Props to Walmart TLE

[Hokiefyd]

I bought a set of OEM new take-off alloy wheels for my Camry the other day, and took them to Walmart to be mounted on Sunday. I didn't have any TPMS service kits with me, so they wouldn't do it without them. They said the manufacturer recommends that anytime a TPM sensor is removed or swapped to a different wheel, a service kit is put on, to replace the rubber seal, washer, and valve insert. They also asked for the torque spec, since their book only goes up to 2010 for the TPM sensors (they're getting the right spec before they do the job).

So I went to PepBoys yesterday and procured four Dill Air Prodcuts 1100K service kits, for $6.99 each (Toyota dealer wanted $9.09 each). Went back to Walmart last night and they swapped all the wheels and sensors over, for $60 total.

All the weights went on nice and straight (no sloppy work) and the tires balanced REAL nice the first time.

Another successful visit to TLE.

 

[eljefino]

They are fairly competent and made a boo boo right, right away.

I think their management threatens them if they scratch anyone's car they have to work registers on Black Friday.

 

[sciphi]

The two times I had issues was when they used my hubcaps as a parts dish after tossing them around the shop. The hubcaps later flew off as I was driving. Needless to say the TLE employee responsible got fired, and Wal-Mart cut me a check for new hubcaps. The other time was when somebody got grease/oil all over the dashboard and the seat at a different TLE. They sent somebody out with stain remover to clean up my car.

After those experiences I try to steer clear of TLE. Yes they made it right but it shouldn't have happened in the first place.

 

[mrsilv04]

Last time that they installed the wheels on Dad's Sierra, some of the lug nuts were so tight, that I bent (yes, bent) the factory lug wrench trying to loosen them.

I finally gave up and took it back to THEM, for THEM to bust them loose.

The manager had to use a breaker bar with a 3 foot piece of pipe to bust them loose.

I do realize that not all locations and employees are the same, but.... !

 

[Tdbo]

Here is a Wal-Mart TLE story for you:

I had just bought a new 1993 Ford Ranger pickup and was due for my first oil change and a new Wal-Mart just opened where I live. So I take it in and they do the oil change. I had noticed coming in that there was a rather rotund short guy with a big, brass belt buckle on the oil change rack. I went throughout the store and did my shopping and by that time my truck was done. First thing was when I went to pay, they tried to upcharge me for a sixth quart of oil (on a 2.3 L motor.) I said it only takes five quarts, to which the guy says to me that it is a Ford and it is a truck, so it takes six. So I finally say that I will go out to the truck and get the owners manual. So I walk up on the passenger side of the truck and see that the top of the fender has the paint totally gouged and scratches below it. Of course, by this time I am steamed and go back in the store and ask to speak to the manager, telling the dweeb that I was speaking to previously that we had a bigger issue and we would debate his six quart issue later. Take the manager out and show him the fender on the new, six week old truck that they had done the first and only oil change on. He looks straight at me and says "Looks like a paint defect to me." My response: " Looks to me like the only defect is that you have employed a short fat guy to do oil changes that wears big, brass belt buckles and he doesn't use fender covers." He says that all his workers wear a lifting belt type of thing that cover their waist area. I said that if that was so, then how would I know he had a big brass belt buckle on and then I sarcastically said "wanna bet?" We went back in, this guy was changing the oil with no fender cover, no "lifting belt", and had put several scratches on the fender of the car he was working on. So Wal-Mart fired him, paid me $193 to have my fender refinished, drained the extra quart of oil out of my truck and adjusted the bill for one less quart of oil.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
I do realize that not all locations and employees are the same, but.... !


Yes, as with any business, it often comes down to the individual location and/or employee. That said, I like to give credit when credit is due. Most feedback is only given when it's negative. If someone does a good job, it should be acknowledged.

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
The two times I had issues was when they used my hubcaps as a parts dish after tossing them around the shop. The hubcaps later flew off as I was driving. Needless to say the TLE employee responsible got fired, and Wal-Mart cut me a check for new hubcaps. The other time was when somebody got grease/oil all over the dashboard and the seat at a different TLE. They sent somebody out with stain remover to clean up my car.

After those experiences I try to steer clear of TLE. Yes they made it right but it shouldn't have happened in the first place.

They fired him?
Wow.
When I worked at Western Auto, we had one tire installer that was a complete idiot. Useless. Consistantly took longer than one hour to install tires (which was a hassle for the Service Writer ie:me)The other Service writer wouldn't even let the idiot be scheduled with him. Since he had been there since '76, he had seniority. I got the idiot.

