What good is a warranty if you need to jump thru hoops to get in honored.

In my case I'm referring to Tires.
Back in October 2005 I purchased 4 Michelin Tires (don't have model # with me) from Costco for my 2002 Toyota Sequoia.

They told me they were warranted to last 65,000 miles or they would replace them.
Now I'm no fool, I know they wouldn't just replace them for free, obviously they would pro-rate the wear and come to some amicable agreement.

So fast forward to December 2009, I've only put 31,000 miles on the vehicle and the tires need to be replaced. So I went to Costco and told them they need to be replaced, what's involved in making a warranty claim as I've only put on less than half the miles Michelin claims they will last.

Costo said and I quote "well we can't just give you new tires, how do we know you didn't use the tires on another vehicle? Did you get them rotated here at Costco every 3000 miles?"

I told the Manager (at this point) that I'm not looking for free replacements, just a pro-rate on what Michelin claims the tires will last. No I did not get them rotated at Costco, I either did it myself or had it done at the stealer-ship. So they asked for paperwork to prove it. So I call my dealer and they said they are not sure they can access those service records as they are over 4 years old.

So again I ask you, "What good is a warranty if..." nobody honors it.
LJS

 

Just another way of getting money out of people by making it sound good when it really aint.

 

Do you have documentation for any rotations that you have (they dont have to be rotated at Costco to maintain the warranty)? And no they dont have to be rotated every 3k - Right on the back of the purchase invoice IIRC it says to have them rotated at least every 7k (or follow the vehicle manufacturer's reccomendations).

Did they put a rotation reminder on the windshield that said rotate every 3k ?(immaterial since it contradicts what is said on the back of the invoice and what maybe present in your owners manual)

Also Costco should have a copy of you original invoice and any subsequent invoice in thier system. It is linked with your membership number, liscence plate, and phone number (provided these things were entered correctly).

The "switching the tires onto another vehicle" bit is grapsing for straws, and frankly was unprofessional and none of thier **** business (although it does state that the tires need to be on vehicle they were originally installed on).

As long the tires are worn fairly evenly down to the treadwear indicators and you provided reasonable maintenece (air pressure and rotations really) the warranty should still apply. If this is the case you can certainly try to resolve the situation through Costco (dont limit yourself to just the tire center - there are people in that company that are genuinely interested in keeping good faith with you as a customer) and through Michelin as well.

 

Having trouble getting receipts from my Toyota dealer where I've had it serviced for the past 7 years. I know they've rotated the tires... On more than a few occassions.

 

This probably is no help at this point but...
First of all, I keep all records on all vehicles.
I am just that kind of person.
The last set of tires I bought for my truck came with Free rotation AND rebalancing.
I just bring the truck in when it is due. No possibility of argument.
They also had the lowest price in the state for Goodrich even after the road hazard.
Oh, and I never shop at Costco for anything because I can almost always find a store to beat their prices.
But I am cheap and I do have the time to do it.

 

I would try and get in touch with Michelin to see if they will help. Can costco prove you didn't rotate those tires. What if you did the rotating yourself? Are they going to call you a liar? That is not the kind of company Michelin is trying to run. They have some of the best tires on the market. I think they would be more than willing to help you with this. Just one more reason I use discount tire they don't try to screw you around.

 

FINAL WORD
So for those of you who care here is the outcome.
I was able to get receipts from my dealer, I brought it in to my local Cosco, they reviewed it, took a look at my tires and determined that it was an alignment issue and is requesting documentation that the tires were aligned every 6 months. I spoke with the manager who said he would see what he could do for me.
They looked up the tires and said they are no longer available. I told him just get me a price for the replacement versions. Basically it came to about $189 a tire plus install and fees. i told him I only need 3, as the last time I brought my vehicle in for service (August 09) the dealership ran over something a blew out the front tire. They replaced it with the same make/model tire. Costco said they could not install 3 new tires, only 4. I said the new tire only has about 500 miles on it. I was informed they would not replace only 3 tires as the tread patterns are different, etc. I said I don't care I'll sign whatever you wanted to waive liability. But they said no. So i left and found the same tires at a local shop. (No warranty replacements, but they were the same price and they would install 3)
Lesson learned

 

I guess you won't be coming back to Cosco?

 

Really man, did the guy point that out in the warranty? IIRC Michelin only susggests that you get your tires aligned twice a year, its not mandatory - Uneven wear can effect the warranty, but IMO it all really depends (if its extreme enough obviously)

Is your vehicle AWD/4WD? Sometimes this is a sticking point (especially if the vehicle manufacturer states that whenever tires are replaced that they must be within a certain diameter and must be of the same type and tread.

To be honest, I made this very mistake on some all-terrain tires. It was a 7k mistake on an Excursion.

Unfortunately waiving liability is also admiting guilt The problem isn't so much you - you can be a great guy and buck up, saying that you waived liability of the install, but if they install the tires and it creates a failure that leads to an accident involving other drivers (up to death) then the shop is repsonsible because they knowingly put you in a situation where it put you and other drivers at risk.

 

I would still contact Michelin and let them know what happened. It may not help but at least they will know and may offer some insite. I wouldn't go into the 3 tire replacement part.