I went to get my oil changed and my tires rotated today

[proud2BlibKansan]

They told me I need new tires. I said I can't afford them till after Christmas.

Two of my tires have gone flat since I got home. One of them I know was bad. It has been losing air. But not the other one.

Did the dealership do something to my tires or is this just a coincidence? :scared:

[Warpy]

1. Dealerships have been known to do that

I'd get the new tires elsewhere after you get the ones you have inspected for sabotage and plugged well enough to get you through another two months or so.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. I don't plan on buying my tires there

They quoted me a price I can't begin to afford.

[dysfunctional press]

2. the real question should be- why are you having it done at a dealership?

:shrug:

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. I prepaid for oil changes when I bought the car

One of the smartest things I ever did. Locked in a price 3 years ago and as long as I own the car, they change the oil and I don't have to give them any money :)

[dysfunctional press]

36. if it's "one of the smartest things (you) ever did" -why are you wondering if the car was sabotaged?

:shrug:

[proud2BlibKansan]

44. I have been doing business at this dealership for decades

Bought several cars from them and never had a problem before.

[dysfunctional press]

62. if you've had that long of a relationship with them, then they probably didn't do anything nefarious

they wouldn't want to risk losing the business. your tires were probably just that bad.

[Lithos]

3. Rotating them

Will subject tires to a different road condition (that is the point of rotating them to even out their wear.)

So, my guess is that your tires just were that bad.

Even so, have them inspected to see if they can be plugged or something. Also, you might look at the tire dealerships for sales at the moment and go through them. Unless you're limited in your options, you can usually get a better deal through a tire company than at the dealership on general tire maintenance.

L-

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. I am not buying tires there

Probably will go to NTW or somewhere like that.

[Cheap_Trick]

23. You could buy them at Wal Mart

:hide:

[proud2BlibKansan]

25. lol

:spank:

[Cheap_Trick]

26. Thank you...

may I have another?

[proud2BlibKansan]

28. So is this an S&M thread now?

:rofl:

[Cheap_Trick]

31. Hey, you're the one who started with the spanking......

:P

[rucky]

45. The Olive Garden is having a great sale on tires.

[proud2BlibKansan]

54. Special discounts for breast feeding moms

:)

[tridim]

4. Who knows, but it's probably nothing you can prove even if they did sabatage them.

You might want to look at some used tires on craigslist to save $$$.

[proud2BlibKansan]

17. Yeah, I know better than to buy tires from a car dealer

They also quoted me a price of $125 for a new battery. It's an 84 month battery. I said that's 7 years, can you guarantee I will even be driving this car in 7 years? Sheesh.

[Frank Cannon]

39. $125 for a new battery? You've got to be kidding.

No one should pay more than 50 bucks for a battery. And that is one of the few things in a car that you can install yourself within just a few minutes.

Okay, I'm willing to accept that they sabotaged your tires.

[MercutioATC]

43. Depends on the car. The batteries for my cars run about $125.

All batteries are not alike.

[Frank Cannon]

48. You must drive an eighteen-wheeler

I've never spent more than $50 on any battery for any car I've ever owned or driven.

[MercutioATC]

61. 1983 Porsche 911 and 2001 Audi S8...just cars.

Sure, I could get $50 batteries but 1) they wouldn't fit the existing battery boxes and 2) they would have fewer cold cranking amps, leading to dicey winter starts.

[jobycom]

5. Take it to a different place, see if they can see why they went flat.

Unless the dealership loosened the valve stems, they probably couldn't have done much to create a slow leak that wouldn't be obvious. But who knows? I work for a tire shop that wouldn't dream of sabotaging tires, but we are always accused of it. People come in because their tires are old and worn, and then are surprised when the tires go flat days or even weeks after the leave us, even after we have honestly told them their tires were just about shot. We've even refused to put tires back on cars for people since the tires were so dangerous, and of course customers always assume it's a gimmick to make them buy tires. Sometimes you can see the wires under the thread, but it's always our fault.

