Dealership hosed up rear wheel rim

[f1fan]

Two days ago ago I dropped off my wheels at the local Honda bike shop. Today, I was looking forward to picking up my newly mounted Avons today. After examining the wheels before loading them into my car I saw that the rear rim had two rather deep gouges in addition to scuffs all around.

I confronted the guy that I dealt with and he told me that he wouldn't know how that could have happened since they use the Teflon protectors (which I asked for when I talked to them before) on their machine. I told him that I didn't know either how they ended up scratched. We are not just talking about paint surface scuffs, we are talking about deep into-the-aluminum gouges.

After taking the first heat, the guy quickly disappears and now I am dealing with the so-called parts and service manager. I tell him that I wanted a replacement for the rim and he tells me that he will not replace the rim but he could offer me touch-up paint. Now, I am getting close to dragging his sorry a$$ over the counter. I tell him that is not acceptable and I want to talk to his boss. Conveniently his boss has the day off but would be back tomorrow. I tell him that I will talk to his boss tomorrow.

Now he says that he could offer a repair in that he would sandblast the rim and repaint or powder-coat it. I tell him that that probably won't take care of the deep gouges and that I will still talk to his boss. He ensured me that he will not replace the rim and continues to tell me that the rim could have been damaged before I gave it to them. I tell him if that is the case why would I have asked if they had the protectors. He then tells me that it is always dicey if people bring in their wheels instead of the whole motorcycle and that they would have done a walk-around. Thank god I didn't bring in my bike, who knows what they would have done with it.

Well to not bore you any longer and get to the point of this post, what can I do to get the dealership to get me a new rim? I am still going to talk to the manager tomorrow but if he is not offering anything I am thinking about taking it to small claims court and reporting the dealership to Honda. What do you all think? Any other ideas?

Thanks for any constructive input.

 

[BrunDog]

I don't know... Burn the place down?

That's what I'd do.

Oh, and don't forget to leave your rims at the shop before you do.

-BD

 

[Windjammer]

If I got yer drift right, you took your Yamaha FJR wheels to the Honda shop. Had it been a Yamaha dealer, at least you could have complained to Yamaha and had one more level to go past the dealership owner or manager. Not being Yamaha loyal here, just pointing out the fact that the Honda dealer can't warranty the service on your bike. To replace your wheels, they would literally have to purchase them at list or maybe wholesale price from a competitive brand dealer. Fat chance, unless you get lucky and the owner is a five star dude.

I had the same thing happen to the wheels on my Concours. It really pissed me off but by then I was so thoroughly disenchanted with dealer service that I just blew it off and haven't darkened the door of a dealers service bay since.

Take them to court or whatever to get it squared away. Then begin the arduous task of finding someone you trust to change tires and/or work on your bike. Or learn to do it yourself so you can keep the asshats away from it.

Best of luck to you, however it turns out.

 

[zorkler]

burndog has it about right ...

 

[FJRottie]

This has happened to a few people. 2 choices for changing tires,

1. Do it yourself...sometimes easier said than done.

2. When you drop off your rims and tires, you say, "Look buddy at my nice rims, sign here as receiving nice rims, if you scratch my rims I will pull your lungs out through your nose and you will buy me new rims."

Evidence and documention always wins.

He then tells me that it is always dicey if people bring in their wheels instead of the whole motorcycle and that they would have done a walk-around.

Bullshit, if they are that courteous, they would have looked at your rims. That would be much easier than giving your bike a walk around.

Sounds like punk-ass guilty. He is making excuses and obviously guilty.

Shity thing f1fan, hopefully the manager will cooperate when you see him.

If the manager does not cooperate, I would tell him, "OK, I will pursue this in the legal manner, and I will ensure that the whole world knows what happened here through the internet and I will tell my friends and everyone I ride with not to come here."

Get your rims fixed/replaced. :angry2: :angry03: :butcher:

 

[Toecutter]

Sounds like you went to Clawson Motorsports here in Fresno. They did the same thing to my rims, taking off the OEM tires, but since I didn't have photos of 'before', they denied it. I put a curse on the service manager though. Gonna do some voodoo as well. The one time I took the bike in there (before the wheel incident) they bashed the saddlebag into the door hole. I'll push my bike to the next closest dealer before ever taking it back in there.

 

[markjenn]

They screwed up, but their offer of a repair/powder-coat is reasonable and more than most shops will do. This is a completely acceptable repair that will look fine. We're not talking about gas tank paint here - we're talking about a wheel rim that sits down in the muck getting stone hits and nicks all the time.

Push for the moon and you'll get nothing.

- Mark

 

[RadioHowie]

Push for the moon and you'll get nothing.

+2

Remember, pigs get fat...hogs get butchered.

And the squeaky wheel sometimes gets replaced, not greased.

 

[f1fan]

Update:

Saw the dealership manager this morning and he was a lot more approachable than the parts and service manager that I talked to yesterday. Apparently the service manager told him already what happened and confessed that they had dicked up the rim. So the guilt issue was gone and the manager told me that they would get the rim back to me looking like new i.e. refurbished.

I asked him how much it would cost them to refurbish the rim and how long it would take and he said several hundred dollars and maybe a few weeks to get it done. I told him that I checked online and a new rim can be had for under $300 at an online OEM parts store. Taking the time, effort and labor into consideration he told me that they would evaluate the possibility of replacing the damaged rim with a new one.

Later the parts guy called me and wanted to know where I found the rim online. Said he's going to check on that and that this might be easier, quicker and cheaper than the refurb. Let's see what happens.

