jnyquist Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 First, to introduce myself, I was a 5th gen owner from 2001 - 2006, and came back into the fold with another 5th gen about 3 weeks ago. The '99 I just bought has a little over 10k miles on it, and still had the original Z4's on it. They were not worn about, but it took me all of 1/4 mile to know that they were not safe. After doing some light research, I decided to purchase a set of Angel GT's, and it was just a matter of if I was going to spoon them on myself or be lazy..... Well, laziness got the better of me, and I called a shop not far from my house to purchase the tires and mount them. Originally, I was just going to drop the bike off, but I had some free time on Sunday and I have a nice front end stand, so I pulled the wheels off and dropped them off Monday morning. Now, first off I will admit that I did NOT pay super close attention to the rims after I took them off. I can say with pretty good certainty that the Wheels had likely never been off the bike before (again, original factory rubber was still on it). I will also say that while I was pretty careful, there's always a chance I could have caused a chip in the paint. Fast forward to yesterday, and I get a voicemail from the shop owner saying the wheels/tires were ready to be picked up. I called him back to make a payment, and was sending my daughter over to pick them up (shop closes at 5, I'm rarely home from work before 6). He tells me that either I need to be more careful taking my wheels off or some other prior shop had damaged it, but he says the front wheel is a real mess of scratches. Now, I'm not want to lose it right off the bat... I figured ok, my daughter will pick them up and I'll have a look in the evening. Holy crap. Huge scratches on both sides of the rim, and scratches of length ... like some in the 10" range, and not just along the rim edge... on the inner part by the spokes! WTF? The wheel was not 'clean' when I pulled it off... it had a light dusting of brake dust.... the scratches were extremely clean. So, the first part of being stupid was... I should have just done the work myself and not been lazy. The second part of being stupid was... I should have used my phone to take some pics of the rims when I dropped them off AT THE SHOP. This would have proven pretty conclusively that those scratches were not there when I handed them over. I haven't really come to terms with how I'm going to proceed with this place. But rest assured, I will be advising all of my local m/c friends and acquaintences to avoid that shop. Reality is, I can't say conclusively that I didn't do the damage (but I can be damn sure it wasn't there when I bought the bike 3 weeks ago)... plus, the wheel wasn't spinning when I took it off so even if I wasn't careful w/ the calipers, I can't see how the wheel could have been damaged in the way it is. Really friggen aggravating. I used to own a black car, so I already had some black touch-up paint which I quickly painted over all the scratches... but seriously.. WTF? I am going to make myself write, with a pen or pencil, 1000x that I shall NOT be lazy and have ANYONE touch my bikes again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted April 17, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 17, 2014 Amen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer MaxSwell Posted April 17, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 17, 2014 Sounds like a service shop to be avoided at all costs. I've always had my tire changes (dozens) done by my local dealer, Honda Town. And I've never had cause to complain. They are great in every respect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer FJ12Ryder Posted April 17, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 17, 2014 That's why I started doing my own tire changes. It wasn't to save money, just to stop ham-fisted "mechanics" from doing any more damage to my painted rims. Especially after I got them powdercoated. And their reaction when you confront them with the damage is either "They came in that way" or "We'll take some off the tire change price, sorry". I worked in a Yamaha shop waaaaaay back in the 80's and I changed a lot of tires using a Coats tire changing machine. We never scratched rims, because in order to do so you had to be a total idiot. The wheel retainers had a rubber cover and the mount/dismount bar had hard plastic covers. You used these when changine tires that were mounted on painted rims. It was brain-dead simple!! If a shop today can't invest in the necessary hardware/machinery to keep from scratching painted rims, they have no business being in business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer JeffInFranklinTN Posted April 17, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 17, 2014 Sounds like a service shop to be avoided at all costs. I've always had my tire changes (dozens) done by my local dealer, Honda Town. And I've never had cause to complain. They are great in every respect. Yep my dealer too. Honda of Cool Springs has been great to me for doing tire changes and let me bring my own new tires to mount. Not once have they said "Buy tires from us or we won't mount them." Have had many tires changed there no damage on any wheels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfrAustin Posted April 17, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 17, 2014 What I would do. IF the scratches are very fresh and shinny where exposed Alu is. IF I was confident they caused the scratches I would go there and get pissed off at them. it's OK to be made when a shop Fs your bike up. you should not be mad at yourself for trusting a shop to do a good job. Know what you expect as a satisfactory resolution before going. Money? Pay for them to be repainted? Know what the resolution would be. if it's a sorry, don't bother. it wont make you feel better every time you look at your bike. Do nothing and deal with the scratches to me is not an option. Worth a try... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted April 17, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 17, 2014 You hate to read stuff this and I hope they will do the right thing BUT you have to report it to the shop manager. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfr350 Posted April 18, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 18, 2014 At this point you wonder if you even got your wheels back, maybe just swapped with a scratched set they had out back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer MBrane Posted April 18, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 18, 2014 The paint on 5th gen wheels is easily scratched, but that is no excuse. I do my own for 2 reasons: My neighbor has tire warmers, a changer, a balancer, and a kegerator. Tires swap sooooo much easier when they are nice 'n warm. There is only one local shop out of many that I trust to do quality work, and they are 10 miles away. Many people don't have either option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud786 Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 I cant imagine how a shop could do that much damage even using table knifes as tools, and most have the auto mated machines. Now when they drive down the locking collar on the inner hub, that can scratch circular in that area, I used to tape that area for protection, when carrying wheels in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer jim v Posted April 18, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 18, 2014 Definitely talk to the shop manager/owner. It's possible that the wrench jockey scratched your wheels up and then covered his a55 by saying - "oh, those were all beat up when they came in." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnyquist Posted April 18, 2014 Author Share Posted April 18, 2014 Well, I called .. and the shop owner says he did the wheels himself and he isn't taking any responsibility. Lesson learned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer gll429 Posted April 18, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 18, 2014 ALWAYS take pix!!! take a pic of the person accepting the wheels with the wheels! t take pix ON their flooring or wall or whatever. and tell them they owe you $150 for powder coating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer tbzep Posted April 18, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 18, 2014 I've put a scratch or two on my wheels over the years doing manual tire changes, but I'd have to really go out of my way to purposely do that much damage, especially away from the edges of the rims. With their pneumatic tire changing machines, they shouldn't have done any damage at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Bassie Posted April 18, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 18, 2014 Oh please, you can't change a tire without some marks, it's simply impossible. Before all jump at the shop, may we have some pictures of the damage? Mine where changed by my son (bike mechanic at a shop) and there was some scratches, not bad, but if you see how tires are changed it's normal it happens. You simply can't change a tire without leaving marks behind, sorry you can't. I would like to see some pictures of the damage before reaching any conclusion at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer gll429 Posted April 18, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 18, 2014 Oh please, you can't change a tire without some marks, it's simply impossible. Before all jump at the shop, may we have some pictures of the damage? Mine where changed by my son (bike mechanic at a shop) and there was some scratches, not bad, but if you see how tires are changed it's normal it happens. You simply can't change a tire without leaving marks behind, sorry you can't. I would like to see some pictures of the damage before reaching any conclusion at all. i would call you all kinds of names ,..but i dont want to get banned...again.. simply put. you use the right tools and no marks are made. its that simple. you think i left any marks on a pair of 20 k gold plated wheels that cost $7500 ..EACH ??? no i didnt. and i dont leave marks on $100 ebays wheels either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer MadScientist Posted April 18, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 18, 2014 you use the right tools and no marks are made. its that simple. Lol, you would think so but I've seen people use the right tools in some of the most careless and incompetent ways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer gll429 Posted April 18, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 18, 2014 you use the right tools and no marks are made. its that simple. Lol, you would think so but I've seen people use the right tools in some of the most careless and incompetent ways. yep.. you are 1,000,000.000 % correct. i keep forgetting just how many know it all bosses that have screwed up EVERYTHING . from the smallest wire fix.(he set the bike on fire TOTALED THE BIKE). to a grip changed. (he forgot the straps are on the grips.. removed the strap and the bike fell of the lift.) to a motor rebuild.. do you really need a clue about what happened? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rush2112 Posted April 18, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 18, 2014 Sounds like a service shop to be avoided at all costs. I've always had my tire changes (dozens) done by my local dealer, Honda Town. And I've never had cause to complain. They are great in every respect. Yep my dealer too. Honda of Cool Springs has been great to me for doing tire changes and let me bring my own new tires to mount. Not once have they said "Buy tires from us or we won't mount them." Have had many tires changed there no damage on any wheels.+1. Honda of Cool Springs mechanics are good guys... had them balance my front after I mounted my tire and he didn't even charge me... it was closing time and he threw the tire on the balancer and spun it... called me over and said "you hear that growl, that's your wheel bearings" ...I tried to pay him and said keep the money and get yourself some wheel bearings... Sent from my SCH-I200 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud786 Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Oh please, you can't change a tire without some marks, it's simply impossible. Before all jump at the shop, may we have some pictures of the damage? Mine where changed by my son (bike mechanic at a shop) and there was some scratches, not bad, but if you see how tires are changed it's normal it happens. You simply can't change a tire without leaving marks behind, sorry you can't. I would like to see some pictures of the damage before reaching any conclusion at all. i would call you all kinds of names ,..but i dont want to get banned...again.. simply put. you use the right tools and no marks are made. its that simple. you think i left any marks on a pair of 20 k gold plated wheels that cost $7500 ..EACH ??? no i didnt. and i dont leave marks on $100 ebays wheels either. To tell ya the truth, I wouldn't touch those wheels without a written liability clause, just not worth the money for the amount of risk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer gll429 Posted April 19, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 19, 2014 Lolol yeah... but i am the guy who built the bike!!! yes it was the know it al boss with tons of money paying for it... but i told him.. get the coats tire changer to do it.. i wont do it with our no mar set up.. not on a 400 rear wheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer rangemaster Posted April 19, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 19, 2014 My brother has some kind of high-zoot tire machine in his rod shop. When you are putting tires on a set of $20,000 custom made one-off wheels for Rick Hendrick, there ARE NO scratches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnyquist Posted April 20, 2014 Author Share Posted April 20, 2014 I know, I know... no picture, it didn't happen! The attached picture is a scratch on the rear wheel that also was not present. The rear wasn't nearly as bad as the front. The placement of the scratches is almost identical on both wheels. The front I've already used touchup paint on... so no pics.. Sorry. -Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Bassie Posted April 20, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 20, 2014 That is a bad scratch, certainly not what I meant with scratches that are there after a tire change. I meant very tiny marks, the kind you have to look very good to see else you won't notice it. This is simply a bad job they did. In fact I call this damage and not really a scratch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfr350 Posted April 20, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 20, 2014 Ok you know what i think i have one of those scars had to fix w a sharpe, i didnt see it till later as well, bastards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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