I have had my 2008 Roadster a little over a month. The car has 45000 Kilometers on it. When I purchased it from the dealer part of the deal was new tires which they did. Bringing it home I had no vibration in the steering wheel but I could feel something in the rear. I have been enjoying the car very much but wanted to see if the rear could be addressed so i took it to a recommended customer wheel place to have the balance done. When I got it on the highway it was perfect but halfway home I heard a ping (lost weight) and the steering wheel started to shake. I took it back 2 days later and it hasn't been the same. The car is now worse than I bought it. I have now had it to 2 different places and no one can get it back to what it was. I would describe myself a little OCD(LOL) and this is driving me crazy to the point it's no fun to drive the car anymore!! Can anyone comment or provide suggestions?
Why is it so hard to balance tires?

 

Hi & Welcome. I guess that you're Canadian too, eh? Where are you from?
Now, the tires. Did they replace all four? What kind are they? If they road test the car they'll likely feel the same vibration that you do. It's surprising to hear that a weight flew off - they really stick well to a properly cleaned surface and you shouldn't have had a problem, but if you've paid to have a job done and it hasn't been done well enough, take it back. Tire balancing isn't a hard job and if that's really the problem they should be able to correct it fairly easily.

 

Find a place with a Hunter Road Force 9700 balancer, and someone who knows how to properly use it.
Your worries should be over.

 

If you're running directional tires, make sure that they didn't transpose them when reinstalling.

 

+ one on this as well.

Additionally, definitely get road force balancing.

Finally, are you sure it's the tires. Any suspension componets at issue? What about the steering stablizer bar if it's from the front? Has the former owner put spacers on the vehicle? Might the wheel be out of round? Just throughing out some other thins to check.

Good luck.

 

Thanks for your reply, I am in Brighton, On
I took your advice, spoke to Manager of local GM dealer that we do business with at the office.
He directed me to a Goodyear outlet that has a Roadforce balancer, the car is there now.
Hopefully will have a smooth drive home.

The dealer I purchased the car from is 2 hours away, don't intend to have service done there, trying to get good local service. I am going to talk to Mercedes dealer in Kingston, 45 minutes away, and try to get a feel for them. Local Chrysler is OK for a Ram truck or such but not these cars. Chrysler Service Manager admitted his guys hate working on them!!

Thanks for the help

Just got the call, front left rim is NFG!! I don't understand how the other place got it smooth before the weight fell off. Going to call dealership, see what their response is, probably tough as there is no warranty.

Any good outlets for OEM Rims???

 

n/a ( 7 spoke ) or SRT6 ?
You could try MrMopar ( send a PM ) if it's SRT6, or take your chances with EBay otherwise.
All the 'new OEM' rims you will find are extremely overpriced.
Shipping to Canada can also be an issue.
Should be some Canada guys on here that have put on aftermarket wheels.

 

Ah, so one of my thoughts was correct. Try ebay, parts for sale on here, start a thread and check many other sources. Dealer you bought it from should hopefully at least try to help you locate one.

 

Thanks for everyones comments. It's great that you can sound off or get advice on these forums from people that have experienced the same thing.

They just called me again and are "having a problem with the 2 on the right side" as well.
WTF? I really should have left well enough alone. I had a small vibration in the rear and now I have progressed to a bad front rim and a car that can rattle your teeth!
I don't have any experience balancing tires but this is really beyond belief. I just don't understand
why I am getting such a drastic difference from 3 different places. I am not expecting perfection, I would really just like to get back where I was.

Maybe I will just put it away now for the winter before I drive my self crazy!!!!

 

These are the original manufacturer crossfire rims correct?

 

I'm not that far from you in Richmond - just a couple of hours. I have a good friend that owns a garage and he's as honest as the day is long. Why don't you come up this way for a Saturday morning and let him pull your wheels and check things out. His rates are reasonable and the work will be done right or not at all. Send me a pm if you're interested and we can set it up so that you don't have to wait until winter.

 

Well I just got home from the office. I drive the 401 to work, Interstate to our American neighbors.
The rear shakes pretty good, worse than when I took it in. I had a look at the rims before I left the parking lot at work, all 4 of the center caps were not on right. If I hadn't removed them and put them on properly I suspect I may have lost a few on the way home. The bad karma is really starting to suck! I have now spent 140.00 on balancing to end up where I am today. In 5 short weeks, due to my own obsessiveness, I have went from having a car that was a blast to drive to a car I can't stand to look at. It is not the money, I just want to enjoy it. Oh well, maybe a couple of weeks of parking it will change my mood.

 

Here's a thought - get your lug wrench and ensure that all wheel bolts have been tightened properly. I've had this experience in the past as well. It's very simple, but the shaking can be scary and will get worse if not attended to as soon as possible.

 

I think this is going to have to be my last post for a while because the car has become a obsession to the point of distraction. I examined the wheels tonight and the idiot at Goodyear must of used a knife or screwdriver to get the tape/glue from the other weights off and has scratched the hell out of all 4 rims.
In addition there are marks in the leather on the drivers seat that weren't there before. I should have never left the car there. Up to this point I have been the only one to drive it. I guess I found the answer to my rim and tire balancing issue as I am going to file a claim against them on Tuesday for the damage and seek restitution, ie replacement. Yeah I know, good luck with that. I guess the small claims court will be my new obsession. I am tired of getting screwed and putting my trust in people!!! Someone too stupid to even put the centre caps on right should never have been working on my car. I intend to confront the manager tomorrow and see what his response is. I have the bill in front of me and there is no disclaimer or otherwise on the invoice indicating they are not responsible for damage.

I want to thank everyone for your suggestions and for your kind offer of assistance Ottawa John. Wish me luck with my claim and I hope the rest of you are enjoying your cars!!

 

If you win the claim or not it may be cheaper to go with aftermarket wheels.
You could sell yours to offset the cost. Listing than as damaged with an honest description will still bring some money.

 

I am a very very happy man tonight and I highly recommend VanZulen Tire in Belleville Ontario because they have shifted my Karma balance on the car!!!
They listened to my story, balanced my tires and refused to charge me until I drove the car for a few days
to see if I am satisfied. The car is as smooth as a baby's behind!!!
Everything Goodyear said is BS!! There is nothing wrong with any of my rims and VanZulen's had no problem balancing any of the tires. It took an old school balancer and a guy who knew how to use it!!
They also have no problem putting in writing what they found to help me with my case against Goodyear Belleville. I have spoken to Goodyear Corporate who have also offered their assistance in my claim against the Goodyear Independent Dealer.

To top it all off the appointment I had this week to get the dent taken out that the mechanic put in the fender went fabulous, no dent and no trace it was there!!! I highly recommend Paul the Dent Doctor guy who works out of Bayview Auto in Belleville Ontario. 75.00 and 45 minutes later no dent!!!

I am hoping this is a sign of good things to come!

 

FYI-www.rockauto.com has NOS front ($122 and rear $201) in stock.

 

Good to hear! Now you've found a trusted person for your wheels. He'll probably be able to recommend other honest people for any other needs that you might have. But a word of caution - stay away from dealers. You'll usually do much better with independent mechanics.

 

Always good to hear a happy story

 

From what I read these are reproductions. I could have read it wrong I guess.