Buyer BEWARE

[Cozmik]

I bought my 05 EB in October of 2005. I paid extra for NEW tires. I had issues getting the rubber but I thought it was resolved. Fast forward 9 months. Auto 4x4 has been funky, constant pull to the left while braking, 4x4 over-engagement, except when I had my 32" DC's on. Back to stock, problems arise.

Took a CLOSE look at my sidewalls yesterday. Deciphered ALL the info. Bought a 2005 Eddie Bauer in 2008. PAID for new rubber all around. Fast forward to now, (07/13/09). Discover I have BFG Rugged Trail tires all around, (expected this, paid for them). Didn't expect to find out that 3 of the 4 tires were made in August of 2001 and 1 was made in July of 2001. And 1 is actually a DIFFERENT size than the others. Hence my desire for the BWM. 1 tire is over half an inch smaller in diamter than the other 3!!! And has a different inflation rating. Therefore my speed sensors are saying engage 4wd!!

Well, turns out 245/65/R17 BFG Rugged Trails are available in 3 different models. I have 2 of 3 on my truck and its f-ing with the auto 4x4. Difference in size is half an inch diameter even though the 'size' is the same. Check out 105T vs 150S on the spec sheet.

Waiting to see what the dealer (not likely) and BFG (more likely) will do to provide customer satisfaction. This will be my 7th BFG purchase in 5 years, if they help out. Fingers crossed.

 

[Charlie]

Hmm..interesting. I'll be interested to see how this turns out.

Best of luck to you with it!

 

[rileyrs]

thats sh%^y that you ended up with wrong tires, but hopefully it all works out.
good luck!

 

[Cozmik]

Thanks guys. I too am interested to see how it turns out.

 

[unclemeat]

I dont think BFG will do anything. But the dealer should bend over backwards. In the states some big money lawsuits and bad publicity for selling old tires as new has recently happened. If you are reallyinterested there was a thread about it on this site and abcnews.com has an intersiting story on the subject.

The dealership should at least reimburse you for a set of similar tires, no quesions asked.

 

[Cozmik]

I dont think BFG will do anything. But the dealer should bend over backwards. In the states some big money lawsuits and bad publicity for selling old tires as new has recently happened. If you are reallyinterested there was a thread about it on this site and abcnews.com has an intersiting story on the subject.

The dealership should at least reimburse you for a set of similar tires, no quesions asked.

Good info, thanks. I'll look for that thread. I've had nothing but grief and attitude from this dealer, even though i bought both Ex's from them. After sale service is the pits. I'm sure the B.S will continue when I bring this up.

 

[Cozmik]

Gonna bite the bullet on this one and just buy new tires. Ordering 265/75R16 BFG AT KO's tomorrow. And my new RB lift kit. I'll install this one.

 

[Scott B.]

Good info, thanks. I'll look for that thread. I've had nothing but grief and attitude from this dealer, even though i bought both Ex's from them. After sale service is the pits. I'm sure the B.S will continue when I bring this up.

The dealer should make good - the problem is their fault, not BFG's. That being said, I will never set foot on the dealership lot where I bought my '06 - a bunch of lying a$$****s - more interested in their lunch date than keeping an X-plan customer happy. But I digress...

Since they probably won't help you, biting the bullet and getting new tires yourself is a good idea. I think you will be happy with the AT KOs - I've been running them for four years now - good tires.

 

[Cozmik]

The dealer should make good - the problem is their fault, not BFG's. That being said, I will never set foot on the dealership lot where I bought my '06 - a bunch of lying a$$****s - more interested in their lunch date than keeping an X-plan customer happy. But I digress...

Since they probably won't help you, biting the bullet and getting new tires yourself is a good idea. I think you will be happy with the AT KOs - I've been running them for four years now - good tires.

Yeah, I know its not BFG's fault. They make a good product and can't control what shady dealers do with it once they have it.

As for the dealer, not one person works there now that I dealt with in October. So now its a he said/she said scenario if I chose to pursue it. Which I don't think I'm going to do. Not worth the hassle.

As for tires, my new AT KO's were installed this morning. Love them. And all my 4x4 issues have magically disappeared. No more 4x4 auto engaging in a straight line on dry roads. No more pulling to the right on acceleration and stopping.

Now I should update my registry...

 

[Scott B.]

Glad to hear about the new tires. You're probably right about the dealer - just not worth your time.

 

[Cozmik]

New tires are great, lift is ordered from Roadbully (I'll install this one)

As for the dealer, I'll just tell everybody in the area about my experience with them and leave it at that.

 

[Anime]

You didn't notice beforehand that the tires were different sizes? Half an inch is a pretty severe difference. You might also want to check the differential the odd size tire was installed on, too. If it was the rear, and a limited slip, I'd suggest at least a fluid change. That kind of thing can wear the clutch discs out very prematurely. Depending how many miles it went, you might want to change the fluid in the transfer case, too.

As for the dealer, I'd suggest giving them a chance to make it right. They may have all new staff, but if they kept the name, chances are they have an interest in taking care of all the previous customers too. Call and make an appointment to speak in the office with the dealership manager or service manager. Present your case with any and all paperwork you have, hopefully with some documentation of the size difference. If they offer to buy you a new set of tires, refund the money you paid, or reimburse you for your new BFGs, great. They may only offer partial compensation since you drove on the tires awhile and didn't say anything sooner. If they refuse to acknowledge the problem or do anything, then you have an even better case for not recommending the dealership, even with the new staff.

 

[Cozmik]

I was in there the other week inquiring about something totally unrelated to the tires. I wanted to know what my warranty covered. This is a warranty that I purchased from them for $1500. I was treasted poorly and with disrespect. I wasn't there to buy therefore they didn't have time for me kind of attitude.

It was regarding a question of wheel bearing coverage. The sales manager came right out and called me a liar when I told her that I a wheel bearing replaced by GM under warranty. She also told me that their dealership sells FACTORY warranty for GM cars. I'm done with them.

As for the tires, the sidewalls all say 245/65R17. Not being an expert on tires nor BFG I never thought that they would be different sizes. I've learned a lot this week.

 

[muzzymaniac]

Here's a link to the story...

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4988518&page=1