I think dealer switched tire brands on me.

Manufacturers have 3 criteria for tires: Cheap, round & black. Two of them are negotiable. I would expect that tire production in Japan & Thailand was severely affected this past year which may result in wider variety as manufacturers scramble to find anything that fits to put on their wheels.

The tire Toyota buys is not the tire you'll buy at retail.

 

"The vehicle we bought has the same VIN as the VIN on the sticker from the v we test drove."

How do you know this ?

As others have pointed out, the tyres you received are also Toyota OEM, and are likely equal quality to the Michelin (says I, a Michelin fan.) I suggest you spend your time enjoying your new car instead of fighting over what is really a minor issue.

 

Funny, I'm in the RV business and Michellins are the curse of the industry. They are not good when sitting for long periods of time. I've bought coaches 1-2 years old and the sidewalks are cracking already. Michellin will replace them pro rated but what a PIA. No Michellins for me, over priced and over rated.

 

Goodyear seem to be the best for longevity. I've bought 4 - 5 year old RV's with original tires not cracking. The dealers replace them in California because of age but I've seen one owner low mile early 2000 trade in RV's with original Goodyears still looking good. Uniroyal and Bridgestone do OK also but not very common vs Mich/Goodyear in RV's.

 

So you are saying that you compared the window sticker info the the VIN imprinted on the car and they matched at the time you test drove it. You said that you are sure the car had Michelin tires when you test drove it. You then took a photo of the window sticker so you know for a fact that the car that you test drove is the car that you bought.

If that all is the case then it seems like they did switch the tires - I do not have a clue as to why. Call the dealer and check back in and let us know what their rationale was.

 

Yes, that was my question, and your answer is convincing. Gosh, I never even though to look at a VIN of a new car I am buying, let alone take a photo of it LOL. And I take photos to document lots of stuff. I don't see the utility.

Toyota might actually know what tyres were put on a specific VIN. I'll stick with my earlier advice: enjoy your car, do not think your tyre set is obviously inferior to the Michelin alternative; and consider switching dealers if you are convinced they changed tyres without your permission. After all, even if you convince them to swap in Michelins, the trust is broken for the future, right ?

 

Perhaps not - if the dealer had a good reason for a change such as another customer requesting a change on the car that they purchased at the same time. To most the tire brand would be inconsequential so the dealer might have thought that it was a non-issue. I know that would have been the case with me when I bought my Prius and I would think that many here would have the same opinion.

If the OP did not make the salesperson know that the specific tire was important how would they know? A few times when buying new cars I have had some strange needs/demands - I have always made sure that it is part of the deal paperwork and it has never been a problem.

 

I can think of one rational, not scammy reason to swap tires out: to give every buyer brand new, never drove before tires when they leave the lot.

That seems about as rational as thinking that the dealership is swapping out tires to make a buck.

 

If the v had "the other tires" mounted on them when it rolled out of the factory, as indicated by the brochures in the glove box, and probably by records obtainable at the dealer, or Toyota---then why the stink?
Manufacturers may or may not track tires to VINs by serial number, but they certainly do track tire brands to VINs, where multiple vendors are concerned.
This isn't so they can while away their afternoons hours playing musical tires with their inventory and make sure that they got the right tires back to the right vehicle. Rather it is to make sure that if there's a problem with brand X blowing out, then they know which of their customers will be contacted by the hordes of sniveling, bed-wetting attorneys looking to cash in.
OK...so your car arrived with the "inferior" brand. They swapped them out with the "good" brand, perhaps knowing that somebody would come in and be deceived. Then....while you weren't looking, they swapped them back! Cha-CHING! Got another customer!!!

Possible?
Maybe.....I'm just trying to figure out the why. What if you'd selected the 'other' car? How many v's were on the lot anyway?
I do not know....I think I'd engage in a respectful dialogue with the dealer to explore the aspects of this dilemma, particularly if they still offer "Toyota Care", because sooner or later, even if you perform self-maintenance, you're going to have to "trust" (or not) somebody to swing wrenches on your car.

Just sayin....

Good Luck with your new car!

 

FWIW, http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-v-main-forum/100062-prius-v-tires.html notes variation in tires that came w/various Prius v's, including what yours came with.

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-v-main-forum/100062-prius-v-tires.html seems to to be the counterpart for the v. I wish the OP had titled the thread a little better. Maybe we can get a moderator to change it?