Complimentary wheel scratches with purchase of tires

[TXST_GILLEY]

Recently had the rear tires replaced and noticed the shop left me a surprise under the lube on my wheels.

Shit happens and the shop is accepting liability. They will have to send the rear wheels off to be refinished, and I have a question for those who have dealt with this process before. Will the freshly refinished wheels be noticeably different to someone who doesn't know they've been repaired?

I only ask because if the fronts look like crap compared to the rears, I'll need to arrange all 4 to be refinished. Here's some pics of the scratches that are on every spoke

[Avenging Orange]

You are not alone. I just repainted my rims and the tire shop gouged the crap outta one of em. They, to, made it right. Found out the hard way that not all hitech tire machines are created equal. They sent me to a different location to have the tires mounted. Apparently 50k buys you a true touchless machine.
And, I think if done properly, your wheel will look ok. Give it a few months and it will blend right in.

[GraySS2011]

Same thing happened to me this past fall. I replaced both stock rear P-Zero tires and one of the rims had an indention in the lip afterwards.. I guess the guy came down too hard with the tire bar when removing the tire. When I took the wheel back (didn't notice it until I got home) they accepted responsibility. They sent it out and it was tied up for almost 2 weeks. I have the clear coated stock wheels. The cost was $200 to the tire company (I know because I used that same rim repair shop to re-do that particular rim a year ago). It came out good. But I remember the rim repair guy telling me that the original factory clear coat is more durable than an aftermarket repair and respray.

Good luck

[Silent...]

I was just getting ready to post up a new thread on this very subject. The Tuesday before last a local tire/repair shop installed my new G-Max AS-03's and gouged the paint and clear coat of my midnight silver painted rims on all 4 where they used a tool to help get the P-Zero's off. They didn't even mention it to me upon picking up the vehicle. I started cleaning the wheels as soon as I got home because I know they use a lubricant and probably got some hand prints on them. That's when I noticed the damage of which I could not tell if it got into the actual wheel material. They accepted full responsibility and even the tech stated what happened and blamed it on the stiff sidewalls of the P-Zeros.

This week on Monday the shop took all 4 off and sent them to a wheel refurbisher in Miami. The car stayed at the shop all week in an unused storage bay, per my request of not being left outside or stored near the work areas. So far so good!

I picked up the vehicle on Thursday and noticed before leaving that the rims were rough in several places and looks like paint had piled up in the corners before they clear coated them. I told the guy I was not happy (the owner whom I had been working with had left early that day). Upon having 2 local body shops look at them, one told me that those rims were difficult to refinish and the other stated that the rough areas were because the painter allowed the paint to dry before it hit the rim due to distance b/t the sprayer and rim, temperature, humidity, etc.

The owner looked at them on Friday when I asked my wife to take it by (I was working) and he said I was being "unreasonable" and then proceed to tell her that he believes some of the marks were there to begin with (WTF?). This guy was grasping for something because he was already out $500 on the refinish. I was planning on calling him on Monday since they are not open on weekends, but he called me this morning and said that he had been thinking. He is going to make it right and allow me to find new rims and he will pay for them to make it right!

I have purchased 4 sets of times from him (2 truck, 1 Impala, 1 Camaro) and had other repairs and service done there. So he knows I'm not a complainer just to be one as I've not had any issues with any of the other work they have done for me. That's why I called them in the first place to order the G-Max's and install them. During this process I've felt the bottom fall out of my stomach several times upon finding out about the damage the first time and the poor quality work when the wheels were returned. The wheels had no visible scratches to be seen before they went in so it's not like they had curb rash, were dull, or scratched all over. I'm just glad he is going to make it right.

[djm96z28]

That really stinks. I'm not ready to replace my original P Zeros yet, but I'm already sweating out getting damage on my factory rims. Can't shops replace tires without wrecking the rims anymore? If that's their business, you'd think they could do it correctly. I suppose shops can replace 20 inch Camaro rims with no problems, but we just hear about the problem ones. Still nervous about it, though.

[Silent...]

Was checking out prices on new rims and the cheapest OEM's I've found from a reputable place is $430 approx for each. Ouch!

[CHMSC]

That sucks but you are not alone. I have had it happen a few times. Honestly from the pics the scratches are not that bad. You could take some 2000 or 3000 grit sand paper and wet sand the scratches out and then polish the wheel when you are done.

Here is a link to a couple threads I wrote on fixing wheels.

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=307359

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=371165

[CamaroTom]

I'm dreading the day I have to get new tires on my 1LE. Hopefully I can find a true touchless machine around here.

[TXST_GILLEY]

Originally Posted by CHMSC

That sucks but you are not alone. I have had it happen a few times. Honestly from the pics the scratches are not that bad. You could take some 2000 or 3000 grit sand paper and wet sand the scratches out and then polish the wheel when you are done.

Here is a link to a couple threads I wrote on fixing wheels.

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=307359

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=371165

I remember reading those threads when I first joined! Thanks for the info. I chose to avoid being without a car for up to 2 weeks and took the shop's second option. They refunded the cost of one tire(~$215) and I applied part of it to certs/warranty on the P-Zeros up front.

They weren't thrilled about the situation, but I guarantee it saved both of us a headache. They don't need a car taking up a bay for that long, and I cringe thinking about how much extra damage could be done during that period.

Funny thing, I watched the kid work on my car and right off the bat he had me mumbling, "I remember my first day on the job". 1/4 of the way through removing the top bead he accidentally stepped on the pedal(unclamping the wheel). The wheel/tire assembly were hanging from the arm, bar still stuck between the wheel and tire while he fumbled to get it clamped again.
Can't even get mad though, my first job was at Discount Tire and I was terrified of working on nice wheels in the beginning.

[Silent...]

Finally got my new rims today. When I dropped it off this morning, the owner didn't say much. No apologies, no nothing. I can feel for him in his position as a small business owner since an employee cause him almost $2,000 between the rims they had refinished, buying the new OEM ones, and the labor costs. But, his demeanor to me now just plain sucks (a technical term). I guess I won't be doing any more business with them.