He put an old rusted Dodge D-150 from up north on the lift. Somehow managed to miss the frame rails and put the lift through the floor of the truck cab. There was already perforation. Now there is BIG gaping holes. Western Auto paid over $1000 and the guy got to keep the truck. (truck wasn't even worth $100)
Didn't fire him. Wrote him up.

rammed the windshield of a new-ish conversion van into the ceiling mounted heater on the lift. Didn't tell me or the manager on duty that he had caved in the whole windshield. Brought the customer his keys and said, "You're all set..." Customer comes in screaming at me of course. He has every right to be mad. But I honestly didn't know what had happened.
Wrote him up.

Left the lugnuts off several times. Quite a few of his balance jobs had enough weights to choke a horse.... Couldn't get him fired though.

 

[PandaBear]

I like Walmart TLE, their tire guys are actually more competent than many mom and pop franchises who screw the customers with "it's not safe to patch flat tires" or "we already took the tires off but we can't mount them back on because it is unsafe and violate company policies" or "we can't let your car leave because it is unsafe".

 

[Colt45ws]

Originally Posted By: Spazdog
Originally Posted By: sciphi
The two times I had issues was when they used my hubcaps as a parts dish after tossing them around the shop. The hubcaps later flew off as I was driving. Needless to say the TLE employee responsible got fired, and Wal-Mart cut me a check for new hubcaps. The other time was when somebody got grease/oil all over the dashboard and the seat at a different TLE. They sent somebody out with stain remover to clean up my car.

After those experiences I try to steer clear of TLE. Yes they made it right but it shouldn't have happened in the first place.

They fired him?
Wow.
When I worked at Western Auto, we had one tire installer that was a complete idiot. Useless. Consistantly took longer than one hour to install tires (which was a hassle for the Service Writer ie:me)The other Service writer wouldn't even let the idiot be scheduled with him. Since he had been there since '76, he had seniority. I got the idiot.

He put an old rusted Dodge D-150 from up north on the lift. Somehow managed to miss the frame rails and put the lift through the floor of the truck cab. There was already perforation. Now there is BIG gaping holes. Western Auto paid over $1000 and the guy got to keep the truck. (truck wasn't even worth $100)
Didn't fire him. Wrote him up.

rammed the windshield of a new-ish conversion van into the ceiling mounted heater on the lift. Didn't tell me or the manager on duty that he had caved in the whole windshield. Brought the customer his keys and said, "You're all set..." Customer comes in screaming at me of course. He has every right to be mad. But I honestly didn't know what had happened.
Wrote him up.

Left the lugnuts off several times. Quite a few of his balance jobs had enough weights to choke a horse.... Couldn't get him fired though.

If he got canned with something like that, he was already on the chopping block and management was looking for a reason to get rid of him. Something similar happened with the guy that drove a car through the bay door here. Since he was clean beforehand, they were not able to fire him. They did, however, get him on breaking a airbox later and canned him.
Everyone knew that was a load though, because when they called the dealer to get a new one, they were on order because the dealer itself was breaking them and said as much.

 

[daves87rs]

Yikes!

 

[sciphi]

The tires I had put on there were balanced fine. But the experience was something to write home about.

There were the other times I've left there with no hassle and been plenty satisfied with the work done.

It does depend on the location, who is working there, and how busy they are.

When my brother's van needed a tire rotation, they put it on jackstands rather than risk crunching the rockers on a body lift. They were also very careful to unscrew the hubcaps, set them out of the way, and then the TLE manager checked the torque with a torque wrench after the tech used an impact with a torque stick to put the lugs back on.

That's a positive experience I've had with them.

 

[Ken2]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Last time that they installed the wheels on Dad's Sierra, some of the lug nuts were so tight, that I bent (yes, bent) the factory lug wrench trying to loosen them.

I finally gave up and took it back to THEM, for THEM to bust them loose.

The manager had to use a breaker bar with a 3 foot piece of pipe to bust them loose.

I do realize that not all locations and employees are the same, but.... !
The studs were undoubtedly stretched by then and all the over-tight studs should have been replaced by them.

 

[rjundi]

I had a positive experience using them for tire rotations ($8) and $15 winter SuperTech oil changes on my previous Civic.

Their prices have seriously jumped though.

 

[buickman50401]

Originally Posted By: PandaBear
I like Walmart TLE, their tire guys are actually more competent than many mom and pop franchises who screw the customers with "it's not safe to patch flat tires" or "we already took the tires off but we can't mount them back on because it is unsafe and violate company policies" or "we can't let your car leave because it is unsafe".

I buy all my tires from Fleet Farm. Competent techs. They do the lugs to spec with a hand wrench not an air wrench. They don't do alignments though, so I take it to a regional chain place. Also competent techs. In fact they were the only ones in town willing to align my '01 Taurus because on many of the Tauri, the only way to properly (completely) align the front is to drill new holes in the strut towers to move the top strut mount plate.