Les Schwab sucks!
 

I had my car taken there yesterday to repair my tire from the screw. When they took the tire off to take it into their "repair area" I told them it was supposed to have 32 psi when they refilled it. They said sure, no problem. Well, they got done with it and then the guy couldn't figure out how to start my car. :rolleyes: I thought they would probably have me back it out since they had me pull it in myself. Nope!!! I give the guy the key (which he never asked me for before trying to start my car). He then backs it out, peeling out. Then pulls it around the front of the building to the side, tires squeeling!!! He turns it off nearly instantly, after I specifically told him not more than 20 seconds earlier not to shut the car off!!! He then couldn't figure out where he put my key when I asked for it back, didn't give me the screw from my tire which I asked for. Eventually he found both. I complained to the manager about the way he was driving my car around the parking lot, which I didn't see this guy doing this with the other cars that he worked on when I was waiting. Of course, none of them could be considered sports cars either. The manager told me he was sorry and would give me my service free of charge, which it was to start with. Just said he was sorry and would "make a note of it." Well, when I left I was going to meet up with some friends so I go to get on 213, which is maybe a mile from Les Schwab. I thought my car felt a little "off" but wasn't entirely sure since basically I was only moving at maybe 20 mph and stopping at lights. Well, I got on 213 which is 55 mph and my car felt like it was bouncing all over the place and really hard to control. I had to wait until the end of the approximately two mile stretch to be able to turn around at Home Depot and go back to have them check my tire again. Well, by the time I got back they had closed. So, I ended up parking my car at my friend's store (next door to Les Schwab) and having one of my friends pick me up there because I didn't think it was necessarily safe to be driving at freeway speeds when my car didn't feel "right." I drove it the 12 miles home last night (slowly at 30 mph or less, country roads) and parked it. I thought maybe they didn't balance my tire right or the air wasn't right so I was going to check it in the morning. I just got back from checking the pressure in my tires. THEY WERE FILLED TO 52 PSI!!!!! I have a little print out for my type of tire that says they are not to be inflated past 41 psi or the tire will be overinflated and has a high change of blow out. So, I had to let 20 pounds of air out of my tire this morning. I can't believe they totally overinflated the tire after I specifically told them 32 psi. The manager is going to be hearing about this tomorrow when they open!!! :mad:

Damn girl, lucky u're still alive.

Well, most tires can withstand way higher psi rating than the *Maximum* rating on the sidewall. but I think u should really have some other stores to look at your tire, just to be sure that its still *Good* to use.

but 20 psi extra ? .... WTF were they thinking? Does a 225/45R18 tire look like a spare tire ? We dont need anything near 60 psi !

Jesus, dont even go to that place ever again.

I consider myself a little "slow" sometimes when it comes to cars.... Love to drive.... But couldn't change the oil myself if my life depended on it. HA

But I was also very confused about tire pressure because on the side of my tires it says Max PSI 52!!

So i checked them and they were at 32. Which seemed right since my last car, Ford Probe, had tires set to 35psi.

Checked the owners manual and it says 32PSI.

I had it explained to me before why these tires say 52psi on the side but I can't remember. I'm sure there are a million people here that could easily explain this to us.

Either way, i'm sure that's how this guy got confused. But he actually WORKS in a shop... I would have hoped he would have more smarts then me on the subject. You have every right to be super mad.

Ok usualy since I work in retail I say "dont go in there all mad act calm" but yeah this could of KILLED YOU. Go in there and raise all holy hell!! The guy treated your car like his personal joy toy, lost your keys and couldnt find the screw/nail right away for you, then over filled your tires past the spec's which you told them verbaly what it was to be filled at. For added pressence if you have a HUGE friend bring them with you and tell him "No matter what dont try to shut me up just stand there hands crossed over your chest and look pissed!". If anything demand the corporate number if they have one and demand the tech's job who was handling you. I'd hate to imagine if you chaulked the airy feeling to just the road and continued on even faster.

The Max PSI pressure on the side means, this is the *safest* rating for *this tire*. Anything *over* this Pressure rating might, including but not limited to, leak, poor traction, and worst, explode.

Oh wait Bunny girl, you might want to ask the shop is the guy who fixed your tire a *part time* or *Intertern*, since theres really no way a guy who works in a tire shop would pump anything over 40 psi on a low profile tire like ours.

Did they pump all your tires up, or just the one they fixed?

The max pressure is just that - the most pressure the tire can hold before it's overstressed. There is a margin btween that and what it's supposed to be in flated to. That's the safety factor.

Sometimes a tire buster will overinflate a tire to get the bead to seat. The sidewall on my Potenzas says "Never exceed 40 psi to seat bead." They're supposed to let the extra air out. Someone working in a tire store should also know how to find the tire pressure label on a car.

There was a Goodyear store near my house that at one time was quite good. My last dealings with them were some time ago when I bought new tires for the two Hondas that were our family cars at the time. Ride felt pretty harsh. They were pumped up to about 40 psi. Last time I dealt with that place. Apparently I wasn't the only one who had trouble - soon afterwards the place was downgraded to a Just Tires.

Anyway, if you want to work off your anger, tell the manager you want the tire replaced - at 52 psi his boy overstressed it, and no telling what damage was done. If it's a chain and you're still PO'd, escalate it to the regional or national office.

Ken

52 PSI~ You need to tell us how the phone call gos after you call them.

BunnyGirl, you have learned a valuable lesson.

Never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever take your car to these chain shops full of underpaid butchers *unless* you know someone and they're good or it's a dire emergency.

Find out who some of the senior motorsport folks in your area take their cars to and make friends with those shops.

Chris...

^Great advice^

So this happened at the OC Schwab? That's only a couple miles from my house, so I go there alot. Perhaps not anymore....

Didn't your tire pressure warning light come on?

Hey BunnyGirl, sorry about your hassle with Les Schwab tires. I had four tires replaced on my RX-8 by those guys and they put two deep scratches on one of my OEM rims. My car had only 3200 miles on it when it happened (I hated my Potenzas). I'll never go back to them again.

Take your complaints all the way up the ladder to the regional manager and tell them where to stick their free beef!

This was the Oregon City one. They are only about 12 miles from my house (live about a mile off Beavercreek Road), so they were the closest to go to.

There are no visible scratches on my rim but there is probably some sort of mark on the side of it as inevitably happens when tires get separated them. I didn't check for that, just if there were any that were visible and there weren't.

My mom and I are going in person to complain in a few hours. My mom said she would love to give them a piece of her mind and that her mind is "very loud." LOL

We told my stepdad about it when he called Sunday (he's away on business in Montana right now) and he was particularly pissed about it. It would have been nice if he was here to take with in this instance. He is bipolar and has a VERY hot temper, so occasionally useful. LOL

I can't believe they would just fill up the tire, not making sure it was the right pressure, or even checking the other one's to see that they were all about equal. Who inflates a tire to the maximum it can possibly go????? Even I know better than that and I'm not particularly well-educated when it comes to things automotive.

I didn't get the tire pressure light. It was my understanding that it came on when the pressure was too low, not too high. :dunno:

Memo to self: Get tire pressure gauge to keep in car at all times!!!! That way I could have check my air before I left or at least much sooner when I noticed the problem. I hadn't gotten around to buying one yet so I had to use my mom's at home.

Also to note... My tires were balanced using clear plastic glue-on w/e'ers. A small repairshop may just scrape those off and clamp on the ugly steal ones, which is no good for me. Also bunny, you never said where the scew was located!

It was in the tread, just to the left of center. It appears to be about a 1-1/2" deck screw.

Oh now the truth peaks its ugly head... the bunny(girl) is really a Wood Deck Racer.
Now why would you be driving your car on someones wooden porch?

How can you tell if someone owns an RX8? By the whine!

Bunny, why did you complain on a international level about a 400 store northwest business? Was it import the whole world know you can't select a tire shop? Do you think anyone cares your dad has a bad temper and likes to go to businesses and make an asshat of himself?

Actually the canadian reply was the correct one, take your car to a business that deals with similar vehicles not SUVs. I have bought tires from Les Schwab in the past and will continue to do so in the future for my SUVs, but not my sports cars.

ROFL OldCoot. You really live up to your name. She and I and anyone else can complain in public, as its our right to do so. If I get horrible service from anywhere, you beter believe it that if they dont make things right, it will be international news. (as if anyone actualy listens to me anyway lol).

Anyway dont be an oldCoot to nice people. making yourself into an assh*le does not make you a martyr.


And btw, You dont make your little tire possy look any beter with that defense.

Seeing as they advertise themselves as the largest tire store in the Northwest, et cetera, and it was also recommended to by someone on this forum to go there for my repair, I felt I should post my experience on this forum about what happened. And it appears others have had similar experiences.

I don't know where I got the screw. I had gone to the phone company Thursday morning to swap out my DSL modem for a new one since mine was starting to die. On the same road across from it there is construction going on for a new LDS church and buildings, so I am assuming I acquired it from there.

You aquired it by driving though the open halls of an unfinished house of GOD? I think that screw had somthing to do with respite.

Actually your TPMS should alert you to overinflation, too. I don't know why it didn't buzz and light up.

Bunny you better be posting every word that is uttered when you go down there!!! And if you read this before hand get names numbers and for shyts and giggles demand the guys job! :FIREdevil

One think i kinda like about my mother, she's irish and has the temper plus she's a red head so yar.. evil combo when pissed.

I haven't gone down there yet. I just got back from having the people at the tire place that sells Dunlops check my tire to see if it was damaged from the overinflation. They said since I didn't drive on it much (less than 20 miles) it should be fine and they didn't see any evidence of damage. The car felt better driving it now that the pressure is even in all four tires.

I'm going down to Les Schwab in a little bit when my mom is ready. She should be back from physical therapy within the hour.

Ouch sorry to hear Bunny! PT really sucks for anyone.
But good luck at the good ol' tireshop. Hope they do you well.

She ended up needing knee surgery last month from the car accident we were in at the end of May. She's doing better but needs to strength the muscles now.

They have finally now narrowed down that I have tendon tears in my right arm near the elbow joint. Don't know what they want to do about it yet.