garage fitted wrong size tyres
Discussion
i'm currently in dispute with a garage for fitting the wrong size tyres to my beemer.
asked for the same size that was already on the car, but they fitted lower profile ones without asking.
they refused to put this right, so now proceeding through small claims.
i have a scrap of paper with the tyre sizes i requested written down by one of their mechanics, as evidence. but would this stand up in court against any amount of lies? as their defense is a complete fabrication.
anyone else had any similar experience, and can offer any good advice in winning my case?
asked for the same size that was already on the car, but they fitted lower profile ones without asking.
they refused to put this right, so now proceeding through small claims.
i have a scrap of paper with the tyre sizes i requested written down by one of their mechanics, as evidence. but would this stand up in court against any amount of lies? as their defense is a complete fabrication.
anyone else had any similar experience, and can offer any good advice in winning my case?
mojo22 said:
i'm currently in dispute with a garage for fitting the wrong size tyres to my beemer.
asked for the same size that was already on the car, but they fitted lower profile ones without asking.
they refused to put this right, so now proceeding through small claims.
i have a scrap of paper with the tyre sizes i requested written down by one of their mechanics, as evidence. but would this stand up in court against any amount of lies? as their defense is a complete fabrication.
anyone else had any similar experience, and can offer any good advice in winning my case?
Were there "standard" profile tyres on the car to start with - check with blackcircles by entering your reg. If there were, they've no excuse for fitting different ones. If they're not then that bit of paper is going to be very important. asked for the same size that was already on the car, but they fitted lower profile ones without asking.
they refused to put this right, so now proceeding through small claims.
i have a scrap of paper with the tyre sizes i requested written down by one of their mechanics, as evidence. but would this stand up in court against any amount of lies? as their defense is a complete fabrication.
anyone else had any similar experience, and can offer any good advice in winning my case?
daemon said:
Were there "standard" profile tyres on the car to start with - check with blackcircles by entering your reg. If there were, they've no excuse for fitting different ones. If they're not then that bit of paper is going to be very important.
car was specced with 19s, but i've switched to 18s (using stock wheels). so reg search returns size for 19s, but the tyres i had on were stock size for 18s.catman said:
It may just come down to who they believe more on the day. Of course, the garage may just be testing your resolve and may give in before the hearing.
Tim
this is what i fear. if they are just going to decide on what both sides say happened, then there's no reason that the truth would hold up any better than their pack of lies.Tim
i doubt they will back down now, we've gone through several letters and a mediation. the next step is a hearing.
TheRealFingers99 said:
I'd think they'll bail.
But you must have money to burn. Us poor folk get the tyres we want from a reputable dealer, take them to a fitter and have them fitted and balanced. No way will a garage charge you anything like the cost price for the tyres or the fitting.
ha yes. that's what i normally do, in fact i usually get part worn. But you must have money to burn. Us poor folk get the tyres we want from a reputable dealer, take them to a fitter and have them fitted and balanced. No way will a garage charge you anything like the cost price for the tyres or the fitting.
the garage quoted me what i thought was a decent price, so i went with them for convenience (though with hind sight, fitting the tyres myself with no jack would have been more convenient than what's happened).
but i later found on the invoice that the price quoted did not include VAT, so wasn't very good after all.
mojo22 said:
car was specced with 19s, but i've switched to 18s (using stock wheels). so reg search returns size for 19s, but the tyres i had on were stock size for 18s.
I might be being a bit dim here.But if you changed to 18" wheels and they tried to fit 19" tyres then surely they would be too big?
They just wouldn't fit?
Snowboy said:
mojo22 said:
car was specced with 19s, but i've switched to 18s (using stock wheels). so reg search returns size for 19s, but the tyres i had on were stock size for 18s.
I might be being a bit dim here.But if you changed to 18" wheels and they tried to fit 19" tyres then surely they would be too big?
They just wouldn't fit?
supertouring said:
At what point did you realise the mistake?
Before or after leaving garage.
they phoned me up after having fitted the tyres, claiming 'you had the wrong size tyres fitted'. Before or after leaving garage.
so i went away and double checked, but concluded that my tyre size was correct.
so i phoned them back, saying i'd like them to be swapped. but they said, just come and have a look and a test drive to see what you think.
so i went down, but they wouldn't let me test drive without settling up the bill, and i needed the car back, so i had little option but to pay up.
after a 20 min drive, i was not convinced. i fitted 18s for better ride, and could feel the lower profile tyres having an impact.
by this time they were closed, so i went home, and sent them an email regards changing the tyres. which i followed up on the Monday with a phone call. obviously they refused to rectify the situation, only suggesting i complain to their tyre suppliers, so i went to trading standards, and here we are.
it's an E46 M3,
requested: F - 225/45/R18, R - 255/40/R18
fitted: F - 225/40/R18, R - 255/35/R18
trading standards law says goods must be:
as described - obviously not, but how do i prove that i didn't agree to the alternative size?
fit for purpose - well, any profile will fit the car, and you are able to drive around in it. the lower profile are not the same diameter as stock, which has various effects, but does it class as unfit?
The tyre garage/fitter are the ones providing a service, and even if you ordered the wrong size, they should have checked and advised you before fitting - that's what they are there for. Tyre places don't pay for tyres upfront, and returns are common place so it would have been easy for them to return the tyres (they may already have had stock on site). I would have thought the law is on your side with this, and the tyre site failed to provide the correct level of service to ensure you went away with the correct goods.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff