Horrible Tire Installation at Total Tire in Burlington

[Piru]

Ok, so I ordered a set of Fuzion ZRIs from Total Tire in Burlington and they finally came in yesterday so i went to get them installed on a set of brand new 18" rims i had bought last summer, which were still sitting unused, brand new in the box. I was running late to go see Jimmy at Street Performance to get my pro-kits installed so i left right after they finished...that was a big mistake.

While driving on 407, I noticed the car was pulling to the left a lot..i thought maybe the alignment was messed up and figured i would get it fixed when i go in for an oil change in a few days at Oakville Mazda. While I was waiting for my turn in the parking lot at Street Performance, I noticed one of the rims has a big scratch on it, which i am 110% sure wasn't there before. I was pissed but was like whatever, i cant really prove to Total Tire it was them. After Jimmy finished his installation he pointed out that whoever put the rims on had damaged one of the wells the lug nuts go into on another rim. Of course, I was pissed again, to say the least. Anyways...today at the Oakville meet everyone that noticed my front driver side wheel pointed out the tire pressure looks low. On the way back home, I realized it must be pulling to the left due to the low pressure. So I called my dad and asked if he still had his powered air pump..so when I got home he brought it out and I took the valve cap off...And holy crap..the air kept leaking and leaking, but I managed to shove the pressure monitor in there to stop it. The digital meter said 9.5psi. WTF??!! When I tried to put the cap back on, the thing just kept leaking air, i tried to take off the cap and reseat it but then..the ENTIRE VALVE came out of the rim. The tire is now a flat.

I wanted to check the psi on the rear passenger side also, but when i took off the cap air just kept leaking non stop..the pin in the middle wasnt pushed or anything..it was just leaking air, so i screwed the cap back on before I had another flat. The valve didnt come off this time though (lucky me). Same thing happened with the front passenger side. I am too scared to touch the rear driver side wheel. We pulled off the front passenger side wheel and put one of the winter steelies with the winter tire back on. I did a test drive with it around the block and it seems to be ok for now.

I am going to go back to Total Tire first thing tomorrow morning and ask the guy to remove any of the caps on the 3 remaining wheels and watch what happens.

I can't believe these guys did such a sloppy job. I was watching them from outside the shop while they did the whole install, and I could tell they were gettin annoyed by me watching. I kinda got scared when they pulled out the instruction sheet that came with the rims and started reading it, but I didnt know it was gonna turn out like this.

What do you guys think I should do now? Can I get a refund for the tires on account of poor installation? They've only been on for a day. I shouldve just gone to Allen. I hate myself :loco:flaming:bang.

[midnightfxgt]

Go back for sure!

The valve was not seated properly at all (which is a hard thing to mess up). I wonder if they left the core out of it? If you look at the valve you will see if the core is missing.

Low pressure usually doesnt cause pulling, but if you were that low, it could have. If you drove on it that low for any period of time the tire could be ruined. I hate to be the bearer of bad news. When they dismount the tire from the rim, make sure to have a look. If there are pieces of rubber in there, the inner sidewall is damaged, and should be replaced.

I would also point out the scratches too.

If you need any questions answered, I can try to help :)

Thanks
John

[aris]

That sucks

[kevcol74]

Low tire pressure WILL cause pulling.... take them back and rip a strip off them. Their sloppy workmanship played with your safety! You hit the highway for a while at 120km/h with 9psi in your tire, good luck controlling your car when the tire blows out!
Sounds like the cores weren't screwed in tight. Which is stupid since they likely didn't need to take them out to make the tire seal! 18" rubber bands don't usually need that!
Give em hell! And make sure they check the sidewall!! That tire may be destroyed as mentioned! Problem with the low profile tires, they are hard to tell when they are low on pressure, they don't really bulge...

[Piru]

lol aristeidis it sucks soo much :bang


Go back for sure!
The valve was not seated properly at all (which is a hard thing to mess up). I wonder if they left the core out of it? If you look at the valve you will see if the core is missing.


