[bmoy88]

I lent my CT to my daughter on Saturday night. She said that as she was driving home after supper she heard a pop sound. Nothing came of it until she got close to home when the low pressure light came on. The next morning, I removed the wheel and looked for a nail or a puncture mark. Didn't see any, so I inflated it back up and put the wheel back on. Checked back an hour later and it was flat again. This time I removed the wheel, pumped it up and applied soapy water onto the tire. Finally found a 1/4 inch gash on the sidewall. Put on the spare and brought the wheel into the dealer this morning.

Mr CS guy Rafi, told me that it may have been caused by hitting a pothole. I was under the assumption that the tire was under warranty and that I would just have to pay the installation charge. Wrong! Supposedly, since 2009, the tire makers have removed the road hazard warranties. Any warranty for tires had to be purchased - no more freebies!

Then the stab in the heart!! I got a call a couple of hours later from Rafi that the service guys dicovered my rim was out of round!! Again, probably from the pothole! Now I need a new rim as well!

Total cost for the parts/labour - $1,100 +/-. The final cost will be given to me when they tally up the bill tomorrow. They have to get the rim in from Toronto (I presume). Mag, tire, installation, wheel balance, alignment...

My daughter claims that she did not hit a pothole. I believe her. It could have happened a few days ago and finally gave out Saturday night.

Darn!

 

[Matt_RN]

damn. sorry to hear.

 

[bilmat]

...My daughter claims that she did not hit a pothole. I believe her. It could have happened a few days ago and finally gave out Saturday night.

No pothole? That doesn't leave much more than a curb or a sizeable rock as the culprit. With the extremely low profile tires on the CT, there isn't a large volume of air (space) between the tire and the wheel, and it's easy to see how a nasty pothole or curb that jumps out in front of you can destroy the tire and damage the wheel.

Unless things are totally different in Canada, it's a pity you have written off a pothole. Here in the Bay Area of Northern California many of the roads are laced with potholes and other hazards that can ruin a tire and sometimes damage the wheel. Many drivers are able to receive at least partial compensation for their out-of-pocket cost to replace one or both by documenting what happened with photos and written details, then submitting a claim to the state, county or city responsible for maintaining the roadway in question. Might be time consuming to go that route, but if the cost involves replacing both a tire and the wheel, many feel it is worth the time and effort.

 

[jimmyc13]

I recommend getting a quote from a rim repair shop first. I had 2 aftermarket wheels fixed (had to have them re-trued/fix 2 flat spots) after hitting a big hole contractors left on the highway after road construction. The contractor doing the work had to pay to have my rims fixed, I think it cost me $200/wheel. WAY cheaper than buying a new rim, just thought I'd suggest that as an option if not too late!

 

[bmoy88]

We have a pothole law in Montreal as well, although I live in a suburb - Kirkland with it's own jurisdiction and the "pop" was in another suburb (St-Laurent, again another jurisdiction).

However the onus is on the driver to prove that the hole was the direct cause. It has to be a hole that had already been reported to the city and that nothing was done about it. The law replaces wheels but not tires or suspension. In my case, I think this would be in the $500-$600 range.

But could this have been a case perhaps, of hitting a pothole a few days or a week ago, making the wheel out of round and weakening the tire? Then just driving along until the tire finally "gives"? I really can't recall hitting a pothole that big!

As for straightening out the wheel, my CSR told me the damage was too extensive although I am thinking about bringing it to a shop and seeing what they say. If it can be saved, maybe I will fix it, find a cheap tire on Craigslist and use it to replace the mini-spare. Good money after bad?

 

[coubs]

Bmoy88 - Check your records to see if you have some pink colored invoices. I can't recal the letterhead but I think it was something like Canada First Insurance. My dealership (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada) made sure I knew I had a 36 month tire and rim replacement warranty.
The only "extra" I bought was the paint protection (Xzilon) because of the color - Obsidian. So I don't think it would have been included as part of that package.
I know that every dealership seems to vary in their offerings but maybe you have the same or similar warranty. I hope so as I am sure it will be a nice surprise if you do.

 

[KKM]

The stock tires are pretty low profile, when replacing, what's the highest profile size that would fit? How will it affect performance?

 

[Tae]

see if you purchased the wheel and rim replacement warranty. My dealer recommanded that when I bought my CT. i believe i paid around $600 for life time replacment on tires and wheels damaged by similar case. I knew the wheels are very expensive.

 

[bmoy88]

The stock tires are pretty low profile, when replacing, what's the highest profile size that would fit? How will it affect performance?

What I am writing below is based on the information that I received here from some of the more knowledgable members. I hope that I have interpreted them properly.

I THINK - the best way to go with a higher profile would be to go back to the original 16" rims and 205/55 tires. This would give you a 4.44 inch tire "cushion". With the 17s and 215/45, you get a 3.8 inch "cushion". Going with any other tire sizes and either of these rim sizes would alter the circumfrence of the wheel and therefore give exagerated numbers on the odometer/speedometer.

I was on the fence about going with 16s for my winter tires before this. Now I KNOW that I will be going with the 16s considering the poor road conditions here in Montreal especially during the spring thaw.

 

[bmoy88]

Bmoy88 - Check your records to see if you have some pink colored invoices. I can't recal the letterhead but I think it was something like Canada First Insurance. My dealership (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada) made sure I knew I had a 36 month tire and rim replacement warranty.
The only "extra" I bought was the paint protection (Xzilon) because of the color - Obsidian. So I don't think it would have been included as part of that package.
I know that every dealership seems to vary in their offerings but maybe you have the same or similar warranty. I hope so as I am sure it will be a nice surprise if you do.

