment fixed that. I bet your toes are out of wack in the front and the reason for the uneven wear. I always get an alignment with new tires, best time to do it.

bb700092

If you did not instruct your dealership to replace tire(s), how can they do it? They should have a document with your signature confirming the work to be done on your car. After all, it is your car and they cannot do anything to it without your prior written permission.

MustangSal

A couple things in play. One, and the most important, the service station playing games around your consent. If you didn't give it, they should not have done any work. None. You should be able to place grievance to the management (to the owner of the dealership) based on that alone. I'd be seeking some kind of compensation just for them to save face in a such a deplorable act. They should be bending backward to make your car right. That's it.

The rest of your post, whether a tenth of an inch truly makes a difference or if its just your brain messing with you is somewhat irrelevant behind the faux-pas of lying about a customer's approval to conduct work on their property.

That said. I don't believe that tires in that close of age and wear would make that big of difference but us neurotic types will get hyper-sensitive about it and it'll be the thing we keep thinking about until its perfect. Which is your prerogative. I'm pretty sure the car can compensate for a much more dynamic difference between tires and not sustain any damage internally. If it couldn't, than there is much more wrong with a GS than we believe.

Just my .02. I'd be all over that SA, his manager, the dealership owner...with a bullhorn...

Sal

AJLex19

I actually recently had a nail in my tire (it was a 1 and half in nail directly in the tread). I had a slow leak and had it patched at my trusted local shop. They charged me $20 bucks to fix the tire with a standard patch job. My tires have about 8k miles on them (purchased from tirerack) and since the patch, no problems. They confirmed it was a nail, told me it would be patched, paid the expected amount and I was outta there.

For these types of smaller issues, i've always found it better to go to a local shop that can help quickly and who is responsive. Sometimes I feel like the dealership is a good place to go for TSB or known warranty-related work. Granted, your tires are covered under warranty...the lexus dealership you're dealing with seems to be a "middleman" that has given you a headache. Lack of communication and concern for customer service seems to be at play here.

That would be the last time I ever went to a local shop, dealership, etc. if they pretended that I said to do work that I never confirmed or requested. As much as you want your car serviced by Lexus, you can try another Lexus dealership or go to a local place which may be just as qualified to do the work. When my dealership failed to give me CPO paperwork i requested and wouldn't respond to multiple calls about other service related issues, I wrote an email to their mgt. team informing them that unfortunately the previous visit was the last time I'd be using their dealership for any purpose (purchase, service, etc.). They responded by apologizing but offered nothing but a mediocre excuse for everything.

If you think they aren't living up to the right service standard, walk away from that dealership after you give them a respectful earful and have your ride serviced by someone else who cares about its customers and service reputation.