Let me tell you after the talk this morning I feel a lot better. The dealership manager apologized and guaranteed that he would make this right.

I am waiting to get a call from them on Monday to see which route they are planning on going.

Thanks for all the comments and input in regard to this, guys. I'll post an update when I hear back from them. I am glad the manager was not a dick about this and that it looks like we can resolve this in a good manner.

Ingo

 

[jestal]

del

 

[markjenn]

Again, the shop screwed up, so I hate to come to their defense too much.

But... people wonder why shops aren't interested in changing mail-order tires for customers at $20 per wheel. THIS IS THE REASON WHY. A lot of risk of an irate customer demanding $400 wheel replacements in return for little or no profit. No, they shouldn't nick rims, but it happens - tire machines wear out or are missing key parts, techs aren't well trained or don't give a rip for a $10/hr job, etc. Most shops simply refuse to mount customer tires these days - too much trouble.

My advice: If you mail order tires, change them yourself. It's not that hard, and when you nick the rims, you can sue yourself.

- Mark

 

[MCRIDER007]

My advice:  If you mail order tires, change them yourself.  It's not that hard, and when you nick the rims, you can sue yourself.
- Mark

Mark, I would love to be able to change tires myself to the point I am ready to buy a tire change machine that will cost me more than I will ever save. What kind of equipment do you use to change and balance tires?

 

[markjenn]

My advice:  If you mail order tires, change them yourself.  It's not that hard, and when you nick the rims, you can sue yourself.
- Mark

Mark, I would love to be able to change tires myself to the point I am ready to buy a tire change machine that will cost me more than I will ever save. What kind of equipment do you use to change and balance tires?

A 14" steel car rim from a junkyard (free), some old garden hose split and wrapped around the car rim (free), a bead breaker made form 2x4 scrap lumber and old door hinges screwed into the wall (free), 3 x Motion Pro 16" tire irons ($45), 3 x plastic rim protectors ($8), a gallon of Ry-Glyde rubber lubricant ($15), and a Metzeler tire balancer ($115). So for a total investment of $180, I've changed about a hundred tires for a total cost per tire (so far) of less than $2/tire.

If you want to go fancy, Harbor Freight has a workable machine for about $90 and some folks are selling a knock-off of the Coates 220 that is probably better than what your dealer uses for about $450.

- Mark

 

[MCRIDER007]

A 14" steel car rim from a junkyard (free), some old garden hose split and wrapped around the car rim (free),
and a Metzeler tire balancer ($115)

If you want to go fancy, Harbor Freight has a workable machine for about $90 and some folks are selling a knock-off of the Coates 220 that is probably better than what your dealer uses for about $450.

Thanks for the feedback. I am having a hard time visualizing how to use the 14" car rim as a tire changer but I guess it holds the rim somehow.

Do you know where can I buy the Metzleer tire balancer?

I have looked at the HF changer and was less than impressed with the quality. One of my friends bought one and he couldn't get his to hold the rim securely enough to change anything. The Coats 220 knock-off sounds promising, do you who is selling it?

 

[dcarver]

Working on your own bike is almost always best.

Then again, if I'm too lazy or incompetent, I expect Professional Service for my Professional Dollars...

He ensured me that he will not replace the rim and continues to tell me that the rim could have been damaged before I gave it to them.

Apparently the service manager told him already what happened and confessed that they had dicked up the rim.

The SM lied to you. He knew all along who was responsible. Reason enough to never return. Truth.

 

[Windjammer]

I hate to have nicks and such on rims but after awhile and enough miles it happens anyway.

If I understood F1fan, his rims were "gouged" not "nicked" - HUGE difference here. My aforementioned Concours rims were also "gouged" at 11,000 miles, and I can tell you with 100% certainty that after 60,000 miles when the bike was sold there was nothing in the way of normal wear that even approached the utter ugliness of those damn gouges the dealer put in my rims. This wasn't something where you buff with a little sand paper and then touch it up with a rattle can. These were deep hacks in the aluminum, 4-5 inches long, that would have required filler material of some sort to get rid of them. Complaining about shit like that and asking to have it properly repaired is NOT being nitpicky. If the dealer can't do something as simple as change tires without mucking it up, they should find another business. It ain't exactly rocket science! But then I had a dealer who overfilled my oil by 2 quarts in the process of changing it. So maybe they really ARE that stupid, but I digress.....

 

[crewof1]

Wow. I have been doing my own minor maintenance, but I will need tires soon. You guys are scaring the sh!t outta me! :scare2:

 

[meosborn]

f1fan,

If your looking to save them money go through Gary at University Motors. Much less than $300 let me tell ya! A couple of years ago I bent both rims on a pothole @ 50mph and had to replace them. Gary saved me a bundle. Even after the $500 deductible I still have enough left over from the insurance to pay for the Givi setup.

 

[f1fan]

The SM lied to you. He knew all along who was responsible.

That is absolutely right and I am glad to see that he came around and fessed up to it in the end.

If I understood F1fan, his rims were "gouged" not "nicked" - HUGE difference here.

Yes they are badly gouged all around one side of the rim. Taking a dremel and grinding it out I would have to take about .06" of material of the rim. That and a bit of paint just doesn't do it.

If your looking to save them money go through Gary at University Motors.

Excellent idea. I have ordered from Gary before and I will let them know about University Motor.

Also thanks for all the people who provided good input and can understand that I am not pleased about the situation.