Thanks Coubs for the heads up! I checked my package and did not find any mention of tire and rim replacement. The only reference to that is on page 20 of the CT200h pamphlet/info book at the dealer.

Warranty
Our Lexus Warranty Comprehensive Coverage includes:
- 48 months/80,000 km (includes tires).
- Hybrid-Related Components: 96 months/160,000km (applies to battery control module, hybrid battery and inverter/converter).
- Powertrain: 72 months/ unlimited kilometers.
- Major Emission Control Componets: 96 months/130,000 kms.
Please see your Lexus Dealer for details.

When I check on the Lexus Canada website, it states "manufacturers defects".

see if you purchased the wheel and rim replacement warranty. My dealer recommanded that when I bought my CT. i believe i paid around $600 for life time replacment on tires and wheels damaged by similar case. I knew the wheels are very expensive.

Thanks Tae, I'm going to look into seeing if it's not too late to buy this now. I know it's too late for this incident, but for next time. $600 would be well worh it.

 

[newtolexus]

Tires

I have a new 2011 CT200h with less than 3000 miles on it, I got a blow out, part of the tread not the sidewall. I call dealer and they made an appointment for me at 7:30am the next day and arranged a loaner so I could get to work. So far so good until I got a call from the service department saying that the tire damage is not covered under warranty. This is not sidewall damage this is a blowout that removed a chunk of tire tread deep enough that the belts are visible. I can’t believe that a tire with less than 3000 miles on it is not covered under warranty. I called the Manager and he said he would look into it. It’s been a day and a half and I still have the loaner car and have not heard back from the manger. I opened a ticket with Lexus corporate in the US, they said I will hear from someone within 5 days. It sort of defeats the purpose of buying a car that gets good mileage to save money if you are going to have to spend it on buying tires and rims. Has anyone had any luck getting Lexus to replace the faulty equipment?

 

[bmoy88]

I have a new 2011 CT200h with less than 3000 miles on it, I got a blow out, part of the tread not the sidewall. I call dealer and they made an appointment for me at 7:30am the next day and arranged a loaner so I could get to work. So far so good until I got a call from the service department saying that the tire damage is not covered under warranty. This is not sidewall damage this is a blowout that removed a chunk of tire tread deep enough that the belts are visible. I can’t believe that a tire with less than 3000 miles on it is not covered under warranty. I called the Manager and he said he would look into it. It’s been a day and a half and I still have the loaner car and have not heard back from the manger. I opened a ticket with Lexus corporate in the US, they said I will hear from someone within 5 days. It sort of defeats the purpose of buying a car that gets good mileage to save money if you are going to have to spend it on buying tires and rims. Has anyone had any luck getting Lexus to replace the faulty equipment?

Sorry to hear that. At least it's just the tire.

I just got back from the dealer after picking up my wheel/tire.

$732.80 - 17" Rim
$191.69 - 215/45/17 Michelin Tire
$ 9.95 - Repair kit (I think it may be the balancing)
$ 3.00 - Tire disposal tax
$ .60 - Grease
$ 2.00 - Weights for the tire balancing
$ 55.61 - Labour

Plus taxes the bill came out to $1,127.91! And the wheel alignment wasn't done because they did not have the software for the CT200h yet. It's on order and should be in next week. Will get the alignment done then. Another $109.99 plus taxes.

But at least now I have a $732 garden hose reel!

 

[Team Lexus]

$1100?! I would have bought a new set of 17" OZ wheels or something.......

 

[jimmyjamez]

Was it a 17" tire and rim ?

If the tire was a 17" rim with a Michelin, you could have called Michelin, they'll send you to the closest wholesale dealer and have the tire pro-rated.

Rim bent ?, yikes. no other choice than to order from the Dealer LOL.

Did you use your 10% off lexus card ?

I assume it was a rim,tire and alignment. WOW 1100. damn

 

[jimmyjamez]

Repair kit ? 9.95 ?

You just bought a new rim and tire. You got hosed for the 9.95 there.

wow, sure sucks to pay 732.80. If you could have waited, my suggestion was to put on the spare and order some f-sport rims for 199.00 X 4 US a piece /approx. But you probably needed it right away.

 

[bmoy88]

Was it a 17" tire and rim ?

If the tire was a 17" rim with a Michelin, you could have called Michelin, they'll send you to the closest wholesale dealer and have the tire pro-rated.

Rim bent ?, yikes. no other choice than to order from the Dealer LOL.

Did you use your 10% off lexus card ?

I assume it was a rim,tire and alignment. WOW 1100. damn

I'll give them a call today. Thanks JJ.

Repair kit ? 9.95 ?

You just bought a new rim and tire. You got hosed for the 9.95 there.

wow, sure sucks to pay 732.80. If you could have waited, my suggestion was to put on the spare and order some f-sport rims for 199.00 X 4 US a piece /approx. But you probably needed it right away.

I think the $9.95 was for balancing the wheel. It was just the way it was entered on the invoice.

I was seriously thinking about replacing my OEM 17's with the 10-spoke Corolla 'S' 16" mags. I always liked the look of that mag. I saw a set on Craigslist selling for $700 with tires that still had what looked like about 10/32 on it. My business partner talked me out of it by saying it's like going to a prom in a $500 tuxedo and wearing sneakers.

Damn peer pressure!

 

[2hunny]

Don't go smaller, always go larger, it won't look right... Unless you have a corolla

 

[dkid]

When you put on a new tire and you see kit on the bill, it normally refers to tire pressure sensor rebuild kit. Yes even on a new car. They have to make extra money somewhere.