auburnseeker Posted July 7 Share Posted July 7 So I finally bit the bullet to do a color change on my Model A wheels. ($500 to change the color) Pulled the old tires and sent them out to the powder coater. While I had the tires off, I really inspected them and decided they should be replaced. I would have ran them if I hadn't taken them off, but I can't see putting old marginal tires on freshly powder coated rims. I ordered new universals for it. 650.00. I didn't look close at them and just mounted them. When I got to dressing them up, once they were bolted on the car, I found one has several issues in the sidewall. Each picture represents a separate spot with one of the over all tire. Some are on the inside. I checked the other 3 and they are all fine. Really disappointed I hadn't caught it before mounting and more disappointed this was sold as a first rate and not blem tire. The marks , molds, whatever they are are deep enough to sink a fingernail in a ways. One even looks like they took a grinding tool to clean it up, meaning someone knew about it. I'll have to call the tire company Monday and see what they want to do. I don't feel really confident running this tire, even on the back. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walt G Posted July 7 Share Posted July 7 Not very responsible of the tire supplier /seller to let anything like that go out to a customer. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted July 7 Author Share Posted July 7 I was surprised this one is so bad as the other three don't have a single mark on them. Worst part is I already mounted it. Not that it's a huge deal but I really hate to demount it and then mount a new one. As you know, every time you peel one off and put it on you chance scratching up the rim doing with irons like I do. I will say that atleast the powder coating is very hard and doesn't peel or scratch real easy. Now the paint that was on them, though looked glassy smooth, chipped or scratched just looking at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted July 7 Share Posted July 7 Should have been sold as a blem. Should not affect the performance of the tire, IMO. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Dobbin Posted July 7 Share Posted July 7 (edited) Has the supplier responded to your concerns? I once ordered a set of radial tires for one of my cars. Because I replace them by age, not milage, I complained that they were 18 months old which is 20% of their life expectancy. They sent me 20% refund. I was pleased that they were fair with me. **(Diamondback Classic Tires) Edited July 7 by Paul Dobbin added name (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted July 8 Author Share Posted July 8 I just contacted them this morning. I'm waiting to hear back. I didn't find the defects until late Friday when I finally got them bolted on the truck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Mack_CT Posted July 8 Share Posted July 8 Ugh hopefully they take care this. Easy to see how those mars would be missed till the tires are mounted. BTW in this heat you may be able to mount/dismount entirely by hand. I have done it with 19"s and gotta believe the 21"s are a touch easier. Especially new tires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne sheldon Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 I rarely do skinny tire drop center rims. And a lot of the old tire clinchers and other things I change tires on are really tough. I sometimes tape a rag piece around the steel tire irons, which sometimes helps prevent paint damage to rims, although on tough ones often the tire iron will cut right through the rag and tape! Some years back, I used wooden paint stirring sticks on a nicely painted wheel rim. Of course stirring sticks used to be made out of better wood. I even put a piece of rag around that. Might try a couple old wooden rulers? Might be enough stronger? A soft new tire on a warm day? Might work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lahti35 Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 I used some thick leather I had laying around on a set of rims I just did with irons. I stacked two pieces under the iron and went to work, worked good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted July 9 Author Share Posted July 9 21 hours ago, Steve_Mack_CT said: Ugh hopefully they take care this. Easy to see how those mars would be missed till the tires are mounted. BTW in this heat you may be able to mount/dismount entirely by hand. I have done it with 19"s and gotta believe the 21"s are a touch easier. Especially new tires. I actually mounted them all by hand. Just every time you take them off and on. You risk marring them up. I will say the powder coat is hard and I always mount them from the back so you won't chip the front of the rim. I've taped the irons before with electrical tape, It's the end of the iron that seems to be more of the culprit for damage. Ample lube helps some. Usually I have then so slippery things slide around pretty well. Still waiting to hear from the tire company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Packard enthus. Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 a note about DIAMOND. I have NO experience with them insofar as having trouble with their product. Reason? 1) they deal in a good product....and 2) they only ship out what has been thoroughly inspected! How do I know this? That's what's on my 6,000 lb. Packard Twelve. How do I treat those tires - year after year with no problems? Terribly! My ranch is at the end of what can charitably be called a cow-trail. My private road leads out to pavement....where....well...let's just say...on second thought...let's not.....Packard Twelves were unique in many ways for cars of their era, insofar as extreme speed handling goes.....both FRONT & REAR sway bars...AND a lateral control arm on the rear suspension.........draw your own conclusions as to how I treat those outstanding DIAMOND tires.....I am to SOME degree respectful of the speed limts......! Photo below was, obviously, taken by someone else, during a CCCA tour up in the Colorado Rockies. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyJim Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 If they are reputable, they should stand good for it. Being mounted on the wheel definitely complicates the situation. You could always use the damage tire for a spare. However, you may not want to ever use it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted July 10 Author Share Posted July 10 Funny part is I have a new Firestone for a spare that came with the car. I put that back on for the spare when I mounted them. I Contacted the Company Monday and sent photos. No word whether they got them or not, so I contacted them Tuesday and they said yes they got them they had to talk to the tire rep. Today is Wednesday afternoon. No word. When I bought them they confirmed my order, It said hold on the top, I waited then contacted them a couple of days later and said they hadn't been shipped yet. No sooner got the message sent to inquire and they showed up. No tracking info was sent or even that they shipped. Unfortunately when dealing with old cars , there aren't alot of options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 As a small business owner I do not understand how people are so lackadaisical regarding their customer service. Its not that hard to at least send an email saying they are addressing the situation and get back with a follow up. I recently ordered some exhaust parts from a reputable supplier. They are only an hr and a half away and I expected delivery in a day or two. After a week nothing so I called. They said parts were backordered for a month or so. How hard would that have been to send out a notice. After a month and a week I called again after not hearing anything from them. Lo and behold they had received the parts. I did get them finally yesterday. But again, its not that hard to keep in touch with ones customer base. I hope you get a positive resolution to your tire problem. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted July 11 Author Share Posted July 11 Still no word today. I was waiting to hear back before dropping it down and putting the Plymouth up to do the tranny seal, but gave up and went ahead on the Plymouth anyways. I run a small business and always communicate with customers and potential customers. Just so they know i received their request for combined shipping or about any other concerns they might have. Especially in today's internet age. Did they get the email. You never know, unless they actually come back to you. With email as well, you aren't going to be stuck on the phone. A simple one or two sentences takes care of most questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Mack_CT Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 27 minutes ago, auburnseeker said: Still no word today. I was waiting to hear back before dropping it down and putting the Plymouth up to do the tranny seal, but gave up and went ahead on the Plymouth anyways. I run a small business and always communicate with customers and potential customers. Just so they know i received their request for combined shipping or about any other concerns they might have. Especially in today's internet age. Did they get the email. You never know, unless they actually come back to you. With email as well, you aren't going to be stuck on the phone. A simple one or two sentences takes care of most questions. One would think. My experience with vendors in our world though is you need to talk live, get a name and commitment on next steps or....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Mack_CT Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 Wait. Possibly a very long time... 😠 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now