My experience buying tires

[Gau_8]

It was time for new tires. I decided to go with Michelins through FMCA. My local TCI center in West Palm Beach didnt have the 275/70 R 22.5 tires I needed. I then contacted the TCi dealer in Orlando. The managers name is Todd. He had my tires and was very cordial on the phone. I decided to make the 2 1/2 hour dirve to get them. All was well when I got there until we started talking about balancing, etc. I wanted the ceramic beads and was met with a questioning look. Todd said he would check to see what he had. He found the beads.

The attention then shifted to the rear duals. I have the Crossfire system installed which equalizes the pressure in the duals and gives you a visual indication of pressure. I was concerned that the system would not be reinstalled properly. In retrospect, I should have taken a photo of each dual. Tom and the techs seemed to have no concern that this would be a problem. There was a different tech working on the two sides. Neither of them used English as a first language. The rear hubcap on the Freightliner is held on by a bolt. The left side is left handed. I pointed this out to the Techs. I hung around to watch the tech try to remove it with lefty loosey. I had Tom tell him again. "Hey Jose, its left handed.". Jose continued to try lefty loosey. I had to get Tom to tell him again in person.

When the duals went back on, each tech installed the Crossfire differently. Neither method was like the way it came in. When I pointed it out to Tom, he couldnt seem to see the problem. "You RV people come in here with this aftermarket stuff and make extra work for us.". Suddenly the no problem was a problem. My patience was exhausted and I had to walk away. All they had to do was take a moment to study the installation and reinstall it the same way.

I will have to remove it tomorrow, reclock valve stems, and rotate valve stems to fix it. Needless to say, I wont be back there.

The good news is that the tires with balancing beads ride very smoothly.

[Gau_8]

krivanj wrote:
+1 to St. Lucie Battery and Tire in Fort Pierce, Fl.
They too are Michelin dealers so we can use the Michelin program. They do big truck tires and do all the tire work for Stuart based Liberty Prevost motorhomes... They know their stuff, and are friendly and appreciative.

I called the Michelin Advantage people to see what shops I could use in my area. St Lucie Battery and Tire was not on their list. I too have had good luck with them.

[krivanj]

+1 to St. Lucie Battery and Tire in Fort Pierce, Fl.
They too are Michelin dealers so we can use the Michelin program. They do big truck tires and do all the tire work for Stuart based Liberty Prevost motorhomes... They know their stuff, and are friendly and appreciative.

[mayble]

Gau 8 wrote:
It was time for new tires. I decided to go with Michelins through FMCA. My local TCI center in West Palm Beach didnt have the 275/70 R 22.5 tires I needed. I then contacted the TCi dealer in Orlando. The managers name is Todd. ....etc. I wanted the ceramic beads and was met with a questioning look. Todd said he would check to see what he had. He found the beads.

The attention then shifted to the rear duals. I have the Crossfire system installed which equalizes the pressure in the duals and gives you a visual indication of pressure. I was concerned that the system would not be reinstalled properly. In retrospect, I should have taken a photo of each dual. Tom and the techs seemed to have no concern that this would be a problem. There was a different tech working on the two sides. Neither of them used English as a first language. The rear hubcap on the Freightliner is held on by a bolt. The left side is left handed. I pointed this out to the Techs. I hung around to watch the tech try to remove it with lefty loosey. I had Tom tell him again. "Hey Jose, its left handed.". Jose continued to try lefty loosey. I had to get Tom to tell him again in person.

When the duals went back on, each tech installed the Crossfire differently. Neither method was like the way it came in. When I pointed it out to Tom, he couldnt seem to see the problem. "You RV people come in here with this aftermarket stuff and make extra work for us.". Suddenly the no problem was a problem. My patience was exhausted and I had to walk away. All they had to do was take a moment to study the installation and reinstall it the same way.

I will have to remove it tomorrow, reclock valve stems, and rotate valve stems to fix it. Needless to say, I wont be back there.

The good news is that the tires with balancing beads ride very smoothly.

So when exactly did Todd exit the picture and hand off to Tom?

[Gau_8]

Delete

[jwmII]

rgatijnet1 wrote:
Unfortunately most shops put their junior employees to work changing tires. Tires are very important to safety and it seems that most shops want to trust their least experienced guys with the job. It is the customer that suffers from this inexperience.

