Had it less than a day and tire shop scratches a wheel

The day after picking up my TRD Off-Road I went to the tire store to get some AT's put on. The first tire they broke down I noticed they pulled the valve stem to replace it. I told them the 4R is brand new, it only had 32 miles on it and they didn't need to be replaced. They went ahead and did it anyways and managed to put a 1" long scratch on one of my wheels. Needless to say, I'm not happy because it was avoidable if they would have just listened to me!

Fast forward three weeks and I've finally been told by the company handling my claim that they will pay for a replacement wheel. It took them long enough! They will be sending me a check for the wheel and the installation. I'm thinking I should go ahead and put the scratched wheel on the spare (with the show surface facing up). Is there any reason I shouldn't do this? I'm guessing it's probably a bit wider than the steely that the spare tire is on now (which I'm assuming is a 7" rim?).

On a side note, I just got wheel pricing my the dealer I bought it from, not the closest dealer. I didn't realize how much stealerships vary in parts pricing. Here's what I found:

Dealer I purchased it from: $583
Closest dealer: $694
Another 30 minutes away: $385

Those prices don't include tax. If you need replacement parts call around to check pricing (or Google if you have a part number).

 

Using the scratched rim as the spare is a great idea. I don't think there will be any issues with the difference in widths.

You could also sell it online (here or FaceBook market place) for a steep discount. That way you pocket a couple of bucks. Oh, and dealerships ALWAYS have the highest prices for everything.

 

Hey OP @GrimJeeper91
Sorry to hear that, damn, and I'm afraid it's not the first time I've heard of dealership flunky's scratching 5th Gen 4R wheels. Wow, that's frickin expensive.

As for the spare steely, I've done a lot of research on this guy. It is a bit unclear, but some sources say your steely is the same width as your 4R trims wheels (7-1/2"). But, is that incorrect, and are they all 17x7, even on a limited?
I missed the opportunity to measure my steel rim when I had an LT285/70 put on it. Just thinking out loud, I still have my spare off the truck in garage, I bet I could measure the width with a tape measure up to the tire laying on ground if I just take some reference measurements and minus the tire portion..

 

In the event I get a flat I figured it would be nice to have a matching wheel. I'm still keeping the stock tire for the spare instead of having a 5 tire rotation and needing to deal with the TPS for the spare.

I know there are no deals at stealerships, I just didn't expect such a large price difference for the same part from dealers 30 minutes apart.

Something to keep in mind if you need to replace a wheel or any other part. If insurance is covering it and making you do the legwork to document the replacement cost then find the highest price you can and pocket the difference. Unfortunately I didn't claim as much as I could have. If you're out of pocket then obviously you're finding the best deal you can.

 

It was a tire shop (America's Tire), I'm not crazy enough to have a dealership install new tires. I'd hate to think what they would charge!

I figured the steely was either 7 or 7.5" so I'd be surprised if there was a problem putting my scratch wheel back there.

 

AFIK, Limiteds come with a matching spare wheel, along with TPMS already installed.

 

Sorry for your troubles on a brand new ride. Sometimes I wish I had all steel wheels, so I could just paint f*ckups with a spray can.

 

Stealership is right. These price fluctuations are wild.
Good call on putting the outside(show side) of the wheel up. If you put it the other way the hanger would damage the wheel; And the wheel is more likely to catch mud and other junk.

I've had my spare out a couple times now. I can't think of a reason this wouldn't work.

My only issue was on the 7" wide spare wheel there wasn't enough offset to clear my UCA with a full sized spare tire(285/70/17). It would have required a spacer if I were to use it on the front. It also hung very low which worried me since when I offroad I'm already hitting my rear bumper all the time... wanted to preserve as much departure angle as I could.

Long story short I ended up putting a skinny 33" in there (255/80/17) as it works with my SPC upper control arms and won't require a spacer. It also doesn't hang as low.

You would be avoiding the first problem because you have a matching wheel size. It may impact your departure angle a bit though.

 

Time to find a new tire shop.

I just recently had new tires put on my 1st gen Tacoma. I found a good price estimate at a tire shop and then presented it to my service advisor at the dealership I use. He matched the price and I preferred Toyota install the tires. They always get the balance right.

For me it pays to have good repor with the local dealership if possible.

