!@#$%*% Discount Tire!!!!

[01 RT SNAKE]

Well, I took my passenger front tire in to have the patch/plug done at my local Discount Tire. 16-18 year old kid takes the wheel/tire and throws it up on the machine to remove the tire. I'm watching the two Bozo's working on getting the tire off like a hawk. The guys are messing around and having a hard time getting the plug in. After about 10 minutes he puts the tire back on and sure as !@#$ when I get home there is a small (1cm) gouge on the wheel. My wheels were in perfect shape when I bought the car.

I know there is no use calling them to argue because the manager is just going to tell me that I can't prove it wasn't there beforehand. You solve one problem and get another!

Then, to top it off, I have an exhaust leak on the passenger side. I pull the side sill off and find the problem. The pipe coming off the header has removed itself from the straight pipe running along the sill. The Torca clamps are rusted to Hell and I broke one of the studs on the clamps trying to remove the rusted nut. Now I have to track down a new Torca clamp.

Whoever owned this car before me must have hosed the exhaust down once a week with salt water. I cannot believe that a stainless system looks this crappy. The body on my car is nearly flawless. The interior is in excellent shape. The engine bay is clean, but the underneath of the car was definitely neglected.

I'm so frustrated right now I could scream. If I have to order the clamp it means I don't get to drive the car for another week. I heard the Dodge dealers might sell these clamps?

Thanks for listening to my ranting.

Mike

 

[Bob K]

I had a similar experience recently with Discount Tire. I had them mount new Pilot Sport Cups on all 4 whells. I told the young man doing the work to be extra careful with my $1200 apiece wheels and that I didn't want any scratches on the car. I watched them work and noted that they had some trouble breaking the old tires loose from the rims. The pry bar that they were using slipped one time and put 2 small nicks on the very edge of the rim. I pointed this out to the manager and he arranged for me to have it repaired at a wheel specialist at their expense. This was inconvenient but at least the wheel is back to new. I also noticed that they slopped a bunch of the black sealer stuff on the wheels when mounting the new tires. I have tried to clean this off but it seems to have left a permanent stain in some areas.

Discount will not see my cars again.

Bob K

 

[onerareviper]

Finding a good tire place is as hard as finding a trusted mechanic.

The Cadillac dealer in my area is a good source when it comes to tires. They were forced to upgrade all there tire/balancing machines due to the large rims on there Escalades, etc... They have a couple new Hunter machines, which works extremely well at removing and balancing the tires. You will pay a little more, but it's worth it IMO. Check out:

http://www.gsp9700.com/

 

[Ivory]

Don't dispair. Contact the store manager, store owner, district manager if a corporate store, or regional manager. If this is a corporate store they have insurance which will cover replacement or repair of your wheels. Have had 4 wheels replaced. 2 by Sears and 2 by Firestone. They fight it at first but as you go up the food chain you eventually get someone who has the power and financial pull to help you.

With each replacement I've been able to upgrade my wheels. Firestone replaced my last two chrome wheels at current DC Viper tax prices plus the cost of rechroming. As it turned out the replacement check and selling my 4 wheels were 2 needed repair was enough to find 4 new 05 wheels and tires at nearly the same price as their replacement payment!

Be diligent and they will fix or replace the wheels. Don't forget compensation for downtime, remounting, balancing, and rental car for replacement while your wheels are being fixed.

Ivory

 

[Ulysses]

Yeah, Discount Tire here off Miramar Rd. did the same to my wheels. Stay away!!!

 

[Mr Hemi Head]

This style clamp is widely used by Viper owners, myself included. It does not have to be preformed. 2.5" and 3" sizes were available at the local NAPA store.
http://store.airflo.com/j009624.html

 

[HARDVIPER]

It's good to vent!

 

[150shot]

I'm surprised so many viper owners have used them. I leave my beaters to them only. I will pay the extra $5-10 for a speciality shop to mount them on different machinery, well worth it.

Although the 22" rims and the bling stuff may be overkill these days, I'm sure those installers at these shops are much more experienced than the teenager at discount/ just tires...those kids ****!

 

[KHitman]

I had to get a slow leak fixed on my rig and took it to Les Schwab. The guy there took ALOT of extra time making sure he didn't scratch the rim. I was very happy with their service.

He did comment on why the tire was full of "fix-a-flat". "$60K for the car and they use fix-a-flat?" I told him it was the previous owner.

 

[94RT10Ohio]

I had to have one of my rears patched. The wheel was perfect, still is. The first place I went to I flat out told them it was not a easy job and I would not accept any "issues". They said no problem, so I left them the tire and came back 30 minutes later. They decided they did not want to do it, that was fine.

Went to another place, Belle Tire. They said no problem. I stayed here while they did it. Took about 30 minutes, no issues. They even did it for free!