I Had a Flat On My 2025 Toyota Camry, The Toyota Dealer Charged Me $400 For One Tire, and Now They Tell Me It’s Another $800 For A New Wheel

It seems pretty strange that Toyota changed the tire and Im sure balanced it. So if the wheel was bent then they could not balance it properly. They would noticed it. sounds like a scam. I had something similar happen. Went for oil change, they come back and show me gray fluid in my rear differential. said it would be 300 to change it. I declined, we t home and checked the fluid. It was clean and new looking.

So this lady hit a pothole, in a construction zone, bent a rim and popped the tire and expects the dealer to cover it? 100% not the dealer's responsibility to cover damage caused by the driver, especially if no warranty explicitly for the wheels and tires.

You were obviously driving too fast for conditions for starters. Takes a heck of an impact to both blow out a tire and bend the rim. So, take some responsibility here. Also, expecting the dealer to pick up the tab for either, out of warranty is like expecting your real estate agent to pay for light bulbs in a house you've already moved into.

I just bought 2 tires Yokohama for my 2020 lexus rx 350 and paid 520 us for the tires and a full warranty for the life of the tires ,if they can not fix they give me a new one ,I went to discount tires store

I bought a new ZO6 Corvette in 2015. I also purchased a separate tire/wheel protection plan from the dealer. Over the course of two years I had four flats( run flat tires) one road missle went through the tire and wheel. The service department staff was so impressed they came out to take photos! I had to rent a car since the dealer needed the car waiting on parts. Five days later, they called to let me know the new wheel and tire was in. I went to the dealership, but, they ordered a chrome replacement wheel (my car had black wheels). So, another two days later they get the correct wheel. I go back, they have the correct Hunter Machine to mount and dismount the tire but can’t get the wide tire to seat. They flat bed towed my car to a sister dealership to mount the tire. The whole ordeal cost me a lot. That warranty was worth every penny b/c the dark clouds were all around me.

If you think a tire is covered by a vehicle manufacturer's warranty, you are stupid. Also, how is this even newsworthy? Headline should be, "Stupid customer thinks something incorrect and is mad the world does not meet her imagined reality". Seriously, what is this garbage?

Who told her that warranties cover damage that she does to the car?

You can get a set of wheels and tires for less than $1,200.

I'm not understanding the outrage. It's an OE tire and wheel. It didn't randomly go flat one day. She hit something hard enough to bend a wheel. Warranty will not cover that. She should have reached out to her insurance instead.

If, as you said that you didn't approve the tire replacement, it was thrust on you; you'd have no legal obligation to pay. Seeing as how this dealership is corrupt, it's likely they may have done the damage to your rim. See if it's possible to pay & get a 2nd opinion from a reputable aftermarket garage, for your satisfaction!?

Sounds about right. The entire industry from the dealerships to the wrecking yards have become a greedy industry. They are always looking for ways to scam you.

Smart people (not my wife, mind you) would know you get an older vehicle and fix it up. Lobbyists have pushed for all this nanny sensor bs and it is really more to do with making it impossible for an individual to work on their own property.

You smashed your rim n tire...on a brand new car...u got off easy ..only1200$...slow down..n drive normal

7th

The bumper to bumper warranty is for defects!!! The wheel and tire were not defective..It's unfortunate but it's your fault/negligence for the damage therefore you are responsible...

Thats such a rip off. Even police tires from Walmart are cheaper. Two for less than 200. And if she really knew law. She'd know if she didn't want to pay. Gheyed have to return it to how it had been or they could be sued even if they didn't start work before she said to.

TYRES & BATTERY ARE NOT COVERED UNDER VEHICLE'S WARRANTY.. BUT SURELY COVERED BY OEM WARRANTY.. IN CASE ITS NOT DEFECTIVE, BUT A FLAT, BEST IS GO TO TYRE SHOP & GET IT DONE FOR $20 OR SO.. ROAD DAMAGED RIM ALSO NOT COVERED, BUT CAN BE EASILY REPAIRED.. BUT DEALERSHIP WILL ALWAYS SELL YOU, NEW TYRE & NEW RIM..

