What tire place won't mess up my rims?
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Call your local lotus dealer and see who they use.
In my case it was DiscountTire. I was pretty happy with their service, but even so I brought a diagram of the jackpoints and watched them to make sure they did it right. Very professional. But that doesn't mean all of the locations are. =/
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just planning ahead cause I am on travel and can't actually drive it right now...
not only is JN totally worthless but they are on a different island so they wouldn't really know anything.
I have sears, costco, and tire warehouse to choose from, there are a couple local shops but that would scare me too much
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In a word, no. Take it to an independent exotic dealer or any shop that services high end cars. Bend over, grab your ankles, and leave with unscratched wheels.
99% of the time, people who put tires on minivans just do not care. This is even more critical when it comes to balancing wheels-- a proper shop will clean the whole inner barrel with brake cleaner or alcohol, apply the weight, and then secure it with metallic tape.
That's not something you can do when you're charging people $20 to mount and balance, but it is when you're charging ten times that.
99% of the time, people who put tires on minivans just do not care. This is even more critical when it comes to balancing wheels-- a proper shop will clean the whole inner barrel with brake cleaner or alcohol, apply the weight, and then secure it with metallic tape.
That's not something you can do when you're charging people $20 to mount and balance, but it is when you're charging ten times that.
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I go to a place that sells aftermarket wheels and little else. My theory is that places that sell wheels are more careful because all of their customers actually care about how their wheels look.
Another option might be to go someplace that does wheel repair. Same basic theory.
Nonetheless, I stopped caring a long time ago.
Another option might be to go someplace that does wheel repair. Same basic theory.
Nonetheless, I stopped caring a long time ago.
Q
qball
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Don't ask me.
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+1
Places that do aftermarket tuning might be a good place to look too... they usually deal with cars that have expensive, blingy wheels.
Believe me, I've had bad experiences with chain stores... it's really hit or miss.
Well, not that bad...
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rotfl Why not? Maybe get a new car out of it.
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Yes, any idiot can put the adhesive weights on and run a wheel through a balancer machine. The problem is that if the wheel isn't perfectly clean, the adhesive won't stick and the weight will come off rather quickly. Rubbing the area with a rag, as most corner gas station shops tend to do, doesn't cut the mustard.
This is tough. If I could I would buy my own tire equipment. Try looking for a place that works with any racing series. SCCA for example.
Tire rack lists associated dealers but you still don't know who is going to actually do your tires. I call them talk to the manager tell them my concern. Tell the manager you would like a seasoned guy to work on them not some green installer. Asking before you get there to insure that guy is working on the day you take them in is also good.
Another thing that I did once is took my tires there off of the car and photographed them at the installer. This told them I know what they look like now at your location. I did not intend to have this effect I meant to take the pictures before getting there but forgot and had them already loaded. But think I got my idea across.
Whatever you do I would not leave the car or wheels and go sit in the lobby. I just tell them other than my girlfriend and family this is my mistress and my PASSION that I have allowed them to work on. I am going to watch them or go somewhere else.
Hope this helps!
Tire rack lists associated dealers but you still don't know who is going to actually do your tires. I call them talk to the manager tell them my concern. Tell the manager you would like a seasoned guy to work on them not some green installer. Asking before you get there to insure that guy is working on the day you take them in is also good.
Another thing that I did once is took my tires there off of the car and photographed them at the installer. This told them I know what they look like now at your location. I did not intend to have this effect I meant to take the pictures before getting there but forgot and had them already loaded. But think I got my idea across.
Whatever you do I would not leave the car or wheels and go sit in the lobby. I just tell them other than my girlfriend and family this is my mistress and my PASSION that I have allowed them to work on. I am going to watch them or go somewhere else.
Hope this helps!
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I swear, we must have it so easy here in Seattle. Any time i hear about tire mounting places outside major metro areas, it's always horror stories! Clip on weights, scratches, abuse, attitude, and idiocy.
I've never had to think twice about the wheels getting scratched, but I do stand out at the bay and watch them do the work, cause I do look out for other things getting screwed up. The touchless machines everyone uses these days don't frighten me as much as someone dropping a wheel.
Sounds like it's not an option for you, but if there's an America's Tire/Discount Tire on that island i'd second MJF's reccomendation. (and MJF, next time you need work, i know the Totem Lake store is trained for Lotus because of my car and runs about half the bay time of Bellevue. My brother runs the bays down there most days and knows where the hockey pucks go, and not to put it on a lift!)
I've never had to think twice about the wheels getting scratched, but I do stand out at the bay and watch them do the work, cause I do look out for other things getting screwed up. The touchless machines everyone uses these days don't frighten me as much as someone dropping a wheel.
Sounds like it's not an option for you, but if there's an America's Tire/Discount Tire on that island i'd second MJF's reccomendation. (and MJF, next time you need work, i know the Totem Lake store is trained for Lotus because of my car and runs about half the bay time of Bellevue. My brother runs the bays down there most days and knows where the hockey pucks go, and not to put it on a lift!)
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For what it's worth, my local Goodyear tire shop uses a machine that doesn't even touch the rim of the wheel. It grasps the rim from the back side, and the arm that pushes the tire over the rim's edge clears the rim by a tenth of an inch or so... :shrug:
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