I dont know what the core looks like, but when i pick up and move the wheel in question, there is something rattling inside, so i'm pretty sure that was part of the valve.



Low pressure usually doesnt cause pulling, but if you were that low, it could have. If you drove on it that low for any period of time the tire could be ruined. I hate to be the bearer of bad news. When they dismount the tire from the rim, make sure to have a look. If there are pieces of rubber in there, the inner sidewall is damaged, and should be replaced.


Ya I'm afraid that tire is gonna be ruined. What worries me more is if the rim might have been ruined as a result too? Do you think that could be a possibility? The sidewall on the ZRI feels pretty stiff, but I'm afraid the weight of the car and the low psi combination would have cause damange to the rim :(



I would also point out the scratches too.


lol i can already see them denying they caused that!

[omalak]

Man i'm really sorry to hear about your situation, I hope you get it resolved and they take responsiblity for their install and the scratch.., just keep fighting for it..

With that said you should have just hit up one of the sponsors man.. better be safe than sorry..

Sponsors have more than 1 customer on the line becasue they know if the job is shitty the word will spread on the forums..

Good luck

[Fuman]

9.5 psi
that may be low enough to warrant an inspect on the inside of the tire.
to make sure the rim didn't damage the insides of the tire.
if you notice any tears on the inside, you'll need a new tire.

[tweak_s]

9.5 psi
that may be low enough to warrant an inspect on the inside of the tire.
to make sure the rim didn't damage the insides of the tire.
if you notice any tears on the inside, you'll need a new tire.

+1.

Highway speeds at THAT low PSI is downright dangerous to not only your tire but yourself...

[Piru]

+1.

Highway speeds at THAT low PSI is downright dangerous to not only your tire but yourself...

i know :chuckle

i trusted these guys knew what they were doing so i jumped on the highway yesterday. only today did i check the pressure and realized it was 9.5! but i know i'm dumb for not doing this right away lol. kevcol is right though..with the low profiles its hard to tell the pressure visually, so i didnt really clue into it. well from now on i will be checking the pressure after every tire change.

[Fuman]

i know :chuckle

i trusted these guys knew what they were doing so i jumped on the highway yesterday. only today did i check the pressure and realized it was 9.5! but i know i'm dumb for not doing this right away lol. kevcol is right though..with the low profiles its hard to tell the pressure visually, so i didnt really clue into it. well from now on i will be checking the pressure after every tire change.

most people will tell you to check once a week.
I check when temperature changes by 5 degrees or so, or every two weeks, which ever happens first.

[tucci]

that terrible, such a simply task turns into a diaster!

[Iceman_F1]

...today at the Oakville meet everyone that noticed my front driver side wheel pointed out the tire pressure looks low.

If you're who I think you are from the meet, I didn't notice anything...but then again, I wasn't really paying attention to that too much (might check my pictures to see).

Sucks though...hopefully things work out...

[Hives]

that sucks man. They prolly had some young inexperienced kid doing co-op or something work on your car.

[Shawn]

One thing confuses me. If these are new rims, wouldn't Total tire need to put in NEW valve stems? If so these come with the valve core installed, no reason to be loose or removed.

Tear them a new one!!!

P.S. Valve caps are not pressure seals. So be really, really careful.

[midnightfxgt]

Sometimes if tires are tough to seat, a core can be removed so that air can be inserted quickly, and give it that "pop". However, there is almost NO way they couldnt have noticed the air spewing out if that was the case. With no valve or cap, a tire will be deflated in less than 30 seconds.

-John

[towelsnap]

any updates ? I just happy that nothing happened at highspeeds or that could of turned into a nightmare :( . hope everything gets taken care of and fast!

[Thrizzl3]

wowzers:whoa

[Krakor]

Hey Piru.

I am so sorry to hear that.

I saw your tire at the meet and you showed me the marks.

Terrible job.

I would have ordered the tires and taken them to Andrew and his guys to do it.

A lot of people call me crazy to go thru the dealer for work and parts, but here is how i see it.

The dealer offers a warranty on the work they do and the parts they sell.
I don't mind paying a little more to have the peace of mind it offers.

For example, mu headlights and fogs are doing funky things. Oakville Mazda will fix them under warranty. I am talking about the 6000K headlights and fogs I had them install a month ago.

There was a small dent put in my car, obviously by accident, and they are taking care of it today.

I trust that the dealership, ok let's back up, I trust Oakville Mazda to take care of my car and my concerns.

And they do a great job at that.

I know everyone is trying to save some money by buying aftermarket parts and having other mechanics or techs doing the installs, but the fact remains, the techs at Mazda work primarily on Mazda. So they know the cars better.

It's a shitty thing that happened to you. I am not saying all non-Mazda dealers will screw you, but you need to research the company before hand.

I find value in what I spend by having Oakville Mazda take care of me and my vehicle.

Good luck with your rims. Are they going to do anything about it?

[Piru]

Andrew said they don't do low profile tire installs at the dealership, they send it out to Jensen Tire Sales & Services near Royal Windsor and Winston Churchill. But ya this is partly my fault for going to these guys cuz they were closer and had a good price.

Anyways, i went and talked to the owner first thing in the morning yesterday. I told him i am completely unsatisfied with his service and i dont have confidence in his installers to do the job or trust them to touch my car without scratching it. Long story short, he basically refuses to replace the front tire; he quickly dismissed the scratches on the rims saying they are a common problem; he quickly dismissed the loose\leaky valves saying they are a common problem; he said i am one in a million customers and i am of no value to him; wheni said i'm going to the media with this, he said he will put me in jail (LOL).

I have given him 2 chances to rectify the situation. #1) I went and to him first thing in the morning. #2) I went to Oakville Mazda, and Graham suggested call him again and give him a second chance with 2 options: one being give me a new tire for everyone that is defective\damaged or second being go thru the better business bureau and also file a small claims suit. Thats when he told me "you arent getting anything unless the bureau\courts make me" and hung up.

I think what i'm gonna do next is have the front tire inspected by a trusted shop and have them document what they think happened. I'll take a copy of that report to him and offer him a third and final chance to fix everything, otherwise small claims court? but i dont know if it would be worth it, or even if they would make him do anything.

Is exclusive tire open on sundays? john can you please check out the tire for me?

thanks

[aris]

Going to small claims court for something like this would not be worth it...

You are better off to run a run page add in the paper and and let all your friends and neibours know not to go their for anything. This is why it's always a good idea to watch what they do when working on your car...my$.02

[Shawn]

Also have a dealer report on the tire. Courts like that.


he quickly dismissed the loose\leaky valves saying they are a common problem;
Bullshit. 10 years of doing tire changes in my youth and this NEVER happened.
Installer was a useless %$&#.

Take this to them. And tell them to get spell check too.:pop
http://www.totaltire.net/services.html

[kevcol74]

File the claim with the Better Business Bureau, sometimes they can really push a company's buttons and get results fast....

[Krakor]

File the claim with the Better Business Bureau, sometimes they can really push a company's buttons and get results fast....

I say do whatever you can without having to spend money.
The reason is that you may not get any of it back, but you will damage their crediblity.

Did anyone see what happened with Domino's Pizza?

That screwed them for a long time!
I know unrelated but just look at how it is going to affect them.

Would you order a pizza there?

[Fuman]

submit an article at toronto star (http://www.thestar.com/generic/article/108483)
you have to scroll down a little bit

Also file a claim with the BBB as others have said.

[HunGJaI]

filing a to the BBB means nothing.

since they are not govern by anyone...(Government wise) But it will help others looking into complaints about that company.