On the other hand, some of our employees come from other shops, especially some brake or oil chains, and they tell horror stories. So no doubt it happens. The thing is, usually we all know that if we did sabotage the tires, the customer is unlikely to come back to us to get them replaced. Even if we aren't at fault, they will go somewhere else, just as I suggested. :)

So, unless you can look at the tires and see threads around the edge of the tread, take it somewhere else, and see what they say.

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. I know I need new tires

But 2 flats in just a few hours after they were rotated? Just seems odd.

[jobycom]

16. Does seem odd. Not completely implausible, but somewhat. nt

[Tesha]

51. Have you been following the "cracked valve stem" story?

Apparently, there's a *WHOLE BUNCH* (millions) of defective
valve stems out there. If you have those valve stems, it's entirely
possible that as part of rotating the tires, the dealer checked your
inflation pressures but the motion of the valve stems in the process
broke them, leading to loss of air pressure from those tires.

This seems like a more reasonable explanation than a dealer with
whom you have "decades" of experience suddenly deciding to screw
you over a pair of tires.

Tesha

[Rosa Luxemburg]

6. sometimes car repair people do a free tire check

get a 2nd opinion?

[proud2BlibKansan]

13. Definitely

[yellowdogintexas]

32. Try Discount Tires, they are pretty good about that and will fix a leak for next to

nothing.

If these are the factory tires that came with the car, they were probably fairly low grade tires.

Around here auto dealerships do not sell tires, they have no vested interest in whether you purchase tires or not. So if my dealership tells me I need new tires, I believe them.

If Jiffy Lube tells me I need new tires, I believe them, as they do not sell them either, or the state inspection folks.

[knitter4democracy]

50. Discount is the best around here.

Best prices, best service, best all-around. I hope they're in her area.

[elleng]

7. 'Similar' experience recently,

but my facts don't support your thesis: My 2 tires SHREDDED within 24 hours of being told I 'wanted 4 new tires.'

I got mad, told the guy I'd tell him what I want AFTER he'd explained why he thinks it would be advisable! I did get 2 new ones from him. Truth is, they were old and getting bald, and I was heading north to MD from Florida.

[proud2BlibKansan]

19. I can't stand how car dealers treat women

Like I am stupid. Really pisses me off.

[elleng]

20. REALLY!

Was so mad! Was with Dad and brother; Dad is 95, gave me the car; 'kid' brother 6'?. ALL of us are lawyers, so we're prolly not TOO stupid!

SO I got in the guys face and said, 'WAIT a minute!' ALMOST had to laugh when both tires shredded on I-95! (thank goodness for AAA!)

Once, when looking to buy car, my first, went with a friend 'cause I needed a ride to get there. These rotten guys paid no attention to me; we're discussing, I said I'm the buyer. Long story short, they made NO EFFORT to even present a deal. I knew by that time what I wanted, and actually made the deal elsewhere OVER THE PHONE with a lovely gentleman!

[proud2BlibKansan]

24. I bought a new car on the internet one time

It was great. I ordered it and arranged the financing online. Then the dealer called me when my car was ready and I just went and picked it up. I would do that again in a heartbeat.

[madokie]

10. I wouldn't put anything past them.

With our new leadership setting a better tone and example we as a country are going to do much better from here on out.:hi:

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. That's a good way to look at it

LOL

[Telly Savalas]

15. Did you venture across the state line into the Land of the Metal Plates today?

If so, it was probably our damn roads that did that to your tires.

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. Actually I did

Went to Bob Jones to buy some new shoes. And that's part of the reason I can't afford new tires. :)

[golddigger]

41. I hope their walking shoes, because it sounds like you will need them.

[proud2BlibKansan]

53. LOL!

DH is just now walking out the door taking my car to get new tires. And not at the dealership. :)

But yes, I bought some awesome shoes. Borns! So comfy I could sleep in them.

[SheilaT]

21. It sounds to me as if you REALLY need new tires.

How many miles do you have on them? I've been known to not look at my tires until they are well beyond needing to be replaced, and that's never a good thing.

