Never stops amazing me
 

One constant when you go to replace your tires. Bring the wheels.
I cannot stress this enough. Without the wheel, Ill just bunge cord the tire to the hood of your car, and you can be on your way.

Someone came in to buy new tires, but they didn't have wheels?

- Justin

How much do you charge to mount/balance 2 315/35's and 2 275/40's?

I'm confused also .. .did they just roll into the garage on the brake rotors or something?

Maybe loose tires but only brought the tires?

Al, most people actually have the misconception that the wheel and tire are one piece. they done understand that we change the rubber when the service is done

I get that all the time... I even ask if the car is here...

Haha.

i woulda paint brushed that motha

It tends to be just one rim, or they come in thinking that tires come with rims, so they just buy them from me and they put them on.

Another thing that bothers me....Online ordering. This is tied in with the rim thing.
This lady bought one tire on line for her car. I called her up and she said "oh...I just called there to see if you guys have it, so I went on line to buy it so I could come on down."
Now I thought that maybe she lives far away, and wanted to just make sure before she bought it...BUT SHE LIVES ONT HE SAME ROAD AS THE MALL!! She lives 5 mins away. She saved zero time, if anything she actually lost time after I told her she has to go get her rims so I can put the tire on it.

Wait, you're complaining about someone calling ahead to confirm you have the tire she needs, while giving you the opportunity to remind her to bring the materials (rims) she needs to mount the tires?

Call me crazy, but I wish more people would confirm things and get suggestions from staff, before showing up and complaining about not knowing what they need. Five minutes or five hours, ALWAYS call ahead to save yourself some time.

No.
She called up to see if I had a tire. I said yes.
She then orderd it on line, in which they will confirm or show you which store has them in stock, or if they need to be orderd.
She then came down to have it installed 3 hrs later. When she arrived, she had no wheel, just the spare on the car. She left the wheel in her garage.
She said "oh I live 5 mins away". My point is...when she called, why didnt she just drive her self down 5 mins away to have it put on. Why did she order it on line? She didnt save herself anything? And she didnt purchase a low-end tire either.
Call ahead, yes, but call ahead, order it on line, then come down? If you called, you just did the online thing by checking that we had it.

This is why I always bring loose tires and rims. The guys at my local place say they prefer that.

Eh...either or. If you wana jack your car up and leave it hanging in your driveway for an hour or so while you drive them down, roll them into my shop, have my guys mount and balance them, then you can put them back in your car, drive them home, and then bolt them up, thats fine with me.
But, I think its easier for me to just use my cool lifts and get the wheels off and everything.

that would be the reason why you have cool lifts to begin with. call to make sure you have the tire. double check online to make sure you have the tire (didn't trust you), then drive 5 minutes on the spare leaving the old rim and tire at home. that woman gets the dunce cap.

20 minutes total travel time, 5 minutes online, 1 minute on the phone with you... yeah, she just about ki8lled an afternoon, 'cause you know she was doing other s__t at the same time, and she still had to go home to get the rim for you to mount it.

maybe she thought you could magically install the new tire on the rim she left at home...

Lack of common sense! With the cost of gas going up, why would you not ask questions before going somewhere to find out you need to bring it with you! It's worth calling to make sure something is actually in stock so you don't waste the trip. I've had no problems getting tires done both ways. Bring the vehicle in and have the new tires mounted and balanced and old tires disposed of all in one shot while you walk around the mall eating your Aunty Anne's pretzel and complain about the price of Starbucks coffee. And I also bring the wheels/tires in to a shop and drop them off to be mounted/balanced at their convenience and pick them up on the way home.

people think that buying online is cheaper, even at the same store. i know that because my father is one of those people. our local tire shop matches online prices if you ask for it but he still insists on buying online; even though you then have to pay shipping and the guy rapes us on installation charges because its an outside tire...

Stop crying about it you big baby



:lol:

Well, I would but to compound this crap, the lady came back after 630, when all the techs were gone. So I had to put on my tech hat and M&B a tire. I was ready to cash out and go home.

i'm in a similar situation. i find that tire-rack consistently has tires for tens of dollars less than any 'brick and mortar'. the difference is, i take all of my cars to one mechanic so he doesn't rape us on installation; but he sends machine work out (like the brake rotors) since he doesn't have his own machining tools.

yeah but if you buy from most shops, with their price they include installation. so you aren't saving money, you are spreading it around. don't you have to pay shipping as well?

and as for bringing loose wheels/tires down to install yourself in your driveway, what about proper torque of the lug nuts? that can be bad if you are too tight and obviously too loose.

I've had more of an issue with people air gunning the wheels on too tight then I have had using my torque wrench. As a matter of fact, I've never actually seen anybody in any shop use a torque wrench. Plus it gives me a chance to inspect the brakes and suspension.

Different strokes for different folks I guess.

What he said. I hate when shops tighten my lug nuts way to tight so it is almost impossible to take them off later on.

One time (my previous car) they tightened it so hard that I had to jump on the damn lug nut wrench to loosen it. At first I tried doing it by hand, 99.9% of the time it does the trick. After getting annoyed, I decide to rest my weight on lug nut wrench in hopes that my 200 pound body would generate enough force for the damn thing to let go. When that didn't work I simply jumped on it... it worked... but damn that's way too tight! I have never had a problem with any wheels that I put on myself, and I have done so plenty of times.

P.S. Tirerack FTW - I have never bought tires anywhere else.

no that was my concern. if you torque yours, awesome! but most guys i would see just manning it on there, which can be even tighter than air guns. i agree with being able to check your brakes and suspension, no better time than with the wheel off. but if you don't have the proper equipment, you shouldn't mess with it. its pretty easy to warp rotors now a days. just my thoughts. and they do make attachments for airguns that torque your wheel properly fyi

Not all places include install with the price of the tire. Most auto shops have a price for balancing. Here at work, mounting is included but balancing is not included.

Anyone with a torque wrench can do them, but I have access to an air impact gun at home. Our guys have torque sticks in which it limits the maximum amount of torque you can put to the lug nuts. Then we hand-torque each wheel.

It depends on how hands on you are.


To tell you the truth, Ive come close or straight up beaten Tire Rack price wise on several occations. It doesnt happen often where customers come in to price match or compare prices, but once you factor the price it would cost you to ship it, and then the price to pay a shop to mount on top of balance it, my prices tends to be spot on.

Disclaimer: I am not advertising for Sears Auto or asking anyone to come see me or purchase anything from me.

Well maybe ill buy my tires from you next time, I don't care who to pay as long as I like the price :shrug: