How do you prevent the tire shop from scratching your wheels?

I have been dealing with Discount Tire for the past year and half. I bought my tires from them and I have free balance and rotation for the life of the tire.

So far they have bought me 3 new wheels because it seems like they can't rotate the tires with out scratching them and it is pissing me off. I have them using no power tools and keep stressing them to take their time. This does no good.

For example today, they scratched the hell out of the back side of my wheel by using a metal knife to scrape off the weights. Why would you use a steel metal knife to scrape on aluminum wheels? That is just asking for scratches.... They told me it is an industry standard to use metal knifes to scrape off wheel weights.

Yes, I wheel my truck but I don't go rock crawling for a reason! I like my nice stuff and want to keep it nice. Minor trail scratches are different then a shop scratching the fuck out of your wheel during a rotation.

How do you prevent the tire shop of scratching your wheels?

Where do you go to get your tires balanced and rotated?

 

I had an entire set of wheels ruined before by an installer mounting tires. Since then, I've asked the sales person if they've got someone experienced to put on my truck because I'm picky. It's worked since then.

 

I don't really care about the inside of the wheel if they get some scratches from taking off weights. It's on the inside of the wheel. If it bothers you that much, take em off yourself before you go. But when they scratch the face of the wheel from taking off or putting on lugnuts & the center hub when balancing that pisses me off. I haven't ran center caps on my past 2 sets of wheels.

I complained the last time they put more scratches on my wheels. Ibtake that back, not scratches, gouges. The idiot told me, "oh your rims are polished, that'll buff out". I told him that's not the fuckin point, plus polished wheels have clear coat on them. Then he started going on ranting about how people with custom wheels are so picky about wheels getting scratched during tire installations. Yet they sell custom wheels there too. So F them, never going back there again. (Chatsworth Tires in my area).

But whatever, my wheels are old now & I'm getting new wheels soon. If a tire shop has older machines andþor inexperienced workers, it's hard to avoid scratching wheels when unmounting tires. Still I'm scared & don't know where to go when I get my next wheels mounted. I dislike going to Americas Tires & 4wheelparts are too expensive but I hear they have newer machines that shouldn't scratch custom wheels.

 

The wheels are dynamically balanced so the weights on on the front and back of the barrel. So the scratches are very noticeable. Especially when the truck is cleaned up.

I feel your pain man! I wish I could balance them myself..

 

I tried this... I have tried "I am taking before pictures of the wheels so please be careful." So far the only thing that has worked is standing over them while they work and it seems no one likes that.. including me.

 

You touch on a heart felt topic bro,

I am a CAR GUY always have been always will be!

I work for what I have and I demand others I am giving money to to please respect my property.

The guys at my local DT know me and I help and watch them do everything. They are usually really good, BUT

They knew my wheels were freshly painted and cleared and they did use the external clamps when installing the tires but when they went to mount the tires "I purchased from them earlier" they threw them on top of my new wheels and began lubing them up!!!!

With tread digging and rolling all over my wheels.

And for whatever reason the "kids" in the shop are always in a rush, I mean literally if I was an OSHA inspector I think you could get some violations there...

Literally running around peoples cars running into each other.

I love the prices at SAMS but they won't allow anyone back there to watch them.



When I worked for the dealer "18 years" I did ALL of my own mounting and balancing...

Because I had a set of imported Racing Harts and I'll be damned if anyone was going to damage them!

 

Part of the issue is going to a place with a name called "discount tire". If you're really concerned take the truck to a lexus dealership or very reputable shop and speak with the owner/manager/installer himself before they start. Yes, you'll pay more, but that's the price you may have to pay to get someone other than a beginner to work on your wheels.

 

In my experience wherever I’ve moved to I always try and find a local mom and pop type place that usually carries like a 4star or better rating on google with a ton of legit looking reviews. That’s the place I take my truck, and it usually works out. You may pay a little more though.

 

My center caps are so scratched they're beginning to rust on the sides due to getting my tires rotated by Toyota and Discount Tire. Fortunately I haven't noticed anything on the face of the wheel or that would piss me off. I figured I'd just remove my center caps at some point when they got too bad.

 

Are you taking about the standard clamp on type weights? I was assuming you were talking about the self adhesive weights. You can just peel those right off, it's foam backed.

For the clamp on ones there's a tool that used to put them on & take them off. Any tire shop should have them. Like a set of pliers with a plastic hammer on one side, & a hook 9n the other side to pry the weight off. Clamp on weights will pretty much always leave some kind of mark on the wheel though & aren't really used 9n aftermarket wheels. Well at the performance shop I worked at, we never did. Always the self adhesive ones 9n aftermarket wheels.

 

Discount tire is the premiere place in my area. The Toyota dealership is the same one that I've found writing down and having me pay for rotating tire's when I had the valve stems marked so I could see which direction they were rotated. To my surprise, no direction at all... They were in the same spot.

 

DUDE they literally forced to go as fast a possible... it is crazy. If they are treating my wheel so poorly then I am scared to see how they treat others who are not particular about their wheels.

Sorry for your loss

 

The adhesive weights.. I have FN Pro wheels so there is no rim to the wheel.

They claim to use the knife to remove the adhesive BUT they clearly don't because there is adhesive all in there from the last rotations and that pisses me off too. ha 3m has adhesives that can come off walls without removing paint. Why can't they make weights that actually come off all together instead of leaving the adhesive behind.


Do you have a brand of adhesive weights that are easily removable? I am not against buying them?

 

This happened to me at Firestone and I was beyond pissed.. The worst part to me was they denied it was their fault and attempted to gorilla glue broken parts back on without telling me.. Fortunately, one of the employees who seemed fed up with his job told me everything that happened. Got them to fix everything, didn't pay a cent, and won't ever make that mistake again.. I think back on that day and wonder how much life was shaved off due to the stress of them f'ing up my wheels.. As @JdevTac mentioned, find a nice mom and pop shop, that's what I did, mechanic is all about toyota and actually gives a damn.

 

I will probably go this route in the future! All I am asking for is someone to car about other people vehicles and doing a good job! Why is that so hard? ha

 

Not sure if it's the same place the OP goes to but around here Discount Tire is the same company as what's called Americas Tires in CA, they're a chain & somewhat reputable. They're the ones that usually keep up to date with newer machines but I haven't gone to them in over 15 yrs. I'm thinking about going to them to get new wheels mounted. Then there's Discount Tire Centers which are another one that I would never go to.

 

I have been going to Discount Tire.. not to be confused with Tire Discounters

 

That sucks man.... Luckily, they have been cool and replaced all the stuff they have broken or scratched but they never told be about them.. I found it all through self-discovery then brought it to their attention. (1 center cap and 3 wheels)

 

I would find a new DT or start filing complaints (which I'm sure you have)

 

I have not had this problem with them yet.

When I first arrived for my mount on the new wheels, I said it simple...

Can yall do this without any blemishes on the wheels, yes or no?

They said yes and we didnt have an issue.

Mind you, this was in one of the nicest areas in town - FWIW