Just returned from my dealer and they say noise is from feathering on tires and they should be replaced. 2018 RAV4 with 18K on it.
My understanding is that feathering is caused by a bad alignment.
Has any one been told the same thing?
I researched it pretty hard hoping to find a recall or known problem but could not find any.
I told them I would agree to pay for what I used on the tires but not the whole tire- pro rate them in other words.
Any others with similar issues?
Thoughts?
How do I fight the dealer on this?
Thanks
Check your warranty book to see how long the alignment is warranted for. If it is still warranted, then they owe you an alignment and tires. If they don’t agree, then look up the customer service number in your owners manual or warranty book and give them a call.
You don’t . Your tires have a separate warranty from the manufacture warranty . And if you had read the manuals that came with the vehicle you would know that.
Find the closest dealer of the brand of tires you have and see what they say about prorating . And if you need an alignment that cost is also on you.
Tester
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Possibly. Wheel alignment/adjustments are covered for 12 months/12,000 miles, your vehicle is 3 years old.
And that could be the Toyota dealer but there is no wear warranty on OEM tires.
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Thanks
Vehicle was put in service December 26, 2018
Not quite 2 years yet!
Here in New England I can cause ANY vehicle to go out of alignment in one afternoon.
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have you had an alignment done since new? have you had the tires rotated since new?
unfortunately, 18k miles is pretty much in the wear zone for tires on a new vehicle. Perhaps a little early, but not unheard of. Car manufacturers tend to use cheaper tires when new in an effort to keep their costs down.
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Some thoughts:
OE tires only have a “Materials and Workmanship” warranty. Any sort of treadwear is not covered (with a couple of exceptions that don’t apply here!).
Will the alignment be covered by the warranty? Probably not. Not only should there have been several tire rotations (if that hasn’t taken place), but there is a lot of things that could knock the alignment out.
It is my experience that the published alignment tolerances ( the range, not the target value) are too wide. They need to be in the inner half to assure good tire wear. Also any camber over 1° is too much for good tire wear.
Further, the OE tires probably aren’t going to wear well anyway. Their specs are geared towards fuel economy, not good wear! Better to get an aftermarket tire.
Your best bet is to find an alignment shop that will dial out the camber if it is excessive and set the toe to the target value - then buy a good wearing tire (one with a high UTQG treadwear rating)
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One pothole, one curb strike, or whatever can knock the alignment out a bit as can some normal settling of the suspension over time. There is no fighting this.
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Thank You all - good stuff!!!
I have done struts on 3-4 equinoxes and found out my latest one has camber bolts installed. Seems to track fine. They are an interesting design. Tires are wearing ok. So far.