Honda Car Forum

I got a EX SE sedan a few weeks ago and it had bad vibrations. Dealer took
a shot at balancing and it didn't work. Today (2nd visit), they gave me
the wheels off a new vehicle. It drove great.

I get home and I start thinking...hmmm, I have to be sure...so, I rotated
the wheels. Damn it! I knew it was too good to be true...there is a
slight vibration in the steering wheel. Not as bad as before, but still
there. I have an appt at a non-Honda shop tomorrow night to do a road-
force balance test on the set. Hopefully, they can nail the exact wheel(s)
in question.

Some of these wheels have so much weight on them.

Salesman: "Look, you get all of this in the EX SE for a just $400 more!"

Reality: The wheels are crap, costing 1/3 of those on the EX ($428 vs $157
MSRP).

The problem is most likely caused by the tires, not the rims.

The last time I replaced my tires, the new ones were out of round and the
tire shop immediately request a replacement to be sent. However, the
replacement was also 'out of round'. It appeared that the entire shipment
from the supplier was bad...

The tricky aspect about these tires that are 'out of round' is that they'll
appear acceptable when new, but rapidly get worst over time. So, a shady
tire shop could sell these defective tires and it would take several month
for the defect to become apparent (in the form of vibration), at which
point, it would be too late for you to get your money back.

Pars

"Daryl Herkin" <dherkin@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:Xns960BDFC695C1Edherkinhotmailcom@24.24.2.166 ...
> I got a EX SE sedan a few weeks ago and it had bad vibrations. Dealer
took
> a shot at balancing and it didn't work. Today (2nd visit), they gave me
> the wheels off a new vehicle. It drove great.
>
> I get home and I start thinking...hmmm, I have to be sure...so, I rotated
> the wheels. Damn it! I knew it was too good to be true...there is a
> slight vibration in the steering wheel. Not as bad as before, but still
> there. I have an appt at a non-Honda shop tomorrow night to do a road-
> force balance test on the set. Hopefully, they can nail the exact
wheel(s)
> in question.
>
> Some of these wheels have so much weight on them.
>
> Salesman: "Look, you get all of this in the EX SE for a just $400 more!"
>
> Reality: The wheels are crap, costing 1/3 of those on the EX ($428 vs
$157
> MSRP).
>

"Pars" <sdaro(remove)@hotmail.com> wrote in
news:TPadnUHLi52nar7fRVn-jQ@rogers.com:

> The problem is most likely caused by the tires, not the rims.
>
> The last time I replaced my tires, the new ones were out of round and
> the tire shop immediately request a replacement to be sent. However,
> the replacement was also 'out of round'. It appeared that the entire
> shipment from the supplier was bad...
>
> The tricky aspect about these tires that are 'out of round' is that
> they'll appear acceptable when new, but rapidly get worst over time.
> So, a shady tire shop could sell these defective tires and it would
> take several month for the defect to become apparent (in the form of
> vibration), at which point, it would be too late for you to get your
> money back.
>

Isn't Bridgestone a relatively decent brand, though?

"Pars" <sdaro(remove)@hotmail.com> wrote in
news:TPadnUHLi52nar7fRVn-jQ@rogers.com:

> The problem is most likely caused by the tires, not the rims.
>
> The last time I replaced my tires, the new ones were out of round and
> the tire shop immediately request a replacement to be sent. However,
> the replacement was also 'out of round'. It appeared that the entire
> shipment from the supplier was bad...

What brand of tires were they?

> The tricky aspect about these tires that are 'out of round' is that
> they'll appear acceptable when new, but rapidly get worst over time.
> So, a shady tire shop could sell these defective tires and it would
> take several month for the defect to become apparent (in the form of
> vibration), at which point, it would be too late for you to get your
> money back.

These problems started immediately. Some of the shaking was at low speeds
which could be a belt problem I guess, but I still think the wheels are
f**ked.