As for thinking ill of the dealership, I'd want to know who the dealer was. Having been through the buying of several cars in a short period of time (it's a long story) I acquired very strong opinions about some of the dealerships there. I do think that most of them are honest and reliable, but definitely buy your tires from NTW or some such place.

[proud2BlibKansan]

27. Yes I really do need new tires

I was hoping to wait until January.

The dealership was Superior. I have been buying cars from them for decades. Never had a problem yet.

[SheilaT]

64. Hmmm. Interesting. Superior is one of

the dealerships I have not been happy with every time I go to them. I am glad that you've had a better experience with them.

Keep in mind that I masterminded the purchase of seven cars between March 2005 and June 2007, so I had a LOT of experience with a lot of different dealers in a relatively short time. It got so the sales people all but knew my name when I showed up.

I have also not been ignored or treated badly, as in patronizingly, in any of those purchases. It used to happen, but dealers with any sense at all treat women much better these days. And if they don't, I don't go back to them,since there are lots of dealers to work with in any decent sized metro area.

The other thing I like about buying a car these days is how the internet has changed things, since you have access to so much information. I always go armed with printouts of the cars that I'm interested, as well as what I've learned at other web sites about what the value of the car should be.

[Stinky The Clown]

22. As the French say ...... Le shit 'appens

My son went to get an oil change about two weeks ago. While there, his car failed to start. The battery gave up the ghost (it had been having trouble for a while). A jump got it going and he could have gone elsewhere to get a new one, but he bought it there.

[MercutioATC]

29. www.tirerack.com...the ONLY place to get tires.

www.tirerack.com

[Libertyfirst]

30. Thanks. Great site. n/t

[AdHocSolver]

33. Some suggestions for buying tires.

If you can get hold of back issues of Consumer Reports (I believe the articles about tires are usually placed in the November issues), they explain what to look for in a tire. They also rate some of the more commonly available tires from the major tire manufacturers.

There are some online web sites that rate tires, also. Google "automobile tires" or something similar.

Since tire manufacturers don't make the different models in all sizes, you need to find out what tire size your car takes and only look for tire models that come in that size.

If you go on tire manufacturers web sites, they usually allow you to enter the make, model, and year of your car and then return a list of their tires that come in the recommended tire for your car. This helps you narrow the field, and also helps you be sure that the tire dealer that you go to is not trying to sell you the wrong tire for your car. Additionally, having some information about tires will gain you some respect from the tire store.

Some criteria (besides size and price) that you want to consider are traction ratings (wet, dry, and snow and ice), tread wear (in miles), and speed range (the Consumer Reports articles as well as many of the internet sites will explain this).

After deciding on some tires that you might buy, call some tire dealers in your area (try the yellow pages) and get some prices and availability information. Also, ask if mounting and balancing are included in the price or if there is an extra charge. I found as much as a twenty dollar difference in pricing per tire for the same tire from different stores. Some tire prices included balancing and mounting, whereas some tire stores charged extra. If the car is over five years old, specify tnat you want new tire valves. They shouldn't cost more than one or two dollars a piece extra. (Hopefully they actually change them. Sometimes they "forget" to replace them.)

You aren't through researching yet. Get the names of two or three tire dealers that have the tires that you want and then go to the Better Business Bureau web site and look up any information that they have on those companies. I settled on four tire stores that carried the tires I wanted. Two of them were mentioned on the BBB web site as having had customer "issues". One had one customer issue within the previous twelve months that was satisfactorily resolved. Not a deal breaker. The other had five "issues" only four which had been resolved. There was no follow up by the customer about the fifth issue. This was a definite deal breaker.

I finally settled on a set of Kelly tires based on the company ratings of their tires on their web site. (Kelly is owned by Goodyear.) I have purchased Kelly tires for cars I had previously owned, and I found them quite satisfactory.

