RoadDawg

Finally had our new Michelin Defender LTX M/S 265/60R18 tires installed at out local Costco in Tigard, OR. Not a whisper at the counter about these being T rather than H speed rated. In a slightly strange twist, the tires were installed on a day when we had a lot of rain and I didn't do a close inspection upon leaving Costco. I also had occasion to briefly travel on a gravel/cinder roadway. The grit from the roadway coated the tire installation grease in such a way that, when I looked at it the next day in a parking lot, it looked and felt like the installer had caused massive scratches to the wheel rim.

I didn't want to mess with it, believing the marks represented evidence. I was ready to head over to Costco for what I thought was going to be a potentially tricky meeting. Meanwhile, my wife tried rubbing one of the "scratches." She managed to get rid of it with a Kleenex. So we tried another and another, soon realizing that the installer had made a mess with the tire grease and I had exacerbated it by getting road grit on it. Five minutes of gentle work at a DIY pressure wash type car wash solved the problem.

I do love the graphite rims on this truck. I am just paranoid enough to have considered photographing the rims prior to driving the car into Costco, but it was raining and they have a pretty good reputation. Since there was no damage, it wouldn't have mattered. But that kind of effort prior to a repair or installation like this will take a lot of stress out of making your case if a problem arises. With my phone, a photo taken goes directly to the cloud so it comes with a built in date stamp.

SigEpGX460

Good point on the pre drop off pictures. For an extra layer of knowledge you can also add a dash cam for dealership visits. I always get a little chuckle reviewing the footage and watching how they treat the truck during the test drive. Also helps you call BS on the techs when you can see your car was finished and parked in the lot at noon but they don't call you until 3:30pm to tell you your car is ready for pickup or they claim to have taken it up to highway speeds to replicate an issue when you can see they just drove around the block at 25mph. Granted my Lexus dealer has been fantastic and I have not had any issues with them; but it helped me out a few times at the Benz dealer.

RoadDawg

@@SigEpGX460 One of my proudest negotiating wins ever was at a Mercedes dealership in the 80's. I was called and picked up my 300D at around noon. The "hours" were itemized on the invoice and they were something like 9.6 hours of work. When I asked about it, I was told they charged by a "book rate" and they had "beaten the book." I congratulated them and asked the service desk person to note the time of pickup on the invoice. He asked why and I told him I was willing to pay him for the work done and the hours put in but not for any more. I got the "standard practice" excuse and, fairly quickly, the comment that they could not release the car until the bill was paid.

I told him I would pay to get my car back if I had to, and would offer to split the difference between the "book" hours and actual hours. I told him that if I paid the book price they would see me in small claims court for the full difference. After about 30 minutes of watching him flit about talking to various folks they agreed to let it go for the actual hours. I did not expect my little initiative to work at all, but was prepared to go to small claims court, a venue that is quite friendly to consumers from what I have seen.

Within a couple of weeks of that encounter, I put the 300D up for sale and have never, ever even considered a Mercedes again and am proud to have put off several friends from the brand over the years. They suck. Of course they are likely no worse than the rest, but not one tiny bit better, either. I have leased and owned Bimmers over they years, but would never consider owning one out of warranty. Well, actually, Lexus is likely to be our exclusive brand going forward anyway.

bigbill397

I'm in the same boat as some of you on this thread. At my last service maintenance, Lexus informed me I will need tires soon (possibly in 5k miles or so). Of course this was before my road trips to Chicago and northern Iowa! I'm trying to wait it out for the next Michelin sale at Costco. Will the speed rating of a T for the Defender LTX MS cause any issues with the GX? Why would Lexus rate tires for a speed rating of H? Also, will the 265/65/R18 tires be alright? I believe my girlfriend's GX470 actually has the 265/65/R17 110T on them (Lattitude Tour). Like some have said as well, I'd like to fill up the wheel well a bit, but then I ask myself, will doing this cause any issues for extreme suspension movement (like I'm actually going to do that anyway!) How is the smoothness of the larger tire when driving? Is there really any noticeable difference?

I was actually looking at the Defender LTX AT2 tires as well but can't seem to find them!

Thanks.

Bill

bbqsoup

You can try ebay.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-NEW-265-6...item2ca468c6cb

Kiza

I got Michelin Defender 265/65/18's installed a few months ago and they have been a dream on my GX. Everything aspect of driving seems improved and they look much better than stock. Fair warning though, Costco (at least mine) won't install 265/65 on the GX as it exceeds their 3% upsize rule. During the last sale, whoever I spoke to on the phone to confirm told me it would be fine. TIres arrive, I go in for install and they tell me they can't install them. Annoyed, I call Discount Tires who tell me "if it fits on the rim, we'll install it" and sure enough, they have them in stock and install them without question. They did a great job too. Zero vibration at 75+ MPH which is what I was worried about after reading some comments about upsized tires here on the forum.