"Daryl Herkin" <dherkin@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:Xns960BDFC695C1Edherkinhotmailcom@24.24.2.166 ...
>I got a EX SE sedan a few weeks ago and it had bad vibrations. Dealer took
> a shot at balancing and it didn't work. Today (2nd visit), they gave me
> the wheels off a new vehicle. It drove great.
>
> I get home and I start thinking...hmmm, I have to be sure...so, I rotated
> the wheels. Damn it! I knew it was too good to be true...there is a
> slight vibration in the steering wheel. Not as bad as before, but still
> there. I have an appt at a non-Honda shop tomorrow night to do a road-
> force balance test on the set. Hopefully, they can nail the exact
> wheel(s)
> in question.
>
> Some of these wheels have so much weight on them.
>
> Salesman: "Look, you get all of this in the EX SE for a just $400 more!"
>
> Reality: The wheels are crap, costing 1/3 of those on the EX ($428 vs
> $157
> MSRP).

Find yourself a small shop that specializes in performance or racing. They
can balance the wheel on the car with greater accuracy than the off the car
type. Look for local SCCA clubs or autocross clubs, they'll be able to point
you in the right direction. I had it done on a Volvo S70 that had a
vibration at high speed that wouldn't show up in the shop. Balancing the
wheel on the car cured it.

Hope this helps.

jjd

"Josh D" <joshua.dunning@verizon.net> wrote in
newsh_Ud.66776$8a6.30563@trndny09:

>
> "Daryl Herkin" <dherkin@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:Xns960BDFC695C1Edherkinhotmailcom@24.24.2.166 ...
>>I got a EX SE sedan a few weeks ago and it had bad vibrations. Dealer
>>took
>> a shot at balancing and it didn't work. Today (2nd visit), they gave
>> me the wheels off a new vehicle. It drove great.
>>
>> I get home and I start thinking...hmmm, I have to be sure...so, I
>> rotated the wheels. Damn it! I knew it was too good to be
>> true...there is a slight vibration in the steering wheel. Not as bad
>> as before, but still there. I have an appt at a non-Honda shop
>> tomorrow night to do a road- force balance test on the set.
>> Hopefully, they can nail the exact wheel(s)
>> in question.
>>
>> Some of these wheels have so much weight on them.
>>
>> Salesman: "Look, you get all of this in the EX SE for a just $400
>> more!"
>>
>> Reality: The wheels are crap, costing 1/3 of those on the EX ($428
>> vs $157
>> MSRP).
>
> Find yourself a small shop that specializes in performance or racing.
> They can balance the wheel on the car with greater accuracy than the
> off the car type. Look for local SCCA clubs or autocross clubs,
> they'll be able to point you in the right direction. I had it done on
> a Volvo S70 that had a vibration at high speed that wouldn't show up
> in the shop. Balancing the wheel on the car cured it.

What about the 'road force' balance check?

No, this car is two weeks old...the dealer is going to fix it.

The retail price has no relevance to the quality of the wheels. What has
you convinced it's the wheels that are your problem?The problem you have is
most likely in the tires. That is where more than 90% of imbalance or
vibration problems will occur.
Go to another dealer if that one can't solve your problem. I would also go
to a tire store that sells the brand of tires on your car. If you have a
tire problem, they can warranty your tires. Honda does not warranty tires.
That is not to say they can't warranty your tires, but often they refer you
to the manufacturers representative which is the tire store selling your
brand. Unless, of course the dealer actually sells tires. Not all dealers
do. Check your owners manual and papers you got with your car. You will see
the warranty is with the tire manufacturer.
Howard
"Daryl Herkin" <dherkin@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:Xns960BDFC695C1Edherkinhotmailcom@24.24.2.166 ...
> I got a EX SE sedan a few weeks ago and it had bad vibrations. Dealer
took
> a shot at balancing and it didn't work. Today (2nd visit), they gave me
> the wheels off a new vehicle. It drove great.
>
> I get home and I start thinking...hmmm, I have to be sure...so, I rotated
> the wheels. Damn it! I knew it was too good to be true...there is a
> slight vibration in the steering wheel. Not as bad as before, but still
> there. I have an appt at a non-Honda shop tomorrow night to do a road-
> force balance test on the set. Hopefully, they can nail the exact
wheel(s)
> in question.
>
> Some of these wheels have so much weight on them.
>
> Salesman: "Look, you get all of this in the EX SE for a just $400 more!"
>
> Reality: The wheels are crap, costing 1/3 of those on the EX ($428 vs
$157
> MSRP).
>

"Howard" <howardh@nospam-cybrstar.com> wrote in
news:X73Vd.590$w85.282@bignews3.bellsouth.net:

> The retail price has no relevance to the quality of the wheels. What
> has you convinced it's the wheels that are your problem?

