Marks on Wheels After Tire Change I had very similar marks on all four of my 18" wheels after new Michelin RFTS were installed on my car last week at the BMW dealer. The service advisor and shop foreman quickly agreed with me that their installer did the damage. They will have the wheels refinished at their expense when I bring it in later this week. I'm glad they handled this in a responsible manner. My only concern is that their refinishing will be as good as the OEM fiinsh. They guaranteed me that it would be. Does anyone have any experience with a dealer refinishing their wheels? They said"refinishing" included repainting the wheels. This particular dealer has a full body shop. Thanks for any feedback.
Terrible terrible terrible. All this time and they have been dodging you. Looks like you will have to bite the bullet on this one. Give them all 1's. But seriously, something needs to be done to teach these greedy dealers a lesson..........suggestions anyone?
Rick - I'd suggest calling the BMW CCA office and talking with them about what the process is. I am unsure myself. However from what I do know about the Club Ombudsman's duties, your case seems to fit the bill. Please continue to let us know how it's going.....
When I took my 135 in for it's first oil change, I specifically told the dealership not to wash my car because the last time they washed one of them, they scraped the wheel on the entry guide going into the automatic car wash. Guess what...they washed it AND they scraped the brand new wheel on my 135!! They agreed to fix it and I have to be honest...they did such a good job that I absolutely can not tell where the scrape was. I'm still furious that they did it but at least it was repaired well. If it's done correctly, you'll never be able to see the repair.
"Repairing" and "reconditioning" are two entirely different processes. "Repairing" is more of a masking process and consists of a rotary buffer/drill of different grits followed by paint. If you have a big gouge, you'll see where it was refinished. It will be smooth, but you'll be able to see a dip wherever the it was. Minor scratches might not be noticeable. "Reconditioning" is much more thorough, and your wheel will come back in "like new" condition. Basically, the dealer sends the wheel out to a facility that strips everything off the actual wheel via acid bath. Then, if possible, they right the wheel if it is bent. Then they smooth any scratches and gouges with rotary tools and weld the voids to fill them so you won't see any dips in the finish from deep gouges. Lastly, they repaint the wheel. This process usually takes a few days at best, so if you're getting your same wheel back the same day, they're not doing this. Some shops will pre-arrange a swap where reconditioned wheels are ready to go, and the dealer simply exchanges your damaged wheels for the reconditioned ones to minimize downtime. Not many places will do this without first checking out your wheels in advance to make sure they're not beyond repair, though. Good luck. Rick
Update John, our Ombudsman, has worked on this feverishly for some time now and eventually managed to get dealership owner (a nearly impossible feat in itself), the shop foreman, and himself together on a conference call regarding the situation. Very long story short, the pre-service vehicle inspection sheet disappeared, the foreman insists that this was pre-existing pothole damage, and I'm S-O-L. The owner indicated that this only happens in about 10 situations per year out of 40,000 service visits. I'd love to get the pictures to the owner, but I somehow doubt that would be possible. I'm going to see if John can get a better phone number to me that might get past the front desk. Still can't believe the foreman guy flat-out lied to my face. Bummer. Rick
Yeah, not going to happen again. I dropped off my car at Fields BMW in Northfield yesterday morning and was shocked at how polite and thorough they were. A mechanic actually went for a ride with me to identify a noise and everything--what a concept. They took their time to make sure they got everything and didn't rush me out the door like Perillo. We'll see how it is on the other end when I get the car back tomorrow. Rick
Our chapter has a VERY good relationship with one of our dealerships and that, I believe, is key. We have learned that the service ratings you give have a huge effect on many things. If the center has lower than acceptable rating, they can lose the number of service loaners allowed by BMW NA. Further, some training opportunities or special trips to the factory may not be subsidized by NA. There is more but that is what I can remember. Those ratings carry a lot of weight. Unfortunately for them, the word of mouth negative comments have probably cost them way more that just fixing the damn wheel. BTW, those photos show classic tire installation damage....especially the marks by the lug holes that are clearly where the impact socket rubbed the paint. The other looks like when you spin the lugnut off with an impact wrench and it flies out of the socket striking the wheel. They also needed to replace the Teflon "boot" that goes on the tire changer arm that rides above the bead area. It protects the wheel from damage as the wheel assembly spins beneath and the inserted tire iron removes the tire. I have gone so far as to install 1/2 in blue painters tape to the edge of my wheels as a "tattle tale". If they scuff the wheel, the tape will be torn....no getting around that. Mostly it lets the technician know you are serious about your car and they better take their time. With the hand polished bare aluminum lips on my M5, you better believe I'm watching. Good luck with the omsbudsman....if that doesn't work, there is always the area market representative or the BMW Legal department. I am sure they do not want the spreading of negativity in these already trying economic times.
I like the painter's tape idea. If I ever have to go back to that place, I'll totally do that. I just dropped a packet in the mail to Joe Perillo (the dealership's owner) containing copies of this thread and photos of the damage. We'll see if anything comes of it. Otherwise, I plan to send out my wheels myself for reconditioning this winter now that they're sitting in my garage. Rick
I would be surprised if the owner would do something. However, if you included that you were "lied to your face" about the situation, then the owner would be concerned about his dealerships reputation and might help you out. Keep us updated.
Any word yet from Joe Perillo? It has been over 2 months now and I'm pretty sure the package has arrived. Very interested in how this turns out.
Nada. Nothing. An excellent strategy on their part. In the meantime, I'm sending them out to be reconditioned while I'm enjoying my disposable winter wheels from Tire Rack. I've officially written this issue off.
I would take it strait to the dealerships Genral Manger, I be he/ she can help if not, strait to the BMW of North America offices, but that me. I did that with Mini of Dallas, and I also never went back there again. I'll drive the extra hour to Houston to Mini of the Woodlands before I go back to Dallas Mini... shadey "bass-terds"
Terrible that the owner did absolutely NOTHING. However, with these economic times it seems like everyone is looking out for themselves and they will do anything to screw the other guy business wise.
Pretty sure BMW NA will be NO HELP as the dealerships are independent entities. BMW NA only tells the centers what they can and can't do as far as advertising/marketing with their stock images, how the center is to look (colors, theme, etc) how the shop is to be laid out, the service drive etc. This is for NEWLY built facilities at least. Further, they will tell you they to not set policy at said centers on how personal property damages are to be handled. They will NOT pull franchises unless you are operating a super scumbag center or have numerous infractions. I am not aware of any centers that have been pulled....I could be wrong. That said, you can post as many negative messages you want here, in Roundel, Bimmerforums, local papers etc. In my opinion, looking at the damage, they were clearly at fault, said they weren't and are hoping you will get frustrated and just go away. At least you are fixing the damage and not living with the constant reminder.
I noticed some marks simmular to that after getting my tires changed at perillo about 2 years ago. The marks on my rims were closer to the tire though. Perillo even cracked one of the roundels in the center of the wheel and they didn't put valve stem caps back on all wheels. I had some more bad experience with them after that... I never got a call to rate their service. I had given them all 5's previously. I'll probably never go back.
