Tire shop jacked up my peelers!

[rymofo]

Bought a set of used peelers from a member here and the tires were crap, so purchased a set of Hankooks from a local shop in MA and had them mounted today. Peelers still had stock conti's on them.
Inspected my wheels and found these grind marks where they removed the pre existing wheel weights. WTF!

Front Driver's


Front Passenger's


Now my question is about the outer rim of 3 of the wheels. I'm familiar with the machine used to mount tires and I'm pretty sure there is a black rubber piece that slides around the rim while the tire gets pushed onto it. It seems that it grinded the rim down to the bare metal just like the wheel weights (I know the process of mounting tires and removing wheel weights isn't related).
Is this something to expect or a chance you take when mounting new tires? can't be right? If these were powder coated let's say red..it'd stick out like a sore thumb.







The shop manager was sincerely apologetic and understood my concern, he stated he would arrange for a local wheel repairman to refinish the barrels. I didn't notice the outer rims until I got home and wiped them down with a rag so I called and texted him the above pics also.

Do you think these rims can be refinished properly or should I argue for a new set of wheels?? Thanks in advance for the input and sorry for the rant..
-Ryan

[SteveYem]

I think they can be refinished. Luckily the damage is not really on the face of the wheel.
Good luck- hate when stuff like this happens.

[Johnnycash]

i have learned the hard way dealing with stuff like this unfortunately.

now its very simple: I communicate my expectations up front with whoever i am talking to and we do a thorough walk around of the car and or any parts being removed/worked on, and have them note the account that a pre inspection was done and a post inspection will be done and any damages will be dealt with accordingly.

wheels should be fine to be repaired. gl

[s4buckeye]

winter wheels/peelers. get them fixed at the shop's expense then forget about them until you use them for a coffee table in 5 years


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[ChobeG]

How can such incompetent people be employed by these places.. seriously!... i really don't get it... complete lack of common sense and respect to other people's property... I've never seen such stupidity being displayed by any repair shop i have been to here in Australia!... but then again i'm very careful as to where i take my car!... even where i park it!

[rymofo]

i have learned the hard way dealing with stuff like this unfortunately.

now its very simple: I communicate my expectations up front with whoever i am talking to and we do a thorough walk around of the car and or any parts being removed/worked on, and have them note the account that a pre inspection was done and a post inspection will be done and any damages will be dealt with accordingly.

wheels should be fine to be repaired. gl

Thanks for the feedback, good system. I'd hate to be that guy but seems like the safest way. I guess I'm wrong to assume my inspection after the work is done is good enough..thankfully I saw all this before I left.

winter wheels/peelers. get them fixed at the shop's expense then forget about them until you use them for a coffee table in 5 years


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I guess I'm among the few who really like the peelers, I use the stock 18's for my winter setup.

[SteveYem]

Thanks for the feedback, good system. I'd hate to be that guy but seems like the safest way. I guess I'm wrong to assume my inspection after the work is done is good enough..thankfully I saw all this before I left.




I guess I'm among the few who really like the peelers, I use the stock 18's for my winter setup.

I agree, I hate having to be like that but I think any reputable shop would understand the concern, and ultimately wouldn't have much to worry about if they employ competent people.
I also like the peelers FWIW

[LYKUNO]

Inexcusable for a shop to remove the old weights in such a manner as that. I don't trust many tire shops to treat my wheels with the level of care I require, so when I need new tires, I remove the old weights and clean off the glue residue myself and ensure the wheels are totally clean. You can get a set of 4 non-marring scrapers from Harbor Freight for $10.99 that will make safe removal of the weights easy.



Some people use dental floss or fishing line to remove the weights, or plastic razors (available at AutoZone and other retailers). Once the weight are off, an application of Goo Gone or WD-40 or similar product will help remove the adhesive tape residue. To ensure no damage is done to the rims by the tire changing tool, or a careless operator, I look for a shop that uses state-of-the-art Hunter or Corghi tire changers which have lever-less tool heads. Here's a video of a Hunter Revolution changer being used on a carbon fiber wheel at SEMA last year:



Less than 2.5 minutes per wheel regardless of size or type:

[Lindsaaay]

Just refinish them. You're lucky the shop owner is a stand up guy and wants to help you unlike most grimy places I've seen. Good luck with it!


