Strange thing at Mazda dealer: Tire rotation

[chico]

I went in for an oil change at the local Mazda dealership. I requested tire rotation, as I have noticed one of my tires is obviously more worn than the other three, and my last rotation was 13,000 miles ago.

When the job was done, the guy at the counter told me the tires have been rotated. It was also written in the service description paper.

However, when I checked my tires, I found out the worn tire was still in the same place (right/rear). I went back to ask the guy, they admitted they didn’t rotate the tires. He said my tires didn’t need rotating because worn tires are supposed to be on the rear side of the car. Since it’s already on the rear right side, it should stay where it is.

Is what he said true?

My car is CX-5 AWD.

 

[jadmt]

that is why dealers get s*** reputations.....My dealer over filled mine by 1 quart and same dealer popped my neighbors new CX50 tire

 

[meow_man]

When the job was done, the guy at the counter told me the tires have been rotated. It was also written in the service description paper.

Did they charge you for a rotation if they just "looked" at them?

 

[Conrad 16.5]

I went in for an oil change at the local Mazda dealership. I requested tire rotation, as I have noticed one of my tires is obviously more worn than the other three, and my last rotation was 13,000 miles ago.

When the job was done, the guy at the counter told me the tires have been rotated. It was also written in the service description paper.

However, when I checked my tires, I found out the worn tire was still in the same place (right/rear). I went back to ask the guy, they admitted they didn’t rotate the tires. He said my tires didn’t need rotating because worn tires are supposed to be on the rear side of the car. Since it’s already on the rear right side, it should stay where it is.

Is what he said true?

My car is CX-5 AWD.

Sorry, but the guy at the counter is full of shyt. Did they charge you for the work done that wasn't?

You had better check the work done for the oil change too. Did they use the right oil and filter? Or whatever oil they have in bulk and a value line filter?

I would speak to the service manager about this ASAP.

Care to share the name of this dealership?

 

[Conrad 16.5]

Did they charge you for a rotation if they just "looked" at them?

That 'looking' is called an inspection and it's not free.

 

[meow_man]

That 'looking' is called an inspection and it's not free.

One of my ex-coworkers used to mark his tires pre rotation request. He caught his Honda dealer 3 times charging for rotations they never did. He pointed out to them how he knew. They "apologized" after being caught & refunded the rotation fee. The third time he brought it to the dealerships owner & said "this is why I'm never coming back".

 

[7eregrine]

I know tire rotations are, believe it or not, free at my dealer.
Sounds to me like he's trying to make sure that tire continues to wear badly so they can sell you 4 new ones soon.

 

[RedBaron]

Well, looking past the shady practices for a moment. Why is that tire "obviously more worn"? You may need to get the suspension and/or alignment checked.

 

[jadmt]

One of my ex-coworkers used to mark his tires pre rotation request. He caught his Honda dealer 3 times charging for rotations they never did. He pointed out to them how he knew. They "apologized" after being caught & refunded the rotation fee. The third time he brought it to the dealerships owner & said "this is why I'm never coming back".

screw me over once shame on you screw me over twice shame on me........on my dealership I had 2 good experiences on free oil changes and 1 bad and I am not going back.

 

[cz5gt]

some dealers try it out and see what happenes. 9 out of 10 wont notice. And for those that notice its an apology for oversight and a freebie added.
Sad reality.

 

[ceric]

Mt dealer refused to rotate tires on my 16 Mazda6.
Reason: tires are more than 6 yrs old. They refused to do it.
Yet, they tried to charge me on that. (old change + tire rotation = $95 coupon).
Finally, I got $20 off.

I did the rotation myself.

 

[ThunderDump]

He said my tires didn’t need rotating because worn tires are supposed to be on the rear side of the car. Since it’s already on the rear right side, it should stay where it is.

Is what he said true?

They clearly lied to you because they say they did work but they didn't. It should have said they inspected the tires and determined rotation wasn't necessary, not that they rotated them.

And he is incorrect--for a FWD-biased and front-weight-biased vehicle, tires with the *best* tread should be on the back, not the front.

 

[theblooms]

. The third time he brought it to the dealerships owner & said "this is why I'm never coming back".

Guess what? The stealership's owner is the reason the work isn't getting done. The ONLY thing he cares about is keeping profits up and expenses down. The reason that dealerships are shady is because that's how the owners run them.

 

[jadmt]

Guess what? The stealership's owner is the reason the work isn't getting done. The ONLY thing he cares about is keeping profits up and expenses down. The reason that dealerships are shady is because that's how the owners run them.

yup. Not many mom and pop dealerships left.

 

[Silly Wabbit]

They clearly lied to you because they say they did work but they didn't. It should have said they inspected the tires and determined rotation wasn't necessary, not that they rotated them.

And he is incorrect--for a FWD-biased and front-weight-biased vehicle, tires with the *best* tread should be on the back, not the front.

Tires with higher tread should be in the front for fwd and even AWD due to fwd biased.

 

[jadmt]

Tires with higher tread should be in the front for fwd and even AWD due to fwd biased.

that always brings up controversy...many experts say the best tires should be on the back of a fwd due to not losing control during braking etc.....I know for a fact Costco and discount tire will only put them on the back....if you are only buying two new tires.

https://www.allstate.com/resources/car-insurance/new-tires-front-back#:~:text=Should%20new%20tires%20go%20on%20the%20front%20or%20back%3F&text=According%20to%20Tire%20Review%2C%20new,tread%2C%20then%20stability%20is%20lost.

 

[gazelle]

Tires with higher tread should be in the front for fwd and even AWD due to fwd biased.

That's for people prioritizing acceleration vs braking
In general braking should be more important

 

[Buzzman12]

Why am I not surprised by any of this? I've told my story before about how a dealer tried to scam me for an oil change that was never done.
As soon as they take your vehicle into the back shop, where you can't see it, they have carte blanche to screw you over. This is why I go to indie shops where I can see the work being done, plus I bring my own oil filter, and I bring a plastic bag with me and ask for the old one back.
I also mark my tires if I'm going in for a rotation.
To the OP, I'd check my oil and filter and see if it's actually been changed.

 

[Silly Wabbit]

That's for people prioritizing acceleration vs braking
In general braking should be more important

Are you saying rotating tires would not be recommended since rear tires will have better tread for fwd cars?

Better tires can be put in the front or the rear. It's a matter of picking your poison. Bad front tires mean you will slide straight. Also braking is done primarily by the front and not rear. Bad tires in rear mean you'll be doing a lot of drifting. Of course I'm talking about 3/32 or less. In regular circumstances like 6/32 or more, I honestly can't see why you would be against better tires in front.

 

[sm1ke]

The front tires give you more direct feedback on a FWD or AWD car. When you make a turn or accelerate from a stop, you can tell right when the front tires lose traction, and its easier to make minor corrections and adjust your driving to account for the tires. This eliminates the risk of oversteer as you'll never push the car hard enough to break the rears loose, unless it was intentional.

On the other hand, better tires on the front of a FWD or AWD car improves traction, but results in an increased risk of oversteering. You'll feel more confident with better tires up front, but that overconfidence can put you into the ditch if you can't manage the sudden oversteer and properly course correct.