tire shops getting strict.

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had a flat on my pickup truck.
the tire shop told me it couldn't be repaired and I would need another one. i didnt think that was a big deal until they told me a new one would be about $380.00 apparently i had fancy street tires. i asked if they could sell me something thats looked sort of like it and they said no way the tires need to be the same.
i then asked if could buy 2 street tires for the one axle and they said no they all have to be the same. $1000.00 later i got 4 new all terrain tires.
ive been asking other people about the tire shops they go to and it sounds like the same sort of thing for them.
i remember when i was a kid my dad ruined a tire and the shop just got him a used one that was close.
i know times change just not sure if tire shops get blamed for alot or if its more of a way to sell tires.
im in Canada.
what are tire shops like for you guys?
 
Blame your fellow litigious citizens who make shops adopt zero tolerance/no liability policies like this.

Somewhere out there, there's an owner of a high performance car who put up the following negative review of a tire shop: "Went in to replace a tire that got a nail in the sidewall. Shop only sold me ONE tire when it turns out the car can't have any tires that are drastically different! It ended up ruining my center differential and now I'm suing the shop for not following the factory procedures!"
 
If your car is AWD they may be right. Otherwise go there with the wheel in your trunk, if any questions asked, it’s a spare one.
 
Originally Posted By: nap
If your car is AWD they may be right. Otherwise go there with the wheel in your trunk, if any questions asked, it’s a spare one.


Agreed
 
Originally Posted By: MrTruckDriver
hange just not sure if tire shops get blamed for alot or if its more of a way to sell tires.
im in Canada.
what are tire shops like for you guys?

Dicey and 'plebian' professional as in bare bones.
 
At my shop we wont mix tread unless its the same on the axle. so if your tire is something we dont have you will be getting 2 tires unless your awd. Also i had a 06 tiburon and mixed tires and for months i couldnt figure out why it was pulling. I realized i had the tread mixed up on axles and sure enough put the same tires on the same axle and it quit pulling, and no the rim was not bent.
 
Take the wheel in in the bed and say "I'd like this wheel patched please." $1000 for pick-up tires is nuts unless it's some Z rated ultra performance tires for your truck you drive at 160 mph all the time.
 
Originally Posted By: umungus1122
Take the wheel in in the bed and say "I'd like this wheel patched please." $1000 for pick-up tires is nuts unless it's some Z rated ultra performance tires for your truck you drive at 160 mph all the time.

$1000 canukistan. Thats like 500 usd.
And yeah, some are really strict about what tires they put on, because of people blaming them for their own idiocy. I had to pull off all my tires in the parking lot when I got my winters put on because I ordered 215/65R16 instead of factory 225/60R16. The difference in diameter is almost non-existant. But, Name of them game nowadays.
 
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Originally Posted By: MrTruckDriver

what are tire shops like for you guys?


Typically - tire shops in Texas are run by Spanish speaking people.

I speak enough Spanish to get by. They ALWAYS give me great deals - I've been going to the same place over a decade.

I've never been scammed like you have just been.
 
Actually, I really wanted LTX's on my truck and that was about a grand.

I haven't dealt a lot of with tire shops lately. Local garage has been doing my tire work. On my smaller tires I've been able to mount the tires myself; some day I'll get a balancer. Too bad everything is going to larger tires, shorter sidewalls and fancy alloys. Not that I enjoy tire changing but if i don't carefully car shop next time I'll have to give it up.

Knock on wood but no flats of late. If I did have one, I have full sets of tires (snows) and could swap one on while getting the bad one fixed. They can't complain as much when it is brought in as a single.
 
You got swindled bro! They smelt the blood!

I like having CAA because you can say "I think I shall get a second opinion" and see how insistent they are on selling you 3 extra tires! A full sized spare that is not rusted to the bed of your truck helps, too.

I wonder if you had brought the wheel in without the truck would they have fixed the tire?
 
I usually have to take the tires in off the car to get them mounted as they are a different size than what is on the nameplate. Car came with 19s and I have 18" wheels.

I am wondering if the alignment shop I use will mount them if I drive the car in. I usually just have WalMart mount and balance them but both charge the same price ($20 a wheel) and I need an alignment too.
 
Originally Posted By: SHOZ
I usually have to take the tires in off the car to get them mounted as they are a different size than what is on the nameplate. Car came with 19s and I have 18" wheels.


thats the thing i do t mind paying for a job done right and to keep everything safe.
its just at times i feel like im talking to a 2 year old that wont reason.
the truck is an 09 and its 4x4 but its the old style type with a manual transfer case.
2 different brand tires on the truck shouldn't hurt anything provided they are in there own axle.

same as the 18 inch in a car that takes 19s
it sort of sounds unreasonable to refuse that.
 
Originally Posted By: MrTruckDriver
Originally Posted By: SHOZ
I usually have to take the tires in off the car to get them mounted as they are a different size than what is on the nameplate. Car came with 19s and I have 18" wheels.


thats the thing i do t mind paying for a job done right and to keep everything safe.
its just at times i feel like im talking to a 2 year old that wont reason.
the truck is an 09 and its 4x4 but its the old style type with a manual transfer case.
2 different brand tires on the truck shouldn't hurt anything provided they are in there own axle.

same as the 18 inch in a car that takes 19s
it sort of sounds unreasonable to refuse that.
Most shops will only go by what's on the door sticker here. The car came with 18"s in the base model but 19"s in my trim. The tires are 50 series instead of the OE 40 series for the 19"s and OE 45 series for the 18"s.
 
I get my tires from Tirerack and pick up at the warehouse they have in state. Internet pricing with no shipping costs.
I have the equipment to mount/balance/repair my own tires.

If I just need one tire for a beater or something there is a place not to far from me that sells used tires. They let you dig through their racks to pick your own tires.
They mount/balance there and the place is always busy.
 
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I've got 2 Camrys and 3 full sets wheels. Stuff like that gives me the warm fuzzies. I'm a 20 yr customer of Town Fair Tire. A totally satisfied customer. Maybe not the lowest prices*, but great service.

*IIrc ,they will price match. To OP, buy a plug kit and go to town. In a bazillion yrs of plugging tires, I can't remember having one fail.
 
Originally Posted By: nap
If your car is AWD they may be right. Otherwise go there with the wheel in your trunk, if any questions asked, it’s a spare one.



This. You could have gone to another shop. But no shop would fix sidewall damage.
 
It depends upon the shop as well as what you're driving.
There are some AWDs where all four tires must be pretty darn close in rolling diameter including tread depth for the system to last, Subarus are a good example of this.
I have access to a couple of shops that'll do whatever you want. For example, if you tell them to try repairing what appears to be an irreparable puncture, they will. This sometimes works and sometimes doesn't.
 
the tread was real soft around the puncture.
i trusted their opinion on that.
i have a manual tire changer and a bubble balancer. the tire changer is a bit hard on rims. i was trying to do the right thing by going to the pros. im not even mad just trying to learn.
 
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