The amount of weight that has been put on the wheel to balance it. 60-75g
on one side of the wheel? Of course, some of the wheels have this and
exhibit no issues when rotated to the front.

The dealer is going to do the road force test/matching mounting procedures
next week so, hopefully, that will uncover the problem.

"Howard" <howardh@nospam-cybrstar.com> wrote in message news:<X73Vd.590$w85.282@bignews3.bellsouth.net>...
> The retail price has no relevance to the quality of the wheels. What has
> you convinced it's the wheels that are your problem?The problem you have is
> most likely in the tires. That is where more than 90% of imbalance or
> vibration problems will occur.
> Go to another dealer if that one can't solve your problem. I would also go
> to a tire store that sells the brand of tires on your car. If you have a
> tire problem, they can warranty your tires. Honda does not warranty tires.
> That is not to say they can't warranty your tires, but often they refer you
> to the manufacturers representative which is the tire store selling your
> brand. Unless, of course the dealer actually sells tires. Not all dealers
> do. Check your owners manual and papers you got with your car. You will see
> the warranty is with the tire manufacturer.
> Howard
> "Daryl Herkin" <dherkin@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:Xns960BDFC695C1Edherkinhotmailcom@24.24.2.166 ...
> > I got a EX SE sedan a few weeks ago and it had bad vibrations. Dealer
> took
> > a shot at balancing and it didn't work. Today (2nd visit), they gave me
> > the wheels off a new vehicle. It drove great.
> >
> > I get home and I start thinking...hmmm, I have to be sure...so, I rotated
> > the wheels. Damn it! I knew it was too good to be true...there is a
> > slight vibration in the steering wheel. Not as bad as before, but still
> > there. I have an appt at a non-Honda shop tomorrow night to do a road-
> > force balance test on the set. Hopefully, they can nail the exact
> wheel(s)
> > in question.
> >
> > Some of these wheels have so much weight on them.
> >
> > Salesman: "Look, you get all of this in the EX SE for a just $400 more!"
> >
> > Reality: The wheels are crap, costing 1/3 of those on the EX ($428 vs
> $157
> > MSRP).
> >

Honda is dropping the ball on quality again. A vehicle with bad
wheels should never have left the plant, let alone dealership! In
this case, you're lucky it was just wheels...

"Daryl Herkin" <dherkin@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:Xns960CC93460D7dherkinhotmailcom@24.24.2.165. ..
> "Pars" <sdaro(remove)@hotmail.com> wrote in
> news:TPadnUHLi52nar7fRVn-jQ@rogers.com:
>
> > The problem is most likely caused by the tires, not the rims.
> >
> > The last time I replaced my tires, the new ones were out of round and
> > the tire shop immediately request a replacement to be sent. However,
> > the replacement was also 'out of round'. It appeared that the entire
> > shipment from the supplier was bad...
>
> What brand of tires were they?

They're my tried a true Toyo Proxes FZ4 195/15/50. I've already gone through
2 sets and in the summer, I'll have to order another set. With my low
profile setup and tight suspension, the balance on those tires have to be
absolutely perfect or it'll register.

>
> > The tricky aspect about these tires that are 'out of round' is that
> > they'll appear acceptable when new, but rapidly get worst over time.
> > So, a shady tire shop could sell these defective tires and it would
> > take several month for the defect to become apparent (in the form of
> > vibration), at which point, it would be too late for you to get your
> > money back.
>
> These problems started immediately. Some of the shaking was at low speeds

I drove on the 'out of round' tire while waiting for the replace to arrive.
The guy at the Tire Shop balanced it so that it would only vibrate at low
speeds which was less intrusive then having it vibrate at higher speeds.

Pars
98 Civic Hatch

> which could be a belt problem I guess, but I still think the wheels are
> f**ked.