Joined Nov 2005
L10: Grand Master
Forum Thread
Tire mounting
September 24, 2012 at
09:05 AM
in
Autos
I got in on the DTD deal a couple weeks ago as my car will need new tires by the winter. So now I have 4 tires sitting in my garage waiting to be installed.
I'm looking for a place to mount/balance them and to my surprise, a couple shops have refused. Their excuse is "if we tear it, then we owe you a new tire" .... Uh OK. I understand that some shops could refuse on principle (e.g. they want you to buy the tires from them for profit), but work is work - if it takes a tech 1 hour to mount and balance 4 tires and you pay him $20 and charge $100 - that's $80 in your pocket. I'm also looking for a 4 wheel alignment, which is pure profit. I can understand perhaps turning down this business when your shop is packed (better to sell tires at a profit, too), but why do it when you're not busy?
Has anyone seen this excuse before?
I'm looking for a place to mount/balance them and to my surprise, a couple shops have refused. Their excuse is "if we tear it, then we owe you a new tire" .... Uh OK. I understand that some shops could refuse on principle (e.g. they want you to buy the tires from them for profit), but work is work - if it takes a tech 1 hour to mount and balance 4 tires and you pay him $20 and charge $100 - that's $80 in your pocket. I'm also looking for a 4 wheel alignment, which is pure profit. I can understand perhaps turning down this business when your shop is packed (better to sell tires at a profit, too), but why do it when you're not busy?
Has anyone seen this excuse before?
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If a shop is taking in work just for the labor alone and without making money on the parts it is because they can't generate enough work to keep the stalls filled and the technicians with jobs to do. If this is because of a poor economy then it is a good deal for the customer. If it is because they aren't good enough and don't have the quality technicians to stay busy then it may not be such a good thing for the customer.
I had a new serpentine belt still in the package with receipt that I gave to someone. The couple shops they called wouldn't even install that.
Most likely the cheapest place for anyone to get tires mounted is Walmart. (or maybe Costco or Sam's Club.) Maybe a local mom and pop shop will do it for cheaper, but don't bet on it, and I can't see it being much cheaper than what Walmart charges.
Or just get a tire changer from Harbor Freight for $40 and do them yourself. Unless they are low profile or big rims. If so, you probably won't want to do that.
Why not do it if you're not busy, because the Shop doesn't want the liability for your part(s) that your purchased, that may possibility be defective, and end up costing "THEM" money in the long run; of which you will refuse to pay when this occurs; seen it happen; and this Shop will NOT accept customer parts to put on, as a result of this. How the heck would we know if a computer part actually works, or any other part; time, labor, etc., wasted if it doesn't. Thanks, but no thanks
Go find yourself a private technician who will do it on the side for you. You keep wanting to save a buck; when in reality it ends up costing you more in the long run, calling places, looking around to find someone to do what they don't want to do; work on your vehicle with parts you bought somewhere else.
Btw - depending on where you take the vehicle to - Tech's make way more than $20 per hour
No, I'm no picking on you, this is a general statement about how people feel about "tradesman" in general, blue collar tradesman, who you wouldn't be able to do without, because many of you folks can't handle or do the work without them; yet you moan and groan about what they charge and/or get paid; when they have spent countless years in training and apprenticeship programs, and continue their education to perform their jobs. Just like you computer geeks do as well, as well as many other occupations.
Down from my
so the next time the doctor sticks his finger up your azzz or fondles your balls and bills you $300, please don't write to your congressman saying healthcare is too much!!!
what you have just said is the most idiotic thing ever. that's like saying, buying a car from one Chevy dealer and having another Chevy dealer refuse to service/fix it because you didn't buy it from them so they can't guarantee the repairs.
if the said tires have a whole in it:
1. the tire shop is not responsible for it, they will still charge for the install but just tell the owner, "hey, you go a hole in your tire" want me to patch it up for an extra $10?
2. unless the shop tech is a moron and mounted the tires incorrectly and forgot 2 out of the 4 lug nuts, otherwise why would the shop be liable?
I've purchased parts from a DIY (no not home depot or lowes, its called DoitBest) store and the store has a list of plumbers that will install it. I bought the part at the store, called the plumber and he came by and installed it. if the part fails, i go back to the store and ask for a replacement. i'm not going to blame the plumber and its unlikely the store would recommend a "bad" plumber since they risk losing customers.
but don't argue with picca. she's right most of the time...or is that the majority of the time...
but don't argue with picca. she's right most of the time...or is that the majority of the time...
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Well, you did spell it incorrectly
I do know someone who purchased a vehicle at one Dealership and another Dealership refused to service it - so it does happen because it wasn't purchased there. You simply can't say it doesn't happen.
Why should a Shop repair a customer's tire, that they purchased from somewhere else? It's not their responsibility to begin with, it wasn't their tire. The customer purchased it, so it's their responsibility to take it back to where ever they purchased it, and get a replacement. It's not the Shop's responsibility when a customer brings in their "own parts".
so the next time the doctor sticks his finger up your azzz or fondles your balls and bills you $300, please don't write to your congressman saying healthcare is too much!!!
I had a new serpentine belt still in the package with receipt that I gave to someone. The couple shops they called wouldn't even install that.
Most likely the cheapest place for anyone to get tires mounted is Walmart. (or maybe Costco or Sam's Club.) Maybe a local mom and pop shop will do it for cheaper, but don't bet on it, and I can't see it being much cheaper than what Walmart charges.
Or just get a tire changer from Harbor Freight for $40 and do them yourself. Unless they are low profile or big rims. If so, you probably won't want to do that.
I've only done this a couple times - in those cases, I didn't buy parts elsewhere to save money, but I had them on the shelf. With the infamous old Taurus I had bought a water pump to DIY but wound up not being able to get the old one off, so when I took it to a shop I asked them if they'd use what I had. I've had work done with the same shop a bunch of times so we had an established relationship. When I had to replace the water pump in my MINI, I wound up taking it to the dealer (again, engine compartment was tight), and I happened to have a tstat on the shelf, so I asked them to install it. Their only caveat was that the part was new and I had purchased it from them (which I had), so it was a non-issue.
I do know someone who purchased a vehicle at one Dealership and another Dealership refused to service it - so it does happen because it wasn't purchased there. You simply can't say it doesn't happen.
Why should a Shop repair a customer's tire, that they purchased from somewhere else? It's not their responsibility to begin with, it wasn't their tire. The customer purchased it, so it's their responsibility to take it back to where ever they purchased it, and get a replacement. It's not the Shop's responsibility when a customer brings in their "own parts".
I just went to the dealer last week and had all of the rim weights taken off of the outside and bought new ones that were mounted/set on the inside so you can't see them. I always do business like that instead of bringing in my own parts for non warranty work. If for some reason the weights are defective they take care of it.
I do know someone who purchased a vehicle at one Dealership and another Dealership refused to service it - so it does happen because it wasn't purchased there. You simply can't say it doesn't happen.
Why should a Shop repair a customer's tire, that they purchased from somewhere else? It's not their responsibility to begin with, it wasn't their tire. The customer purchased it, so it's their responsibility to take it back to where ever they purchased it, and get a replacement. It's not the Shop's responsibility when a customer brings in their "own parts".
I get the warranty on parts, since you didn't buy it from them but to place it?
discount tires rotate and balance tires/wheel all the time even if you didnt buy the tires from them. its cheaper for me to balance them there than to go back to the dealer where i bought my car.
if that was the case then jiffy lube, midas, car RX, etc would be out of business
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I say no thanks to that as well
You really do have a sick mind, with this thread