As to your experience with the tires, they could have messed with them, or it could be poor quality work. The dealer where I bought my car gave me coupons for free oil changes so the first two oil changes were done there. They have a "speedy" oil change area, and when I got my car back from the oil changes, I found the tire pressures way off. I know that they were correct when I took the car in because I had checked them the week before. At the second oil change, I had the brakes adjusted. Big mistake. Their oil changer made the brakes so tight, that when I set and released the parking brake, they were "dragging". I took the care back the next day and a mechanic adjusted the brakes correctly.

I will say that you have to be real careful where you have car work done. A lot of expensive work that is not necessary is done on cars. One of the biggest scams is when they hook up your car to a computer and then give you a printout that says they have to rebuild your car's engine. This happened to a friend of mine.

Remember the sage medical advice given to people. If you don't like what a doctor tells you, get a second opinion. That goes for car repairs as well.

[dysfunctional press]

37. ultoimately, you have to match the tires to the car, and the way it drives.

just because a tire is highly-rated, it doesn't mean that it will suit your car. i found that out the hard way a few cars back.

however- i've never had a car that didn't drive really well on goodyear eagle1's.

[dansolo]

49. And don't forget to consider how noisy the tires are

I bought some all season tires a few years ago, and thought I was getting a great deal. The tires drive great, but I have been going out of my mind with how loud they are while driving.

[TahitiNut]

34. It makes sense to get new tires BEFORE winter starts. Safety first.

:shrug:

[proud2BlibKansan]

55. Just had our first snow today

Perfect timing!

[kenny blankenship]

35. Sounds like you need new tires

But if you can't do it now, you could maybe get the valves replaced in the ones that are deflating. If you have flats or steadily deflating tires and there isn't a locatable puncture, the air valve is probably worn out. I've had one replaced for free once, but then that was at the same place where I bought the tire.

[Edweird]

38. You *know* you need new tires, so get them. If money is an issue, buy some used ones

to hold you over. You can get a couple of used tires (mounted and installed) for next to nothing. There are shops that do nothing but used tires (it's going to be a dump - that's a good sign). Don't go to new tire stores for that.....

[Fumesucker]

47. I agree with you about used tires..

I have a work trailer that takes four big car tires, I always put used on it because new ones would dry rot long before they wore out.

I haven't paid more than $20 for a tire with quite a bit of tread left on it yet.

Somebody upthread said the place should be a dump, I agree with that too, usually the dumpier the place the lower the overhead and the lower the prices.

[Zombie2]

40. I had a slow leak and needed the tire patched....

They told me my tire was in too bad of shape to patch/plug and that I needed not one but TWO new tires. They refused to patch it... and I kept insisting they do it until they did so. They told me it wouldn't last the day... that was well over a year ago. My tires were and are still fine.

Greedy bastards!

[MercutioATC]

42. It's not a use issue, it's a safety issue.

A patch is not as safe as a replacement, especially if the tire is worn.

The reason he wanted to sell you two tires was to match them. Different tread depths on the two front (and, to a lesser degree, back) tires causes handling issues.

[lonestarnot]

46. Costco or Discount Tire baby.

Don't drive on unsafe tires :scared:

[proud2BlibKansan]

56. My DH is being dear and taking care of it for me

Even paying for the tires! :)

[leftofthedial]

52. you been screwed

[proud2BlibKansan]

57. I am a woman; it's not the first time

[PCIntern]

58. I HAD AN EXACT SAME OCCURRENCE AND POSTED

about a year ago...

Everything in my new car was fine...I'd taken it into the Toyota dealer and they wanted to charge me 135 bucks for some BS procedure although the car was under warranty and this should not have been a problem.

I refused and 12 hours later, I had a flat with a huge effin nail in the tread and out the sidewall, as a slow leak.

many people here said it was a coincidence. I think not.

you have my sympathy...

[Incitatus]

59. You should call some local tire shops and find out about used tires.

Some are actually in very good condition and at a fraction of the price of new tires.

[LWolf]

60. I need to do both of those things.

I also need new tires and can't afford them at this time.

[tammywammy]

63. Coincidence, sounds like you really did have bad tires n/t