[Peirpoint]

When I first got my car I immediately noticed that the Vauxhall tyre fitting morons had done a bad job.
They used loads of silver weights to balance the wheels, not using black weights on a black wheel is just stupidity on its own.
I then noticed the tyres had not even been mounted to the wheels correctly. Whoever fitted them clearly has no clue what the red dot is there for.
The last straw was the locking wheel nuts were randomly fitted.

It might just be me as a fussy git but I like to have the locking nut or bolt fitted as close to the valve stem as possible so I know which one is the locker without having to look.

I'm just wondering if it was just my car or is it the whole lot of stellantis not really knowing what they are doing or is it something in-between.

OK, tyres are a short term fitment and then you get them replaced by someone who knows what they are doing or you just don't care but coming from the manufacturer everything should be correct, no?

Gaz

 

[freddym]

When I first got my car I immediately noticed that the Vauxhall tyre fitting morons had done a bad job.
They used loads of silver weights to balance the wheels, not using black weights on a black wheel is just stupidity on its own.
I then noticed the tyres had not even been mounted to the wheels correctly. Whoever fitted them clearly has no clue what the red dot is there for.
The last straw was the locking wheel nuts were randomly fitted.

It might just be me as a fussy git but I like to have the locking nut or bolt fitted as close to the valve stem as possible so I know which one is the locker without having to look.

I'm just wondering if it was just my car or is it the whole lot of stellantis not really knowing what they are doing or is it something in-between.

OK, tyres are a short term fitment and then you get them replaced by someone who knows what they are doing or you just don't care but coming from the manufacturer everything should be correct, no?

Gaz

You need to explain to the tyre fitters that you are an obsessive nark who wants the locking nuts fitted next to the valve stems. Then the world will be good.

PS, since when was a "dealer" the manufacturer.

PPS, karma is a thing. If you call the guys working on your car morons, you'll get appropriate service.

 

[Peirpoint]

You need to explain to the tyre fitters that you are an obsessive nark who wants the locking nuts fitted next to the valve stems. Then the world will be good.

PS, since when was a "dealer" the manufacturer.

PPS, karma is a thing. If you call the guys working on your car morons, you'll get appropriate service.

When I have the need for a tyre fitter I tend to only present them with standard wheel nuts.
Even the ones that claim to not use an impact driver actually do in this area although they know all about torque sockets and torque wrenches when they want your business.
It's easier to replace a standard nut or bolt than it is a locker.

Anyway, I'm assuming the car leaves the factory with tyres, the dealer doesn't touch them usually so its a manufacturer thing, is it not?

I know some dealerships used to offer wheel upgrades so might be involved but these were just standard factory fitment.

I should probably admit to calling them more than morons, but only after they mess things up.

Gaz

 

[Tim_P]

Should be right. Anything else is just shit QC.

 

[freddym]

I'm assuming the car leaves the factory with tyres, the dealer doesn't touch them usually so its a manufacturer thing is it not?

Gaz

Ok, who is Vauxhall. Do we mean Stellantis. Who actually mounts the tyres to the rims on a new car. Tyre supplier? Stellantis? The wheels will be fitted by a robot. Are you insulting the robots? Could you fix the locking nut thing by moving them around the wheel. The silver weights, presumably stick on, hidden from view? If visible, fettle with a bit of black paint ( or reject the car).k

 

[Peirpoint]

Ok, who is Vauxhall. Do we mean Stellantis. Who actually mounts the tyres to the rims on a new car. Tyre supplier? Stellantis? The wheels will be fitted by a robot. Are you insulting the robots? Could you fix the locking nut thing by moving them around the wheel. The silver weights, presumably stick on, hidden from view? If visible, fettle with a bit of black paint ( or reject the car).k

If the robots are fitting the tyres badly then someone trained them badly to begin with or they don't have the ability to properly align the tyres which means they were designed poorly to begin with.
It's interesting to consider just how much robots now do.
For example a robot might take a tyre from a conveyer where the tyres should be loaded and correctly orientated from the delivery lorry but whoever loaded them wasn't doing their job correctly and since the robot wasn't made with the ability to check, it just fits the tyre incorrectly. Maybe expecting correctly coloured weights is a bit much from a company so big they have lost track of who orders what or just doesn't care.

