Tires "So new they make a weird noise"?

Did they re-balance the tires? Maybe alignment is out?

 

Sounds like they are out of balance. If the sound changes when you steer to the left or right very quickly then it could be a wheel bearing.

This is especially true if you are feeling a vibration.

Tires should not make that noise even when new. I would tell them that they need to check the balance on a machine. An out of balance tire is not good for your suspension or gas mileage and it will cost you in the long run if it is out of balance and you don't get it fixed.

 

What is the make and model of the new tires?

 

Did the sound change sides when they rotated the tires? If so, definitely tires. It could be a stone caught in the tread.

If not, it could be a backing plate or shield for the brakes rubbing.

 

Get them to give you a signed letter stating that if this issue is not resolved within the warranty period, that they will honor the warranty for a specified period beyond it.

 

From the description it sounds like a tire rub?

 

What kind of warranty are you referring to that is 125k? Warranties don't cover tires in most cases.

 

REALLY sounds like a wheel bearing. Does the noise change depending on what type of road surface you're driving on? As in...from concrete to asphalt, any difference? When you turn the wheel back and forth gently at speed does the noise change or even go away depending on which direction you're turning?

It can be very hard to make dealers believe you that theres a slight noise like that...frankly especially when you're a woman. I have a coworker that bought a CPO BMW X5. She has driven many BMWs for years and is a real auto-phile. She's flown to Germany to pick up her BMWs...serious enthusiast. So...she knows how a BMW should sound when being driven.

She had a similar noise, and went through several service writers at the dealer and had people give her BS responses like that, new tires, "its a heavy vehicle and the engine struggles" etc. She finally got the service manager to drive it with her in the car and he heard it. Sure enough...wheel bearing.

So I'd take it back. Unless there is something stuck in the treads of the tires or something like that, the new tires shouldn't cause a noise like that.

 

I would be too.

 

Someone had asked and you never said if all the wheels were rebalanced? If no, have them rebalanced.

If the rebalance doesn't solve the problem, speak with the service manager. Have him ride in the car with you so he knows the noise you are talking about. Let him know you will be contacting Toyota Customer Satisfaction with your issues and feelings of being blown off b/c you are a woman. I guarantee this will get his attention. You can really light the fire under his butt by saying you will also notify the BAR (Bureau of Automotive Repair), or the equivalent government run department in your state, of your issues you have been having with this dealership and feelings of being blown off because you are a woman.

If you don't follow through with Toyota (and optional BAR), the manager may do nothing b/c he probablly hears a lot of idle threats. But if you actually voice your grievences, Toyota and the BAR will contact the service manager wanting to hear his side of the story. Fire lit, and it may get put out to your satisfaction.

Good luck.

 

I have had many different types of tires on my truck, some were very smooth and quiet and others were noisy and vibrated more. My point is, go to tirerack.com and look up the exact model tire that you have and read the reviews. If that model tire is noisy, someone will mention it in the review.

I also agree that a failing wheel bearing could be the cause. Maybe you can work a deal with the manager, he replaces the bearing and if that does not fix the problem then you agree to pay, but if it does then he covers it under warranty. Just because something "doesn't usually" fail does not mean that it never fails.

 

Thats another reason why its so hard to convince the service folks of the failure, because they're so rare. I've never replaced a wheel bearing on any car...ever...even cars with 150k+ miles. But...if the wheel bearing on a $60k BMW with 24k miles on it can fail...they can fail on a Prius too.

If it were wheel balance you'd be able to feel a throbbing vibration at speed...

Don't get upset, that just makes it worse. Stay polite, but firm. You INSIST that they diagnose this issue and fix the car...they'll find it. If you get hysterical they'll just think you're crazy and want you to go away.

 

If it is the tires then tire rotation won't make the noise change sides, "rotation" these days is just exchanging front to back. Wheels don't change sides.
It sounds like either bad balance or out of round tires. Any good tire shop can double check balance for you and won't charge much. Out of round is harder to deal with, but a Hunter Road Force equipped shop can check that if proper balancing doesn't do the trick. Basically the machine figures out where the tire is 'high' where the wheel is 'low' and the tech adjusts the rotation of the tire on the wheel to match. Obviously depending on how bad the wheel & tire are, it can either make a big difference or not much at all. I'm not sure what your recourse is if the tire is really bad.

- D