Got my P Zero's put on at 30k miles from costco. When I get home to retorque the wheels, I noticed this gouge.

I will go tomorrow to talk to the tire manager, I don't know if this is something they can explain away as "you did it and now you're blaming us". If it was curb rash or something I would understand the plausible deniability, but the nature of this damage is a gouge radiating up and down the spoke, not radially like if I were to rub up against something while driving.

Second thing is, is this something that is able to be refinished? Or is getting them to buy me a new wheel the better option?

TLR ALWAYS take a bunch of pictures before leaving your car off to be serviced. I was careless, the one service I can't do by myself, and it went bad.

 

That can be refinished easily. It will probably cost Costco about $150 (seems to be the going rate to repair any rim damage.. up to and including slightly bent with a lot of curb damage.) I can promise you they won't be buying you a new wheel (I seem to recall retail on those rims - my winter rims - is around $1,000/each.)

FWIW - I go to a shop where we take a walk around the Cayenne before it goes into the shop for any wheel/tire work. They can mark or take photos of any pre-existing damage. They can mark it on the repair order. If Costco won't do that with you, that tells you something about the level of service they provide.

 

Tire places always cause some damage. You have to make sure your wheels are perfectly clean when you bring the car in, and then have the manager verify and note the wheels are undamaged and in perfect condition. Even then, they bang the socket against the wheel or they rub it against the lug holes....

They don't treat $2,500 wheels much different than they treat $25 stamped steel 13's off a Corolla.

I find it's best to come in mid-day, mid-week when there is no rush and the actual techs aren't a) rushing to leave or b) hungover.

Back to your dilemma:

- Costco will likely deny they did it. I.E. "it must have been there" says the slack-jawed yokel behind the counter.

- No way the Costco tire counter will cough up $2K or whatever a new wheel costs. Maybe, maybe they would pay $100 or so toward a wheel repair.

- A wheel repair shop can probably make this look better. I'm not sure exactly how; maybe they could airbrush in the the chip, then clear the whole thing? Dunno.

- A powder coating shop could bead blast the whole rim, re-coat it, and it would be fine. The only concern is getting the paint to match the other wheels. You could do all 4 in black! If you want to murder out your ****, now may be the time.

 

One other thing - this is a case where it's worth checking with your friendly local Por-sha dealer. Most will try to be competitive on consumables like tires - right down to the mounting and balancing. And the guy who does the tire is likely to be an entry level tech with training, who deals with rims costing way more than yours every day of the week. Plus they have a "rim guy" who comes to the dealership to refinish rims for the used car department.

I've found my dealer to be price competitive for balancing and rim repair. Haven't tried them for tires yet - but they have offered to match any deal I can find locally - and I suspect that would include Costco. Plus they have free coffee and bagels, wifi and they wash the P!G when they're done.

 

I second that you are probably SOL. They could have video evidence of a tech deliberately taking a hammer to it and would still deny it. I wish you luck, but keep an eye on your BP and just walk away before you blow a vein or kill someone.

I've been shocked by what can be refinished on wheels. Find a good wheel shop and get them to look at it. If being without the wheel for a bit is not a problem, look at some of the big wheel places that advertise here and on RL. I've bought wheels from WheelDynamics and they are great people to work with. Someone like them can probably help you out.

You can also try your insurance. My wife hit a curb in a parking lot last week and dented a rim in the BMW (not even sure enough to impact the bead) and the insurance is paying for a new wheel. I would say talk to a wheel person first though as that will likely be the first option. If they say it can't be repaired, then get the insurance involved. Insurance might also have better luck getting Costco to cough up.

 

Looks like someone dropped it on something (or something on it). And, Costco, really? Not such a bargain now, eh?

This is why I bought a whole second set of tires/rims. If just to avoid some hourly flunky not giving a damn and wreck them. Either the face, like that, the rim while getting the tire on/off or making a mess with weights.

I have black for summer, platinum for winter. Makes a nice contrast.

You can get powder coating done in a whole range of tints/shades/colors, potentially with variations on the face/sides. Leave the face brushed and the 'wells' in-between the spokes as darker, or whatever. Might be worth checking with a local rim place if just to see what kind of added cost the whole set might be.

 

An alternative to a Costco installation is to look on TireRack for their recommended installers. Look for one with the latest Hunter mounting equipment, and the RoadForce balancer. These are what the dealers use - and you can expect the price to be roughly the same.

Personally - since my local P dealer is pretty competitive on pricing - I see no reason to go elsewhere.

 

I've actually had great experience with Costco and found them to be better than Discount Tire and others. They seem professional and not such a bunch of half-stoned kids.

My dream is the same as all of yours: To find a wheel shop that specializes in high-end autos with skilled techs that really care. As far as I can tell, that doesn't exist near Chicago...

 

Check the TireRack listings and reviews (from owners).. there is probably one in the area. I can refer you to one in NJ.. And as far as skilled techs and high-end autos - have you priced your local Porsche dealer?

 

Thanks for the feedback guys! I brought it there yesterday, the manager wasn't there but a supervisor took a look and said "I'm not sure how that could've happened since our machines only touch the rim edge". I told him I wasn't sure either but it wasnt there before, this is the first time the wheels have ever been off the car. He said he'll talk to the manager and they could probably get me reimbursed for a refinish.

I'm going back again today since the manager is there.

There were also little scratch marks in the lug nut holes, but I guess that type of damage is inevitable with an impact, so Im going to let that slide, I'm more concerned about the gouge.

Also, I went to costco because in my mind they were a more "premium" option. They pay their employees well, they service only tires so they have probably more experience with it, and their equipment seems all brand new.

 

Impact damage is preventable with these ^^^^ types of sockets... But I'll bet even my local Porsche dealer doesn't bother to use anti-mar sockets. A set of those sockets is only $40... http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS+Performan...FUWewAodl5wABQ I use them to change my winter/summer wheels on and off...

Also, I usually put a scrap of garbage bag on the bolts while cranking on them (between the bolt and the inside of the socket). That does seem to help keep the black coating on them and keep them in fair condition.

I did notice Costco pays close attention to wheel nut/bolt torque specs, which is good... They looked them up, made sure all nuts were to spec on a car they did of mine. Discount Tire - not so much.... My girlie's Toyota Highlander had the wheel nuts on tight following a visit to them. And I mean TIGHT. Which is crazy, as you simply can't put enough leverage on the little tool kit 18" lug wrench to get them off in the event you get a flat out on the road. So, I had to slip a 6' jack handle over an 18" breaker bar and apply enough torque to lift a Sherman tank 2 feet in the air before the damn things came loose.

 

Not sure where in Jersey you are but there is an unbelievable wheel repair company in New Rochelle, NY called Performance/The Wheel Guy. Take a look at them if not too far from you.

 

I too have been amazed what wheel repair folks can do. Damage like that can sometimes be fixed right on the car in a dealer lot.

 

Update: Tire shop manager emailed me back saying to come by and fill out some claim papers, so it sounds like they are willing to reimburse or pay for the damages. Now I just need to do my research (ie. stay away from companies that offer to do it without removing the wheel/tire).

 

Costco is one of the highest customer satisfaction companies. I bet they will take care of it for you. Any biz can make a mistake, their true colors is how they respond.

Agree, the refinishing places are amazing.