Thursday, November 25, 2010

Tire Surprise:(

Gosh I had planned on spending today quietly.
Well...
Driving home after having my tires put on, the sensor light popped on alerting me to low tire pressure. Drat. I then turned around and went back to Costco to have tires checked. The service guy went back to the bays, returned and said don't worry, it often happens with a change of tires and light will probably go off. They didn't bother to check the pressure. (It didn't go on the last few times I had tire changes)
So,
away I drove again with light still on. Got home, had a cup of tea, wrote my blog post and then daughter set off in the car to school. NOT.
Door opened and "Mom?The back tire is flat as a pancake and the passenger one looks flat too!"Yep.
So,
I call Costco tire service and get an answering machine over and over. Called administration and explained and they said wait for a call from tire service. Meanwhile I call CAA to come and give me a tow or fill the tires. Soon Costco calls back and says bring car back and we'll look at it. Half an hour later the nice man from CAA arrives and fills tires with air and follows me to Costco to make sure they stay inflated.
So,
at Costco the mechanic tells me that it is the tire sensors, 3 of them are faulty! They are all causing the tire to leak. What! I drive in and they are fine I leave and they are not? He says it's random and they can go at any time. This car is 2 years old. He says nothing they can do and sensors are under warranty so I should go to dealer.
So,
I call dealer and they say maybe December 7 they can look at car! I say "Wait a minute, the sensors are under warranty." They then say, bring it in and we will see what we can do. ( I have to take it there because the tires are flat and won't stay inflated)
So,
Costco mechanic fills the tires overfull and I drive there petrified that any minute I will be driving on rims. Get to dealer and they all come out to look at car and exclaim over the fact that the tires are inflated to 36, way over limit but I say they did it so I would make the drive here. Tsk, tsking and making it pretty clear that they think Costco damaged the sensors, when prying the tires off the rims and if so, not under warranty. If I had had them done at the dealer, it would be covered etc. Only covered otherwisw if defective.
So,
Costco says they didn't and GM says they probably did...... but we will have wait until they have a good look before they can tell me anything. I will be charged for the dismantling and rim cleanup no matter what.
I am pissed. Sensors cost about $100 each and they absolutely have to be replaced. I hope they are defective and under warranty otherwise I have a big fight on my hands:(
Does seem rather suspicious that I drive in fine and leave with problems. 3 sensors?
So,
I think I need another cup of tea and will get back to what I was doing um, about four hours ago now...... honestly what do they say about best laid plans? Sorry for the odd post but I am venting....

UPDATE: 24 hours later, I get my car back. The sensors are fine, not damaged ( whew) BUT they had obviously been jostled and this is what led to the air leaking around the base of the thingie you put air in. Charge for cleaning rims and resealing, $113. Sigh. Time lost and upset = priceless.
So,
tire change at Costco is the culprit. Next stop on this journey is back to Costco. I wonder what will happen now...

8 comments:

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Son of a gun, I'd be suspicious too. Hope it all works out well!

The Words Crafter said...

That completely stinks!!!! There was a documentary a few years ago about how dealerships and mechanics take advantage of women. I really have to wonder if that's what's going on here. That's absolutely crazy and I wouldn't stand for it.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Tammi Hayne said...

One sensor? Maybe...
THREE at the very same time? Not likely. Costco seems like the culprit. Sorry you're dealing with this fiasco!

Jen said...

urg! Cars!! Can't live with'em. Can't live without'em. Hope Costco bellies up. They've always been really good about this sort of thing. Hope they stay true!

Sapphire Green said...

I know how you feel, having just been caught in a similar catch-22 situation. Stick to your guns and don't let them get away with anything.

Eco Yogini said...

ugh- car people can be so frustrating!
I hope it works out!

Sandy aka Doris the Great said...

Ewwww! That is awful; and an awful worry. It's bad enough that they charge us a fortune for tires. I'm praying all turns out favorable for you.

Limner said...

The dealer should know more about the car than some mechanic at Costco. Don't cave. Common sense, logic and your intuition should be respected. Don't let them fob you off 'cause you're female. Give 'em hell until they do the right thing. I've been taken by people like that before. Learned to "know my car" and how to stand up for myself. I'm with you in spirit. :) Like Tammi said: One maybe, but not three.