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[Dubious]

I always take pics of parts prior to being worked on because of experiences like this by tire shops and the dealership. This has saved me numerous times already. Make sure the place that refurbished them does it the right way (full paint including barrels) and get proof of warranty if offered.

[rymofo]

Inexcusable for a shop to remove the old weights in such a manner as that. I don't trust many tire shops to treat my wheels with the level of care I require, so when I need new tires, I remove the old weights and clean off the glue residue myself and ensure the wheels are totally clean. You can get a set of 4 non-marring scrapers from Harbor Freight for $10.99 that will make safe removal of the weights easy.


Some people use dental floss or fishing line to remove the weights, or plastic razors (available at AutoZone and other retailers). Once the weight are off, an application of Goo Gone or WD-40 or similar product will help remove the adhesive tape residue. To ensure no damage is done to the rims by the tire changing tool, or a careless operator, I look for a shop that uses state-of-the-art Hunter or Corghi tire changers which have lever-less tool heads. Here's a video of a Hunter Revolution changer being used on a carbon fiber wheel at SEMA last year

Very inexcusable, I couldn't believe it. The tires were short 6psi too! I doubt anyone around me would have the Revolution in their shop without driving to the Boston area but I'm certainly taking the trip next time.

Just refinish them. You're lucky the shop owner is a stand up guy and wants to help you unlike most grimy places I've seen. Good luck with it!


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I've been going to this particular shop for years now, actually my past 4 vehicles. I can't be pissed at him because of what an idiot employee tried to sneak past me though. I shouldn't have said "local shop" because it's an established chain around here, I just don't want to name the place unless I don't get taken care of.

I always take pics of parts prior to being worked on because of experiences like this by tire shops and the dealership. This has saved me numerous times already. Make sure the place that refurbished them does it the right way (full paint including barrels) and get proof of warranty if offered.

I'm curious to see what the cost of refinishing the wheels is vs shelling out for new ones. He mentioned all 4 barrels getting redone before I brought up the outer part of the rims (lips?), so we'll see how our conversation goes tomorrow morning.

[Dubious]

I would guess around 200 per wheel depending on local pricing/competition.

[Pared]

Had the same thing happen to me at a well known shop in NJ. Was not happy.

[sc117]

I have black powder coated peelers and this is my worst nightmare!


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[chaos2984]

The dummy should of just used brake clean to get rid of the old stuff and make the rim surface stickable. That's what I always use. And the outside of the rim doesn't look bad I would clean it up and see what you got. Pics probably don't do them justice. I would never use a grinder on the outside of the wheel. I have always used them on the inside of the wheel. where the beat seat is. You get corrosion and pellage from chrome rims that the new tire wont seal against.

But that tire machine in the video. Trying to find a good shop that has one of those is going to be hard. That machine is 15K. My old shop had one. But we needed it to do the Corvette tires.

[MrFunk]

There's another thread similar to this. Places like Discount Tire or low end shops are used to dealing with people's Civics and Camri's. People who don't care less about their wheels enough to notice wheel weights or even know what they are. These places are volume dealers and treat your wheels and cars accordingly. If you want care to be taken with your car or wheels then you need to find tuner shops or mechanics that meet your level of expectations.

I've never seen a shop grind off weights but it looks like there is still glue on top where it's been ground. Are you sure the wheels didn't already have that?
The curbing on the outter rims. Are you sure it's grind marks? They use a soap to install wheels and it leaves a residue that looks like curbing. It washes off. If it's damaged then have them pay to repair the wheels - I would not trust them to repair them or trust them to have them repaired if they in fact damaged the wheels.

At least this happened on used peelers... and not new fancy rims...

[sacandagaD]

There's another thread similar to this. Places like Discount Tire or low end shops are used to dealing with people's Civics and Camri's. People who don't care less about their wheels enough to notice wheel weights or even know what they are. These places are volume dealers and treat your wheels and cars accordingly. If you want care to be taken with your car or wheels then you need to find tuner shops or mechanics that meet your level of expectations.

At least this happened on used peelers... and not new fancy rims...

This, and hopefully you didn't let them change your oil......