My car was built in Germany at an Opel factory so whoever is to blame be it opel, vauxhall, stellantis, Michelin (if they should have delivered the tyres in a certain way but didn't) it all comes down to someone somewhere not doing what they are supposed to do to a high enough standard.
Ultimately, the dealership should have checked the car over and corrected anything that wasn't up to standard but it seems standards these days are a lot lower.
Yes, I can jiggle my nuts around and attack the visible weights with a sharpie.
Thanks for the suggestions.

Gaz

 

[freddym]

If the robots are fitting the tyres badly then someone trained them badly to begin with or they don't have the ability to properly align the tyres which means they were designed poorly to begin with.
It's interesting to consider just how much robots now do.
For example a robot might take a tyre from a conveyer where the tyres should be loaded and correctly orientated from the delivery lorry but whoever loaded them wasn't doing their job correctly and since the robot wasn't made with the ability to check, it just fits the tyre incorrectly. Maybe expecting correctly coloured weights is a bit much from a company so big they have lost track of who orders what or just doesn't care.

My car was built in Germany at an Opel factory so whoever is to blame be it opel, vauxhall, stellantis, Michelin (if they should have delivered the tyres in a certain way but didn't) it all comes down to someone somewhere not doing what they are supposed to do to a high enough standard.
Ultimately, the dealership should have checked the car over and corrected anything that wasn't up to standard but it seems standards these days are a lot lower.
Yes, I can jiggle my nuts around and attack the visible weights with a sharpie.
Thanks for the suggestions.

Gaz

Full "marks" for the quotable line re jiggling. Back to original comments. Your contract is with the supplying dealer, if they want to retain your future custom, no harm in asking for the tyres to be remounted. By a human. Agree overall it annoying when one has bought a new car, to get the shine knocked off.

 

[Peirpoint]

Full "marks" for the quotable line re jiggling. Back to original comments. Your contract is with the supplying dealer, if they want to retain your future custom, no harm in asking for the tyres to be remounted. By a human. Agree overall it annoying when one has bought a new car, to get the shine knocked off.

True, in fact I jiggled my nuts the other day.
As I wrote originally, tyres are a temporary thing and some might out them very quickly for something they prefer.

There's no precedent for the locker being anywhere specific, that's just me but you just expect better from them rightly or wrongly.

After jiggling my nuts I put my original wheels and tyres back on and made sure I put the bolts on properly too.

What interests me is, is there any expectation from anyone regarding tyres being fitted correctly or are people so overjoyed at all the new shiny that they don't notice the tyres.

Gaz

 

[donald]

When I first got my car I immediately noticed that the Vauxhall tyre fitting morons had done a bad job.
They used loads of silver weights to balance the wheels, not using black weights on a black wheel is just stupidity on its own.
I then noticed the tyres had not even been mounted to the wheels correctly. Whoever fitted them clearly has no clue what the red dot is there for.
The last straw was the locking wheel nuts were randomly fitted.

It might just be me as a fussy git but I like to have the locking nut or bolt fitted as close to the valve stem as possible so I know which one is the locker without having to look.

I'm just wondering if it was just my car or is it the whole lot of stellantis not really knowing what they are doing or is it something in-between.

OK, tyres are a short term fitment and then you get them replaced by someone who knows what they are doing or you just don't care but coming from the manufacturer everything should be correct, no?

Gaz

I agree with the principle of getting engineering things right, but as consumers we also all want the highest quality job done for the lowest budget price.

Those wheels would have been supplied like that, off an automated line in which some accountant has figured out it is cheaper to forsake image recognition of a red dot and just pay for a few extra weights.

Go buy a more expensive car if you want a more expensive job done. Otherwise .. what is your actual complaint? Does the car fail to work in some way?

I'm not being unsympathetic, as my opening line suggested, but you might not have thought through what you are actually asking for, and some of the blame is actually on you for your consumer choices.

If that is untrue and cost was no object, then just go buy some new rims and have some new tyres professionally fitted.

