Dealer rotates my tires 1 side only

Do you mean the Pirelli had 1/16" greater tread depth or was it tread wear as you stated? I can't see why he would leave the faster wearing tire on the front since it will wear even more quickly there. If they did then their judgement is poor. It also seems to me it would be preferable to let the others wear out in pairs rather than individually. With what they did you will have three different wear rates instead of two.

Regardless the dealer should have contacted you to ask you about the tires on that side and tell you what he intended to do. It's really bad form to charge for a requested service when it isn't performed. I would insist on only paying for 1/2 of the rotation in this case.

I've noticed that Toyota never sends out a customer satisfaction survey when I have a problem with dealer service. Yet, I always get one when there was no problem.

 

On a front wheel drive car it's pretty common to put tires on the front that have the most tread left. This of course is because the drive wheels wear faster. On rear wheel drive cars it's common to have the tires with most tread moved to the back or in the case where a tire is towards the end of it's life a judgement call is usually made to put them on the front instead of the back so you don't have steering problems.

With that being said, I can't think of a reason why they wouldn't have moved the tire with more wear to the rear of your vehicle. In fact, due to the fluctuation of tire height between manufacturers, and even models of tires from the same manufacturer, I'd always want the same brand on the drive wheels.

Are you sure the Pirelli doesn't have the most tread since it's newer? Regardless though, like I said, even if it has more tread than the others I'd put it in the back in favor of having two of the same drive wheels.

Mike

 

Well, the point of tire rotation usually is to even out tread wear so that all four tires can be replaced at once. If you agree with that objective, then it is reasonable to leave the Pirelli tire with greater tread depth in the front for now.

If you have to pay for tire rotation, you probably will do better by saving that money for your replacement tire fund (or DIY if convenient or feasible).

 

take it back and complain about not being asked first, and you might score some comps (complimentary services), so far i have gotten:
1 free detail (not used yet)
1 car wash (they should wash your car every time you should not have to ask for it)
1 12v starter battery
1 replacement wheel ornament when one came back missing
some free touch up paint

 

Tire rotation: Just Say No. It's safer to leave the two better tires on the rear of the car, to help prevent understeer (fishtailing). Plus you avoid pointless annoyances such as this experience.

 

IMHO that's really not a good reason to complain... to get "stuff". When I complain I turn down free stuff and respond with, "no thank you, just make sure it doesn't happen to myself or someone else again". In my eyes (I could be wrong), doing this shows that you're not in it for something free.... you're in it to make sure the problem is fixed for the future.

 

OTOH money talks. If a mistake costs the dealer something they're more likely not to repeat it.