Should Chrome Wheels Be Covered Under Warranty?

[artseattle]

I need some advice. I have a 1998 SC400 with 62000 miles. I bought it less than two years ago from a Lexus dealer with a 5 year/100,000 certified pre-owned warranty. Here's the problem.

Two of my four "Toyota" chrome wheels need to be replaced. They are the five star chrome wheels. I've been having trouble keeping the tires filled for over a year. Lexus has looked at the tires three times in the past year and replaced the valve stems and repaired a nail hole. Last week, after "repairing" the tire, the tire was already flat by the time I picked up the car after a long weekend. This time, they inspected the wheel and stated that the chrome had flaked off to the point where the tire cannot seal properly.

Lexus called me today and said that the wheel is not covered under the "bumper to bumper" warranty. I checked the Lexus website and under the Certified Pre-owned section, "Wheels" are clearly listed as covered. "Chrome" is listed as not covered. HELP!

Any ideas? Lexus said they would replace the wheels for $550 each, which they say is a discount. Any tips on trying to get this covered? If I can't, should I buy four new wheels from someone else and maybe not chrome this time. I only have 15,000 miles on the tires and would hate to have to replace them too.

Thanks for any thoughts.

Art

[SKperformance]

Get the chrome removed from the bead seal and it will be fine.

[jbarhorst2]

$550 is a discount?? Maybe if their discount key is a plus sign.

Sounds like you need a new dealer.

I think a whole set at my dealership is about $1700.

Tom

[don_juan_miami]

thats a hell of a rip off bro. Dont trust a thing they say. If you were a woman, saying your bumpers fell off, they would tell you that "bumper to bumper" is a figurative term and say they weren't covered. All dealers are a bunch of liars and con artists who do nothing except try to weasel as much money as they can from your pocket. All but like 2 of them in the U.S which I have yet to meet, and am only giving the benefit of the doubt for any of you liars... ahem... i mean..."dealers" reading this. In any case... good luck bro.

Juancho

[artseattle]

Get the chrome removed from the bead seal and it will be fine.

←

Where does one go to get the chrome from the bead seal removed? What kind of shop? What does this entail?

Thanks,

Art

[1990LS400]

artseattle,

I hate to tell you but I have to agree with your dealer. If your warranty specifically excludes chrome, that means that the warranty company will not pick up the tab and the dealer will be stuck with the full cost of replacement. That five year warranty you bought (you paid for it in the purchase price) is really just an insurance policy. (Shuush - we aren't allowed to call them "insurance policies".)

An item has to be covered by the policy before the warranty company will pay. If the chrome had been covered by the warranty, the premium for the warranty policy would have been higher - the dealer would have had to include this additional cost into the price you paid for the car.

I'll bet there are several specialty wheel shops in Seattle that can remove the chrome from the bead seal. You might even find one that will rechrome your wheels for a lot less than the dealer quoted you.

Love Seattle - great city! Been there many times. (Even climbed Rainier twice.)

Good luck.

[SKperformance]

I tend to find those who hate dealers have never had a Lexus new enough to have any warranty left.

Are there bad dealers ,yes. Do some overcharge for simple things,Yes.

But do most of these same dealers look after the smallest little thing when it is under warr,Yes.

So unless you have had the pleasure of taking your car to a Lexus dealer and knowing you won't get charged for work needed,you ju8st have no idea of what the other side of the coin is .So all in all every experience is going to be a bad one.

To get the chrome removed from the bead lip, take it to a tire store where they basically grind it off on the inside of the rim where you cannot see it .

[artseattle]

Just called a "Wheel Specialist" in Seattle who knew exactly what I was talking about. He said he would grind the chrome off, reseal it and the tire would be good to go. $90 for each wheel including balancing. He said that he has seen this numerous times on chrome wheels and that this fix works!

I'll let you all know.

Art

[SKperformance]

I would keep calling and make sure you say you have a 16 inch rim or what ever that is chrome. Say you have a toyota previa or somethign cheaper.

To me i find $90 a rim to remove a plating expensive.

$200 the most.

Or ask Lexus to kick in for half the costs .

[don_juan_miami]

the reason i hate dealers so much is because on numerous cars i have owned, 4 to be exact, the warranty was worthless. Nothing was covered, everything is in small print, and they all act so damm smug about it. These dealers include Honda, Toyota, Mitsubishi, AND LEXUS. When you say other side of the coin, what are you talking about? really? Little OCD details that need fixing by OCD drivers, or the actual problems that arise out of a used vehicle. I dont know about you, but I care about the one that costs me more money. Who cares about the dealer that fixed your tail light for free or some other inconsiquential fix on your car. I care about the dealer that doesnt turn you down when its a big problem. The problem is, there arent any. Other side of the coin? Please... If W Bush treated the Hurricane problem like that, we'd have cops shooting and looting themselves..... oh wait.... we are!!!

Juancho

[SKperformance]

I guess each dealer is different , but have had over $2000 worth of warr repairs after it expired so i guess the dealers here are much better in satisfaction.