Last week (Thursday) I bought a used cart (2012 Kia) and the dealership agreed to replace all 4 tires.
I called to set up an appointment to replace the tires.
The service guy informed me the dealership had just had a “meeting” (about what he did not say) regarding my tires, and that I would have to set up the appointment to replace the tires through the salesman who sold me the car.
The salesman, however, said he would get back with me after he talked with the service department; by the time the service dept. left (at 530p).
If the salesman is supposed to handle the tire replacement - why does he have to look into something? I am confused.
My questions are:
Is it normal to have “tire meetings” after a contract has been signed to replace all 4 tires?
How long is a reasonable amount of time to wait for the dealership to replace my tires once I request an appointment to do that?
It sounds like they don’t want to pay and are giving you the runaround. If you have a signed agreement including new tires in the purchase price, DEMAND that they honor the contract. Be prepared to go to small claims court if they don’t.
Most likely, they are dickering over which department or person will pay for the tires, and–more than likely–the salesman was the loser.
Just bear in mind that whatever tires they may eventually agree to give you will surely NOT be very good ones. As long as you are prepared to accept negative factors such as…short tread life…less-than-optimum traction…and high rolling resistance, then you should persist in trying to get the tires that were included in the deal.
On the other hand, if you are in the habit of using high-quality tires, I think that you will be very disappointed with the tires that they mount on your car.
Thank you Joe and VDC. These are very helpful comments.
I am still waiting to hear from the salesman - any other time prior to the purchase they returned my calls quite rapidly - I assume they hit a speed bump.
In my neck of the woods, dealers who replace tires on cars coming off of lease or that are traded in, almost always seem to install Runway brand tires. If they attempt to give you tires of that brand, I suggest you tell them that you do NOT want tires that were made in China.
The “meeting” was about who was going to pay for the tires…The salesman might have overstepped his authority…The tires probably cost more than his commission on the sale…
Find out what brand and model tire they are planning to install. As others have said, they’ll probably be the cheapest/crappiest tires money can buy. In which case they may be even worse than the existing tires on the car, whatever they are.
I would ask them instead for a new tire allowance of, say, $200 cash, and put that towards buying a set of good tires elsewhere. Go to tirerack.com and read user reviews and survey results for the type of tire you want, probably all-season radial. You’ll find excellent unbiased info from tire customers and then can make your own informed decision.
Otherwise I suspect you’ll end up with very inferior “new” tires that will have all the traction of bowling balls.
Keep calling the salesman. If he doesn’t return the calls, talk to the sales manager and keep moving up the chain of command if you don’t get satisfaction. If it is not in writing, go buy your own tires.
Yeah I think the tires are coming out of the sales budget so the salesman has to pony up the correct account to pay for it. That’s program budgeting or what we used to call management by objectives for you. An objective, budget, tasks, and performance criteria for everybody so no one wants to pay. Sorry got a little off track.
Sounds like people aren’t on the same page as to who promised what and who is going to pay for it. It could be that the salesman, under pressure as always to close the deal, promised something that he shouldn’t have.
Once this is all cleared up you might drop by the dealership and see if the guy is still employed there…
Does the contract specify the make and model of tire to be used for the replacement? If it doesn’t, and you haven’t reached an agreement on that beforehand, I think what’s happening is this expense is coming out of some person’s budget there, and that person is trying to find the least expensive tires they can find, to minimize their expense. And the delay is just that they have to order them and wait for them to arrive. Hopefully this isn’t the case, and you’ve already agreed on the make and model of the tire. In which case still they may just be waiting on them to arrive.
I’ve been in a similar situation once. I found a used Lincoln I wanted to buy at a dealership. I was happy with the car, other than the auto climate control didn’t work properly. I knew what was wrong with it, and that it wasn’t a costly repair, maybe $200. The salesperson and I agreed upon a price for the car, but I stipulated that I wanted the climate control repaired before I would buy it.
Then the sales manager got involved and said I would have to buy the car and then they would make me an appointment in service to get it fixed. I refused, stating I wanted it in working order before I signed. Ultimately we never could come to an agreement and I walked away. Didn’t make sense to me, lose a $10,000 car sale over a $200 repair.
If you have it in writing as part of your sales contract be insistent that they replace the tires. Point out to the sales manager or general manager that you have it in writing.
Bottom line…“don’t make a final payment” on a new car or take delivery until you get all you want . The exception would be factory warranty service and parts that the dealer will get repaid for. Dealerships are reluctant to part with money ! You can’t blame them. They have up front operating costs. Operate on a strictly pay/go regime when buying cars and hiring private contractors. If you have a history with the dealership and they have always stood by their promises, you can make exceptions. But even then, everything in writing is best.
Unless you specifically agreed upon the tire make and model, I agree, they can and will use the cheapest low grade trie they can find…
Caddyman, I suspect you’re right. But I did want to add a few comments anyway.
If you make a deal wherein the salesman promises new tires, and stays true to his word, you’ll probably get the cheapest tires ever made. But take 'em. They’ll still have to comply with the minimum D.O.T. requirements, and when they wear out you can put what you want on the vehicle. Then learn from the experience.