Going to the media is probably one of the strongest thing a consumer can do (Beside going to court). No one wants bad media, their BUSINESS IS DONE.

[midnightfxgt]

Piru,

We are closed on Sundays, but anytime you can make it during the week or saturday, I can have a look for you.

Fact is, you had an issue the SAME NIGHT they installed it. A leaky valve does happen. Not very often. I have had it happen once. Customer drove back to the shop 2 days later on the flat. No joke, I ate the cost, lost money, and replaced the tire.

She was back to put on her all-seasons, and will be back in about a month for new tires. So I lost out on one sale, but gained 2 more for helping out.

Its what any reputable shop should do.

Thanks
John

[Jeff-TheBiz]

Sorry to hear about your woos

It amazing me why with the amount of sponsers we currently have on this board all with great reputations why you would have gone elsewhere.

[Pereira11]

I hope everything works out for you Piru, let me know if you need any assistance

[Krakor]

Sorry to hear about your woos

It amazing me why with the amount of sponsers we currently have on this board all with great reputations why you would have gone elsewhere.

I have to agree with you Jeff.

I am constantly looking at the sponsors here if I need anything done.

The reviews are very important.

Well lesson learned I guess.

Hope all works out for you Piru.

Good luck.

[Bluemazda3-S]

Keep us updated on this, I like to hear poorly ran businesses getting whats coming to them, especially when it comes to damaging someones property that they've worked hard to acquire. NOT to mention the owner was extremely rude to you!!! I worked at crappy tire as an etest tech, and also did oil changes and tire installs... NEVER had anyone come back with leaky valves, and thats CRAPPY TIRE, you kind of expect it from there.. LOL Do your best to put this guy under without using any of your own money. You can guarantee no one from here is going there.. LOL Can we make this a sticky somewhere where everyone on the board can see it??

OH... And I get cheesey bread from Dominos, VERY yummy with TONS of cheese :) Never heard what happened with Dominos, maybe its better that way? :P

[Piru]

Here's an update guys...never heard anything back from the owner at Total Tire. I filed a complaint at BBB.org Saturday night (i don't know if this will actually do anything).

I couldn't wait for this to get sorted out with Total Tire because I drive on the highway daily. Sunday was my only day off this week so i went to see Allen. He fixed the wheel - put the valve on properly:bana2 And Allen seemed surprised to say the least at the scratches they left on my rims, and at their "its a common thing" remark to it.

The big thing about Allen that struck me is that he wouldn't let me pay for his service of installing the tire on the wheel and putting it on the car. It doesn't feel right to me because its like Allen is paying for the mistake of the idiot at Total Tire. But he basically said i've had enough bad luck as it is, dont worry about it. I was thinking WOW and WTH take my money at the same time lol..

Lesson learned: don't be an idiot like me and go to some bonehead just to make it easier for you in the short run because in the long run you may very well regret it. go the extra distance to see the sponsors like simply tire, exclusive tire, and tires23. why? cuz they're not boneheads..and also they will stand behind what they do. and they are ready to help out even if your problem wasn't there fault. Just look at John's and Allen's response to my problem.

thanks for all the help guys. I'll keep you posted if the BBB contacts me or something.

btw..i check my tire pressure everyday now :chuckle

[Shawn]

Maybe time for a TPMS, if you are going to check everyday. :)

[Swerny]

contact Peter Silverman (at Silverman helps) ay City TV

[SonicBoy]

contact Peter Silverman (at Silverman helps) ay City TV

Didn't he get canned with the new re-org?

Great advice to use the sponsors here as it's often hard to find good shops. Members reviews here give you some insight into the business and it's satisfied clients.

[Swerny]

Didn't he get canned with the new re-org?


Not sure to be honest.

I just laugh watching him...."hey watch it buddy!"

[Piru]

lol i actually thought of contacting Silverman..but i didn't think they did his segment anymore? or at least i haven't seen it in a long time.

