Would you go back, to this tire store? Options

[Rusty]

I guess I'm leaning towards Matt's point of view... but I would mention it to the manager and give him an opportunity to correct it.

Maybe someone was up all night with a sick kid... maybe it was their first day... who knows? No real harm done, right

Now if they f'd up one of your wheels, that would be a different story, in my book. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif)

[computers4kids]

I brought a set of freshly polished alloys in to a local shop to have new tires mounted. I took the time to explain the "uniqueness" of these wheels to the person at the desk. I thought I was OK and like an idiot (long wait), I left and came back. When I came back I found one of the wheels had clamp marks right on the front side of the rim. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/WTF.gif) I was so pissed. How in the hell did they do that???? After complaining the mananger came over and got the idiot who did the work...turns out that he was "new." When he dismounted the first tire, he had the rim upside down and the clamp which secures the rim from the hidden underside clamped instead the polished side! The shop didn't think the marks were all that big of a deal and said I could file a claim.


As said before...What ever happen to personal pride.

Lesson Learned: I always watch every rim being mounted now.

Sort of a happy ending: After a few hours of sanding and polishing I was able to remove the marks, but the sour taste in my mouth is still as fresh as the day it happened.

[Spoke]

I mostly go to a local National Tire & Battery store. Prices are ok but they do offer lifetime balance and rotation. They also let you into the shop area where I can closely watch the work and comment where necessary.

2 stories from that NTB:

1)
Took my A6 in for new treads. Before I could react, the tech started pulling the plastic lug caps off with a screwdriver prying against the wheel. I told him to stop while I get the proper tool out of the trunk. Had some minor scratches; now I remove all lug and center caps before entering any tire store.

2)
Also with the A6, I blew out a tire on RT78 in NJ on a massive pothole that bent all 4 rims and cut the sidewall on one of the tires. I went to NTB to get the same tires (a pair); they had to order from another store and I prepaid. Got a call; tires are in.

Went to the store; car up on the lift; wheels off; then people sort of standing around. I ask what is going on and the sales guy said the tires (pre-ordered and paid by me) had somehow been sold to someone else. They re-ordered again and this time made sure they went on MY car.

Spoke

[race914]

I think I'm missing something - looks to me like you brought a dirty tire / rim in and they swapped the tires. Yes, they forgot a valve cap, but that's all I see. Did you expect them to clean your wheels? No one around here does that.

Hi Matt,

Thanks for the response. You're right, my original post & pic didn't focus in on my issue, and was somewhat misleading which you picked up on. Thanks for pointing that out.

The wheels had not been previously detailed to concours readiness, but the car had just been washed, and the outside of the wheels (spokes & rims) looked OK when it went to the shop. I didn't expect the wheels to come back cleaner than they went in (i.e. clean the layer of brake dust behind the spokes), but I did expect them to come back in relatively the same condition.

The mounting solution they slopped all over the wheels is dirty & sticky and had dried by the time I picked the car up. Once dried, this stuff is not easy to remove. Hot water, soap and a sponge wouldn't take it off, just gummed up the sponge. Here are more specific pics and looking at these again, trust me the pics don't do the mess justice.





As Lawrence pointed out, no real harm done, just a PITA to clean, and sad that this shop doesn't take pride in the work they turn out.

Thanks again for questioning my post. I didn't mean to blame the brake dust & dirty lugnut wells on the tire shop, just the mounting lube.

[Matt Romanowski]

That makes more sense. I'd be annoyed too if they went in pretty clean and came back nasty. I would have mentioned something too.

Also a little surprising that they used a lot of lube. When I do tires for Porsches (and especially tracked cars) I do them almost dry to keep moisture out.