You Have to get the Rear Wheels Aligned Too

Evidently you do have to get the rear wheels aligned too!  I recently found out the hard way.  In all my years of driving and maintaining autos I have never had the rear wheels aligned.  Judy went out with the neighborhood ladies and when she returned she informed me that one of the ladies told her that there was a loud roar coming out of the rear of the car.

I drove the car and also heard it. It sounded like the sound was from the rear end of the car, much like the sound of a carrier bearing.  I seldom put of maintenance since we travel so much, so I headed to the local Honda dealership.  I informed the service writer of my evaluation and he went out to the CRV to get the info he needed to write up the work order.  When he returned he told me that my problem was with tires. He said he checked the rear tires and determined that there was evidence of “cupping”.  He explained that the condition was caused by misalignment or possible improper tire inflation or lack of tire rotation.  I was disappointed because the tires only had about 25,000 to 30,000 miles on them. The tires were high end Michelin tires. He suggested that I go back to where I bought them to see if they would offer any warranty.  I felt somewhat better when he told me that SAM’s Club had been very helpful to another customer and that was where I had purchased mine at.

Judy and I headed to the Macon SAM’s Club.  Once there I told the associate about my problem and he got a manager over to deal with me. He had the associate check and confirm the damage. He also explained the causes of “cupping” just as the Honda service writer had. I really don’t think it was a warranty item but to my surprise he said he would pro-rate the tires. The same replacement Michelin tires cost $198.00 per tire so you can hear the cash register sound if you listen close!  He also informed me that I would be getting $70.00 off due to a Michelin tire promotion.  I was getting happier.  Judy and I were overjoyed to get out of our tire mess for $371.00 instead of the $800+ that we expected to pay.  He did politely tell me he would not do that again unless I could prove that I had been getting my tires rotated every five to six thousand miles. To make it easy for me to remember, I will be having my tires rotated each time I get my oil changed. After all, the tire rotation is free at any Wally World or Sam’s Club. The next day I was back at the Honda dealership getting the CRV’s front and rear aligned.

Ahh New Tires - aligned and ready to ride

We are back at Blanton Creek Park. I will write more about the happenings at the park in my next post.

Thanks for stopping by.

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