 

I've been working with this America's Tire for probably 20 years and do have a good rapport with them. Just an unfortunate screw up on their part. Had they left the valve stems alone like I suggested there wouldn't have been any problems.

 

It happens, don’t understand why they would want to replace a TPMS on a brand new car.
That’s a head scratcher.

 

They only replaced the valve stems. They moved the TPMS from the factory stems to the new stems. And yes, it is a head scratcher. Why bother when the vehicle is so new. All you do is add additional risk to the job.

 

Try parts.toyota.com and it will allow you to see the online pricing for dealers in your area. Some offer discounts, others sell at retail. I buy the majority of my replacement parts that way and pick them up at the dealer and they also often offer free shipping over a specific amount.

I scraped both passenger side wheels in a rock garden at Windrock Park a couple of weeks ago. That’s why I have Sequoia takeoffs I bought for $200 on FB Marketplace on my ‘07. And why I’ll drive it forever instead of dropping $50K on a new one that comes with the stress of worrying that somebody may ding a door.

Just an observation, and likely an unpopular one - knowingly giving a higher price and pocketing the difference is one reason premiums are going up. I get the motivation, most people hate insurance companies and often not without reasons, but nothing is free. They’re not eating the difference, they’re passing it on to their customers.

 

Discount/America's is why I have aftermarket wheels on my 4R and my wife had an extra set of OEM wheels for her GTI. They gouged all four of the originals on both vehicles. I was able to keep the replacements as well as the damaged one's for the GTI. They employ lots of low skill workers who don't really care about the quality of their work at my local DT.

 

I’ve had really good luck with DT for 20+ years. The only issue I’ve ever had was a broken lug on my old Xterra. The manager referred me to a shop and it was fixed at their expense the next day.

 

I'm getting it from the dealer I got the quote from and provided to the insurance company. This is the dealer that I bought the 4R from that's 30 minutes from me. Had I quoted the dealer 5 minutes from me the wheel would have cost more so I ended up saving the insurance company money.

 

Right, you didn’t do it, but you recommended that other people do it. I could’ve worded that better. In any case, I’m not on a high horse or whatever, not saying it’s right or wrong, just stating the facts of how such things work. In fact, what really surprises me about insurance companies is that they don’t even seem to care what you actually spend vs. what they give you. I had hail damage on my brand new Xterra back in 2002. Insurance gave me a check for $1700 but I went with paintless dent repair and it only cost me $1100. They kind of laughed at me when I called and asked where to return the difference. Boy, was I naïve. LOL

BTW, I was astounded at the PDR job. The truck was black and it was absolutely flawless. You couldn’t tell anything had even happened to it except for one little spot on the curve between the roof and the side that they just couldn’t get to. But the dent was tiny, and you wouldn’t ever see it unless you were looking.

 

Besides insurance claims my son has '20 Tundra pro with the BBS forged Trd wheels. One rim has some road rash where he scrapped a curb just cosmetic. Heard that some places can repair and refinish these rims. These rims are pushing $800 a piece. Anybody have experience to share in repairing these rims scratched or otherwise. Have heard it can be done if you can find the right place.

 

This is an unfortunate accident and America's/Discount Tire hopefully paid the bill for a new wheel. This is why a tire-changing machine is the next garage toy on my list. Make sure to buy an additional TPMS sensor if you're going to put one up in the spare location.

 

I initially provided the part number to the insurance company so they could find out what it costs. They pushed it back on me to get quotes for everything and provide the documentation. After waiting three weeks I get to drive 20 minutes each way to the dealer to pick up the wheel (at the replacement cost provided to insurance) and then spend another hour at the tire shop getting things swapped out. I had the dealer quote both the wheel and labor but I'm taking it back to the tire shop. My time isn't free so I don't feel guilty about coming out ahead on the labor side. Particularly since I'm saving the insurance company about $250 by not getting it done at the stealership that's five minutes from my house.

That's really good feedback on the PDR! I had a baseball ding in my prior car that bugged the crap out of me for years. I wish I would have gone this route!

 

They just turned it into insurance. My America's Tire has taken very good care of me over many years and this is the first time there was a problem. It was an unfortunate accident and they did their part to get the claim filed quickly so no complaints.