GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk7 => Topic started by: Brenbo on 05 March 2015, 17:58
-
I have just had one of those days. First a bad day at work, then driving home I get a tyre pressure warning saying pressure low. I checked the tyre and noticed a nail in it. So I take the car over to the only tyre centre I trust as they usually look after the alloys...... Well I thought this was the case! I get the car back home a few minutes ago, wipe off all the muck that was left on the wheel when the guy changed the wheel and to my surprise I discover a really obvious chip in the diamond cut wheel. I know Diamond cuts being polished effect finish will show up the slightest defect, but this chip could have been avoided surely.
I live in Cornwall so the large national tyre centres whom would usually change tyres and protect the alloys in the process are few and far between. However which tyre centres would you guys recommend to use next time so I could check to see if we have locally.
I must say I am raging that the guy has damaged my wheel. I have spent all that time caring for the car more than I do for my wife, only to have somebody else damage it.
Also I know diamond cut wheels have to be re-cut to remove defects, but is there any smart repair out there I could do on the wheel for the smaller dents or chips?
The wheel is an Austin 18". I would purchase a spare wheel off of anyone on this forum, but I fear if I were to have to get a tyre put on it I will just get another dent on the rims.
DAMN TYRE CENTRES!! :angry:
-
I've had both my fronts done a couple of months ago and no marks at all on the alloys. If they use the right tyre changing machine then there should never be a risk of damage.
I say go back to the garage. If you've used them a lot in the past then they might refund the amount they charged to change the tyre at the very least (I know that's only £15 or so) or if you bought a tyre off them then refund some of that back?
I only use The Wheel Specialist in Nottingham because they have great reviews online and double up as a wheel refurber if they did for whatever reason damage the alloy.
Got any pics?
-
Will post a pic soon. It is small but really obvious. My wife has no interest in cars and wouldn't notice a dent in her own car unless it was fairly large. However the damaged wheel is on the back and she was stood a metre or so in front of the car and even she notcied it from there without being show where the damage was. I am getting concerned now as the two front wheels are getting thin on the tread and I will have to get those wheels changed soon as well. I live in Cornwall near the border. I am wondering if there is anywhere in Exeter or Plymouth where I can be assured they will do a better job changing the tyres. There are white and black scuff marks inside the chip as well which make it obvious. If I could just get rid of the coloured scuffs it would be much less obvious.
Are there any decent tyre centres in Devon or Cornwall who I know I can rely on to not damage my wheel?
-
Firstly - before handing your car over to anyone you should have agreed the condition of the wheel before they touched it. Then checked it again before you left. If it was 100% perfect you really should have made a point of that - take a picture too. who cares if they think you are a bit weird - perhaps if they understood you are in the minority who care about their car they would take a bit more care!
This is very unfortunate (its happened to me before so I do understand).
Sadly it seem that only alloy wheel specialists can be let loose on these polished rims that VW seem to favour these days with any hope of them returning unscathed :-(
-
I know I'll get shot down in flames for this but I always let my dealer do my tyres and then that way if they damage them they replace them.
-
Yes - but only if you can prove they damaged them. Condition inspection before and after work is essential.
That applies to the whole car if its a service or repair.....
-
That goes without saying for a dealer visit :grin: :grin:
-
I was actually wondering whether to get the dealer to change my front tyres when they need replacing. I will also be doing as mentioned in regards to taking pictures of the wheels before going in to the dealer to be fitted. What is really gauling is the tyre centre I used also sell alloy wheels. So does this mean the alloys you buy form the place are damaged before you even have them fitted for the first time.
Thinking about it, I usually have the owner fitting my wheels, who is a car fanatic and does take car of wheels. However this time I had a young lad fit the tyre this time and he has chipped the wheel.
I am considering buying a spare Austin wheel to use as a spare incase I have to get any of my wheels refurbed. But if I do this where do I get the tyre fitted? I would fit them my self if I had the equipment and knew how to do it.
-
Thats something I was considering doing too - I had decided if I did (same goes for when I need new tyres) i will use an alloy wheel specialist retailer. There is usually one in or near most larger towns and they fit tyres to the alloys they sell are obviously much more safety/protection aware than a standard high street tyre fitting bay. The last time I used a normal tyre fitting depot it was after a puncture and I stood over the poor guy. The one before that was a local centre - they swore there would not be any damage (feigning astonishment that someone would have the temerity to question the excellence of their workmanship) and consequently handed me back one damaged wheel....
