Tony Posted June 29, 2006 Report Share Posted June 29, 2006 I cannot say the name of the company directly other than suggest a 'Precious Stone'.....A (***) Car: IS200 Index mark:V Modifications:0 Complaint: Adverse front tyre wear NSF outside 1000's miles later the owner had this.... OSF to the wire... NSF on the limit. The report from *** displayed exactly what was going to happen but nothing was adjusted in complete terms One distressing area was the fact that the OSF Camber adjuster was left undone. Some figures. Front: Camber as wim measured NSF:-41' OSF:-1 degree 33' Toe NSF:-1.6MM OSF:-14.0MM Stock positions Camber NS/OSF -23' Toe NSF/OSF: .8MM wim says Someone has some explaining to do, the cars condition was a killer let alone the £300 loss to the customer, I expect the odd mistake from any company, but this is ridiculous! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark H. Posted June 29, 2006 Report Share Posted June 29, 2006 14MM of toe . My dads has worn down as in the picture in the other thread, maybe the same sort of thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janey Posted June 30, 2006 Report Share Posted June 30, 2006 Thats scary It still amazes me how companies let people drive away knowing that things are not right Just goes to show how much an 'accreditation' of some sorts need to be implimented by the government. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon Posted June 30, 2006 Report Share Posted June 30, 2006 With that much toe how did it even drive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted June 30, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2006 With that much toe how did it even drive? The Toe angle is shared by both front wheels, so dynamically both wheels had -8mm (toe out) in a straight line the car would be very nervous because as one wheel comes off the bump the other wheel will steer... this effect is perpetual making the drive very taxing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted June 30, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2006 Thats scary It still amazes me how companies let people drive away knowing that things are not right Just goes to show how much an 'accreditation' of some sorts need to be implimented by the government. I know you feel passionate that poor workmanship in the Geo area is a killer, and i admire the direction you seek but for now liability is the only consequence available.... wim can make a difference, even now people can feel confident knowing that wim has the ability to help..... In Geometry terms knowledge is power since most shops know little about the real figures/forces... If wim adds confidence and support for the owner then we all benefit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon Posted July 3, 2006 Report Share Posted July 3, 2006 Part fault should be laid at the owner for a) not inspecting wear and not understanding the toe steer. might be a little off as i've never driven a car with that much toe, i can't imagine it'd be subtile down a country lane though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted July 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2006 Part fault should be laid at the owner for a) not inspecting wear and not understanding the toe steer. might be a little off as i've never driven a car with that much toe, i can't imagine it'd be subtile down a country lane though... He knew something was wrong hence his visit.... in conversation i probed him for history and there was a confession that he is a inexperienced driver.... A catalogue of circumstances was born enabling this horror story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted July 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2006 I have copies of his letter for complaint and the subsequent reply...... anyone want to see them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted July 27, 2006 Report Share Posted July 27, 2006 I have copies of his letter for complaint and the subsequent reply...... anyone want to see them? i do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted July 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2006 Ok complaint reads:- Dear Sir/ Madam RE: Lexus IS200 wheel alignment (registration: V982 I took my car into your establishment for a computerised wheel alignment on 08/05/06 and your technician was unable to align the vehicle to the ‘specifications denoted by the vehicle manufacturer’ as stated on your website. When I brought the car to you one front tyre was wearing excessively on the outside. After the alignment was done by you I had that tyre replaced immediately. But in a matter of weeks both front tyres had worn excessively on the inner side with one new tyre wearing down to the thread and the other new tyre wearing to the casing. If I had not noticed this it could have resulted in a fatal motorway accident as I do a lot of motorway miles. I have since had the car aligned properly by an expert technician at ‘Wheels in Motion’ on the 29th of June and he could see from the computer report produced by your establishment (attached) that the alignment was woefully inaccurate and resulted in the car being dangerous, handling poorly and with the steering wheel very much off centre. I have attached the Technician’s technical report following his examination of your report and the car. As a result of your misalignment I have had to pay for another alignment and two new tyres at a total cost of £303.43. I would appreciate appropriate compensation for this unnecessary additional cost I have had to bear. If I do not receive a satisfactory response I will have to make my bad experience of your establishment known on the Lexus owners’ club online forums for which I am a Gold Club member. In addition I will have to take legal action. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Yours sincerely Reply reads:- Thank you for your letter dated 5th July 2006. I am sorry to hear about the problems you have had with the geometry settings on your Lexus IS200. Unfortunately in our experience (we owned a Lexus dealership for 12 years) the IS200 does have a tendency to prematurely wear tyres. When we carried out a wheel alignment on your vehicle on the 8th May 2006 we noted that the tyres were excessively worn on both the inner and outer edges. Our technician who carried out the geometry noted that the camber adjustment cams were at their maximum adjustment position. Our policy is to adjust a vehicle to within specification if possible and to produce a report of actual settings and not “to cheat†and move the slip plates to always provide a correct report. As I have not got a settings report from wheels-inmotion I cannot comment on their readings. However, if you agree, I would like to put your vehicle back on our system just to check the current settings (obviously at no cost to yourself) and from there I would be able to determine our level of responsibility. Just for your information threatening to bad mouth my company on Lexus forums prior to having had any correspondence with me is not the way to receive a satisfactory outcome. Yours sincerely Reads hostile to me........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon Posted July 27, 2006 Report Share Posted July 27, 2006 I expected worse to be honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted July 30, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2006 I expected worse to be honest. Any company can make a mistake but this was 'global' and a lie... The car was fully adjustable.... the initial positions and the loose osf camber adjuster were responsible for the tyre wear and the owner could have been fined, given points or even killed as a consequence of the workmanship. I have advised the owner to submit my Geometry report as evidence of the cars positions and the subsequent total recovery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted September 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 6, 2006 Update and closure The formentioned company has offered to pay for one tyre in full (since at the time they were half worn) and to refund the cost of their Geometry to the customer both without litigation and as a sign of good will. The owner has excepted this offer and the topic is now closed. Also the owner thanks wim and the wim team for support and definitely feels that without this support his chances for recompense would have been little or nothing.... I personally thank wim team by volume A collaboration like this club makes even the biggest establishment shudder when they are wrong, so we are all responsible for the result.... well done all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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