I got a flat on Friday from a nail and brought it in to the dealership on Saturday. The tire was still at 26 psi when I got home to take the tire off. I took off the tire and put in the back of the car face up. I didn’t notice any dent and I think I would since these rims are expensive and have no other marks on any other rim. Took it in on Saturday got it patched. Somehow got another puncture from their garage and got that patched immediately (they also set my tires to 50psi when I left initially and lost my valve cap). I saw this today and doesn’t make sense because that’s not a curb rash. Im wondering if it could be a tire mounting tool mark. Dealership says that they took pictures and noted it but didn’t tell me because they thought I knew about it. Didn’t see that evidence but that’s what they told me. What does that dent seem consistent with?

 

^^ It is hard to say if they are lying or not but I always check my vehicle with the service adviser when I get there and before I move my car after servicing is done. Some shops are notorious for not accepting liability but in this case, I mean it is impossible for any of us to ascertain what truly happened and who is at fault - It still sucks though.

 

Looks like bird poop. Impossible to tell for sure. Wheel rash can take any form, all it takes is an unlucky rock to create a dent...the wheel doesnt necessarily have to be dragged along the curb.

That said, the simplest answer is usually the correct one. I bet it was the dealership. If you can find out how they mount/unmount wheels, such as using a bar of some sort, then that for sure is the answer.

 

That's just very weird. It almost looks like it can be wiped right off. Have you tried that? If it is a burn, that's even stranger. I'm pretty sure mounting a wheel would not cause this type of damage.

 

30+ years in the car business, mounted hundreds of tires before moving onto parts- a mark like that would be hard to do, and hard not to notice, for any decent tire tech. If it was more on the edge - I could see it happening from a tire iron, or the swing arm. if he was really sloppy with the swing arm, I guess this could happen... just my opinion.

 

Agreed on all points. If the dealership is any good at the check-in stage; clear imperfections like road rash would be noted on a form and given to the service rep before you’ve signed the work order. That’s how those onsite ‘service bay trolls’ make their money with dent-less and curb rash repair offers.

Not sure what you can do at this point; but going forward, take pictures prior, instruct the service rep to let the guys know to take it easy on the wheels (yes you have to actually say the words), and inspect the car before you leave.

 

I do this every time my wheels come off. I take pics right in the parking lot and tell them I am meticulous with my vehicle so please take care of it. Then I put cleaner in my trunk so I can clean the wheels afterward and look for scratches. I also do that right in the parking lot upon pickup.

Sometimes (or a lot of times) you have to be the high maintenance ***** so people will treat your $70,000 property with some decency. It's a damn shame, but the world we live in now.

 

This. 😂

After 15 years my service rep thoroughly knows my ways. I sometimes joke: “Well y’all took my money, so you get all of this.” 😈

 

LOL same here! He knows nobody drives it, don't wash it, and if there's an existing mark I will point it out to him, but I'll also find any new ones too I don't worry about services as much now because the service writer does a good job making sure things go smoothly. Sometimes I want a beater that I don't worry about, but that day hasn't come yet lol still like my cool cars.

 

Recently, I was at the dealership for a wheel alignment (hit a pothole, bent the RF rim). The 2nd person I met in the receiving line was a tire/wheel inspector. He made detailed notes of everything about the t&w, noting things like tread depth, pressure, mileage, etc.

 

that almost looks the atherk from from prying off an old tire weight? Obviously if they did do it, they don't want to confess, but what confirms their guilt, is pumping the tires up to 50psi. Like maybe they have a part time idiot working on Saturdday, or something and they don't realize they have a problem. They might not be bold face lying to you but they are probably at fault and just don't know it. Surprised they didn't automatically address the problem and ensure your avhappy customery

 

Thank you all for your responses. I talked with the rep to send over some pre inspection pictures they said they took and he sent me this. It looks like the rep and the tech mid job after he already demounted the tire so it really isn't a pre-inspection picture. Extremely suspicious. I also looked very closely at that rim again and the other one they had to patch since I picked up another puncture from their garage and I found a couple of additional scratches. They are very small, but really shows that they were pretty sloppy especially since two tires and rims they have never touched are in perfect shape. Thanks again

"pre-inspection" picture

Front rim that had to be patched after puncture from their garage


Another Chip on rim that needed original patching.