Dealer issues... yay!

[jblwinter]

alright, here's the thing...

without giving me any to agree to, they installed smaller than OEM tires on the truck. 265-65-17 instead of 265-70-17 which is nearly 4% difference in speed (my 60mph is actually near 55mph). at the same time from what i've been able to find, they installed Duelers on it... which were recalled by toyota to begin with due to sidewall buldging and leaking beeds. this is exactly why toyota now puts BFG tires on all models of FJ's after the recall anouncement.

so... not only did they install the wrong size tires, they also installed tires that they're not suppose to have in the first place anymore. AND! it's kinda hard to miss what size tire to put on when the spare tire still has it's original 265-70-17 Dueler on it! not to mention the sticker in the door jam...

so, that being said. it was bought used, was NOT bought "as is", i put an extended full 3yr/36k bumper to bumper warranty on it *yes bumper to bumper, not just extended engine/powertrain* and it is a "toyota certified pre-owned vehicle"... i SHOULD be able to get them to put the right tires on it yes? i literally bought it about 2-3 weeks ago... i still haven't even gotten the plates yet. i mean they shouldn't complain much, the BFG's that it's supose to have now are cheaper in price than the duelers so they shouldnt wine too much

 

[Mtbcoach]

Why did you take delivery if it isn't what you asked for? Although, your story is a bit confusing. I don't understand when the tires were installed, how nobody noticed the error and you accepted delivery. And, this is a used vehicle sold with an "aftermarket" warranty, depending on your state laws, you may have no recourse.

This doesn't seem to be a warranty issue and I've never seen any warranty that covers tires. I'd go back in an effort to have a "meeting of the minds" to get it resolved, good luck...

 

[jblwinter]

it originally had 265-70-17 tires on it when i bought it. they put new tires on it due to the original tires were below the resale / repair level allowed by state law on tread life. i didn't notice the size difference *hard to tell from only 1 series step down without a physical comparison* until i started following a freind who was doing 65mph on the highway. on my gauge it stated nearly 72mph where as his vehicle is a stock haundi *spell?*. so i went and matched it to the local state patrol radar and it was stating a slow speed than my speedo. so i checked tire size and noticed the series was lower than it was suppose to be.

at the same time, it's not an aftermarket warranty. it's Toyota's 3yr/36k bumper to bumper, the dealer i got my vehicle from will redo the bumper to bumper warranty for an extra charge if the used vehicle in question is a full pass vehicle for certification inspection and is below 60k miles *i barely made the mark at 57k*. i took delivery of the vehicle assuming they had put the proper tire size on the vehicle before handing me the keys.

the main issue here is that THEY put the wrong tire size on... at the same time THEY put a tire model that is NOT suppose to be put on the FJ cruisers anymore after the announcment of the recall for said tires *from direct email from toyota tech, after the announcement of the recall, no FJ cruiser was to even have replacement tires of michelin dueler or dubler models. that they are to have BFG all-terrain TA's or BFG Rugged Terrain TA's to be the official OEM choice of replacement*.

 

[Mtbcoach]

I understand.

Where I live, I get an invoice for the work to be done, that I sign/authorize. If they didn't uphold that agreement, they should make it right, yet...

You didn't take the time to look at what you received before leaving. No excuse for that, sorry...

As I said above, go back, be nice and negotiate, good luck...

 

[7228]

was it a toyota dealer. they did put the wrong tires but the recall was only because beds got riped in factory. they replaced them with the same tires all 5. when you go to the dealer just point out the tire on the rear and sticker. if thay are a good dealer thay will put new ones on

 

[Romain]

265/65/17 ist the original size for the J120/Prado Series.
Maybe your dealer made the mistake by changing from such a car ?

 

[bkfj40]

They likely put that size on since it was what they had on hand. Your argument makes no sense to me at all. I'm sure that the announcement did not say that an FJ Cruiser should never have michelin dueler tires on it. The announcement might have listed suggested replacements on for new FJ Cruiser tires. Yours is used. If you don't like used, you should have bought new.

Would you have been upset if they would have replaced the stock tires with one size up from OEM?

 

[Michael Hanson]

They should have put the same size tire back on. MIke

 

[REKCUT]

Its a used car. There is no law or rule that it has to have factory sized tires. There are many used trucks out there with up sized tires. Lots of people put 20's and 22's on trucks. You buy a used car as is unless you have something in writing. If you have a bill of sale that states tire size you are stuck with what you took possession of. No dealer is going to go back and replace tires because they are one size off.

 

[jblwinter]

actually, yes there is a law to which the dealerships are to follow... atleast in my state there is.

appon delivery of the vehicle, if parts used on the vehicle are not of stock ratings (IE a smaller or biger tire size than stock ratings) the dealer is then held responsible for any damages to the vehicle either by accelerated wear and tear or by endangering the buyer with too big of tire or poor load ratings. the dealer is then suppose to give you a waiver to sign stating that you fully understand that there are parts on the vehicle that are not of stock rating. THIS DOES NOT MEAN STOCK TOYOTA PARTS, ONLY RATINGS.

for example there are MR2 MotorSport wheels on my FJ that came with it. these wheels are of stock FJ cruiser size on width, diameter and offset. because of this, they are of stock rating for the vehicle.

as for the tires, they are 265-65-17 with a load ratting of 110 and came off a Toyota Tacoma they had sold a few days earlier. since my FJ came in with rather worn winter tires on it, they threw these "pull offs" on it. understandable to the general business man... but still against the law in this state to have delivered the vehicle without signing a waiver for it. Toyota's Tech sheet listing for STOCK RATING on tires for the FJ cruiser is 265-70-17 with a minimal load rating of 112.

i don't care how close the numbers are, it's still below stock rating and as a toyota certified used vehicle, of which comes with a NEW VEHICLE 3yr/36k mile bumper to bumper warranty.... it still falls into the stock rating regulations of toyota and by the state.

