Rims marred after balance

Wildlifer

Wildlifer

Old Mossy Horns
I got my tires re balanced at the dealer after having the truck a few week. This was maybe 2 weeks ago now. I just noticed that the center of 2 of the rims have some pretty significant gouges in them and it's pretty obvious it's from the balancing machine. Is there any recourse I can have with the dealer? I didn't notice it right after it happened but the marks are obviously from the machine.
 
nccatfisher

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
You have a wagon or a truck? If so you must be talking about the wheels. ;)

That little gig aside it has a bumper to bumper warranty for a certain period. If they did the balancing I would tell them to fix it.
 
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Ridgeline66

Ridgeline66

Ten Pointer
Contributor
I had a Toyota truck that i had tires balanced at Toyota place, some clown decided to work on his nascar skills and in process eat up the paint with air gun, i took it down there and and told them to fix it like it was before clown got ahold of it, they had to repaint all the wheels, some people shouldn't be allowed to work on vehicles.
 
Ldsoldier

Ldsoldier

Old Mossy Horns
I've balanced many tires in my lifetime. How the hell did they gouge the center? I can see around the edge with the wheel weights. He would've had to hit the wheel on the spindle to scratch the center.
 
Wildlifer

Wildlifer

Old Mossy Horns
It looks like its from the nut or whatever you call the part that clamps it to the spindle. Clearly circular gouge marks from something spinning
 
Wildlifer

Wildlifer

Old Mossy Horns
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Ldsoldier

Ldsoldier

Old Mossy Horns
It should have a metal cone that goes through the center and another piece that's plastic that tightens against it. I have no idea how they accomplished that. You're 100% positive that wasn't already there?
 
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Wildlifer

Wildlifer

Old Mossy Horns
Pretty sure. I had Just washed the truck the week before, I think I would have noticed that. The truck is a month old so I have no other guesses as to what would do that. 2 of the wheels have marks in the same spot. If It didn't happen on the machine how do you explain it going under the center cap without a nick on the cap?
 
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Triggernosis

Triggernosis

Ten Pointer
Wildlifer said:
I got my tires re balanced at the dealer after having the truck a few week. This was maybe 2 weeks ago now. I just noticed that the center of 2 of the rims have some pretty significant gouges in them and it's pretty obvious it's from the balancing machine. Is there any recourse I can have with the dealer? I didn't notice it right after it happened but the marks are obviously from the machine.
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I had my dealer put Michelin's on my new Colorado before I ever drove it off the lot. They marred two rims, one of which the dealer noticed and told me they would replace, the other I noticed a couple of weeks later - they replaced both of them without any hassle. Things happen - and there's a right way to fix them.
 
bigten

bigten

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Wildlifer said:
Pretty sure. I had Just washed the truck the week before, I think I would have noticed that. The truck is a month old so I have no other guesses as to what would do that. 2 of the wheels have marks in the same spot. If It didn't happen on the machine how do you explain it going under the center cap without a nick on the cap?
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Hard for me to really see on my ph, but looks like it's marked from poor removal technique of the center cap. Appears the tech used the wrong tool to pop them off. Yea, I'd approach the dealer management about that.
 
Wildlifer

Wildlifer

Old Mossy Horns
bigten said:
Hard for me to really see on my ph, but looks like it's marked from poor removal technique of the center cap. Appears the tech used the wrong tool to pop them off. Yea, I'd approach the dealer management about that.
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that was my first thought but it looks like he used a claw hammer. I figured it was the spindle nut from the machine. I called the dealer, the referred me to the quick lane who told me I had to take it up with the tech so I left a message with him. I'm not putting a lot of weight in him calling me back.
 
nccatfisher

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Wildlifer said:
that was my first thought but it looks like he used a claw hammer. I figured it was the spindle nut from the machine. I called the dealer, the referred me to the quick lane who told me I had to take it up with the tech so I left a message with him. I'm not putting a lot of weight in him calling me back.
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That is their way of trying to give you the cold shoulder. You and I both know a tech doesn't have the authority to say yeah or no about replacing those wheels. You just as well get in it and go see the service manager eye to eye and be prepared to be firm and somewhat belligerent if need be.

