Go Courtesy Ford Littleton CO A service department that is not WOMEN friendly littleton, Colorado
I purchased a brand new Ford Focus in April of 2010. After 18,000 miles (November of 2010), I noticed that I had a nail in my right front tire. I took it back to the service department where I purchased the car. I was told by the service department that it would cost me $25 to fix the tire. (All other dealerships have fixed my tires for free if within 100,000 miles). They then came back to me and said there was not enough tread on the tire to fix the hole. They also said I had been over inflating my tires they should be inflated at 30 PSI and mine were at 45 PSI. The tire itself recommends 44 PSI. They then proceeded to say that I needed to buy 4 new tires for about $500.00. Of course, I left because I am not an idiot and took the car to Wal-Mart where they fixed it for $10.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Webbie
Littleton,Colorado,
United States of America
Please don't cop the "woman-unfriendly" plea
#2Consumer Suggestion
Sat, March 02, 2013
In your defense, GO Courtesy Ford (like most big chain dealerships nowadays) handled you and your case poorly. They could have plugged your tire (as was later done) if it was simply a tread-area puncture. Also, if your tires were inflated to 44 psi and you didn't do it, then it is understandable that your tires wore quickly.
Dealers and other shops will sometimes inflate tires to "seat" them on the rims and then forget to drop the pressure to normal. Courtesy Ford should have politely explained that to you, how they may have been overinflated (it takes guts to admit that they might have done it...) and they could have repaired the puncture (unrelated to the overinflation) "out of the goodness of the heart" and as good customer relations.
BUT... It's your responsibility to check the tires occasionally and to make sure they're right. If your tires say "44 psi", that is the maximum inflation pressure and not the recommended pressure. There is an inflation guide either inside your driver door, trunk lid or elsewhere to tell what the tire pressure should be.
There is nothing here that says, 'woman-unfriendly'. If you expected different treatment than a man in the same situation then sorry -- equality has its down-side. Many men have been in this same situation. It doesn't excuse the brusque attitude on the side of the dealership, but it's the way of the business nowadays and you have to arm yourself accordingly.
So learn how to care for your tires (and oil, and windshield fluid, and...well, head for Starbucks, buy a latte, sit down and read your owner's manual - really. No one does that anymore), and like any man would have to do, profit by the experience.