89FrontPorsche

So, I have been having problems with the front end alignment. Ultimately, I decide to get two new tires. The Dunlops are run out and without going into all the history, the left front tire was what was causing the pulling to the left. Badly.

So the tires came via UPS last Friday, but I'm clamped down tight with the flu....felt human (sort of) on Tuesday and ventured out into the cold, cruel world to get the fronts put on. Last summer I had the rears put on...but the fronts were on their last. Steel cord was a-poppin out the inside and that's what told me the alignment had been done WRONG. Plus, there weren't may 32nds of an inch left on the tread...so...there I went, tires in the rear storage area...to Boyd Tire (York, SC) to get them replaced.

Now, Cooter and Gomer are generally pretty nice guys...but they ain't the sharpest pencils in the box, if you get my meaning.

Short version of the story....They took the impact wrench to the locking lug nut on the right front, snapped it like a dry twig and then proceeded to try to drill, chisel and otherwise coerce the remnants of the lug nut off the stud, while simultaneously ruining the stud and the $1,071 wheel (new wheel, retail + shipping).

They gave up and sent me away, having paid $30 for the mounting and balancing of one tire.

But, on the way home I noticed the car tracked much, much better, telling me that the old tires were shot, for sure and that I was doing the right thing.

While grinding out the remnants of the lug nut, I invented several new cusswords and debated whether or not I should have them complete the job they started once I got this broken part off. During a break I ordered a replacement wheel and stud from 928 Int'l. $150 for the wheel(used) and $12 for the stud, with shipping via UPS...came to $195.45.

No joy from Boyd Tire. No apology...not even a whisper of "sorry for destroying your (very expensive) wheel, sir. But, rest assured I will never use them for anything ever again. I guess they must think that if I have the money to drive the car, I have the money to fix up what they destroy. It was their fault entirely...having used an impact wrench set to "oh-my-god" for removing the locking lug nut...as I pull them off with a 19mm deep well socket and a breaker bar all the time. But...I decided to not make a fuss but will tell everyone I know not to go there. See photos for the condition they left my wheel in before I went into it with my drill and Dremel to grind out the remaining part. (1.5 hours)

I did and they did...So two new tires, one wrecked wheel and stud. They took my money and that was that. From now on, I'll go somewhere else.

But did Boyd offer to refund my money? No. Did they say they were sorry? No. Am I surprised? A little. Times are tough and I could've raised a stink. I've used them for other things, from putting a tube in a Hobie Cat trailer tire to fixing my lawnmower tire to replacing, mounting and balancing a tire on my truck when I dragged it across a storm drain and sliced it.

But never again. I mean, they didn't even hesitate to go ape on it....gouging and ruining the cosmetics on the wheel. Unreal. If I had done that to their vehicle, there'd be hell to pay for sure.

This is how they returned the car to me, shrugging their shoulders and giving up.





But, the good news is, I found a cheaper place to do an alignment (Sears) though it has cost me dearly in other ways, with money spent in a different direction.

But I sure do hate stupid people. Not a word of grace from them....not a thing. Probably have a sign in their shop somewhere that says, "We are not responsible for any damage we do to your vee-hikkel".

A-holes.

However, as a learning point, if you have the stock Porsche lug nut locks on your car, do not under any circumstances let them take an impact wrench to them. This is how they destroyed mine, though I have four replacement lug nuts which I had planned to install today. Now I'll do it once the right front wheel is replaced along with the stud.


Well, that's my rant on how not to get your tires done. Alignment tomorrow. What could possibly go wrong?

Speedtoys

These guys?

http://www.boydtireandappliance.com/page3.html

89FrontPorsche

Yep. Dat be dem.

Speedtoys

...with THIS Email address for feedback from the wide wide internet, where you can live in stardom or burn in the shame of re-entry forever???

boydtire@bellsouth.net

cold_beer839

The 1st thing I did when I bought both of my 928's was remove the factory lock nuts and aluminum lugs and replace with steel lugs. Not trying to armchair quarterback you, but those stock lugs are trouble waiting to happen IMHO.

BTW, they should have paid for that damage.

namasgt

If you used credit card to pay, is there any way you can get your money back via the credit card company?
Or you can file a report in a small claims court.

Speedtoys

Heck ya...go for it.


Of course, we can all shame em via Email as well.

89FrontPorsche

I have decided to just eat it. Normally I'm one to go full guns but suffice it to say I'm just going to gain satisfaction by bad-mouthing them. Among the locals, the Boyd's are highly liked and it's most likely I'll just get negative attention by demanding any satisfaction. Being from Texas, I would much prefer to just blow out their store windows but the local depitties here frown on that.

