Had my 2018 Honda Civic Si to the dealership for inspection, front end alignment and LOF back in…read moreAugust. Honda Gold certified tech Michael Seddon over at Reidman Toll did everything for me and suggested replacing the 2 rear tires before first snow since treads passed but were getting low. My son (who drives this car on a 2 hr round trip to work each day) noticed that the "H" Honda logo on the steering wheel was still crooked when tires were straight. Took it back for Mike to recheck. He said that something was definitely off, but recommended having it looked at at a body shop before he randomly starting replacing parts, since there was no obvious reason for it and he wanted to r/o a possible issue with the sub-frame. He double-checked the alignment and test drove it again, then rechecked again. Alignment was holding straight.
Car acted fine so we did not rush to the body shop. Then during heavy rains for a few days in a row a few weeks ago, my son was complaining that the Si was hydroplaning, even on roads that were "just wet" (not even puddles) at only 35 mph on the turnpike (scary, but I thought he was just being overly dramatic maybe).
I had him stop in at Mavis Tire in Frazer / Malvern area, as they typically do a great job when we need new tires. Manager Bobby said they were too busy that Thursday and asked him to bring it back on Friday at 5 pm. My son did that. Bobby checked out the tires and said the same thing Mike had said; the treads are getting low on the 2 rear tires, so rx replacing them before winter.
The following week, my son was driving the turnpike to work. Fortunately, his company is just off the turnpike exit and he made it to work ok. But soon after, one of his co-workers walking through the parking lot noticed that the left rear tire was flat. They took it off and were horrified to find that the tire was completely bald on the inside, with giant bubbles in it, and completely blown out. How he ever survived going down the turnpike at 70+ mph is beyond me. Looking at the tire, (and as we later found out, the right one as well was almost as bad) it was a miracle he escaped tragic death that could have also killed others around him.
They had to put a donut on to drive it about 2 miles down the road to the Mavis Tire in Bristol, PA. Manager Kenny there was horrified to know that the other Mavis in Frazer did not catch this, even though they had just supposedly checked the tires not even 5 days before. (I called and Bobby admitted to "not having much time" (even though my son made an appt and special trip back, just to have them checked out thoroughly) and to only looking at the outer edges of the tires and didn't check them out completely.
Kenny at Bristol Mavis was great! They had the tires in stock and hooked us up with a great deal on them and also did another alignment. We pointed out the issue with the "H" not straight on the steering wheel, so they brought in a master mechanic to check and found the camber off, so he adjusted that. They test drove it, and found the car to still be pulling hard to the right, so they also made the suggestion that we should have it checked out at a body shop to rule out sub-frame damage before jumping into replacing suspension parts, since there was no obvious issues with the suspension. So we brought the car back to Chester County.
A friend of mine recommended we reach out to Lance over at West Chester Calliber Collison. Lance was great! We dropped the car off at night, and by 9 am the next morning, they had accessed the car and determined that the sub-frame was in fact ok (whew!) The issue was just one side lower control arm. So they sent it out to an automotive shop they partner with, and had my car done the next day after replacing it (and doing the THIRD alignment in 3 months!)
Lance and staff and partners were extremely fast and efficient, provided excellent customer service, all at a very reasponalbe cost. My Si now drives perfectly! Hopefully no more unevenly worn, unsafe tires in our future. They even detailed the Si, inside and out and gave it back to us in immaculate condition. We are so grateful to Caliber for getting to the bottom of things and fixing us up. Thank you Lance and staff! And please give our thanks to your partner automotive shop techs as well.
And on a side note; damage was almost definitely caused by one of our wonderful PA potholes. Anyone want to join me in a protest against Penn-Dot? For the amt of taxes we pay, we should not have to worry about road damage to our cars!