The Dealer you select matters! Bubble in tire sidewall

[key1cc]

I have a 6 month old 2013 LTZ hatch with 4500 miles on it. I noticed one of the tires had started to form a bubble in the sidewall about 1/2 the size of a golf ball. I took it to my dealer about an hour away and he inspected it for abrasion or any scrapes or denting in the rim that would suggest I caused it by hitting a curb or something. He could not find any damage so he quickly diagnosed the tire as flawed and indicated a replacement is covered under my standard bumper to bumper warrenty....BUT....he wont have the tire for a few days so I will need to come back. On my drive home I decided to stop at the Chevy dealer closest to my home (about 15 minutes away). I showed them the bubble and asked do they have a tire. They did have one but they took the car in the back to inspect it 1st...30 minutes later the service guy comes rolling the tire outside (where I was standing since it was a nice day) telling me it is not covered because I hit a pothole and I would have to pay for the new tire and install and balancing etc... I asked him what? He said there is a pothole mark on the inside of the tire. I asked him to show me. We looked for 2 minutes and could not find anything. He said it was there a minute ago....needless to say I asked him to put my tire back so that I can leave.

Sorry for the long background story but I ended up going back to the first dealer when he got the tire in and he happily took care of me under warranty.

If damage like this is a judgement call on whether it is warranty or not, why would one dealer try so hard to make you pay outside of warranty while another accepts it as warranty coverage when they get paid either way?

Key1

 

[GeneralZod]

Which dealers? Let us fellow NJ people know. I really like Sea Coast.

 

[rdss]

They make more money off the sale vs warranty work...... There are good dealers and bad dealers as we all know. It helps to know which is which without finding out the hard way.

 

[sx sonic]

What RDSS said.

Also a sidewall bubble often goes hand in hand with the driver hitting a square edge bump, potholes being the most common example. BUT occasionaly a tire defect will cause a similar looking "bubble". A trained eye can usually spot the difference on the inside of the tire.

Whether the tech actually saw damage indicative of a pothole or just took the tire off and just jumped to that conclusion idk.

If I were you i'd wait till the 1st dealer gets the tire in and continue to do service with them. Just don't go too long or your tire will give birth to babies ;p

 

[Kuntryboy865]

My dealer is good. They seem to help people out pretty good. I was standing in line and the service manager wasnt gonna charge the guy in front of me for something until the customer got rude then he said well I was gonna help you out but since you have an attitude you're gonna have to pay 99 dollars.It pays to be nice.

 

[ungawd]

They make more money off the sale vs warranty work...... There are good dealers and bad dealers as we all know. It helps to know which is which without finding out the hard way.

At some point it is more beneficial for them to warranty something as cheap as a tire over spending an inordinate amount of time for the possibility of receiving a couple more dollars. If they spend an hour trying to get out of warranty coverage and the customer goes elsewhere to buy a tire they're at a net loss. I don't understand how the service departments at some dealerships people visit stay in business.

 

[key1cc]

I ultimately went back to the first dealer which is actually in Oxford Valley Pennsylvania about an hour and 10 minutes away..... and not only did he change my tire under warranty but threw in the multi-point inspection at no cost . While there, they also did the TSB PI0826 Bulletin and fixed the water leak on the passenger side floor. This is the same dealer that got my BringGo Navigation update correct the first time.....Looks like I found a good one .

To bad he is an hour and 10 minutes away.

The closer one is right here in Princeton and I have only purchased parts from him (cargo mat, oil filter, mud flaps, etc..) Perhaps the better dealership in PA should get all future business.

Key1

 

[key1cc]

What RDSS said.

Also a sidewall bubble often goes hand in hand with the driver hitting a square edge bump, potholes being the most common example. BUT occasionaly a tire defect will cause a similar looking "bubble". A trained eye can usually spot the difference on the inside of the tire.

My service slip indicates they found a shifted belt inside the tire.....not sure what that means but apparently it was sufficient to cover under warranty.

Key1

 

[GeneralZod]

One of the layers on the side delaminated causing air to escape to the "rubber" or close to it.

If you know a few people who by cheap tires or love to find massive pot holes, you will see this.

My neighbor bought some Pepboy specials for his family beater. I busted his chops about it. A week later one tire looked like it had warts there were so many bubbles. He got it replaced only to happen again. Then another of his tires decided to shed a piece of tread. Then they squared, and never balanced for long. But, for 45 dollars a tire...

The kooks are a bit better than those, but not by much. I like them, but I would never buy them.

 

[rondoman]

I ultimately went back to the first dealer which is actually in Oxford Valley Pennsylvania about an hour and 10 minutes away..... and not only did he change my tire under warranty but threw in the multi-point inspection at no cost . While there, they also did the TSB PI0826 Bulletin and fixed the water leak on the passenger side floor. This is the same dealer that got my BringGo Navigation update correct the first time.....Looks like I found a good one .

To bad he is an hour and 10 minutes away.

The closer one is right here in Princeton and I have only purchased parts from him (cargo mat, oil filter, mud flaps, etc..) Perhaps the better dealership in PA should get all future business.

Key1

Good dealerships are becoming harder and harder to find it seems.

 

[Incommando]

Dealers ( well, the mechanics at least) often hate warranty work due to a low rate of reimbursement.

 

[ungawd]

Dealers ( well, the mechanics at least) often hate warranty work due to a low rate of reimbursement.

Do the mechanics work only on commission? I find that hard to believe. If all they received was commission and they spent all day with no work, wouldn't whatever money they received from doing a warranty repair be a blessing? At the dealer level I presume they still profit from warranty work and don't mind it as a good experience can lead to future sales.

 

[ronarn]

Cleveland Ohio area dealers

Which dealers? Let us fellow NJ people know. I really like Sea Coast.

is there a good (great would be better) dealer within 100 miles of Cleveland, Ohio?

 

[Sonny@bnr]

My verano had the same problem, dealer won't replace under warranty so ill wait till the tire goes flat or it pops

 

[allstarchris]

I've already had to replace 2 stock tires within about 6months due to bubbles in my tire.

 

[RMinNJ]

I actually stopped by my dealer about my transmission leak again and they;

a.) refused to let me talk to the service manager
b.) refused to look at the car again.

Never in my lifetime on this earth was I ever refused service.

Good stuff.

 

[Flyer]

Honestly on tires, GM will probably pay more through warranty than a customer pay tire. GM pays a set mark up amount on parts, no matter what the part. Tires are pretty low margin relatively speaking.

What really makes a difference is on transmissions and such. It's hard to get more than list on a power train component where GM may pay 20-30 percent more than list.

At any rate, congrats on finding a good dealer. Just be loyal to them and they will be loyal to you. Be sure to let them know when you're there, you drove an hour plus to get there, especially if you get your oil changed else where, or do it your self. They will appreciate your loyalty and it will really pay off when you need some out of warranty repairs that they may be willing to policy for you.