Given their total couldn't-care-less attitude, I'll pay for the replacement wheel myself and so on. But they will get bad press from me forever. I have friends too. I have always treated them with respect and never demanded anything from them...in fact, gone out of my way to get them cold drinks and say thank you repeatedly. I am mystified as to the lack of any attempt to make it right.

So while driving back there to have them finish the job, I had made up my mind to be very nice, even apologize for being difficult (I wasn't) and just never let them touch anything I own ever again. Until today, I had no problems, unless you count months ago jacking the back of the car up by the transmission. (Ya think I would'a been smarter).

So....much as I really am PO'ed...I have little to no fight in me to confront someone who will give me double-talk and end up in court....

However, anyone who owns a car in York who may want to have Boyd do anything for them, and reads this, may reconsider. I can't exactly say why I'm not interested in fighting with them...maybe it's that losers are what they are and I'll probably not get what I'm looking for and having to go to court is a huge PITA. I have a difficult schedule and making a court date will be tough, if not impossible. Asking them to reimburse me....HA! I could see where that discussion would go the moment I went back to have tire #2 changed. He was making all kinds of excuses.

I have worked at dealerships and other car places off and on up until about 1993....Never found one that was 100% honest. Why waste my time? Or maybe it's "Never argue with idiots; They'll just drag you down to their level and beat you with experience."

89FrontPorsche

Not at all; I appreciate your thoughts. Never had any trouble with the aluminum lug nuts or the locking ones in the past, though I would replace the locking ones with regular ones. However, I always tell them to use hand tools...it's aluminum on aluminum. No need to crank 'em on for the second coming. But...*sigh*...sometimes you just run into idiots. Talking to Tom at 928 Int'l he said the problem seems to be rampant everywhere, where the younger guys no longer want to learn a craft/trade, etc. Just want to get paid big money to do basically, nothing. No goals in life, no character, just "whatever, dude".

I figure it'd be a huge waste of my time to try to say anything. I know, it's nothing like me at all. But...getting my blood pressure up and strappin on my six-guns will just get me all agitated and take up a huge part of my day that I'd just rather use for something else. They are off my list as viable help however.

jcorenman

What indeed? I am sure they will think of something...

For tires, I usually take the wheels off and take them down to the tire shop in another car, that greatly limits the number of things that they can screw up.

Good luck tomorrow!

yardpro

not trying to defend the tire company, i think they screwed up, buy why on earth would you not even ASK them to fix it...

they cannot say yes if you don't ask.... and what's the worst thing they could say... no?

i would absolutely talk with the manager... I run a business, and if one of my employees screws something up ( and they do), i fix it right away... most of the time I see the problem before the customer, and fix it without the customer having to ask...

Landseer

Well, you never know, in South Cakalacky, when your dishwasher might go on the fritz --- who you gonna call? Don't burn the bridge.

89FrontPorsche

Family-owned. The Boyd's are very highly thought of and liked here in (very small-town) York. I will talk with my close friend at the car parts place who knows everyone and has been in the car biz here for decades. I'll bounce it off of him on how to deal with it....if he knows them...maybe ask him if he'd even help.

It's been my experience, even while being nice and polite, that many businesses get very defensive here. Even abusive to the point of slashed tires or threats. And being as everyone is all married to everyone else here and the local hobby seems to be gossip and lie-telling...(trust me, I'm familiar with it) I think it'd be wise to just not even ask yet but just check it out first by "using their methods". I'm an outsider...having not grown up here and not particularly social with the locals. Dare I say it but I have run into so many stupid people (which could happen anywhere) I don't have a lot of faith that anything good will come of even a polite inquiry for reimbursement.

However, I figure their days are numbered as they are a small shop in town and given the struggling economy, they don't seem to have the customer flow they might otherwise have. That was my goal, initially to help put money in the pockets of a going concern who, in the past, had treated me fairly and squarely.

I really just don't have any fight left and as annoyed as I am, I just won't go back there. You have to understand that they judge you when you walk in the door. Small town socio-political nature. I had on Wranglers and my Justins and was very friendly but direct and have had several pleasant conversations in the past...but at this point, I think I may just write a nice letter, send it to the owner, and leave it at that. I would mention my complete disappointment at any offers to reimburse me and that I won't be coming back. But in York, SC, see, they don't care. "Fine...DON'T come back" is the general attitude. "Don't need ya no how." It's an odd mechanism and I've always failed to understand it. I can only say that I'm "not one of them" so they couldn't care less if I don't come back. I'm not from here, and that's that.

Imo000

I think that nut was already damaged or cracked from the last time it was put on. Unless it was over torqued from the last time, it should have come off without any drama, even if they used an impact gun.

Nicole

In such situations, places like Yelp come-in quite handy. If they mess up their ratings with multiple such incidents, they will lose business.