I read your articles all the time and after my most recent Toyota dealership experience, I thought I would share and ask for your opinion.
We have a 2015 Toyota Sienna with 90,000 kilometres on it. We bought it new in 2016 and have faithfully serviced it at our local Toyota dealership ever since.
At the end of January, we took it in for an oil change and I mentioned that I noticed our front driver-side tire had a small leak (losing 3-5 psi a month) that started after we got new tires (also purchased at the dealership). I had never bothered to get it fixed because it was such a slow leak and I check/top up the air regularly – finding time to drive to the tire shop is a challenge.
They kindly offered to fix/patch it while we were there which I agreed to since I hadn’t been able to get it into a proper tire shop. Two hours later, the oil was changed, vehicle inspected, tires rotated and tire fixed all for a grand total of $290 including tax. They stated that the tire leak was caused by the TPMS gasket between the valve stem and the rim, which they replaced ($10 for the part and $50 for labour).
Fast forward two weeks, the tire pressure sensor came on, I checked the front driver tire and it was at 15 psi. I topped it up with air to 35 psi and the next day it had dropped by almost 5 psi. So we called Toyota, took it back in and an hour later they handed us a new bill for $90 including tax stating that the valve gasket needed replacing. When we asked them about the original fix, they said it was a different tire because they had rotated them … We had to pay the bill to get our van back, but here’s a question for you:
What’s the probability of the valve stem failing on a second tire within two weeks of the first one, and happens to be in the exact same front driver-side location?
Honestly, I feel like we just got taken advantage of and that they may have overtightened/damaged the gasket on the first repair. I feel like there’s a greater probability that they didn’t rotate the tires than there is that a second valve stem gasket spontaneously needed repairing.
While I have no proof that they didn’t rotate the tires, I have lost trust in the local dealer and, even if it was a different tire, a $90 bill for a $5 O-ring is absurd (most local tire shops will patch/remove a nail for $30).
Thanks for your opinion. – Jeremy, Chilliwack, B.C.
Your $290 bill would suggest to me that you indeed did pay for a tire rotation. Whether you received it or not is the question, one that will be hard to answer now. But technicians at the dealer level are often looking for additional work and do remove the wheels to get a better look at the braking system.
Leaky tire pressure monitor sensors (TPMS) are a regular part of life in Canada and they become more problematic as a vehicles ages. I usually warn my customers that if one sensor is leaking, issues with the other three should be expected in the near future. With that in mind, coincidences do happen, but once again, at this point you will never know.
Regarding your bills. For the first TPMS repair, your vehicle was already on the hoist, and you likely received a discounted repair because the wheels were already off. The second time however, the vehicle had to be brought back into the bay, the vehicle lifted again, wheel removed, demounted, and reinspected, netting in the full repair cost. You can disagree with the pricing, but that is just the way it works at the dealer level. You should not however have been handed an invoice without first being consulted prior to the work being completed.
Most local repair shops that perform $30 tire repairs are doing them improperly. I have no legal expertise, but I have had it explained to me by a legal professional in the past and here is my understanding. There is a liability issue that most consumers are not aware of. In Canada, there is no specific law that says the $30 external tire plug can’t be done. Industry accepted tire repair procedures however dictate that the tire must be internally inspected for damage prior to any form of repair.
Internal inspection can only be accomplished by removing the tire. Therefore, repairing the tire by means of an external tire plug is done without any internal tire inspection. Should a tire blow-out occur, and subsequent accident investigation be conducted, the improperly repaired tire will be the focus of attention.
When you are a do-it-yourself-er and you purchase tire plugs from your local auto parts store, you as the owner of the vehicle are assuming the liability for any of your own DIY repairs. When a local shop does the same thing, they are assuming the liability.
Therefore, most reputable shops will only repair a tire from the inside as per industry procedures, meaning there will be additional costs to remove the tire.
Lou Trottier is owner-operator of All About Imports in Mississauga. Have a question about maintenance and repair? E-mail globedrive@globeandmail.com, placing “Lou’s Garage” in the subject line.
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