[Dr GP]

Just wondering why the OP picked this shop in the first place. They obviously either don't care what they do to their clients wheels or just don't have the proper equipment to do the job correctly. FYI, I only use a shop that has Hunter GSP equipment or similar. So the money that may have been saved saved on tires is wasted due to the damage inflicted on the wheels. Not to mention the mental aggravation. It sucks. Too many stories like this over the years. When will it stop?

[The Fat Kid]

That sucks.

I recommend Auto Engineering in Lexington if you want to pay a little more for a better mounting/balancing job. They use a Hunter Road Force balancer and Rick, "your daddy", is on AZ.

I have never used them, but RimPro in Tewksbury gets good reviews for refinishing wheels.

[rymofo]

There's another thread similar to this. Places like Discount Tire or low end shops are used to dealing with people's Civics and Camri's. People who don't care less about their wheels enough to notice wheel weights or even know what they are. These places are volume dealers and treat your wheels and cars accordingly. If you want care to be taken with your car or wheels then you need to find tuner shops or mechanics that meet your level of expectations.

I've never seen a shop grind off weights but it looks like there is still glue on top where it's been ground. Are you sure the wheels didn't already have that?
The curbing on the outter rims. Are you sure it's grind marks? They use a soap to install wheels and it leaves a residue that looks like curbing. It washes off. If it's damaged then have them pay to repair the wheels - I would not trust them to repair them or trust them to have them repaired if they in fact damaged the wheels.

At least this happened on used peelers... and not new fancy rims...

Well it's not a discount tire place or local shop, I should have worded that better. I'd say they are the largest chain around here without going to a companys shop like Michelin for example. I just put the wheels on after a clay bar and polish so marks were definitely not there. And the outer rim area is down to the metal from the machine.

Just wondering why the OP picked this shop in the first place. They obviously either don't care what they do to their clients wheels or just don't have the proper equipment to do the job correctly. FYI, I only use a shop that has Hunter GSP equipment or similar. So the money that may have been saved saved on tires is wasted due to the damage inflicted on the wheels. Not to mention the mental aggravation. It sucks. Too many stories like this over the years. When will it stop?

That sucks.

I recommend Auto Engineering in Lexington if you want to pay a little more for a better mounting/balancing job. They use a Hunter Road Force balancer and Rick, "your daddy", is on AZ.

I have never used them, but RimPro in Tewksbury gets good reviews for refinishing wheels.

I've been going here forever and never had anything like this happen. I just got the asshole who doesn't give AF service my car.
I didn't think to go to a tuner shop because I assumed a tire shop could mount new tires without damaging all 4 wheels..seems like a fair expectation when tire sales is basically their entire business right?
I figured a well known chain would have the best equipment...shame on me for not really looking into how different shops mount tires.

Spoke with the manager today, they are completely refinishing all 4 wheels and giving me an aftermarket set to run while they do this.

[pdqgp]

A friend of mine from a local racing club is a tire expert and I've gone where ever he is and works because of the care he shows to his jobs. He now manages a great team that will go mobile with one of two trucks. Best extra $20 I can spend. Anything including installations done with extreme care in my own driveway or at the office.

[JoshDub]

I've never seen a shop grind off weights but it looks like there is still glue on top where it's been ground. Are you sure the wheels didn't already have that?
The curbing on the outter rims. Are you sure it's grind marks? They use a soap to install wheels and it leaves a residue that looks like curbing. It washes off.

I also find is suspicious that there is glue in the sanded off section. I cant imagine why there would still be adhesive on top but ground off all around it. I have a feeling it was already like that but covered by the weights.

Also I would scrub the lips to see if thats just residual goup from changing the tire.

[rymofo]

I also find is suspicious that there is glue in the sanded off section. I cant imagine why there would still be adhesive on top but ground off all around it. I have a feeling it was already like that but covered by the weights.

Also I would scrub the lips to see if thats just residual goup from changing the tire.

This was addressed for obvious reasons and there is no damage underneath the adhesive, it was a poor attempt at removing the old stuff.
The lips were also inspected thoroughly and it is still marked from the mounting machine they used. Manager confirmed this with me also..

[tsaktuo]

Oh man. So sorry to hear that happen to you.

Good luck with getting it resolved.

[jimrobbington]

Just wondering, since I'm contemplating selling my peelers in the future, how much did you pay for them?