I wouldn't go in there with a chip on my shoulder but I wouldn't let them feed me a line of bull which it what they are trying to do by referring you to the tech.
 
rangerxp

rangerxp

Eight Pointer
Looks minor from the picture . Polished alloy or steel chrome ?
If polished alloy then just polish out the area . Understand its new and sucks to have any issue but
from picture it doesn't look like it would be noticeable unless looking for it ?
I'd remove the caps myself from now on or your likely get more of them next rotation as it looks to have been
done while removing the center cap with a pry of some sort
 
Wildlifer

Wildlifer

Old Mossy Horns
Yea I got that feeling when the girl on the phone said ummmmmmmmmmmm, you'll have to take it up with the tech. Letting my sales guy know to see what he can do until I get off work.
 
rangerxp

rangerxp

Eight Pointer
Wildlifer said:
that was my first thought but it looks like he used a claw hammer. I figured it was the spindle nut from the machine. I called the dealer, the referred me to the quick lane who told me I had to take it up with the tech so I left a message with him. I'm not putting a lot of weight in him calling me back.
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Quick lane ? Did dealer have another shop do the balance ?
 
Wildlifer

Wildlifer

Old Mossy Horns
rangerxp said:
Looks minor from the picture . Polished alloy or steel chrome ?
If polished alloy then just polish out the area . Understand its new and sucks to have any issue but
from picture it doesn't look like it would be noticeable unless looking for it ?
I'd remove the caps myself from now on or your likely get more of them next rotation as it looks to have been
done while removing the center cap with a pry of some sort
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Polished alloy, there is no polishing this out. It is through the clear coat, and well into the alloy. Think if beating a screwdriver into the wheel to take the cap off. It's not a huge mark but they manged to take 2 other wheels off without a mark on them. If it was just a little nick like on the other wheel, no big deal but its way more than that.
 
Ldsoldier

Ldsoldier

Old Mossy Horns
bigten said:
Hard for me to really see on my ph, but looks like it's marked from poor removal technique of the center cap. Appears the tech used the wrong tool to pop them off. Yea, I'd approach the dealer management about that.
Click to expand...

That's the only thing it can be, then. I agree with catfisher. Go in tomorrow (or today if you have time) and talk to the service manager. Drive the truck there so that he can see the damage. Sounds like some GS tech is about to get ripped.....
 
Wildlifer

Wildlifer

Old Mossy Horns
ok update. Manager said they dont take caps off from the front. They pull the wheel and knock it out from the back. He saw the pictures and said it looks like someone was trying to steal the centercaps off the wheel.
 
Ldsoldier

Ldsoldier

Old Mossy Horns
Wildlifer said:
ok update. Manager said they dont take caps off from the front. They pull the wheel and knock it out from the back. He saw the pictures and said it looks like someone was trying to steal the centercaps off the wheel.
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That's what confused me. We always popped the caps off with the spindle of the tire machine. That actually sounds like a reasonable explanation.
 
Wildlifer

Wildlifer

Old Mossy Horns
I mean I guess but whats the value in a center cap. As deep as the gouges are I would think that the cap would be messed up or they could have actually gotten it off if that was the case.
 
nccatfisher

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Wildlifer said:
I mean I guess but whats the value in a center cap. As deep as the gouges are I would think that the cap would be messed up or they could have actually gotten it off if that was the case.
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Many thieves are idiots, and don't care about the damage they cause. I am not an insurance expert but that may be covered under comprehensive. You need to check. Most likely that is your lowest deductible.
 
tarheelshooter

tarheelshooter

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Looks to me like he put the steel cone on the outside of the wheel then backed it up with the spindle nut. If it is off center just a bit it can leave marks but shouldn't be that bad. The "right way" is to put the steel centering cone on the inside of the hub face and use the plastic cone on the face of the wheel.
 
Wildlifer

Wildlifer

Old Mossy Horns
yea not peeling of the clear, def angled gouges towards the middle of the rim. There is another rim that has one mark on it in the same spot that would be roughly consistent with a small flat blade screwdriver. I have a video that shows it better than the picture if I need to post that. Still not sure how they didnt pry it off if it was a thief and that't what they were after. Those caps just pop on there.
 
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