Costco tyres

dave.b

I had 4 new tyres fitted at Costco and they have damaged one of the wheels. I have pictures before they touched the car and after.I checked the car before moving it and discovered the damage. I called over the supervisor and showed him the damaged and showed him the pictures I had taken earlier. He agreed that they have damaged the wheel so I asked him to put it on the invoice that they had damaged the wheel. I got a quote to have it repaired but they want the car for 4 days. I sent the quote to Costco and they have agreed to pay, but I must pay for it and they will pay me back.I have asked for compensation for the inconvenience of having no car for 4 days and they said they may give me £20 voucher which I said I would burn if before using it. What I am asking is what are my rights. The car and wheels where in mint condition before and I have pictures do I have just to let them repair the wheel which maybe in a year or two could start to peel and is not as good as it was and compensation,or can I ask for a new wheel which on a Audi TT is about £800 .Thanks David 

AdrianC

Wheels are painted and lacquered from new. There's no reason a decent-quality refurb will be any more prone to peeling than a brand new one. So, no, there is no justification for demanding a brand new wheel that is many times the price of a decent refurb. If you're going down that path, why not just ask for a complete new car instead?

Your rights are to be put back in the position you were in before the damage occurred. In this instance, that means for the cosmetic damage to the paint on a wheel to be repaired. They have agreed to pay for that. They are being eminently reasonable.

You are in the position to choose the refurbisher you wish to use - if you choose to use one that can't provide you with alternative transport, and can't fit the work in at a time convenient to you, that's your choice. Allowing you to organise the work also removes them from any liability as to the quality of the work - that would be solely between you and the refurbisher.

Whether you wish to refuse their offer of compensation out of principle, rather than simply because you don't think the amount is enough, is equally up to you.

It's very easy to damage the finish on alloys when fitting tyres - especially very low profile tyres. You may wish to use a more specialist supplier in the future, to minimise the risk of damage.

dave.b

The wheel is diamond cut alloy and they have cut in to the alloy so no its not just a quick fix. They asked me to get the quote they did not offer. I think where ever I take it you are looking at a few days. The wheel went in the workshop immaculate, original. 

AdrianC

dave.b said:

The wheel is diamond cut alloy and they have cut in to the alloy so no its not just a quick fix.

Still eminently within the scope of a decent refurb, though.

I'm sure many refurbishers will be able to offer you loan wheels for something so commonplace as a Golf-platformed car. Alternatively, it won't be hard for you to minimise your losses by obtaining a cheap set of wheels with legal tyres then reselling.

clive0510

you need to them its diamond cut. friend of mine had to have his wheels refurbed. they are diamond cut and the repairer painted them in plain silver. had to get someone to do it all again.

dave.b

"Alternatively, it won't be hard for you to minimise your losses by obtaining a cheap set of wheels with legal tyres then reselling".Am I missing something here they damage my car and I'm the one who has to run round to get a quote, pay for it and have no car or go and buy some more wheels. 

AdrianC

There is a basic legal precedent that you need to take all reasonable steps to minimise your losses on any damage you want to claim.

Claiming an £800 new wheel instead of a refurb is not minimising your losses.

Finding a refurbisher that can keep you mobile is reasonable, whether that be with loan wheels or a courtesy car.

Do you want them to do the running around to find a refurbisher? What if they decide to use somebody you take against?

What do you want them to do about the four days that the wheel will be being refurbished? Pay for a hire car? That may well be reasonable, if you can show that the use of the car is essential every day during lockdown, and there's no way to schedule the work around it. It's not as if the car is unusable while you're waiting for the work to be done - there is merely a minor cosmetic issue that wasn't there before.

Choosing to have diamond cut alloys (and what profile are the tyres? 35, at a guess?) is a choice that you should make in full awareness of the fact that they will be a pain in use, very vulnerable to damage and corrosion - from weather, kerbing and road debris on a daily-use car; but especially when tyres are being changed by people who are not specialists in very low profile tyres and diamond-cut alloys. You chose to increase that risk by getting the tyres fitted by a cash-and-carry warehouse, instead of by a performance tyre specialist - there was a price trade-off, I'm sure, for that increased risk.

dave.b

AdrianC said:

Choosing to have diamond cut alloys (and what profile are the tyres? 35, at a guess?) is a choice that you should make in full awareness of the fact that they will be a pain in use, very vulnerable to damage and corrosion - from weather, kerbing and road debris on a daily-use car; but especially when tyres are being changed by people who are not specialists in very low profile tyres and diamond-cut alloys. You chose to increase that risk by getting the tyres fitted by a cash-and-carry warehouse, instead of by a performance tyre specialist - there was a price trade-off, I'm sure, for that increased risk.

They are indeed 35,but if they are not capable of fitting said tyres without damaging the wheel first of they inform the customer or may be not sell them. 

AdrianC

Perhaps they should have refused to work on your wheels, or - at least - not worked on them without you signing a disclaimer that you acknowledged there was an inevitably high risk of damage, yes.

But that's beside the point, because they've agreed to cover the cost of rectifying the damage.

The debate over what is reasonable recompense for the inconvenience incurred while that damage is being rectified is not what is under discussion here. I am merely suggesting a way for you to avoid the inconvenience next time. You may wish to take that suggestion in the spirit it is intended...

dave.b

AdrianC said:

The debate over what is reasonable recompense for the inconvenience incurred while that damage is being rectified is not what is under discussion here. I am merely suggesting a way for you to avoid the inconvenience next time. You may wish to take that suggestion in the spirit it is intended...

I agree, what got me most annoyed was I asked was everything ok when I collected my keys and the puzzle nut and the fitter said yes ,he knew he had damaged the wheel as its clear to see the damage. 
Did he hope I wouldn't check the wheels and drive away and discover the damage the following day.
Did the supervisor know and he hoped the same cause he didn't look to surprised when I called him over.
For a big international company to try and have me over is a issue as well. 

AdrianC

At some point, you need to separate "This is OUTRAGEOUS! How DARE they!" from "How can we resolve the issue and get on with life?". Only one of those is in any way useful.