car tire nightmare - advice please

[Smurof]

I took my car in for major work, and I was asked if I wanted the same type of tires to be replaced. I agreed. They literally "changed the tires around" when I thought I spent $900 for 4 brand new tires. I didn't notice they were the same as my originals until I got a flat tire and had it replaced somewhere else.

 

This place #2 took almost 2 hours to change my tire with no other vehicles in their shop, and brought me out to let me know I was in grave need of new tires. I told them I just bought new tires, and they laughed, saying the tires could not possibly be new.

 

Did I seriously at place #1 get the most insane charge for a tire rotation in history, and/or did place #2 damage my other tires in the hopes I would buy 3 other ones? I'm upset that I'm now out over $1,050 with 3 bad tires, and don't know which or both places fucked me over big time.

[Guy Fawkes]

Check the bill for the first one. If they listed 4 new tires, sue them as you have 3 examples of what they called: "New Tires."

Was this a major chain?

[MikeBiDude]

What is the frame of time between alleged “new tires” at #1 and catching it at #2?

I don't have my ancient receipt of the time I had the tires that are still on my car installed

[+ Keith30309]

What does shop #1 say about this ? Is it possible to walk in, talk to the manager and ask him to explain what happened ? They can easily measure the tread wear and make clear that new tires were installed. If the answer is yes, then it’s a warranty item. If no then an explanation of the charges should be given.

Assuming that they assert new tires were installed I’d charge it back on my credit card.

[Chuckball]

I think it best to go to shop 1 again. Not only visit them and ask for an explanation, but leave a written complaint and keep a copy for yourself. Threaten court action. Try to gather as much evidence from Shop 2 as possible. If you go to court, the issue will be credibility. By preparing as much as possible ahead of time, you should have a good shot.

[+ FrankR]

First, watch this:

 

Second, If you google the tire brand and specs you can easily find the depth of the thread on new tires - usually around 11/32”. Measure yours - should be easy to figure out if the tires are indeed new. If the tires are not new, based on thread depth, go back to shop #1 and ask the manager why the new tires you requested were not installed. If they dont fix it after checking it themselves, i would tell him/her directly that I will file a complaint with the state attorney general, the better business bureau and also a bad yelp review. You can also file a complaint with your credit card company to get a charge back - clearly the products you purchases were not delivered.

[spider]

I’ll bet #1also slapped some of that “new shine” stuff on them to make them all new looking.

[LaffingBear]

All good advice.

 

If you paid with a credit card, call the issuer. Open a dispute, first step in a chargeback.

 

Even if you dont finish the chargeback process successfully, you'll get Seller #1's attention.

 

And, if you're using an "upgraded" card, (often labeled Gold or Platinum) you may have some enhanced warranty or return features.

[+ not2rowdy]

Tires have a “date of manufacture” code on their sidewall. A tire shop should be able to decipher the code for you. From there it should be fairly easy to determine if the tires are “new” or not. Keep in mind that a tire may have been “on the shelf” for a year or two before it was mounted on your car. Tires should typically be replaced, regardless of wear, prior to the 6-10 year point of manufacture.

 

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=11

[MiamiLooker]

I told them I just bought new tires, and they laughed, saying the tires could not possibly be new.

What were you told to back up the claim that the tires weren't new? How many mechanics at shop #2 told you the tires weren't new? Usually changing a tire is done by just one mechanic. As mentioned above, checking the serial number on the tires as well as the tread depth should be easy enough to determine if the tires are new or not.

[+ sync]

Stories such as this one enhance my longings for the "good old days." I try to stay positive, but it's undeniably obvious that vendors in just about every genre who take pride in their products and services have become an endangered species.

[Gadfly22]

Shop #2 had all the time in the world to do additional damage

Not a tire expert but is it possible to put the appearance 50 - 100,000 miles of wear on a tire (4 actually) in a couple of hours? Mechanics / car repair has always been a shady business, even in the "good old days" but if they actually did this it would seem a new low to me. This makes shop #1 look like the guilty party however the fact that shop #2 took so long to tell you that the tires needed replacing is also suspicious unless they were very busy at the time, which you said they were not. I've had many a flat patched in my life and if the tires were anywhere close to EOL they would immediately come out and try to convince me to buy new tires from them (at ripoff prices) but nevertheless......

Maybe the forum master sleuths will be able to help!

Seriously I know how you feel. I just got overcharged $3.00 at the supermarket the other day and I wanted to commit bloody murder!

[+ sync]

Not a tire expert but is it possible to put the appearance 50 - 100,000 miles of wear on a tire (4 actually) in a couple of hours? Mechanics / car repair has always been a shady business, even in the "good old days" but if they actually did this it would seem a new low to me. This makes shop #1 look like the guilty party however the fact that shop #2 took so long to tell you that the tires needed replacing is also suspicious unless they were very busy at the time, which you said they were not. I've had many a flat patched in my life and if the tires were anywhere close to EOL they would immediately come out and try to convince me to buy new tires from them (at ripoff prices) but nevertheless......

Maybe the forum master sleuths will be able to help!

Seriously I know how you feel. I just got overcharged $3.00 at the supermarket the other day and I wanted to commit bloody murder!

 

I'll wager my "good old days" are older than yours.

