Okay, here's a quick summary of what I'm going through:

Early January, I got into an accident on the highway where my rear tire blew out and caused my car to tumble onto the driver's side. So, damage was all of the driver's side, all rims, and that tire that blew out. Statefarm covered me and all I had to pay was my $500.00 deductible. I'm in Gainesville, Florida so Gatorland Toyota repairs my car. The day I went to pick up my newly repaired car, I inspected what I was told was supposed to be repaired. Driver's side looked great to me. I checked the passenger side rear tire that blew out and it was replaced. Great.

I drove my car home and decided to check over my car once again. But this time I noticed something that I didn't catch at the dealership. My front passenger side rim and tire had this nasty looking tear in it like so:





It's as if something really sharp and sliced that section of my rim and tire, right?

So I contacted the dealership and told them about it. I brought my car back the next business day. The person that was assigned to my car took a look at it and denied that it was their fault and that I must've hit something on the road (which I didn't, and I can't find a way that something would slice my rim up like that while driving anyway). She would not take it back to fix or replace it. Instead she said she'd call a Statefarm rep. to come out and take a look at it the next day.

The Statefarm guy came to my house and inspected the car. Apparently the rim was not the only imperfection to the car. He found things that were unscrewed and loose under the car. He found half-assed paintwork around some edges of the car, scratch marks on many other places. All in all, it seemed the guys at the dealership did not do a very good job finishing up the job on my car. So Statefarm has Toyota take my car back in for corrective repairs, where they replaced a rocker molding, screwed back all the loose ends, re-painted the things that needed to be re-painted, etc. However, I was not contacted by anyone telling me what repairs were going be done. I was under the impression my rim and tire would be replaced as well. But, no.

When I went to pick up my car once again after the corrective repairs had been done, the rim and tire were not replaced! Nor was it even 'repaired'. I'm guessing they convinced the Statefarm rep. that it was not their fault or something, I don't really know:





All they did was shave off the piece of metal that stuck out. They did not even attempt to clean off that blue stain on the metal. The tire is still in flaps. Now I notice my tire pressure light is on. I'm not sure if that's linked with this problem, but nonethless, this is really upsetting.

My point is, what am I to do now? How do I get them to replace my rim/tire because it is my understanding that I'm supposed to get new rims after repairs. This rim might be new but it's damaged, coming off the dealership's lot.

If someone can help me out, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.

Sorry for making this a little too long =\.


PS- Does anyone have a number I can reach Scion at about this matter?

 

if your tire pressure light is on how about checking your tire pressure? If it is low you might have a case against them if it causes your tire to lose air.

My issue is that rim looks like it could have been run into a curb by a driver. Which is probably what the stealership argued.

Based off so little information you might have to eat that wheel.

 

Take it to a real body shop. I avoid dealers like the plague, the sheer amount of misinformation I have heard people get from "certified" techs is ridiculous. I know there are some that are ok, but the ratios of bad to good im my experience is high. My dealership seems to be ok, but I do all my own work unless it is a warranty issue on all my cars.

You really should have picked a good body shop to take it to in the beginning. But now you are stuck with these guys. For the wheel, it is going to take some arguing, I would try to get Scion customer care involved. For the shoddy work, you could have it inpected by a good body shop and argue it that way I guess.

Good luck!

 

sand that lillte area, bondo and touchup paint

 

Oh, I guess the picture is a little misleading.

In person you could tell it wasn't hit by a curb. It was definitely sliced somehow by an object.

When the dealership checked it out, they too agreed it wasn't a curb that caused that.

 

I'm with engi, I took my bike to the local Honda stealership when I lived in Bend and they quoted me $600 - 800 to essentially remove the head and unscrew sparkplug threads. I took it to an indie to actually get it worked on and he told me a #3 screwdriver and a hammer, maybe 45 mins worth of work not 15 hours.

Do you have any idea when this slice happened? Was it there before or after that tyre blew out? This is the other issue when dealing with this kinda crap if you're not positive it was there before you took it in you're up poo creek without a paddle. I took my current car to a Schwab place to have new tires or an alignment or something pittly done to it, got a call it had been backed into and some stuff had gotten damaged so rolled in to check it out. Since the car is old and looked like crap already I didn't worry about the paint but they broke the light housing where it mounted to the frame. I had pics taken of the side that was damaged and told'em not to worry about the paint but the light fixture needed to be replaced, they replaced it and all was good. I'd even return to them to have work on my car done but I moved.

 

This slice happened after repair #1. All rims were supposed to be replaced with new ones. That is a new rim and tire. I'm positive it was sliced while at the dealership parking lot waiting for me to pick it up.

 

Have you got anything in writing that all 4 rims were to be replaced? Do you know who you talked to that said all 4 rims were to be replaced? Check your state laws but you might be able to record via phone what the person who said they were to be replaced and use it to get the job done. BUT CHECK YOUR STATE LAWS.

 

how long have you been fighting the dealership? My experience with it is if this has been going on for quite some time, they're more than likely not gonna do anything about it. I'm sure they're gonna argue that as long as the car is driveable and its not anything that's gonna cause an accident, you're gonna have to make do. I would basically tell them to &^%# off and go somewhere else, you'll probably has to get a new rim.

 

If you checked your rim before you left gatorland then you have a pretty strong case, If you didn't it is much harder, but if it is upsetting you that much i would try to contact an attorney or let the dealership know about it.

I am also living in gainesville and i have had a few trips to gatorland to ask about parts, and they have not been very bad, but not entirely good also. My room mate also had body work done there and they did a fine job on his neon. I would say that their disrepair the first time makes the idea that they screwed up on your rim understandable but it is still going to be hard to win that one, from an unbiased point of view.

Keep fighting though and don't give up yet

 

I just got off the phone with Statefarm. They won't put this under the old claim. They have to start this under a new claim. I don't want that though.

I know it was stupid on my part to not check everything out thoroughly when I picked up my car the first time.

However, my primary goal is to have Toyota/Scion replace my rim/tire, because I'm POSITIVE this did not happen while I was driving. There has to be a way I can turn this around on them =[.

Thanks for the suggestions so far though, guys. Some more input would be great.

 

I know exactly what happened. The person who put the rims on probably didn't lubricate the bead of the rim to assist in it going on the rim. The tire caused to much tension and the tire split at the same time the machine gouged your rim. If it's a NEW tire, it wouldn't magically appear...notice the blue scrape in the rim that looks like paint transfer?

 

Have you seen this happen before? Same results? I noticed the blue paint...could it be possible its the paint from my car?

 

can i just ask you how in the hell you missed that at the dealership when u were checking it over!?? i notice even if theres a smudge on my car, and i looks at the wheels and tires even closer for fear or curb rash! nothin yet tho!

 

I know, I said I was stupid for not checking my car thoroughly, because all the rims should be new and I didn't think anything of it. Also, I probably missed it because it was probably parked in the right way so that the metal peeling outward was covering the cut if you get what I'm saying.

 

i say its time for aftermarket rims.

 

Aye, if only I had the money to spare .

 

I would be looking for something around their shop, particularly the tire changing equipment for something that matches the paint transfer on your wheel.

Having worked tires before, I'd agree with the other guy that the guy on the tire machine screwed it up. Check the color of their tire changing equipment. By the way, chances are it's a darker blue than the transfer on your wheel, as the bright silver aluminum is going to lighten the color.

 

Thanks.

I called Scion Headquarters and they're gona have a talk with the dealership. Hopefully that goes our way.