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Gentleman,
l’m looking for some insight on my dealing with Costco.
Reconditioned OEM wheels were provided when I purchased new tires from Costco. During the purchase I requested stick-on weights. Problem is they never made note on the paperwork. Since the tires had to be ordered, it was a few days before installation. When picking up the Ex after installing the new wheels and tires, I noticed that they used clip-on weights. I could see a place where they repositioned a weight from the damage to the clear coat finish. During my pickup, they said the reason for using clip-on’s was they didn’t have the proper weights that would clear the calipers.
I filed a damage claim and today provided my statement to Costco’s third party claims contractor.
everything was explained including the fact that these are aluminum wheels and it’s not acceptable to use this type of weights.
Who puts clip-on weights on aluminum wheels?
I’d like others opinions on this and what my options might be. Am I incorrect?
Sounds like poor help that a lot of these service places are dealing with. Should have called you if there were issues. File the claim and get reimbursed for the wheel damage.
Ive been running the balancing media in the tires so i dont use weights anymore.
If theres a lip on the edge of the wheel, standard practice is to bash a clip on weight with a hammer. Thats what they are taught and they have no regard for any parts or damage, just get it done and out the door. Things of this nature are the reason I dont go to big box stores for any service. Im actually considering getting my own tire machine and using the balance media instead of external weights. Even the stick on inner weights dont stay on.
I stopped at a Belle Tire to get 2 tires removed from the wheels. A quickie right?? Nope, quoted 4 hours. I looked out in the shop and there were 3 free tire machines and 2 techs just standing there. Never again.
If you did request the stick on weights and it was noted, then you surely deserve compensation. Personally, I would have had them call me when the tires came in and then taken the wheels back and babysat them the whole time...if they were my only option.
I use centramatic wheel balancers (link below), absolutely love them things. They're expensive but they are a one-time purchase, I've even moved them between vehicles when I've sold/ traded-in trucks before and put them on the new truck. I live in a part of Texas where the highway speed limit is often 80 mph (and when its not 80 mph, its 75 mph), and traffic is always moving faster than the posted limit anyway. I can run 37 inch mud tires at those speeds all day with no vibration (hence the reason I love them things)
Unfortunately for me they didn't make note of my request for stick-on weights. It's not rocket science here. Aluminum wheels should NEVER have clip-on or I think they call them "hammer-on" weights. It jacks up the finish and they just look plain ugly. Usually Costco stands behind their products very well. I'm curious to see what they do with this. The replacement of four wheels is $800 plus they will have to remount the tires. They have the receipts for the wheels.
I use centramatic wheel balancers (link below), absolutely love them things. They're expensive but they are a one-time purchase, I've even moved them between vehicles when I've sold/ traded-in trucks before and put them on the new truck. I live in a part of Texas where the highway speed limit is often 80 mph (and when its not 80 mph, its 75 mph), and traffic is always moving faster than the posted limit anyway. I can run 37 inch mud tires at those speeds all day with no vibration (hence the reason I love them things)
I paint mine black (have them on three trucks currently, all are painted black).
Here they are on the Excursion with 20 inch Method wheels (not the best picture to show the balancers, but its what I had on the computer already)
Here you can see the balancer a little from the inside.
Here's one on the front of my 2010 F250 to show relative size (about the same as the rotor). IMHO, If you paint them black, you really don't notice them visually.
If you don’t want to use the centermatics you can just use Balance Beads.
Fwiw, I use the CounterAct brand and made my own pneumatic filler. Cheap and easy to make.
Agreed. I use AirSoft pellets in my crawler, but it doesn't see many miles. For a street vehicle, a purpose-built product like CounterAct makes more sense.
Originally Posted by Antonm
I paint mine black (have them on three trucks currently, all are painted black).
Well it appears the Centramatics are the way to go since I want a no nonsense solution and I concur that painting them black is a great idea. Hopefully Costco will take responsibility and I can replace these wheels and add the Centramatics. Definitely on my list if things go the way I hope.
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