Buying New Tires? Take this precaution...

**imported_Luster** · 06-01-2009, 07:21 AM

I learned this tip from a guy who had a mechanic ruin 2 of his nice custom rims on his Escalade, by being careless with the pneumatic wrench when removing the lug nuts. Chipped the chome plating off in SEVERAL places. (Most of these guys don`t care about your car... all they want is their Friday paycheck!)

He told me how to prevent this. So when I went to purchase new tires, I took the time to tape the area around each of the 20 lugnuts with masking tape. That way it provided a "cushion" for a lazy worker who didn`t care whether he chipped the chrome or not! (same applies for painted wheels)

I don`t care if it looked silly, to be driving with tape on my wheels.

No damage.

Hope this saves you some heartburn!!!:thumbup:

**Old Pirate** · 06-01-2009, 07:24 AM

Had to get a new tire this weekend and got rip apart for a tune of 156.00 from a tire shop

My next stop is The Tire Rack.

TOGWT · 06-01-2009, 07:26 AM

I often remove the wheels to clean the insides or the wheel wells so I have a set of Protective Sleeves and internal plastic inserts that prevent scratching

Good tip on the painter`s tape

**imported_Luster** · 06-01-2009, 07:53 AM

Originally Posted by zoomzoom mazda5

Had to get a new tire this weekend and got rip apart for a tune of 156.00 from a tire shop

My next stop is The Tire Rack.

I`ve always found the best deals at Tire Rack. They have great prices and most times you can find a "close out" that`s even cheaper. Great service too. Highly Recommended.

**michakaveli** · 06-01-2009, 10:12 AM

Thanks for posting. Good tip!

**imported_Mr. Clean** · 06-01-2009, 10:37 AM

Discount Tire guy here. Been a customer for a long time and as a result have purchase a lot of tires. If I ever had a poor experience it evidently wasn`t bad enough to come to mind. Decent pricing and a good selection for tires and based on what I`ve seen custom wheels. Service is knowledgeable, curteous, and pretty darned efficient.

**imported_Luster** · 06-01-2009, 11:35 AM

Originally Posted by Mr. Clean

Discount Tire guy here. Been a customer for a long time and as a result have purchase a lot of tires. If I ever had a poor experience it evidently wasn`t bad enough to come to mind. Decent pricing and a good selection for tires and based on what I`ve seen custom wheels. Service is knowledgeable, curteous, and pretty darned efficient.

If you`re referring to Discount Tire Direct, I agree completely. I`ve used both DTD and Tire Rack and I trust both sites equally.

**imported_Mr. Clean** · 06-01-2009, 11:38 AM

We have the Discount Tires storefronts/shops in my area. AFAIK same company, internet vs brick and mortar.

**FJF** · 06-01-2009, 11:46 AM

I use a torque wrench and a socket covered in heatshrink. Electrical tape works just as well. Easy peasy.

**RustyBumper** · 06-01-2009, 11:49 AM

Originally Posted by Mr. Clean

Discount Tire guy here. Been a customer for a long time and as a result have purchase a lot of tires. If I ever had a poor experience it evidently wasn`t bad enough to come to mind. Decent pricing and a good selection for tires and based on what I`ve seen custom wheels. Service is knowledgeable, curteous, and pretty darned efficient.

I used to think same thing also until recently. The store that I go to locally ruined my wheels even after I had asked them to be careful. Long story short, I finally got my wheels replaced and was assured that it was not going to happen again. Let`s hope that`s true.