[ds2chan]

lol i actually thought of contacting Silverman..but i didn't think they did his segment anymore? or at least i haven't seen it in a long time.

ouch.. that totally sucks.. everytime I need something I think of the sponsors on this board first.. my wife use to ask why I am driving out so far.. :bang sheesh.. =P

that's awesome of Allan to help you out..

oh, and Silverman's show did get canceled after Rogers bought out CityTV.. that show was awesome..

[Piru]

So Total Tire called me today an hour. It wasn't the guy i talked to before, he just works for him. he said they just got a letter from the Better Business Bureau and are calling to fix the issue. I told him (as nicely as I could) that I had already given them enough chances and the tires have been fixed elsewhere and also called out the fact that they are only calling me now after 4 days of nothing because of the letter from the BBB.

[froggy]

oh, and Silverman's show did get canceled after Rogers bought out CityTV.. that show was awesome..

I think I probably know why with rogers customer service reputation they were probably afraid people would be calling in to him to complain about rogers!

Oh and I'm glad that you were able to get that problem fixed. I'll have to add Total tire to my blacklist of places to NEVER EVER do business with. It's sad when my blacklist is bigger than my good list, but that seems to be society we live in now. You've got to run the gauntlet of crap to find the good

[allen@simplytire.com]

The big thing about Allen that struck me is that he wouldn't let me pay for his service of installing the tire on the wheel and putting it on the car. It doesn't feel right to me because its like Allen is paying for the mistake of the idiot at Total Tire. But he basically said i've had enough bad luck as it is, dont worry about it. I was thinking WOW and WTH take my money at the same time lol..



I can't believe the way they treated you, and I didn't want you to have to pay for their mistakes. It was a very small job to redo the valve for you... the problem was that they didn't tighten it down (special valve, not a pull through style)...

I don't think any of the sponsors (Exclusive, Tires23) would have charged you for that, TM3 supports it's vendors very well... we have to look out for you guys whenever we can. :)

[Krakor]

I can't believe the way they treated you, and I didn't want you to have to pay for their mistakes. It was a very small job to redo the valve for you... the problem was that they didn't tighten it down (special valve, not a pull through style)...

I don't think any of the sponsors (Exclusive, Tires23) would have charged you for that, TM3 supports it's vendors very well... we have to look out for you guys whenever we can. :)


Allen, I have to say that was a good thing you did.

I would give you my business for sure.

I will be looking for a new set of winters, so keep me in mind if you have any sales. Otherwise I will see you late fall for a set!

We need more sponsors like this.

Allen and his crew are a great bunch of people.

I would recommend them to everyone I meet.

:)

[genetigirl]

Wow. I'm so glad you were taken care of by a sponsor. My greatest fear is that I'll go in to change tires or something and a terrible technical thing like this will happen, but I won't notice and BAM there'll be a lot of genetigirl roadkill. I'm definitely going to come back to Toronto for sponsor work. (Other than really simple things... like oil changes, oil changes are simple, right?)

[froggy]

Wow. I'm so glad you were taken care of by a sponsor. My greatest fear is that I'll go in to change tires or something and a terrible technical thing like this will happen, but I won't notice and BAM there'll be a lot of genetigirl roadkill. I'm definitely going to come back to Toronto for sponsor work. (Other than really simple things... like oil changes, oil changes are simple, right?)

lol Oil changes are supposed to be simple that's sometimes why they get messed up! people get carless with them or are just lazy and don't do it properly. ie don't tighten the drain plug properly (to tight/loose) cross thread the oil filter, or crush it when installing it, overfill/underfill the crankcase. When getting it changed before they put the shield back up i'd insist on:

A: checking the dipstick myself to confirm the correct level of oil
B: put it on the lift with the car running to check for leaks that might result from improper replacement of filter drain plug.

and don't leave until you're happy!

[kaval]

Glad you got it sorted out man! Also glad you ended up at one of our sponsors.