Venting after a horrendous wheel install experience

ronsta

ronsta

New member
Went to a local shop to have new tires installed. Requested white letters facing out, even says so on the work order. Got a call to come back for it and the white letters are facing in. WTF right? So I went back in and told them about it and the technician says, "they weren't white, they were blue" (in spanish but I understood). Should've been a clue there but I just rolled my eyes and ask the receptionist if it was his first time installing tires. I walk out and leave them alone to do it right, mistake?

I come back a second time and the oil isn't changed, the box of M1 5w-30 & filter is still sitting on the passengers seat, back into the lift bay goes the truck and I stay to watch the oil change. The techs use a cut out piece of cardboard from the box of oil instead of a funnel. I roll my eyes and point that out to them, they think its funny. Maybe I'm OCD but did I not just pay a premium for synthetic motor oil just for it to be ruined by cardboard fibers going into my engine (and thus ruining my engine?).

Next day, I want to take the truck for a wash but am sick to death

Today: Took her to the car wash and inspected the wheels, I'm pretty sure I didn't have that many scuffs and abrasions on the rims, I know curb rash when I see it and being that the rims are well above curb height it would be impossible for it to be curb rash.

Tomorrow: Going to the shop to talk about making it right

Note: I know its a truck and its supposed to go places cars don't and thus might encounter some resistance but that day hasn't come yet and if it does come from the trails then those will be battle scars.
 
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Sounds crappy. Hopefully it works out for you, let us know. Sounds like this shop is probably not going to be to inclined to replace your wheels or anything. Maybe a free work order for next time.
 
Been there done that also, the tire shops inexperienced tech is the reason my sr5 wheels are now painted black. They did an awful job.
 
Happened to me at Jackson Auto here in Long Beach, CA. I went to have some crappy tires taken off my stock rims for a guy that wanted the rims. They totaly F'ed my rims up and then offered 1/2 the cost of them taking the tires off the rims. REALLY? I would not have paid them with their own money, little own my money.

Ron White said it best, "You can't fix stupid"
 
That sucks. I'm lucky that I have a wheel/tire/suspension guy that does work like I would. He's anal to the point of lining up the lettering on the tires with the valve stem and the center caps being in a certain place :)
I probably wouldn't have let them have another chance at touching my truck after they mentioned the blue letters. Dummies...
 
Ouch, better get the torques checked on those wheels, I usually loosen and re-torque mine after I get home. Tire Rack is an hour from my house, I used to go down there, they inspected everything and did it right.

Cardboard funnel? MB doesn't even allow paper towels for wiping dipsticks.
 
moral of the story, you don't TRUST anyone... When I bring my truck in I make sure I'm watching like a hawk.
 
I would have gotten out of there at my first opportunity and not let them change the oil. The signs were there, I would have booked. If they did such a lame job on the tires, I would have assumed the oil change would have been just as bad. Do the oil change yourself, it is not difficult and it will be done right. As far as the tires go, bring it to a reputable place and get it straightened out. Even if they gave you new rims, I would not let them mount them.
 
Stopped by the shop at the end of the day so as to not disturb their business and the owner told the techs to pull the truck into the bay to have a look. After they pull it into the bay they open up the hood and look like they were about to put it on the lift when I stuck my head in there and told them to just stop and wait. (Your boss told you to pull the truck into the bay and nothing else!)

So I walk into the bay with the shop owner and point out that all four of the wheels have similar dings on them as if whoever was taking off the weights just dug their screwdriver into the rim and didn't give a sh*t. At first he said he'll have the guys polish it back up but I explained how can you polish what isn't there? Essentially missing metal from the wheel. He asked for a few mins to think about a course of action and after I stepped back into the waiting area he began to unload at the techs about the wheels, their decision to put the white letters on the inside and also using a cardboard funnel. He comes back into the waiting area and says he'll need to make a few calls to see what he can do about it and that he'll let me know about the options. It was at this point I didn't even bother telling him about the 25 PSI all 4 tires had.

I only expect the best out of this shop because we've (all my cars) been going to them ever since I moved into the area. Whether its for oil changes or tire mounting etc... We're practically neighbors so it's in both of our best interests to get this resolved in an orderly manner. I hope he makes some good phone calls to get this fixed or I'll be one pissed off (ex) customer. Either way I can't wait for corporate to call me for a "survey". The receptionist and I even spoke about these "survey" phone calls the other day before I noticed the damaged wheels and that's when I found out that one of their good techs was let go because of poor customer skills. Heck he's a great mechanic, if he had good customer skills he'd be in public relations!

