Anyone ever tell a main dealer exactly what the problem is only to have them pretty much ignore you?
Back in December I had a slow leak from the offside rear wheel. Spotted that it was leaking via the valve stem due to bubbles in heavy rain. I took it to the local tyre place and had them fit a new stem but they noted that the alloy had corroded near the stem and advised that I eventually might need to have the wheels refurbed (this is stock alloys for a 2010 Honda Insight ES). They cleaned it up, fitted the new stem and all was well for a while
Come service and MOT time I mentioned it to the dealer, who said they thought I might have a case for goodwill, as the corrosion on the wheels looked unusual for a 4 year old car. They photographed the wheels, got in touch with Honda and told me that they were waiting for news on whether Honda would contribute to refurb or replacement costs. Apparently the claim was rejected but nobody bothered to get in touch with me and I left it as, cosmetic appearance aside, it wasn't causing an immediate problem. I can't complain about the rejection either as it's well out of warranty and there are a couple of minor kerbing scuffs.
Over the last few weeks I've noticed the front nearside wheel losing air gradually - to the tune of about 1-2 psi per day. I also noted a superficial crack in the valve stem but wasn't sure if it was losing air. Given the previous discussion about the wheels with the dealer I decided to get them to check it. I also told them about the previous wheel deterioration / tyre stem issue and specifically asked them to check the tyre stem.
Roll on the end of the day. They confirmed the rejection of my earlier goodwill claim and quoted £230ish for refurb of all four wheels. They said they couldn't find a leak but noticed a very minor cut that they couldn't be sure was leaking any air and didn't seem deep Were it not for the air loss, they wouldn't normally recommend a tyre replacement for a cut that minor but it was too near to the sidewall to consider a repair either. Hence a recommendation for a tyre change. Thankfully I wanted to match my existing tyres and they didn't have any in stock so they held off the replacement.
Anyway - roll on to this evening and I decided I'd have a go at seeing if I could locate a leak. Grabbed a bowl of soapy water, splashed some on the wheel, made sure I'd brushed away any initial bubbles and 5 minutes later there's this:
10 minutes later there's this:
Yes, I know they need a wash and a refurb, but how hard can it be?! - especially as the first thing I suggested was check the valve.
Back in December I had a slow leak from the offside rear wheel. Spotted that it was leaking via the valve stem due to bubbles in heavy rain. I took it to the local tyre place and had them fit a new stem but they noted that the alloy had corroded near the stem and advised that I eventually might need to have the wheels refurbed (this is stock alloys for a 2010 Honda Insight ES). They cleaned it up, fitted the new stem and all was well for a while
Come service and MOT time I mentioned it to the dealer, who said they thought I might have a case for goodwill, as the corrosion on the wheels looked unusual for a 4 year old car. They photographed the wheels, got in touch with Honda and told me that they were waiting for news on whether Honda would contribute to refurb or replacement costs. Apparently the claim was rejected but nobody bothered to get in touch with me and I left it as, cosmetic appearance aside, it wasn't causing an immediate problem. I can't complain about the rejection either as it's well out of warranty and there are a couple of minor kerbing scuffs.
Over the last few weeks I've noticed the front nearside wheel losing air gradually - to the tune of about 1-2 psi per day. I also noted a superficial crack in the valve stem but wasn't sure if it was losing air. Given the previous discussion about the wheels with the dealer I decided to get them to check it. I also told them about the previous wheel deterioration / tyre stem issue and specifically asked them to check the tyre stem.
Roll on the end of the day. They confirmed the rejection of my earlier goodwill claim and quoted £230ish for refurb of all four wheels. They said they couldn't find a leak but noticed a very minor cut that they couldn't be sure was leaking any air and didn't seem deep Were it not for the air loss, they wouldn't normally recommend a tyre replacement for a cut that minor but it was too near to the sidewall to consider a repair either. Hence a recommendation for a tyre change. Thankfully I wanted to match my existing tyres and they didn't have any in stock so they held off the replacement.
Anyway - roll on to this evening and I decided I'd have a go at seeing if I could locate a leak. Grabbed a bowl of soapy water, splashed some on the wheel, made sure I'd brushed away any initial bubbles and 5 minutes later there's this:
10 minutes later there's this:
Yes, I know they need a wash and a refurb, but how hard can it be?! - especially as the first thing I suggested was check the valve.
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