I see it a bit differently. If they don't get the junior employee trained there will be no one down the road to do your work. What is lacking in most of these situations is proper supervision of the jr. employee so that the job is done properly and in a timely manner.

[2oldman]

Tom= Todd?

[jwmII]

Gau 8 wrote:
Who is Tom? They were already getting $43 a wheel. The Crossfire is not difficult to install and should not have added more than 10 minutes. It ended up taking longer than that because they didnt study it before they removed it.

Todd was given an opportunity to raise any concerns. He had none.

jwmII wrote:
Tom is absolutely correct. The after market stuff does cause difficulty. Tom should have been upfront and told you their would be an extra charge for removing and installing your setup. Furthermore the RE- installation should have been done to your specifications. And you should have paid an added fee for their having to mess with your aftermarket stuff.

Who is Tom? You tell me. You used his name!! So What if they are getting $43 a wheel. They should have gotten more to deal with your junk air pressure system. Why should they spend time studying how your add ons go without being compensated for the extra work. All shops charge extra for having to deal with add ons that are not part of the original equipment. They are not non profit operations. Time is money.

[Gau_8]

Who is Tom? They were already getting $43 a wheel. The Crossfire is not difficult to install and should not have added more than 10 minutes. It ended up taking longer than that because they didnt study it before they removed it.

Todd was given an opportunity to raise any concerns. He had none.

jwmII wrote:
Tom is absolutely correct. The after market stuff does cause difficulty. Tom should have been upfront and told you their would be an extra charge for removing and installing your setup. Furthermore the RE- installation should have been done to your specifications. And you should have paid an added fee for their having to mess with your aftermarket stuff.

[jwmII]

Tom is absolutely correct. The after market stuff does cause difficulty. Tom should have been upfront and told you their would be an extra charge for removing and installing your setup. Furthermore the RE- installation should have been done to your specifications. And you should have paid an added fee for their having to mess with your aftermarket stuff.

[Gau_8]

The sad thimg is that the Goodyears I replaced only had 16,000 miles but were 9 years old. I kept two of them. They still looked fine, inside and out. But the worry about blowouts made me change them.

I spent 4 hours today fixing their mess. Luckily, I have the jacks and equipment to remove the wheels. Still, 200 lb wheels are no joy at 67. The front wheels were especially grimy after the switch. No more truck centers for me.

Caveat Emptor.

[Two_Jayhawks]

Excellent post thanks for sharing. About 15 years ago I thought I had done well shopping for the best price on tires for the coach at a truck tire center. Good thing I stayed there to supervise my experience was not unlike yours less the drive time.

[rgatijnet1]

Unfortunately most shops put their junior employees to work changing tires. Tires are very important to safety and it seems that most shops want to trust their least experienced guys with the job. It is the customer that suffers from this inexperience.

[DSDP_Don]

"Gau 8".....It was a good post, explaining how things often change after a friendly phone call.

I recently added Centramatics to my coach and I needed the front tires dismounted and moved to the tag position. I removed all the caps myself and made sure the motor home was jacked up at the proper points. I've had worked done at this location before and they always do a good job, but I'm too anal not to be standing right there.

[johnhicks]

I don't know what a TCI is...

My experience buying tires....

I contacted my Michelin dealer in Cleveland, Georgia, and asked about the Michelens on the FMCA deal and also about the equivalent Toyos. The dealer didn't have either but said Toyo is what he put on his trucks.

So I asked him to get me the Toyos. They were a few bucks cheaper and by exerience I wasn't too hot on Michelens.

A week or so later I drove down the mountain to get the tires installed. With no muss, no fuss, the dealer installed the tires plus the unexpected brass stem extensions and stabilizers. And the dealer apologized that he didn't have a customer lounge, but of course I didn't want a customer lounge. When the installer had a hard time getting the simulators installed I had the privilege of holding the sockets. And getting my knuckles popped a time or two. This is a truck tire shop, not an RV shop.
Hats off to Pritchett's Tire in Cleveland, Georgia.

"Neither of them used English as a first language." bothers me. Perhaps learning a little of that foreign language would have gone a ways toward avoiding the problems. Se habla?

In any event, it appears that you received substandard service and the inablilty to put it togeher the way it came in is unforgiveable and going up the corporate chain is appropriate. If it's worth the bother.