I'd do my own oil change but not when its 20 degrees F outside :)

Should've done my own tires:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsS1-7Hjyy8&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M0GNLvPmAg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGj6dtJluKE&NR=1
 
Glad to hear he's going to try and make it right. And those videos are nuts. I never knew you could do that. Clearly the first guy knew what he was doing a bit more than the other two.
 
It's sad but most people don't take pride in their work anymore.

A few weeks ago I brought my truck into a local Toyota dealer to have a headlight replaced. They had to remove the front bumper to get to some bolts underneath and also needed to remove the black plastic cowl that covers the radiator that stretches from side to side. Sure they replaced the headlight, but failed to put the bumper back on straight, did not put the plastic clips back in that holds the cowl in place nor did they aim the headlight.

I sent the truck right back to get this done right. I asked the service advisor why the "tech" couldn't have done this right when he had it. After all, isn't $100/ hour for labor enough ? He wouldn't answer me.
 
Know the feeling.....You are not alone.

A week ago I dropped my stock wheels and tires off at a local (large chain, tire shop) around 10:30-11:00am. Gave the "orders"/"instructions" to have the BFG's aka: Drrrr...Aggressive Tread put on the stock wheels and take off the Bridgestones. Message relayed. No problem, right? I leave.

3:30pm: Call for status check. Thinking back on it on the phone, the dude gave me a run around with a lot of words that somehow made me think/believe they were finishing up shortly and maybe had 1 tire left. No problem, I had stuff to do and said I'd be by in about an hour. Note: 1 hour more time, under the impression they were almost complete.

4:30-5:00pm: Errands done. I arrived later than expected.

Not done!!?! Still in the stacks I unloaded the truck in! I was speechless and just stared at the lady...who had the brainless notion to say "so, we were taking off the aggressive tread and putting on the all seasons" (or some Shh like that). I slowly and bluntly say NO and that I was told they were almost done.

5:30-6:00pm: I get the hell out of there...no apology, no discount, like it never happened. I couldnt ***** or cause a scene cause I was in a company vehicle and the Seahawks game was on in the waiting area and I watched the Marshawn Lynch "beastmode" run from a comfy chair as 20-25 people cheered out of no where.
 
kylebacc said:
Glad to hear he's going to try and make it right. And those videos are nuts. I never knew you could do that. Clearly the first guy knew what he was doing a bit more than the other two.
Click to expand...

I learned this trick when I was in High School working at True Value. That is how we used to set the bead on tractor tires. The problem with those tires are that the bead is so small, yet the tire is so stiff it is next to impossible to get the tire beads to separate enough to seal with the rim to hold air.
 
Update for anyone who cares*

Currently in the process of looking for a wheel repair shop in the brooklyn/staten island NYC area. Anyone know of any? THX
 
I was wondering how the Geolanders are working out on the 4Runner. I put them on my ma's Suzuki Vitara and they're a great all-year tire.

Now here's my part: the 17-year-old numbnuts who installed the tires sent it out filled to 45 p.s.i. (the label on the door jam says 26 p.s.i. at all four corners) and one different lug nut on the right rear wheel because he lost one. It rode like a 1/2 ton truck until I checked and adjusted the pressure at home and by chance had a matching lug nut from another Suzuki in the spare parts drawer.

I feel your pain. I HATE, absolutely HATE taking any of my or my family's vehicles to the garage because everytime, something gets screwed up. Whether it's body/costmetic damage or shoddy work, it doesn't matter. What garages and dealers don't understand is that we'll happily pay for a good job with zero f----ups.
 
truckmike26 said:
I was wondering how the Geolanders are working out on the 4Runner. I put them on my ma's Suzuki Vitara and they're a great all-year tire.

Now here's my part: the 17-year-old numbnuts who installed the tires sent it out filled to 45 p.s.i. (the label on the door jam says 26 p.s.i. at all four corners) and one different lug nut on the right rear wheel because he lost one. It rode like a 1/2 ton truck until I checked and adjusted the pressure at home and by chance had a matching lug nut from another Suzuki in the spare parts drawer.

I feel your pain. I HATE, absolutely HATE taking any of my or my family's vehicles to the garage because everytime, something gets screwed up. Whether it's body/costmetic damage or shoddy work, it doesn't matter. What garages and dealers don't understand is that we'll happily pay for a good job with zero f----ups.
Click to expand...

I know how it feels man....

I can't begin to explain the stupidity of these people. I had to help my my brother pull 3 lugs bolts off his sienna when the NTB moron cross threaded the lugs on and destroyed the bolts. It was a 3 hour job of hard labor for their stupidity.

Manager said that he is not responsible because it was 3 weeks later that we came to realize that the lugs were cross threaded.
 
um....they r blue until u (the tech) scrubs off the blue laminate protecting the OWL, what a foc1ng idiot. Good luck man.
 
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