Problems With 18" Tyre Changes?

[Rabbers]

Has anybody else experienced delays or heard of technical difficulties in connection

with the fitting of 18" tyres?

Before I had my 300h I bought tyres from specialist shops that also stored and changed

them for me as necessary. Because Winter was approaching when I took delivery of the

300h in October last year and Toyota/Lexus was offering a good seasonal deal, I ordered

a set of Yokohama W-Drives (245/45/18, all four) with a view to replacing the standard

factory-fitted Bridgestone Turanzas (245/40/18 front/255/35/18 rear) a few weeks later,

believing this to be an intelligent move since it offered the possibility of combining future

seasonal tyre changes with other routine maintenance needs on a one-stop basis under

the same roof. And indeed, when I took the car in for the first S-to-W and subsequent

W-to-S tyre changes, I left the car for the whole day on both occasions, so that it did not

cross my mind that the changes could have been carried out other than routinely and on

the premises.

Last week, expecting to have to wait for an hour at the most, I booked the car in for the

sole purpose of having the tyres changed S-to-W. When the hour came and went, I

began to get fidgety, and upon being told that it would take a while longer, I went out for

a walk. When I came back, I spied what looked suspiciously like my tyres being unloaded

from a van with the name of a local tyre shop on the sides. Twenty minutes later, the car

was ready, and before being given the chance to blow off a fair amount of accumulated

steam, I was thanked for my patience in having waited for so long and told that there

would be no charge.

By this time, I was late for an appointment and could not hang around for a detailed

explanation but was able to gather, if I understood it right, that when the tyres are levered

onto the rims, the lowness of the profiles and the connected rigidity of the walls involves

the risk of seriously damaging the metal (and I got the impression that this has actually

happened with some unfortunate customers). Apparently this has also been the

experience of other Lexus dealers who now prefer to have 18" tyre changes done

by outside specialists. As regards my own dealer, until the management decides to

invest in new equipment for the tyre bay, 300h customers with 18" tyres will in future

be asked to leave the car for at least half a day and be given a courtesy car while the

tyres are out for changing.

[ColinBarber]

I'm not sure if all dealers have the capability of changing tyres, some rely on local tyre companies for all work. This isn't really a problem provided expectation is set at the beginning with regards to how long the job will take.

[Rabbers]

I'm not sure if all dealers have the capability of changing tyres, some rely on local tyre companies for all work. This isn't really a problem provided expectation is set at the beginning with regards to how long the job will take.

A quick tour of Lexus websites for the main European countries does indeed indicate that while they all

recommend proper tyre care and the use of Winter tyres, Italy possibly appears to be the only one where

dealerships formally offer, as do Toyota ones, a full in-house tyre service. I quote from their site [in transl-

action]:

".... Tyre maintenance is fundamental to your safety .... in our dealerships specialized technicians will look

after your tyres using the latest technologies and facilities .... in Winter, normal tyres will changed for

thermal ones .... and when it is time to change tyres, a team of specialists will carry out this delicate

operation ...."

My own experience in this regard with a dealer whose other services I have always found excellent over

more than a decade makes the claims somewhat embarrassing. Personally, I have not the slightest

objection to dealers using outside services for a tyre change, unless it takes much longer or costs

significantly more than going direct.

[ganzoom]

Be interesting to hear how much Lexus charge for tyre changes.

I use a local tyre shop for changing tyres on our cars. They charge £40 to change all 4 corners, rears are 275/30/19 so pretty low profile, takes them 30-40 min, and not damaged my rims yet.

[ColinBarber]

Be interesting to hear how much Lexus charge for tyre changes.

I use a local tyre shop for changing tyres on our cars. They charge £40 to change all 4 corners, rears are 275/30/19 so pretty low profile, takes them 30-40 min, and not damaged my rims yet.

you can guarantee it will be more than just dealing with the local company direct - there is an extra party involved wanting to make a profit from you.

[Rabbers]

Be interesting to hear how much Lexus charge for tyre changes.

I use a local tyre shop for changing tyres on our cars. They charge £40 to change all 4 corners, rears are 275/30/19 so pretty low profile, takes them 30-40 min, and not damaged my rims yet.

you can guarantee it will be more than just dealing with the local company direct - there is an extra party involved wanting to make a profit from you.

My Lexus dealer charges €20 per corner and €8 per set per month for storage, giving a total of €128-136 depending

on likely duration of storage. I would guess these prices do not vary much from country to country.

The tyre shop I previously used (and to which I intend to go back when the time comes to buy new tyres) advertised

€15 per corner but charged an all-in €100 inclusive of a season's storage without quibbling about the duration thereof.

A two-man team plus a fetcher-and-carrier took 30-35", or maybe a bit less, for the change.