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Aftermarket wheels and brake warranty


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I'm picking up my car in about 1 hour from the dealership for the 30k maintenance service. While there, I told them about the brake shake and if they can resurface the rotors.

 

I received a phone call about 30 minutes ago that they may not cover the brakes under warranty because I have aftermarket wheels (18" Enkei RPM2) and the wheels might be causing the shake. I really doubt it's the wheels since I've had the shake even before with the OEM wheels.

 

They also told me that the rear brake pads are worn and need to be replaced. I had to read the 3 years and 36K mile warranty coverage to the tech word for word to let him know that brake wear is under warranty. He paused for a second and went back with his argument that the wheels are aftermarket.

 

I think he's just trying to milk me out of some money. What can I tell him so I can get these items repaired under warranty?

 

Thanks

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Why not put the stock set of wheels and tire back on the car? If you no longer own them, offer to pay the dealer to remove a the stock wheels/tires from one of their used cars and mount them on your car.

 

Do you still have the problem?

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+1

 

Simple possession of aftermarket parts doesn't void a warranty. Some parts might automatically void areas of the coverage because damage won't be immediately visible, but a wheel is either balanced or it isn't.

 

If they keep stonewalling you, consider contacting SOA. When this is over, remember to never go back to them- and consider contacting SOA if you didn't before it was over.

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I talked to my dealer about warranty brake replacement as mine feel a bit "squishy" and the brake pedal goes way down towards the floor (fluid level is ok, however). He said he would take a look, but you pretty much need to be "metal on metal" for them to replace the brakes under warranty ...
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Thanks guys. I just got the car back. When I got there, he changed his story that the rear pads don't need to be replaced "YET" and they still have about 50% life left.

 

As for the brake vibration, he kept saying that the techs checked the front brakes and they look ok. He told me to bring them back if there is still a problem. There's still a problem, but I'll go to a different dealer.

 

Like I suspected, he just wanted me to pay more. When I first got there, he wanted me to pay for a f***ing brake inspection - I had to tell him that it should be part of the $30k service and the car is still under warranty! What a douche!

 

As for the 30k service, I paid $289 for tranny fluid change, coolant change, oil change, air $ oil filter, tire balance, tire rotation, relube hinges, top off fluids, perform recalls if any, and visual inspection. Not a bad price from what I've seen what others have paid.

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As for the brake vibration, he kept saying that the techs checked the front brakes and they look ok. He told me to bring them back if there is still a problem. There's still a problem, but I'll go to a different dealer.

 

Did they actually drive the car at highway speeds?

 

-

Jim

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I think the dealership would have a valid reason to deny brake warranty work with aftermarket wheels - if, that is, the aftermarket wheels are heavier than stock. But your RPM2's are not heavier than stock, even in the 18" size, so you should definitely be able to argue that, if necessary.

Seek first to understand, then to be understood.

 

In other words: SEARCH before you post!

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I think the dealership would have a valid reason to deny brake warranty work with aftermarket wheels - if, that is, the aftermarket wheels are heavier than stock. But your RPM2's are not heavier than stock, even in the 18" size, so you should definitely be able to argue that, if necessary.

Any chance their argument could be that the OEM brakes are designed to dissipate heat build-up only with the airflow provided by the factory wheels and any other wheel design could compromise this? I'm just grasping at straws.

It is still ugly.
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Any chance their argument could be that the OEM brakes are designed to dissipate heat build-up only with the airflow provided by the factory wheels and any other wheel design could compromise this? I'm just grasping at straws.

If the pads were melting, perhaps.

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Before I went in to this dealership, I did a search using their name and found very few reviews about them. So for searching purposes the dealer was Senator Subaru in Sacramento and the tech rep was Abdul. I've gone to this dealership for services before, but never had any problems. I think it's isolated to this particular tech rep - maybe he wasn't meeting his quota for the month. In the previous visits, I dealt with Henry and he was always very accomodating. If you need to use this dealership for service, ask for Henry.
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I have different situation. I already turned the rotor twice due to the vibrating in highway speed and they said rotors cannot be turned again because there are not much left. So, I asked if the vibration happens again, whether they can be changed under warranty. They said 'no' because the rotors are 'Wear and Tear' item. Is it true the warranty covers the pads? then, I think the rotors should be covered also... I got Hawk Pad and I expect the rotor to be changed..So, I don't decide whether put the Hawk Pad now or not... I'm sure if the vib comes again with Hawk pads on the car, dealer says it's due to the non OEM pads...

 

Thank you in advance for your advice...

From Desert to Rocky to SLC !!!
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^ That really is grasping... :)

 

You think testing brake rotors/pads for cooling along with the factory wheel ISN'T part of the car's development process? You actually believe any manufacturer would throw any wheel design on a car without testing?

 

:spin::spin::spin::spin:You are really grasping.

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I have different situation. I already turned the rotor twice due to the vibrating in highway speed and they said rotors cannot be turned again because there are not much left. So, I asked if the vibration happens again, whether they can be changed under warranty. They said 'no' because the rotors are 'Wear and Tear' item. Is it true the warranty covers the pads? then, I think the rotors should be covered also... I got Hawk Pad and I expect the rotor to be changed..So, I don't decide whether put the Hawk Pad now or not... I'm sure if the vib comes again with Hawk pads on the car, dealer says it's due to the non OEM pads...

 

Thank you in advance for your advice...

 

OEM pads, for better or worse are designed to work with OEM rotors. After market pads often perform better at the expense of rotor wear/life.

 

Put race brake pads on your car and see how long your rotors last.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Update:

 

I took my car back to Senator Subaru because the next closest dealership just isn't close and not as convenient to get to. When I got there, I was handed over to Abdul again. This time, he was a lot more accomodating. Maybe he was having a bad day last time.

 

Here's the story - Monday I came in for an appointment, Abdul told me that they'll need to order the front brake pads and rotors so I'll need to come back Wednesday (today). I came back today, but they were unable to finish the job so the car will stay there overnight. As a bonus, Abdul showed me that front and rear pads have been replaced. Rotors were not replaced, but all four were machined and resurfaced.

 

I'm getting the car back tomorrow morning. All these, according to Abdul, are under warranty. I'll give a final review of the job tomorrow.

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I got the car back Thursday noon. I hope I bedded the brakes correctly. I drove at various speeds and increased the brake pressure each stop. I did this 3 times letting the brakes cool for about 5 minutes in between. The new brake pads are huge improvements over the old ones. They bite a lot faster and harder.
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^^ to bed properly, drive around the block a few times to warm up the brakes. Then get up some speed (55-80 mph) then romp on the brakes to almost a complete stop. Do that about 3 times in quick succession. Then drive the car around a lil to let them cool.

 

You should do this about once a month or every other month

(Updated 8/22/17)

2005 Outback FMT

Running on Electrons

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