My nearest one also refurbishes alloys as well as sells them so they understand that people do not want to leave their premises with a damaged wheel!
-
Thansk for all your feedback guys, much appreciated. Does anyone have a spare 18" austin wheel for sale on this forum? Otherwise I may have to buy a cheap alloy the same size so I just get the austin refurbished and replace it on the car afterward. If I can remember correctly, my VW Dealer told me they have this refurbish wheel scheme where they will replace your damaged wheel with one which has already been refurbed and then take your wheel for the refurbishing which will then be given to someone else when they require a replacement wheel. It was a while ago when i enquired and am unsure of the costs or even if it is still a scheme which is being run. I will make enquiries with my dealer. The benefits of this scheme is you do not have to be without a wheel for 2 to 3 days.
However I am definitely considering purchasing a spare alloy of some kind. Would be good if it were an Austin 18"? Also I will not carry it in the car due to weight. I will just store it in my garage with a cover over it.
Does anyone know of any cheap Austin wheels for sale?
-
Brenbo, I feel your pain.
Give Bob a ring at South West Wheel Repairs in Marsh Barton as he will be able to get it refurbed I reckon.
They subcontract diamond cut wheels and might even be able to loan you a wheel while they send yours off.
Failing that I'll lend you an Austin (and tyre) for a few days while they turn it around.
In future order your tyres online and get Jon at SWWR to fit them. He's a VW enthusiast and one of the very few people I trust with my wheels and tyres. I got him to change the tyres off my old BBS alloys and put them on my current wheels.
Buying your own gear isn't really an option as it's very expensive for the number of times you use the equipment and the sidewalls on the low profile tyres we have are incredibly stiff. Hence the damage you suffered.
-
Was waiting to see if you see my thread Exonian as you know the local area around Exeter. Many thanks for the heads up. Have emailed SWWR already on your recommendation. Hopefully if he can loan an alloy it would be great. Limping around on a half size spare wheel is not an option as I have to drive 40+ miles to get home from Exeter. I was hoping there would be someone in Exeter who cares about Alloys enough to protect them as they change the tyres. If he is as good as you say he is I will use him to fit tyres from now on. Taking wheel to have a new tyre in the local area is like finding cro-magnon man and asking him to change your tyres.
As to getting equipment myself, this was never a serious consideration, but it does make you feel like it if you want something done right then do it yourself. Will keep you posted as to how I get on. I have to go Exeter next friday to get my headlight sensor replaced. May see if I can go round and see Bob at South West Wheel Repair as well if I have time and check out the place. I am sure if you go there Exonian then it will be sound.
It's times like this I am glad to be part of the GolfGTIForum community. :smiley:
-
Buying a spare single Austin alloy wheel would be very difficult. Most people that are selling them privately and cheaply will want to sell them as a set of 4.
That means your only hope would be buying one through the dealer and that wouldn't be cheap. Infact you'd be better off buying a cheap set of 17" alloys and fitting them with winter tyres which you could also use in emergency situations. You'd just have to change the whole set. But atleast then you have the benefits of owning a summer set and a winter set, especially if you have a garage to store them in,
-
I know of a set of golf r wheels for sale brand new will only be on car a few hours :smiley:
-
How much are the Golf R wheels and what condition are they in?
-
How much are the Golf R wheels and what condition are they in?
you have a pm :smiley:
-
Was waiting to see if you see my thread Exonian as you know the local area around Exeter. Many thanks for the heads up. Have emailed SWWR already on your recommendation. Hopefully if he can loan an alloy it would be great. Limping around on a half size spare wheel is not an option as I have to drive 40+ miles to get home from Exeter. I was hoping there would be someone in Exeter who cares about Alloys enough to protect them as they change the tyres. If he is as good as you say he is I will use him to fit tyres from now on. Taking wheel to have a new tyre in the local area is like finding cro-magnon man and asking him to change your tyres.