That is one of the biggest ripoffs I have heard. $400 for one tire? No way, and $800 for a wheel that's rediculous. $1200 would buy a set of Michelin Cross Climate 2 tires. A set of new wheels may cost $800 but you can get wheels a lot cheaper. This example is why I never take my car to the dealership. They mark up their prices 200%.

Always check with a professional tire dealer before buying a new tire just because the dealer said so. You can always find a tire lower than what the dealer will charge.
As for the wheel, deleting on how bad the bend was, you have options there too. There are companies out there that straighten those bent wheels and in most cases, can be done in one day and a lot cheaper than the price of a new wheel. The other option is to find an oe replica wheel. These you can find usually at half the price of brand new from the dealer.
Of course, you can always opt to purchase the tire/wheel protection.
Hope this helps

I would NEVER get my Camry serviced at the dealership. They're costs are diabolical.

Toyota use to be a good company - not so much anymore. A family member that owns a Venza Hybrid recently had the hybrid system electronics fail for the second time at 400 km over warranty and they will not cover any of the $4500 cost to repair it. Our family will never again buy or recommend Toyota to anyone.

Has this person never seen a walmart,costco,discount tire they all would have been a whole lot cheaper and in/ out in the time you can have a fast food lunch.

Denis
I wouldn’t brag about your credentials given the advise in your column.
Simply put, you should have advised Tay to find another car she loves and dump the Toyota. The prices she paid are grossly over priced. The crooked dealer took advantage of an obviously naive and ignorant female buyer.
As an “Automotive expert” you should had advised her to get a good attorney and sue the Toyota dealership, get her money back on her car and expenses. Further she should contact Toyota Headquarters and tell them of the ordeal with the ripoff
Dealer who should loose their dealership. And contact the local news to tell others to beware.
And you, you should be ashamed and get a job as a Toyota mechanic.

Denis
I wouldn’t brag about your credentials given the advise in your column.
Simply put, you should have advised Tay to find another car she loves and dump the Toyota. The prices she paid are grossly over priced. The crooked dealer took advantage of an obviously naive and ignorant female buyer.
As an “Automotive expert” you should had advised her to get a good attorney and sue the Toyota dealership, get her money back on her car and expenses. Further she should contact Toyota Headquarters and tell them of the ordeal with the ripoff
Dealer who should loose their dealership. And contact the local news to tell others to beware.
And you, you should be ashamed and get a job as a Toyota mechanic.

That's crazy bro. Should've just left. You don't need a stock tire.

Learn to drive better.

You can shop around for better prices but sometimes cheaper isn’t better.

Whats the point of not naming the dealership?

Tay is full of $#!t. A wheel doesn't bend from the action she described. Her lack of attention while driving is what got her a bent wheel..prob hit a curb. Or maybe she continued to drive after her tire was flat. As for the price of the tire and new wheel, sounds about right for a brand new set.

Toyota puts horrific Bridgestone Turanza tires and they are complete junk and actually have no warranty with them. I mean what kind of tire manufacturer doesnt have ant warranty on a $300 tire. All 4 of mine were shot in less than 25k miles of simple highway driving. $1,200 later i had to put real Michelin Cross Terrains on them that have a 60k warranty. Toyota offered nothing.

Damaging the tire and rim are not the same as replacing just a tire, which the introduction of your article misleadingly implies. One has to read further into your article before getting the truth which should have been mentioned up front.

Firstly, they should not have fitted the new tyre without your consent. Without consent, you should not pay. They can remove the tyre or offer a discounted price.
Secondly, they should have noticed your wheel was bent, but if not, they would have found your wheel was bent when trying to balance the new tyre. It should never have been put on the car unbalanced. It seems some dishonesty by the dealer. Possibly even swapping a bad wheel onto your car then making you buy a new one. Ive heard of dealers mechanics swapping parts. Change to another dealership.

This is the very reason I will never own a new car again. I thank God for my very reliable 1997 s10 with nearing 500,000 miles on the original drivetrain.