[quietcropduster]

A friend of mine from a local racing club is a tire expert and I've gone where ever he is and works because of the care he shows to his jobs. He now manages a great team that will go mobile with one of two trucks. Best extra $20 I can spend. Anything including installations done with extreme care in my own driveway or at the office.

The pic u posted is showing up in the thread title, thought the issue was with Best One, u just scared the shot out of me, now I realize it's not lol

double thumbin' it!

[pdqgp]

The pic u posted is showing up in the thread title, thought the issue was with Best One, u just scared the shot out of me, now I realize it's not lol double thumbin' it!

Haha! On Tap-a-talk it shows LOL! I'll let you give a critique of Derek and his crew when you get yours done. He's awesome and has helped dozens of our friends inside Columbus Racing and neighbors and contacts of mine in town.

[rymofo]

So Town Fair Tire is going to have someone refinish every wheel. They claim he does work for the local VW/Audi dealers around here.
They ordered a set of TSW's for me to run while they send my wheels out and asked me to drive to their location yesterday, which is about 30 mins away.
Turns out they didn't order the correct bolt pattern! Mind you they ordered these store use wheels specifically for my car. Rims and tires are Their entire business!! How can they get this wrong?! So it's another wasted trip and another week until they get the correct set...what a nightmare!!

[agorich]

So Town Fair Tire is going to have someone refinish every wheel. They claim he does work for the local VW/Audi dealers around here.
They ordered a set of TSW's for me to run while they send my wheels out and asked me to drive to their location yesterday, which is about 30 mins away.
Turns out they didn't order the correct bolt pattern! Mind you they ordered these store use wheels specifically for my car. Rims and tires are Their entire business!! How can they get this wrong?! So it's another wasted trip and another week until they get the correct set...what a nightmare!!

...smh. sorry to hear rymofo. did you write down the correct pattern for them? haha.

[rymofo]

...smh. sorry to hear rymofo. did you write down the correct pattern for them? haha.

I made sure he knew, but now I'm having my doubts about how the wheels are going to turn out! I'm thinking about calling their district manager directly and getting $$ instead, I've lost the little faith I had left.
Maybe I'll dip the peelers and use them as winters when the time comes..eventually I'd like some AG's or vossens.

[rymofo]

Little update if anyone cares, and yes this process is still going on. Town Fair shipped in a new set of wheels since they botched the last attempt and guess what..they fit!!
So now I have a set of aftermarket 18" wheels with a knockoff summer tire I've never heard of. I didn't think tires could be bad, I just thought that buying a nice tire like PSS would just improve the handling and performance. But yes, tires can be very bad which these are. They feel very floaty and not planted at all.
I just heard back from the refinisher after a month of no contact and they are just starting to research the color code. I asked them to finish them as close to the oem gunmetal/anthracite color that some peelers come in.
So that's where I'm at..

[14S4GWM]

^ That sucks, sorry dude

[rymofo]

Got the wheels back from ARG Wheels in Fall River, I sent him some pics and gave him some freedom and it's exactly what I wanted. I'm very happy with the outcome, but now my window trim definitely needs to be wrapped. I might need to do something with the center caps now too..

[MrFunk]

Glad it all seemed to have worked out.
I think the window trim looks good as is. Matches your audi rings, exhaust tips and center caps, supercharged side emblem and mirror covers. The "blacked" out look is over done IMO and black window trim is what A4's rock...

[The Fat Kid]

Congrats on getting you wheels back! I am not usually a fan of darker wheels on Gray S4s (I have Daytona), but those look pretty good

Where are you in MA? I have seen a couple other Gray B8.5 S4s in the Cambridge/Somerville area.

[rymofo]

Glad it all seemed to have worked out.
I think the window trim looks good as is. Matches your audi rings, exhaust tips and center caps, supercharged side emblem and mirror covers. The "blacked" out look is over done IMO and black window trim is what A4's rock...

The idea was to change all the emblems but I'm still debating. The mirrors will always stay silver but I like some of the black optics stuff some s4's have.

Congrats on getting you wheels back! I am not usually a fan of darker wheels on Gray S4s (I have Daytona), but those look pretty good

Where are you in MA? I have seen a couple other Gray B8.5 S4s in the Cambridge/Somerville area.

Thanks! I'm In Falmouth so I'm rarely out that way unfortunately, usually just a trip to Boston every once in a while. I'd love to live near the city