Tires from Costco or Sam's

Dtank wrote:
Take your pick / name your poison .....

Costco, Sams, Wally, Discount Tire, Mom & Pop tire stores, etc -

Turnover of employees in some/many/most of the above is frequent.
Some employees have little (or no) experience. (It's OJT).
May have been working at Taco Bell the week before - and don't plan on a career mounting tires!
Also - High volume = busy, busy - hurry, hurry - "maybe" cut corners.

Latest and greatest "thing" at Costco is free Nitrogen.
Great.
HOWEVER - now the employees mounting tires are constantly interrupted by folks wanting their tires "topped off" with Nitrogen - frequently none is really needed..:R
(The DWs are told to do same by their DHs - and are clueless)..:S

What *you* must watch for is the final (hand) torquing of lug nuts, .....especially on aluminum wheels!

*You* should know the torque specs for your wheels, and ask the installer to see if the spec *he* has is correct!.:@
Have a good idea of what the sequence for the final TQing should be.

When he is using his impact wrench, he should use the impact to "snug" the lug nuts, then hand torque (with a TQ wrench) in proper sequence.

When to call a halt:..:E
(As politely as possible)

1. If his TQ wrench "clicks" immediately -
he has already run down the lug/s too tight with the impact..:(

2. If he claims his impact is set to whatever the required TQ is for your wheels - so it's OK to tighten them (completely) with the impact..:(

An Orange Co., CA Costco is famous for snapping wheel studs due to both the above.
It has a standing contract with a close-by facility to replace the broken studs.......at their cost, but of course, on *your* time..:(
(Posters need not ask how I know that).

Mom and Pop - your "trusted neighborhood tire shop" - even somebody you are familiar with:
No matter what they say.....*ALWAYS* check the date codes on in-stock tires, -or- tires you order.

Local guy ordered 4 trailer tires for me.....he didn't check codes when they came in, BUT I DID!..;)
(His employees had already mounted two!)
Seventeen months old was a "no thanks" for me!..:(

He found a different brand (acceptable to me) that were about one month old - same price.

Shop prices for the best deal that makes you happy - but buyer beware!!..:W


.

All very good points!

Both sets of tires I had installed at Discount Tire the Store Manager or Senior Assistant Manager did the install. Both cases were RAM Dually's and the Alcoa wheels were treated with care. The last time a few days a go on my new RAM the guy even asked if I would like him to try and use weights only on the inside of the wheels instead of both sides as the factory had done. I questioned him on it and he said since they were MS2's he would try. He was able to get all wheels balanced perfectly and no weights showing. He actually hand started each lugnut and "snugged" each one up with the impact and then properly torqued each to 150'# as I requested. He even asked me to stop by in 50 miles or so and have him re torque just to make sure everything was good!