Rims marred after balance

Triggernosis

Ten Pointer
If there's not any damage to the center cap then it wasn't caused by someone trying to steal the center cap. It looks to me like the damage was done when the cap was off.
 

Wildlifer

Old Mossy Horns
If there's not any damage to the center cap then it wasn't caused by someone trying to steal the center cap. It looks to me like the damage was done when the cap was off.

that's what I thought. Conflicting ideas here. The shop only does it one way that would not cause it and someone trying to steal it would have put some kinda of mark on the cap.
 

ridenismo

Six Pointer
i know my center caps are over 150$ a piece from ford, i wouldnt be surprised if someone tried to steal them. oh wait some a$$hole already did...
 

UncleFester

Old Mossy Horns
I'm sorry I just don't believe those marks are from an attempted theft. It's too coincidental that the dealership had those wheels off, the truck is a month old and somewhere in that month you've owned it someone tried to pry them off. I don't buy it in this instance and I usually give everyone the benefit of the doubt.
 

ncscrubmaster

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
One would think if they were like that when the dealership took them off someone would have said hey man someone's been prying on your wheels. It would let them off the hook too.
 
Looks to me like the center of the wheel was sitting on the shaft of the balancer and slid back to the cone or back plate.The shaft is basically a very coarse large bolt.The weight of the wheel either sliding on or off would mar it like that.
 

bigten

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
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.

I gotta say, that is the way those caps are NORMALLY removed, but I still think someone removed (or attempted to) yours from the front with a screwdriver. If it were attempted theft, imo, the caps would be gone...
Getting no satisfaction from the service department would drive me to the dealership managers office. If that avenue didn't work out, a call to customer support at Ford may be in order. Dealerships really don't like complaints against them being filed and investigated. May help, may not, but I wouldn't walk away without a "fight" in this situation. Your truck is new, one tire balance and rotation into the life of the vehicle, and you now have wheels damaged that have significant value. You could wager a significant amount that a dealer would reduce trade value if they saw the damage if you were to upgrade....
 

Newsome Road

Ten Pointer
I gotta say, that is the way those caps are NORMALLY removed, but I still think someone removed (or attempted to) yours from the front with a screwdriver. If it were attempted theft, imo, the caps would be gone...
Getting no satisfaction from the service department would drive me to the dealership managers office. If that avenue didn't work out, a call to customer support at Ford may be in order. Dealerships really don't like complaints against them being filed and investigated. May help, may not, but I wouldn't walk away without a "fight" in this situation. Your truck is new, one tire balance and rotation into the life of the vehicle, and you now have wheels damaged that have significant value. You could wager a significant amount that a dealer would reduce trade value if they saw the damage if you were to upgrade....

Agree with all of the above!
 

Ldsoldier

Old Mossy Horns
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.

The "right way" varies with the wheel. I've mounted them with the cone on the outside many times with no issues.
 

Wildlifer

Old Mossy Horns
Well after the thief explanation between my sales guy and the tech I decided not to deal
With them. I have a few calls and emails into some people to at least look at it in person.
 

Wildlifer

Old Mossy Horns
X9HqF1P.jpg


HYsU7DL.jpg


3 of the wheels have damage on the inside behind the caps. I can take the caps off with very little effort. No question the dealer did it and is using the thief excuse.
 

partspimp

Old Mossy Horns
How? You'd have to have a real dumbass to damage something with the balance cone. Add to that the whole thing would be wallowed out, not just that one spot.

Ive seen techs/mechanics fack up stuff that would make you wonder how the hell they did it.......

wheel goes over spindle, centering cone slides over spindle and then slams it into wheel
 

Mr.Gadget

Old Mossy Horns
I was watching a guy at firestone years back getting my tires done.......

He was using an air gun to remove lugs.... He removed the first one hammering away then the next and next before he seen the nut and stud were removed... Ask another for help... he pushed button on the the air gun and removed the rest.
They cam out and told the guy the lugs broke.... And what it would cost to fix..
 

Ldsoldier

Old Mossy Horns
I was watching a guy at firestone years back getting my tires done.......

He was using an air gun to remove lugs.... He removed the first one hammering away then the next and next before he seen the nut and stud were removed... Ask another for help... he pushed button on the the air gun and removed the rest.
They cam out and told the guy the lugs broke.... And what it would cost to fix..

I've removed many a lug nut with an impact gun. I've snapped a few, but we always talked to the customer beforehand if the lugs were being a pain like that. Sometimes they'd have us go ahead and just snap them off, others they'd say to leave it. Interestingly enough I've snapped more lugs with a 4-way than I ever did with an impact gun.
 
Last edited:

Mr.Gadget

Old Mossy Horns
I've removed many a lug nut with an impact gun. I've snapped a few, but we always talked to the customer beforehand if the lugs were being a pain like that. Sometimes they'd have us go ahead and just snap them off, others they'd say to leave it. Interestingly enough I've snapped more lugs with a 4-way than I ever did with an impact gun.

It was not the air gun.
It was the fool behind it that did not know you need to change direction. ...

Can not count the number of people that dont know direction.....
Then deal with left hand threads and they have no clue.....

lord help them if a car with a knock of center hub shows up.
 

Firefly

Old Mossy Horns
I changed many tires working at the Amoco station we used to run from the early sixties until I got out of high school in 1965.. The air operated tire changer we had would mess up a rim back then if you didn't screw the center cap down tight to hold the rim down against the machine, some of the mag rims would even break at times. I had a '69 Dodge with keystone mag's and every time I had new tires put on that machine or had a tire patched the operator would tell me, if I break or mar your rims I won't be responsible for them...They never broke or got gouged but the owner of the tire company or service station let me know he wasn't and would not be responsible for mag rims if they broke or got marred..
 

Ldsoldier

Old Mossy Horns
I changed many tires working at the Amoco station we used to run from the early sixties until I got out of high school in 1965.. The air operated tire changer we had would mess up a rim back then if you didn't screw the center cap down tight to hold the rim down against the machine, some of the mag rims would even break at times. I had a '69 Dodge with keystone mag's and every time I had new tires put on that machine or had a tire patched the operator would tell me, if I break or mar your rims I won't be responsible for them...They never broke or got gouged but the owner of the tire company or service station let me know he wasn't and would not be responsible for mag rims if they broke or got marred..

I know exactly what machine you're talking about. I got to where I could use those, but I prefer the more modern ones. Those old tire machines have busted a few jaws.....
 

Firefly

Old Mossy Horns
I know exactly what machine you're talking about. I got to where I could use those, but I prefer the more modern ones. Those old tire machines have busted a few jaws.....

You are right those old tire changers would bust your jaw, saw a friend of mine get popped one day while operating the tire changer, the tool that you used for taking the tire off the rim was not put on the machine properly. It flew off hitting him in the forehead, luckily he was okay with just a knot and a bit of broken skin..You had to respect the old tire machines and know what you were doing with them. I never had an accident with our old machine. Never have run the modern day tire changing machine but I am certain they are much safer than the older ones we used..Or at least I hope they are..
 
Top