 

[donald]

What interests me is, is there any expectation from anyone regarding tyres being fitted correctly or are people so overjoyed at all the new shiny that they don't notice the tyres.

Gaz

In general the latter. It is only geeky types like us that seem to care.

Money is all. You've got what you have paid for, and not a penny's worth more.

 

[Phil1]

I would humbly suggest that you have far too much time on your hands, and far too little going on in your life if you're complaining on a forum about your locking nuts being in the "wrong" place.

In a nutshell, go get a life

 

[donald]

I would humbly suggest that you have far too much time on your hands, and far too little going on in your life if you're complaining on a forum about your locking nuts being in the "wrong" place.

In a nutshell, go get a life

In this day and age of magic automation and the virtual digital world, if we don't have far too much time on our hands, then, surely, we're doing something wrong?

Maybe I should do washing by hand and take a day, like in-them-old-days, rather than taking 5 mins whacking them into the washing machine?

 

[farmergiles]

In 50years I've never come across tyres being fitted incorrectly.

 

[donald]

In 50years I've never come across tyres being fitted incorrectly.

The OP's point is that there is a 'proessional' way to do it, and a slack arsed way, and he got the latter.

I have had sided tyres fitted the wrong side, tubeless tyres fitted with inner tubes, and most garages hadn't got a clue how to change tyres on a Citroen!

 

[farmergiles]

The OP's point is that there is a 'proessional' way to do it, and a slack arsed way, and he got the latter.

I have had sided tyres fitted the wrong side, tubeless tyres fitted with inner tubes, and most garages hadn't got a clue how to change tyres on a Citroen!

Okay, looks like I missed the significance of the red dot.
Where is it, and what's it for?

 

[Peirpoint]

I agree with the principle of getting engineering things right, but as consumers we also all want the highest quality job done for the lowest budget price.

Those wheels would have been supplied like that, off an automated line in which some accountant has figured out it is cheaper to forsake image recognition of a red dot and just pay for a few extra weights.

Go buy a more expensive car if you want a more expensive job done. Otherwise .. what is your actual complaint? Does the car fail to work in some way?

I'm not being unsympathetic, as my opening line suggested, but you might not have thought through what you are actually asking for, and some of the blame is actually on you for your consumer choices.

If that is untrue and cost was no object, then just go buy some new rims and have some new tyres professionally fitted.

It was never a complaint, just looking for a comparison.
In fact it was putting the original wheels and tyres back on for summer use that reminded me of what an unprofessional fitting the tyres were.

If it really bothered me I'd just go and get some decent tyres fitted to those wheels.

Gaz

 

[farmergiles]

It was never a complaint, just looking for a comparison.
In fact it was putting the original wheels and tyres back on for summer use that reminded me of what an unprofessional fitting the tyres were.

If it really bothered me I'd just go and get some decent tyres fitted to those wheels.

Gaz

Red dot - where and what for? Just curious.

 

[Peirpoint]

In general the latter. It is only geeky types like us that seem to care.

Money is all. You've got what you have paid for, and not a penny's worth more.

I got a whole load of aggro I didn't pay for but that's a completely different kettle of fish.

Gaz

 

[donald]

Red dot - where and what for?

Red Dot On Tire: The Tiny Spot That Saves A Ton Of Money For You

The red dot on tire is not for decoration but rather plays an important role in your driving. In fact, it will help you save lots of money.

onroadtips.com

Red dot is the high point on the tyre and there is a mark on the rim to show the low point of the rim.

Yellow is the heaviest weight.

There are also lines around the tyres which show the lateral geometry, and again if you have a set of rims and a set of tyres (or a rack of tyres in a shop and a rim) you can optimise the matching.

I would say MOST tyre fitters have no idea what the circumferential lines are, and many are unaware of the dots, I have asked before why they misaligned them, and they had no idea what it was.

 

[farmergiles]

Red Dot On Tire: The Tiny Spot That Saves A Ton Of Money For You

The red dot on tire is not for decoration but rather plays an important role in your driving. In fact, it will help you save lots of money.

onroadtips.com

Never noticed one and none on my tyres. You live and learn.