BUT!!! because they did such a wonderful job on the 60k maintainence (of which they only charged me for about half of what was replaced, and ya, i sat and watched them do it due to my lack of trust in dealership service of late...) i decided not to make such a huge fuss over it. after further proving it to be a rather large problem they gave it a full alignment adjustment due to the smaller tires throwing the camber and toe off, for free. they replaced just about every checked part for the 60k, more than half being parts that are not replaced without extra charge over 60k. and after all this it is running ALOT smoother than before... and i have yet to give it a sea-foam treatment to clean out it's heads...

EDIT: also, they did not replace all 5 tires. the spare tire is actually still the factory Dueler of which shows no signs of ever being used... but i bet ya a million bucks it's a death trap tire waiting to happen when a load gets put on it...

 

[REKCUT]

I guess I am confused then. If it the law and they didnt provide the documentation then just take it back or call the attorney general if they wont. Pretty cut and dry. If the law only pertains to new cars as I am guessing then your out of luck. Assumption is the mother of all f**kups as they say. If your as OCD about your truck as you seem( and thats not a bad thing. More people should take an interest in there vehicle) then its your fault for not checking out the truck. Used cars are sold every day with issue that the new owner didnt pick up on and wont for weeks or longer.

Warranty has nothing to do with tire size.

As far as the tire being dangerous your just wrong. The tires were recalled as 7228 eluded to, because they were damaged on install. There was never an issue with the manufacturing of the tire. It also only applied to a very small number of first run 07 FJC's. Toyota continued to install bridgestones until they were underbid by another company. The dealer has nothing to gain by not changing out the spare as toyota would cover the cost. Not the dealer.

I am also not sure how you bought a certified toyota with bald tires on it. They have a list of items that have to be inspected and passed for it to become certified and tire would be on that list. From your story it sound like they sold you a truck and the tires wouldnt pass inspection so they gave you a set off a tacoma. First thing you should have done then is check out what tires they gave you.

I know it suck to find issues with a used car after you bought it, but it is used. Its buyer beware. Next time I bet you check the tires and the spare. Mark it up as education.

 

[Mtbcoach]

I guess I am confused then. If it the law and they didnt provide the documentation then just take it back or call the attorney general if they wont. Pretty cut and dry. If the law only pertains to new cars as I am guessing then your out of luck. Assumption is the mother of all f**kups as they say. If your as OCD about your truck as you seem( and thats not a bad thing. More people should take an interest in there vehicle) then its your fault for not checking out the truck. Used cars are sold every day with issue that the new owner didnt pick up on and wont for weeks or longer.

Warranty has nothing to do with tire size.

As far as the tire being dangerous your just wrong. The tires were recalled as 7228 eluded to, because they were damaged on install. There was never an issue with the manufacturing of the tire. It also only applied to a very small number of first run 07 FJC's. Toyota continued to install bridgestones until they were underbid by another company. The dealer has nothing to gain by not changing out the spare as toyota would cover the cost. Not the dealer.

I am also not sure how you bought a certified toyota with bald tires on it. They have a list of items that have to be inspected and passed for it to become certified and tire would be on that list. From your story it sound like they sold you a truck and the tires wouldnt pass inspection so they gave you a set off a tacoma. First thing you should have done then is check out what tires they gave you.

I know it suck to find issues with a used car after you bought it, but it is used. Its buyer beware. Next time I bet you check the tires and the spare. Mark it up as education.

Well said, I was beginning to think I was in the Twilight Zone after reading the story...

 

[Lemony]

you'd have to be crazy not to have 22's if your going used.

 

[jblwinter]

The dangerous tire comment was not due to its recall statement. I know What the recall was for, the dangerous side to it is for its size and load rating. A very good example is the whole Firestone +explorer thing that happened in the mid 90s due to both a poorly designer vehicle and improperly matched tires that had lower load ratings than what was needed for the vehicle IE tires that were not capable of holding the vehicle's weight. Its part of the "fine print" details that many neglect to read. The same fine print alot of people forget to read about the FJ, for example, people complaining that the fj's drivetrain is a complete failure after their rear different blows out on the freeway... had they read proper operation of their rear different locking system it states you can't run the system all the time, specially when doing highway speeds. The gearing heats up and begins to suffer metal fatigue and begins to go down hill from there... fine print, fine print, fine print...

In a way I too failed to read a kind of fine print by not seeing the tire size differences beafore I left the lot with the truck.

 

[REKCUT]

Again have to disagree with you on the spare. I seem to recall that many, many vehicles have what we call donuts for spare tires. Very small, easily stored Spare tires that allow you to get to a service station and have your flat fixed. Nowhere is it ever implied that a car has to be sold with a 5 rotation set of tires. I would argue that your spare is far better than any of those donut spare equipped cars. Now if the truck had 275 tires on the right side and 265 tires on the left then you would have a safety issue.

Again, I am not disagreeing with you on the idea of wanting my truck to have 5 equal tires, and I also would not have been happy with a smaller set of tires. I almost always add larger tires the minute I purchase one. My first set on my fj was 285's and the second is 295. ( still have the factory sized spare). The points I have made are toward your question of ;

"i SHOULD be able to get them to put the right tires on it yes?"

Unless you have something in writing that states the size of the tires, or the law you spoke of covers your truck, you have no leg to stand on when it comes to arguing with the dealer on giving you another set of tires.