Those with long memories might recall that when my Hak 1 tires came off this spring and the Dunlops went back on, the tire dealership took off the bolt covers with a screw driver. This wanton gouging of my sport 7 spokers got them a $500 bill and my a set of refinished wheels. Precision Wheel of Bloomington MN did the refinish and I liked the new look, having a deeper sparkle and a little lighter in color.<p>Saturday, I took the car to the best tire shop I know of, Twin City Tire, and was assured that the rims wouldn't see a scratch. When I picked up the car, each rim had a circular scrape into the paint and maybe to the aluminum! The scrapes were at the outside of the rim, but not all the way to the lip and most of the way, but not all the way around the circle. All the service guys were puzzled. They had just put a new plastic deal on the fancy tire changer and had never seen anything like it.<p>Is it just me, or does everybody have hacked up rims from tire changes? Is it not possible to change tires without this kind of damage? I have never been so aware of the condition of my wheels, but all that ritual brake dust cleaning has made my slightly obsessed with the wheel's finish. Lastly, does anybody have any idea what might have happened to produce the damage? I'm going to see the manager tomorrow.<p>Steve (98 2.8QMS)

<br>I have had that happen on many occassions, best thing to do, is get to know the guy who will be installing the tires personally, tip him good,and that way he will be extra careful. Also, if they have a machine that will allow the tire to be mounted from the backside of the rim(BBS suggests this), it will prevent damage to the face. It is hard getting low profile tires on a rim.<p><br>

Thanks for the note.<p>The shop told me that they did use the machine that only holds the rim from the back, so they could not understand where the gouges came from. With this type of machine, is there any chance of the damage I describe or did the technician possibly use the wrong mahcine?<p>Steve (98 2.8QMS)

I feel for you Steve. When my replacement Dunlop comes in (sidewall was cut on original tire), I plan to show the manager the pristine look of my rim front and back before getting the tire mounted, then say "This is exactly the way I want it back, Bud" (or something to that effect).<p>In preparation for this job, I have already removed the rim/tire from the car *myself*, washed it front and back, and removed the center cap. This minimizes the work the shop does, and there the exposure to damage.<p>Dan Alwood

Well, it turns out that the guy who changed the tires on Saturday used the evil "440" mahince on the rims. This instrument of rim misuse screws some kind of cone thing into the center hole and runs around the outer lip on the outside of the rim. The arm that runs around is plastic coated, but it still did a hack job on the finish. According to Twin City Tire, this never should have happened and they were very sorry.<p>I was taken to see the owner (Jim) expecting to have to nogotiate a settlement. He listened to the story from his mechanic and without a word from me said (in effect) "This never should have happened and I'm very sorry. We will have to completely refinish all the rims. If you want to avoid the downtime, we'll also make you a good deal on a set of winter alloy rims." What a pleasure to deal with people like that! I'm now trying to decide on the rim offer. The last thing he said was "Thanks for your business." Wow, he's earned my business.<p>Advice: Talk to the actual person who will touch your rims and verify what equipment will be used to change them.<p>Steve (98 2.8 QMS)<p>