ot Who Warranties the Tire Valve Stem Core?

[Wade Garrett]

Came out a few mornings ago to find a soft tire/TPMS light on my newish car still under warranty. I wasn't able to get the car to the dealer to get it checked as I was out of town and a good ways out in the country. So I took it to a nearby garage that determined the culprit was a failed/leaking valve stem core.

He put a new one in and I was on my way. Only downside is the shop had a $25 minimum charge to put a car on the lift- so that's what I had to pay.

Seems to me that part failure ought to be covered under warranty. So when I stop by the selling dealer looking for reimbursement, is he going to tell me the tire company (who warranties new car tires rather than the car manufacturer) needs to make good on it?

I guess the question is- is a valve core considered part of the tire- or not.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Not part of the tire. See your dealer about it. Since it is a newish car, do you have roadside assistance? They probably would have done it all.

[Frank]

I would think it is part of the tire. You might go to the tire company for reimbursement. Had it been taken to the dealer he might have done that. I would not expect him to do it now.

I had a bad leak in an insured tire on a Sunday when the dealer that sold be the tires with a warranty was closed. A tire dealer who was open fixed it for $30 but tire insurance company refused to pay since I did not take it to the dealer for repair. I told the dealer and he repaid me. These things can be a PITA.

BTW it cost my wife $200 to have a failed TPMS light repaired. Be thankful that was not your problem. Our car dealer sets tire pressures several pounds above the recommendation of the manufacturer.

[dpb]

I'm guessing he's going to tell you the valve stem is excluded from warranty support because it's not part of the drivetrain/mechanical warranty nor body part defect.

And, on the outside chance that doesn't exclude it, there's undoubtedly a minimum deductible far higher than the $25.

OTOH, a really quality dealership _might_ do something just out of customer service but while I suspect they would have done it on their own nickel in their shop, I'll be really surprised if they actually reimburse you for your outlay at another shop. They may give you a discount service coupon or free wash or somesuch as a a "feel good" gesture, but actual hard cash I'm thinking is likely not going to happen.

Be interesting to see what they actually do and why... :)

[ZZyXX]

why put the car on the lift? for a tire, a floor jack would be suitable

[Ed Pawlowski]

You can also spend $50 in time and gas to collect that $25 too. Round trip to my dealer is 4 gallons and two hours.

[Tekkie®]

Wade Garrett posted for all of us...

Not the tire, the dealer should warranty it. They may complain because you didn't take it to a dealer to fix. Remind them, if you have have it, that you could be reimbursed for towing and overnight. Didn't you have a valve cap on it? Hit a curb?

[hubops]

Huh ? ? .. when you buy a set of tires - do they come with any tire-company valve components ? I've never heard of such a thing. Do the tire shops carry an assortment of valve components - - specific to the various tire makers ? really ? John T.

[Bud]

Find a new shop to do your tire repairs. There is no reason to put a car on a lift to repair a tire. Where I go they put a floor jack under the car and do the tire repair. A valve stem replacement is a $8 repair. Your shop puts it on the hoist just so they can rob you!

[Clare Snyder]

A valve core replacement for my customers was always a "no charge" repair>

[trader_4]

+1

[trader_4]

A $25 min fee doesn't sound like robbery. And it wasn't his garage, he was out of town.

[Ed Pawlowski]

The OP was an out of towner and an easy target. Of course, the guy did deposit and record the sale so he can properly report it on his taxes too.

[Bud]

For auto repair on the road, $25 is a bargain but...

I suspect you could have checked the tire yourself for embedded objects and if none found, aired the tire back up and driven it home.

Had you found the leaky valve stem core, maybe you could have swapped it for the one in the spare tire?

[Ed Pawlowski]

How?

You need a simple tool that mo one carries to do it. You go to the auto supply and buy the tool and the core and don't bother the spare.

[Wade Garrett]

Thanks for all the replies.

I had checked the OEM tire for a nail but didn't see anything. It just never occurred to me to check the valve stem core. Had I spit-tested it as suggested, I could have picked a new one up for a buck, replaced it myself and been on my way.

Back home now, I usually drive past the dealership once a week or so and I'll stop in and see what he says.

I have low expectations as they are a pretty lousy bunch, though I did get a real good price when I bought my new car- probably because it had refurb/used valve stem cores ;-)

[Ralph Mowery]

They do around here. In just about all the tires I have bought in the past before the monitors they ask if I want the valve changed.

Now the TPM type valve is used, last time I had some tires changed there was some question about the valve and to replace part of it. That was at a tire dealer chain store.

As North Carolina does not require them to work to pass the safty inspection, I have had a car and truck where they went bad and just let it go. I do not see paying $ 50 or more for those things as I check my own tires for low air.

[trader_4]

Sure the tire *store* asks if you want the stems replaced or they just replace them. But that doesn't mean the tire company made them, ie if you bought Goodyear tires, then Goodyear made and is responsible for the stem that got used with it's tire. If a new rim leaked, would Goodyear be responsible for that too?

[trader_4]

I don't see why he was an easy target or the shop did anything wrong. Someone was saying they didn't have to use a lift, they could have jacked it up, etc. Regardless, a $25 charge for that is reasonable. I think some people here have no idea what it costs to run a shop, pay employees, etc. Sure, if it was a customer who had bought the tires from me, I'd do it for free. But not when it's an out of town customer. Just taking them right away and doing it for $25, getting them on their way again is good service.

A friend of mine took his new Honda to the dealer he bought it from for an oil change. They told him he should replace the air filter and the cabin air filter. Usual charge? $150. But if he does both right now, only $99. I got three filters online for $30. I had to buy 3 because otherwise I would have had to pay $10 for shipping, so it was like getting one free. I put the two in for him in 5 mins, the air filter is just 4 snaps, not even a clamp to unloosen. The cabin filter, you just open the glove compartment press in the sides, the door drops down, the filter is behind a cover that you just pull off. Now if you went in there and they charged you $150 for that, I'd say that's gouging. Even $99 is ridiculous.

He can try calling his dealer and seeing what they say, maybe he'll get lucky. They might give him $25 off some future service. Another alternative would have been going to a dealer for that brand of car if there was one around.

[Clare Snyder]

That wasn't the question. They don't carry separate valves for Hankook, Kuhmo, Nokian, Michelin, Pirelli, Bridgestone, etc.

The valve stems are NOT made by (or warranted) by the tire company