[rvwnsd]

I agree that starting the credit card dispute is a good first step. Be prepared to be asked whether you have attempted to resolve the dispute with the merchant and have an answer ready. If you have not already done so, take a look at the tires and see for yourself. Someone is lying or (remote possibility) the first shop forgot to do the work.

 

Did you have the tires replaced at the second shop? If not, you might want to go to the first shop and tell them what happened.

[jawjateck]

When the shop is working on my car or truck, I always watch long enough to make sure they are doing what I am paying them to do. It's not because I assume they will scam me, but that they are so busy, endless streams of customers all-day, everyday, that it's easy for them to make errors, and not pay attention to what the customer has requested. Heck, I watch every oil change to make sure the mechanic has pulled the plug, dropped the filter, and drained the old oil. If I'm paying for oil, I actually expect a new filter and oil when the job is done. Be careful of those quick lube places. Some of them cut corners when the customer walks into the lounge area to wait it out.

[+ not2rowdy]

...This place #2 took almost 2 hours to change my tire with no other vehicles in their shop...

 

Possible defense for the auto shop:

 

Tire shops often draw from a regional tire warehouse. It may be they didn’t have your tire(s) “on the shelf” and had to send someone to the warehouse to get them.

[Mocha]

Anyone recall the thread I made couple years ago about why I said I don’t like auto repair shops?

[instudiocity]

When I buy new tires, I get a receipt with the serial numbers of the new tires on it. It's part of the warranty. It appears on the sidewall. The serial number can also help in determining when the tires were manufactured.

 

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=11

[rvwnsd]

Anyone recall the thread I made couple years ago about why I said I don’t like auto repair shops?

Yep. I believe the gist was “they are rat bastards,” perhaps in different words.

[body2body]

The date of the tires manufacture is required by to appear as part of the manufacturers code on the sidewalk of every tire.

Here is a link which shows how to determine the week and year of manufacture.

https://www.tirebuyer.com/education/how-to-determine-the-age-of-your-tires#

Motorweek on PBS recently said that you should always demand to see the tires and check the production date before installation.The compounds begin to deteriorate after 5 years an this can effect braking and handling.

I agree that the suggestion to contact your credit card provider is a good one. Contact the vendor, speak to the owner or manager, and politely explain that you believe they made an error and put your old tires back on the car by mistake- give them an easy out. If this fails, contact your states department of consumer affairs (if they have one ) and file a complaint. Do the same with the Better Business Bureau. Every local TV station where I live has a consumer affairs reporter, contact them all, photograph the worn tread, and the DOT code on all the tires. Finally, file a police report, claim you have been a victim of fraud.

When you begin this process write down what happened, dates, times, amounts, have copies of your receipts to support your claim. Be consistent, if need be, read from a script every time you speak to anyone.

[Gadfly22]

Every local TV station where I live has a consumer affairs reporter,

Better get Baquero! Beware though if you get in touch with this chick. She’ll put you on TV and make you look like a fool!

[Mocha]

Yep. I believe the gist was “they are rat bastards,” perhaps in different words.

 

Not quite. I am a mechanic myself (when I’m not answering calls and having sex). I do most of the maintenance on my two cars with the exception of stuff that requires more than 1 person.

 

It’s not so much that they are rat bastards, it’s just the type of business it is. They know most people don’t know about cars, and the prices have no real legal regulation. It’s not food or healthcare (even though healthcare too is a scam, sadly) Finding a good, “cheap” mechanic is not easy, but even those aren’t always the best either because there’s been times I could have done the work better than they have. Simple stuff like oil changes, I have caught errors.

 

I’ve had overfilled oil levels, under tightened oil filters, little stuff they did and missed and I had to go back behind them and re-do it. One mechanic forgot to put my thermostat back in during a water pump change. Fortunately it was just a $10 fix.

 

Overall, I don’t like auto repair shops, but I do like mechanics, for the fact that I’m not always inclined to work on my cars even though I am knowledgeable. Some mechanics can been like your best friend/lawyer. But even those...sometimes they think you’ve gotten too comfortable and think they can throw out any price and you’ll be willing to pay it.

 

Best advice in life: know your car, know your health, study everything you can possibly know about DIY even if you don’t DIY, just so you’re not in the dark when someone else tells you they fixed something.

 

...and never upgrade to the same brand of tires you had on. That way if you had Hankooks and switched to Continentals, you’ll know you made a switch.

Edited February 26, 2019 by Mocha

[MikeBiDude]

Yep. I believe the gist was “they are rat bastards,” perhaps in different words.

In other words “same old...”

[Rangar]

New Tires have to be registered in case there is a safety recall See pages 10-16 in linkl https://www.ntsb.gov/news/events/Documents/2014_Tire_Safety_SYM_Panel_3a_Chern.pdf

Were you provided any registration information when you purchased them? Go back to #1 and find out which option they used. Make sure the Tire Identification Numbers (TIN) match. Contact the manufacturer if necessary to see if they have your information & are being truthful. Call the Better Business Bureau (BBB) or use their Website. Tell #1 and/or#2 that you are gonna fight them. Make a lot of noise because the squeaky wheel gets the oil.

[+ FrankR]

Hey @Smurof - how does the story end?? Did you get it resolved?