Sears *****

[atk406]

So it is not directly related to garages, but it is related to cars, which most of you have in your garage. I took my Girlfriend's car into Sears Auto in Bismarck, ND to have 2 new snow tires installed (purchased from Tirerack.com, which rocks). Just the front tires, since I didn't rotate like I should have and the rear tires were still in great shape. Well...the wheels are absolutely trashed! I could have installed the tires with a pair of screwdrivers and a claw hammer without doing as much damage. When I took it back to complain, the guy behind the counter, and later the auto division manager, claimed there was no way their equipment could do that kind of damage and it had to be pre-existing curb rash. I even had to sit through them showing me how their tire machines work. They also more or less admitted that if I came in to talk to the store manager, he would tell me the same thing. If you want to see pictures, check out my Facebook photo album http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...21327673.70341.100000383637216&type=1&theater

Absolutely ridiculous. I will never set foot in a Sears store again, for anything, ever.

 

[twincam00]

that is ridiculous. normally the manager is more friendly and willing to set things right. same thing happened to me when I got a set of tires mounted on my bonneville at fleet farm, they dropped the rim and cracked the center cap and claimed that it came in that way

 

[NastyNate]

Got any high resolution pics? Never seen a rim get damaged that far away from the edge by a tire machine.

 

[boostedgt]

by the pic i cant tell if its damage or just paint coming off an old wheel..

 

[atk406]

Here are some closer high res pics. Granted, there were MINOR scratches and curb rash before. I can post pics of the rear wheels that look like the front wheels did pre-Sears. But this is the damage. And if I could get the correct angle and light, you can even see the corresponding scrapes on the inside edge of the bead of the rim, where no curb could ever reach.

 

[Al Bundy]

Call corporate office and complain.

 

[gatewaysysop]

Jeeez. I thought it was bad when one place stole my nice valve caps, but this takes the cake. One more place I'll never set foot into.

 

[braxx]

Here are some closer high res pics. Granted, there were MINOR scratches and curb rash before. I can post pics of the rear wheels that look like the front wheels did pre-Sears. But this is the damage. And if I could get the correct angle and light, you can even see the corresponding scrapes on the inside edge of the bead of the rim, where no curb could ever reach.

As a former tire installer I can't see how that type of damage could/would happen from a tire machine.
If a tire machine damages a rim it is usually only 1,2 or possibly 3 scratches/gouges that run around the circumference of the rim.

Your damage looks like "rash" from concrete. (Many scratches/gouges concentrated)

 

[atk406]

Trust me, the wheels did not look like that when it went in the shop. The wheels did have some scratches and were not perfect, but NOTHING like this. Even the other side of the wheel is scraped in a similar fashion, and no curbs can get to those. It's not as bad, but that bead lip is much thinner and is unpainted. I've used tire machines myself, and the only thing I can think is the wheels spun in the clamps. To punctuate the quality of the install, I checked tire pressure today, one had 40 psi, the other 37. Nice. I'm going to pull the wheels to have a better look at the inside bead, and hand torque the lugs since I'm sure they just blasted them on with an impact wrench.

 

[FergusonTO35]

When I was at Sears we had the newer rim clamp machines and the old standby center post machines. You can damage an alloy rim like that with a center post machine or by using the steel rather than nylon head on a rim clamp machine. I saw it happen quite a bit, especially if you put a prybar between the head and rim for extra leverage when dismounting a tire. These kind of things are typical at an outfit like Sears Tire Group, which scrapes the bottom of the labor pool. Keep complaining, go to the district and regional managers. Eventually they will buy you a new rim to make you go away.

 

[atk406]

Thanks TO35 for the info, you kind of confirmed my suspicions. I didn't notice if they had center post machines, the one I had 'explained' to me by the snot nose manager was not a center post, but still looked old and beat to sh#t. I suspect it was operator ineptitude as much as anything. I pursued the complaining to upper manager track a little bit, but all that did was get me more upset. I'm just going to speak with my wallet...no more of my money will be spent at Sears. There is nothing there that I can't get elsewhere.

 

[jhelrey]

I was going to say I have mounted tires before and there is no way you can damage it like that. However, I have never used the style you talk about. They still could have curb rashed it on the way in or out of the bay.

 

[kursplat]

might not be from the machine, they might have scratched them on the shop floor after the tires were off. i've seen shops stop one install mid-stream to get someone else out quicker and not be too carefull how they lay the rims down

 

[Stuntmonkey]

The old Coats 1010 centre post machines will do that kind of damaged, but I don't see a newer machine doing that.

 

[CISO1969]

OK I get a lot of Techs PO'd when I bring stuff like this up on the Xterra boards. I will say right now that the techs I know are honest and knowledgeable, however I have also seen the corner cutters at work too. Had my center caps destroyed by an impact gun and all the acorns chewed cause bubba didnt swap over to metric 21mm or take off the POP OFF plastic center caps. The shop spent almost $300 replacing those.

Anyway --are you sure those are your rims? I know it's a stretch but ya never know

 

[SMKS]

That looks like curb rash.

 

[pop pop]

I'm to the point I don't know where to go with tires. Every place does this. The first time our Accord was changed they gouged all around the center caps with what looked to be a screwdriver to get them off when all they had to do was remove the wheel and press from the back. The impact got loose on two wheels and left a spin out mark about 12" long from the bolt hole to the perimeter of the wheels. I complained and they used that oft made remark "they were like that when you brought them in". They'd never been off the car except by me and I used a 4 way and torque wrench. Oh, and they showed me the beautiful machine that "never touches" the wheel. Bull.

I'm thinking next tire change before they touch the car they're gonna do a walk around with me and show me any preexisting damage and take photos while they are there with date stamp. Then change the tires and see where the damage occurs.

 

[Super Sport]

I took my Camaro into Sears for a set of $1200 tires just after I bought it. The car was mint with only 15k on the clock. Those idiots put it on the lift wrong and bent my front 1/4 panel. They tried to tellme it wasn't them either. I bitched until the manager agreed to pay for repairs. My local Chevy dealer did the repairs and somehow missed clearcoat on a good square foot. What a damn mess...

 

[lessersivad]

All the posted stories are the reasons I have my own tire changer.

 

[BJ42LX]

The bigger offense is that they let you put the new tires on the front.

The better tires always go on the back.

 

[mudflap]

Thats curb rash, tell your baby-mamma to stay off the curbs.... Even if they did do some damage, who cares as long as it still holds air, the rim was already trashed.

 

[acer66]

The bigger offense is that they let you put the new tires on the front.

The better tires always go on the back.

Reminds me that the VW dealer of my GF`s car still rotated the tires even I told them not to do so
because the better tires where in the back.

 

[free07110]

X2 on curb rash. follow the pattern on the rim and look at the grooves. it could of happen when they parked it.