Improper jacking by Discount Tire

[dram]

Took my Mach E to the North Seattle Discount Tire for a tire rotation, advised them to be careful when lifting the car. They assured me that they lift EVs all the time. The next day I noticed that the front passenger door crashed into the fender when opened. I took a closer look and discovered that Discount Tire had jacked the car up using the plastic rocker panel under the fender instead of the proper jack point. This bent the fender, rocker panel, and possibly the door as well. Though Discount Tire failed to disclose damaging my car, they were willing to submit a claim to their insurance company when I returned to the store.

Discount Tire uses “Fleet Response” to handle their claims. It’s very difficult to get any help from them. I have multiple preliminary estimates from body shops to repair the car, but I can’t get approval from their insurance.

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[generaltso]

Maybe @Discount Tire can help.

 

[DadzBoyz]

File a claim with your insurance. They'll chase Discount Tire to the ends of the earth.

 

[zvez]

Took my Mach E to the North Seattle Discount Tire for a tire rotation, advised them to be careful when lifting the car. They assured me that they lift EVs all the time. The next day I noticed that the front passenger door crashed into the fender when opened. I took a closer look and discovered that Discount Tire had jacked the car up using the plastic rocker panel under the fender instead of the proper jack point. This bent the fender, rocker panel, and possibly the door as well. Though Discount Tire failed to disclose damaging my car, they were willing to submit a claim to their insurance company when I returned to the store.

Discount Tire uses “Fleet Response” to handle their claims. It’s very difficult to get any help from them. I have multiple preliminary estimates from body shops to repair the car, but I can’t get approval from their insurance.

I went to my local discount tire to have one tire replaced. I stayed there while they lifted it up, they used a floor jack and I made sure they were at the right jacking point. The annoying thing was when they mounted/dismounted tire on wheel, they manage to put a minor scratch all the way round on the face of the wheel. Talked to the manager, this seems to be a frequent occurrence and they referred me to a local shop to have it fixed.

I'm not terribly impressed with them.

 

[superdave80]

I'm not terribly impressed with them.

You get what you pay for. I mean, they did put 'Discount' right there in the name...

 

[xxiii]

Question for my own future reference: Are the jack points clealy marked? I'm almost certainly going to forget to mention this or monitor them when I go for any kind of service anywhere (tending to assume the professionals are supposed to know what they're doing, and me not being a professional).

(And, the dealer didn't seem to know about "EV" tires, so i'm not entirely sure I want to get tires at the/a dealer either).

 

[Scooby24]

You get what you pay for. I mean, they did put 'Discount' right there in the name...

Discount tire has been one of the best tire places I've ever used. From the managers to the techs, they are quality.

That doesn't excuse the bad apples though. Everyone has one and it's easy to become cocky as a tech and get annoyed by the untrusting customer.

I generally approach these by not telling the tech to be careful, as that can come off pretentious and lead to defensive behavior, but rather inject myself and tell them something along the lines of "oh hey, btw, there's a funky caveat to lifting these that's unlike most cars I've ever seen and I almost make a mistake, here let me show you" and then point out the proper jack point. Messaging is an important way to lower the tech's defenses and get them to be receptive to your concern.

 

[Mach-Lee]

This has happened before:

https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/damaged-from-jack-slipping-off-lift-rail.25060/

 

[RickMachE]

I went to my local discount tire to have one tire replaced. I stayed there while they lifted it up, they used a floor jack and I made sure they were at the right jacking point. The annoying thing was when they mounted/dismounted tire on wheel, they manage to put a minor scratch all the way round on the face of the wheel. Talked to the manager, this seems to be a frequent occurrence and they referred me to a local shop to have it fixed.

I'm not terribly impressed with them.

They did this to my 2013 F-150. Ruined all 4 wheels. The tool that mounts and dismounts the tire gets worn, and scratches. The store manager pushed back when I contacted him, but eventually a corporate VP called me and gave me 4 new wheels on the house, plus some tire certificates. He apologized profusely, and blamed much of it on inexperienced workers and overloaded shop during post-covid (end of 2021).

My dealer wants $24.95 for tire rotation, $64.95 for rotate and balance. I'm passing on that, going to go to DT and watch them use the pucks and floor jacks in the right places.

DT allows you to be in the bay, and I basically stand there watching. I didn't in November 2021, and paid for it (well, they did)...

 

[MyLittlePony2022]

Oh, that sucks that they did all that damage. I hope your insurance company can take over, get it fixed and deal with them. Pick a quality shop. You definitely get what you pay for.

I go to America Tires and try the same approach that Scooby24 does. However, the office guys are the buffer between the tire installers. I let them know about the lift points, and give them copy of the lift point diagram. See attached. I then mention that there is a potential to damage the batteries and that is a $30,000 fix. If they are passively listening, that usually gets their attention.

 

[dram]

I mentioned avoiding the battery pack and looking for the proper jack points to the guy at the desk. I didn’t say anything to the tech.

 

[Discount Tire]

I'm sorry to hear your visit did not go the way it should have @drom. I understand how frustrating situations like this are, and apologize for the inconvenience and frustration this has caused. Thank you for taking the time to call this to our attention.

I'm glad to hear a claim is in place, as this is the first step in the process. Once a claim is in flight, it typically takes up to 3 business days to receive a first contact from our claims partner. If you're outside of this window, we can help with an escalation.

I want to assure you that we take these matter seriously and appreciate your patience! Hope you don't mind me sending you a follow up by DM here on the forum.

 

[Kevin C]

I'm sorry to hear your visit did not go the way it should have @drom. I understand how frustrating situations like this are, and apologize for the inconvenience and frustration this has caused. Thank you for taking the time to call this to our attention.

I'm glad to hear a claim is in place, as this is the first step in the process. Once a claim is in flight, it typically takes up to 3 business days to receive a first contact from our claims partner. If you're outside of this window, we can help with an escalation.

I want to assure you that we take these matter seriously and appreciate your patience! Hope you don't mind me sending you a follow up by DM here on the forum.

Can you please get your managers and tech's trained on EV's in general and the Mach-e in particular? I've always gotten my tires at Discount Tire but I am hesitant to take my Mach-e there because of issues like this.

 

[Teslaeata]

You get what you pay for. I mean, they did put 'Discount' right there in the name...

Yer pays yer money (or not if “discount” is the operative word in Discount Tire [sic?]) and yer takes yer chance!

 

[HuntingPudel]

Yer pays yer money (or not if “discount” is the operative word in Discount Tire [sic?]) and yer takes yer chance!

Why am I now picturing @Teslaeata with an eye patch and a peg leg? ??

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