So, my car went in for it's annual service last Friday. I had noticed a very slow leak in one of the front tires - and lo and behold, there was a nail right in the middle of the tread. I figured, easy fix - take the tire off and patch from the inside. Tires only have 2,900 miles on them - original ones.

I get a call from the Service Advisor at the end of the day and was told this:

"We 'found' piece of the edge of the tire (the bead I'm assuming) broke off and inside the tire. We can't safely replace it as it will not hold air, blah blah,. Tire price is $290+ $20 installation. and we have to order it for Monday AM.

I said ok go for it. But, the more I thought about this, the more suspicious I got. If that was broke before I went it, then it would have had significant air loss and not just 5psi a week like it's had the past 2 weeks.

My thought here is that their tech damaged the tire either removing it or trying to remount to the rim and they're saying they found it that way. Even if that's true - wouldn't I have a warranty claim for a defective tire? There's no rim damage that would cause the bead to chip and it's not an exposed portion of the tire for road hazzards.

I just left a voice mail on the advisor's phone to save the tire so I can see what it looks like and get a few pictures.

What do you all think my remedy here is? At a minimum, it should at least be under warranty if it did, in fact, fail normally. I suspect they're not going to fess up and admit they damaged it themselves.

Guidance, please?

 

Tire damage is similar to paint chips... The dealership isn't going to cover this under warranty because there are far too many ways to damage a tire that have nothing to do with the car itself. Bad luck, just pay for the tire and be done with it.

 

Say what you want, but I'm glad I got the tire and wheel warranty package. Already replaced one free of charge... one more in four years and it's more than paid for itself.

 

Just curious - how much was that?

 

Depends upon the dealer and what type of coverage you get. I negotiated mine for 500. 5 year, 60k miles, any nail, screw, or anything in the tire is a new tire, not a patch. Some include cosmetic curb rash repair too.... too many variables to just give you an accurate price.

 

If the SA told you that a piece of the bead was broken off, about the only way that can happen is either when the tire was mounted, or when the dealer tech dismounted it for repair. In either event, either the machine malfunctioned, or the tech didn't operate it properly.

I would mention that to the SA and push back a little bit. If the dealer shop damaged the tire, they should replace it free, but it will be impossible to prove. As everyone else has said, tires, like wiper blades and brakes are considered wear items and not covered by the warranty.

 

It also will depend on geographic location. For $1400, I got 5 years, unlimited mileage, tire repair/replacement, wheel repair/replacement, curb rash, ding & dent repair (from doors) lost/broken key fobs, roadside assistance for covered issues and I can go to the vendor of my choice. After only 2.5 months, the policy has fully covered $700 from two separate incidents. If you drive several hundred miles/week on 30 aspect ratio wheels, there will be damage.

 

Given that the bead is the strongest part of the tyre, bits do not 'break off'. Rubber can be torn off the bead, but...

That said, mounting/removing is - pretty much - the most traumatic event in a tyre's life.

 

I would politely (but firmly) speak with the service manager - in person - and express your [legitimate] concerns to him. It all boils down to honesty and [them] doing the right thing (and to help keep your business). And if that doesn't work I would take it up a notch and contact the owner (worst which might happen is a discount).

A few months ago I had my Audi A8L in for service and I received a call from the owner who informed me that their mechanic while driving the car hit a rut in the road which punctured the tire. They not only replaced that tire with a new one but replaced both fronts. For nothing. Needless to say they're my mechanics for life. At least the life of the car. And, no, it's not a dealership.

Good luck!

 

I call BS. While Jaguar doesn't warranty tires, the manufacturer does. Since they found a nail that as the cause of the leak, it seems reasonable that the bead damage happened during the repair process. Of course, if the tire was defective, that would be easier to do, but that would be between the dealer and Pirelli.

Give the service manager Pirelli's Customer Service number (800-747-3554) and ask him to have an answer of which one of them is going to replace the tire before you pick up the car. Also, tell him to get the name of WHO he talked to at Pirelli if there is no good answer. According to my guy, they have never seen bead damage caused by the customer without notable damage to the rim, as well.

 

We've had the situation where a small piece of the tire bead will stick to the rim and tear when dismounting... and not caused by any rough handling.

As I recall, for the rare times this had happened the mounted tire had been on the rim for at least a few years.
Lawrence.

 

I agree with those that say the damage was caused by the shop. Unless there is serious rim damage the bead is not going to get damaged by itself, there is no way a nail in the middle of the tyre can cause bead damage and the shop should at the very least give you the tyre at cost and the labour free.

 

Thanks everyone - you've given me some good insight. I'll keep you posted on how this plays out.

 

I spoke to the SA and told her I wasn't satisfied withing having to pay for the tire and have they checked to be sure the tech didn't damage it during mounting after the patch. I also said I wanted to talk to the Service Manager to discuss this before going to Jaguar NA about it.

She said she'd get back to me. I just got a call from her saying that they had a meeting and they're not going to charge me for the tire - only the cost of what the patch would have been if the tire didn't haven't a broken bead piece.

Thanks to all for the suggestions - you saved me >$300

 

I wonder if they replace them in pairs.... example, a front tire has damage, but the other is fine and both have about half of their tread life. So, you get a free one which is damaged, but you don't want different tread depth. So, do you buy the other to match, or go ahead and puncture it so it's replaced as well? ;>))

(I'm kidding, but what a quandary!)

 

Different tread depth won't create appreciable difference in performance unless it's a snow tire. The real quandary comes when the first tire wears out. Replace one or both? I'm cheap, so I'd replace them individually when the wear bars are well visible.

 

So when I went to pick up the car last night, I was greeted by the Jag Service Manager. She wanted to be sure I was satisfied with the result - yes I was. She was also very concerned how I'd be answering the Customer Satisfaction Survey that I should be getting from Jaguar NA. Asked me a few times if if there's anything I can't answer with a YES or a score of 10 that I give them the chance to rectify before answering the survey.

Sounds like there must be some incentives on perfect surveys and that's probably what made them re-think charging me for the tire.

 

Yes...they're always drilling the "perfect survey" speech at every opportunity and frankly...that gets real old quick.

 

Yes, it is very important to them, and dealers are ranked by the manufacturer on customer satisfaction, in large part based upon these results. I agree that this is a silly game imposed upon them, and the accuracy of the results are dubious at best, but they are just working people trying to put food on the table.

Given the outcome in your case, if it were me, I would be giving them 10's since all it took was a little nudge on your part to get them to do the right thing. You "scratch their back, and they'll scratch yours" in the future.

 

No, but if I happen to drive over a box of screws that fell off a construction truck onto the highway I'll just have to get all 4 replaced...