As to getting equipment myself, this was never a serious consideration, but it does make you feel like it if you want something done right then do it yourself. Will keep you posted as to how I get on. I have to go Exeter next friday to get my headlight sensor replaced. May see if I can go round and see Bob at South West Wheel Repair as well if I have time and check out the place. I am sure if you go there Exonian then it will be sound.
It's times like this I am glad to be part of the GolfGTIForum community. :smiley:
They've refinished a few wheels and repaired a few punctures for me over the years.
I think they have the contracts with most of the main dealers for wheel repairs but can only powdercoat in house. Diamond cut is a bit more specialised so they send them off.
Jon is one of very few people I'd trust with my alloys!
Let me know what Bob suggests. As said, you can borrow one of my alloys if you're stuck.
-
I thought seeing as I am out in the sticks with few places to get tyres changed without the high chance of having my prized wheels damaged, I would buy a spare alloy and tyre. Which I have done now. This way I can get to a decent tyre fitter further away at South West Wheel Repairs in Exeter form now on rather than the abismal fitters in my local area. Also I can even leave wheels to be refurbished without the hassle of finding a wheel to drive around on while it is being done.
@ Barrym381: Many thanks for your kind offer. If the price is right I may still be interested as I could use them as summer/winter wheels alongside my Austins or even on future cars? :smiley:
-
To the OP, you must go back and tell them about the damage. If not they will sadly just continue to mistreat folks property.
I don't expect them to remedy the damage but they must at least know they caused it.
My local tyre shop whom I had used for years decided to take the weights off my 2 wheels with a chisel. The result was a dozen or so gouges around where the weights were. Granted they were inside the wheel but you could clearly see the damage just looking at the wheels. Totally unacceptable.
There is definitely a market for someone to advertise how much they would take care of your wheels while changing the tyres. With digital cameras nowadays there should be no dubiety on whether the damage was there previously. I would happily pay more for a service like this.
I too looked at getting equipment for changing / balancing tyres. Its dear but not that dear especially if you factor in you could then buy your tyres cheaper on line and fit them yourself, change family and friends and avoid any costly damage that others may make.
-
I will be telling the tyre centre about the damage sooner rather than later. However as others have said I am expecting the usual answer of "how do you know we caused that damage". But like you said it does have to be mentioned, so other peoples alloys are saved. I have been toying with the idea of a full size spare for ages anyway. this scenario just confirmed I needed to get one. Life will be so much more relaxed and easier having the wheel. Now I don't to get a nail in a tyre immediately addressed just so I can remain being able to use the car. I am also not going to be restricted to a handful of places where I am unsure about going to get tyres fitted. I know a new alloy and tyre can be expensive on the initial outlay. But after that things will be a whole lot cheaper if a wheel gets damaged, as i can now leave wheels to be refurbished at a fraction of the price, should I wish.
Also I should mention the wheel will be stored at home not in the car. I remember being part of a similar thread a while ago and some other posters were mentioning about weight and losing performance if the wheel was stored in the boot.
-
Are you racing your car to be that bothered about losing performance?? I doubt you'd even notice the difference just using the car on a daily basis. The real issue is the full size spare not fitting the wheel well.
-
Nah not racing at all, completely legal... Honest Guv! :laugh:.
Just I remember mentioning about a full size spare on this forum a while ago and others were stating the wheel would be heavy enough to take the edge off the performance of the car carrying it around all the time. Without having a spare wheel at the time to test the theory I just had to go on other's words of warning. I was unsure at the time and still am until I have a wheel to test the difference. The car is awesome as it is performance wise without the full size spare in the boot. I will be giving it a test when I pick up the wheel next week as I will be carrying it home in my boot. I want to coat it with GTechniq Wheel Armor before swapping wheels around with the damaged one. I will then use the damaged wheel as a spare instead.
The thing which did go through my mind was as you say whether it would fit the recess in the boot. The other thing which has gone through my mind is whether the Dynaudio Sub would fit in the back of the wheel when in the boot without rattling around? Once I get the wheel next week, will let you know if the wheel fits in the boot recess and whether the Dynaudio sub fits in the back of it, unless someone else has already tried?
Has anyone else got a fullsize spare in the boot and if so has it affected their cars performance signifcantly enough to notice the difference. I suppose it would be akin to having someone in the back seat all the time.