Dealer patched rear outer tire. Now I got bite marks in the barrel of my 18" polished aluminum rims

[crazydane]

2024 Denali 3500HD with the 18" polished aluminum rims.  Got 6,700 miles on it and it was immaculate.

 

This is what the right rear outer rim looks like now:

 

 

 

 

In all there are 8 such marks (4 from dismounting the tire and 4 more when mounting after patching).

 

The bite marks are deep and definitely won't "buff out".

 

Shouldn't they be using a hub centric tire changing machine with polished aluminum rims, or at least add some sort of rubber protectors to the fingers?

 

Should insist that they replace the rim with a new one?

 

 

 

[mjm-1957]

Bring it right back and see what they say. That rim may be able to sent out to a wheel reconditioner. We use a very good one at the dealer I work at. Of course make the dealer pay for it.

[KARNUT]

You shouldn’t have left the place without pointing it out. Always do a walk around before leaving. All the servicing dealers I use take pictures. It’s easy to say it happened after you left. It happened once to me after my wife picked up her car after warranty service. It got bottomed out to the point of putting a hole in the AC condenser. They wouldn’t fix it, says it happened after. They lost sales over it. I only go where I can watch. 

[diyer2]

My experience with this is proving they did the damage. I took  pictures and had the service writer check the wheels with me.

[newdude]

Yikes.  They are STILL using a center clamp tire machine?  In 2025?

[crazydane]

Appreciate the feedback.  Called them just now but they are running a skeleton crew being a holiday.

 

My SA will be in tomorrow, she noted my concern and he'll call me in the morning.

 

I think its pretty obvious the damage was caused by their center clamp machine.  There's still a caulk mark on the rim and tire so that they could align them like they were before dismounting.  Truck still looks like it just drove off the lot, except for the bite marks on that rim.

 

Its a pretty big dealer.  They currently have about 50 2025 Duramax Sierra's and another 50 or so Silverado HDs sitting on the lot.

 

Only reason I had the dealer patch the tire is that the TPMS indicated it was the right rear inner that was flat, not the outer, so they reprogrammed the sensors while it was there.

 

Other than the first oil change, I plan to do all maintenance work on this truck myself, just I have for all my other cars and trucks.

Edited May 26, 2025 by crazydane

[Pryme]

I’d be making them cover that. No doubt about it. 

[crazydane]

Finally had a chance to stop by the dealer.  SA got the manager and he looked at it for like 10 seconds and told the SA to order me a new rim.  He said they have protectors they are supposed to put on the tire machine fingers when doing these kinds of rims but they obviously didn't this time.

 

As I was driving back home, the SA called me and said the wheel had been ordered but was coming out of Phoenix, so it would take about a week.

[SoCal Angler]

Absolutely have them replace with new!!!  It wasn't a reconditioned wheel when you took it to them, so why accept reconditioning.  If it's a reputable dealer it should not be a problem replacing.  FYI...my local used tire shop would have never damaged a wheel like that!