Local shop refusing to mount tires,,,,

[Garandman]

/On the other hand, if this is a guy shopping for blems (haven't heard that term since I worked at Goodyear 40 years ago!), looking to save 1.50 here and 3.00 there I'd probably just as soon not have him as a customer....

For sure.

Ironically the cheapest customers tend to make the most complaints. If you run a service business and want high customer satisfaction, they're the last to do business with.

Not saying this is the case for the OP: I've taken tires to several shops who change tires as a service, as few local shops stock the 19 front / 17 rear sizes for a V-Strom or other Adv bikes.

[nhbubba]

I'm just sick of getting charged $200 for a $130 tire. If that makes me cheap.. so be-it.

[Pittenger5]

I'm just sick of getting charged $200 for a $130 tire. If that makes me cheap.. so be-it.

See if they match, and if not, go elsewhere. He's probably happier servicing his other customers, and youll be happier paying less. Everybody wins.

[Kurlon]

There is an interest thread over at the WERA beeb discussing shops and the demands insurance companies are putting on them with threats of doubling rates or dropping them all together. Given the potential liability concern of a tire fault causing an accident I can see some insurers telling shop owners they'll avoid a rate hike by limiting what they'll mount.

[nhbubba]

Stromper isn't wrong then.

[scottieducati]

I dunno, I smell BS. Tire failures are extremely rare, and most of the time are not because they were mounted improperly but due to a defect. Liability would go to the manufacturer, not the installer. I s'pose stranger things have happened...

I understand a shop not wanting to mount walk in tires for $20 / rim, because in actuality you're making $20, and losing about an hour of billable mechanical repair time (assuming the shop is busy). We've had this debate before, but why would a mechanic walk away from a job that's paying ~$80 / hour (lets say a valve job or tune up), to mount your tire for $20? If that's the case he should say so, and not make up any BS about his insurance company. If they're fine with him working on the valves, they should be fine with him mounting a tire.

[PhilB]

It costs a lot of money to run a shop. The price they can buy a tire for is only a part of it -- they have to cover the rent, utilities, wages, and all the rest, and that money has to come from somewhere. If y'all try to chew their profit margins to nothing on every little thing, don't be surprised when they aren't in business when you need them to be there.

Yes, turning away good customers is poor business, but at the other end of the spectrum, wasting your time and resources on customers that you won't ever make money on because they expect everything to be done at cost, or expect you to always match online pricing, and then complain about everything and expect good customer service without paying for it, is also poor business and won't keep the doors open.

I agree that lying and using the the "insurance" story is a crappy thing to do, and I don't go to places that lie to me. But I have no problem with a shop that doesn't mount tires brought in, or that charges extra to do that.

Support your local shops. Allow them a reasonable profit margin on their parts and service. They are in business to make money and to serve you, and BOTH of those things need to happen. Providing good customer service does cost money, and I, for one, am willing to pay a shop that extra for them providing it to me. Mind you, they do then have to provide it -- charging shop prices but then not taking good care of me, not happening. But I've found that if I show up with a good attitude and am willing to pay a fair price for things, most shops take really good care of me for that.

That's supposed to be the essence of business -- of capitalism in general. Exchanges are made voluntarily, and both parties are better off after the exchange than beforehand.

PhilB

[breakdirt916]

I know everyone says it's BS, but isn't there some liability associated with mounting a tire? let's say you install a warped chinese model of a BT016, it shreds apart on the way home, the rider goes down and sues?

I figure dealerships mount hundreds more tires than your craigslist mechanic does...so if it takes 1 out of every 100 tire installs to bring a lawsuit from the customer, then dealerships best play the odds in their favor and mount tires that were purchased at their dealership.

[scottieducati]

I was over at the Beacon Hill Skate Shop getting my hockey skates sharpened. The guy charges $12, or $18 if the blades are rusty. While I was there he noticed my skates had been sharpened not-quite along the line of the blade and took the time to fix it up and get a proper edge on em. While I was there a kid comes in on a skateboard looking for replacement wheels, and bitches about how the wheels are $15 cheaper online... the guy just looked up and said "yep, I've got rent to pay, and good luck when you have a problem going to that online store for help."

Sadly, price-point shopping is driving just about every business these days, and the quality service shops either need to adapt or they'll go out of business. Gone is the time where you could make an honest profit on an honest job and know the customer is aware of this. Now it's all explaining WHY you have to charge more than (last year / online / the big box shop / etc). F*cking disgusts me.

[scottieducati]

If you bring them a chinese knock off tire, they mount it properly and the tire fails... guess what?It's a) YOUR fault for being a cheap dbag, and b) the manufacturers fault for making a crappy product. I'm no legal expert, but that's how it should be IMO. Tire mounting (although at times a PITA) is about the easiest thing in the world. Balancing takes a *little* more time, but both mounting and balancing are far from rocket science. An installer has far more liability with brake systems, or mechanical systems than spooning a black round thing on a rim and waiting for two "pops" to know the bead has been seated.

Think about it this way, if your tire fell apart that your buddy or one of the folks here on NESR mounted correctly... would you go after them or who you bought the tire from / the tire manufacturer?

I know everyone says it's BS, but isn't there some liability associated with mounting a tire? let's say you install a warped chinese model of a BT016, it shreds apart on the way home, the rider goes down and sues?

I figure dealerships mount hundreds more tires than your craigslist mechanic does...so if it takes 1 out of every 100 tire installs to bring a lawsuit from the customer, then dealerships best play the odds in their favor and mount tires that were purchased at their dealership.

[idratherberidin]

I was over at the Beacon Hill Skate Shop getting my hockey skates sharpened. Now it's all explaining WHY you have to charge more than (last year / online / the big box shop / etc). F*cking disgusts me.

Where did you buy your skates? LOL jk

[Garandman]

If you bring them a chinese knock off tire, they mount it properly and the tire fails... guess what?It's a) YOUR fault for being a cheap dbag, and b) the manufacturers fault for making a crappy product. I'm no legal expert, but that's how it should be IMO.//

Everything changed after the Ford Explorer lawsuit. Most shops are a lot more picky now.

[Kurlon]

Standard lawsuit policy these days seems to be: Sue everyone even remotely involved. The guy that mounted the tire, the guy that unmounted and remounted the wheel on the bike, the bike mfg, the tire mfg, the gear mfg if squid bothered to wear gear... etc

[me109g4]

k, I just got back to this thread,,, I have used Eddies vintage in keene for carb work on my kz1000 and was in there about a month ago for a battery for the Shadow, I am sure i am not his best customer but a regular. I tried to get tires through him (Pilot Roads) but got no reponse from him so I bought them online. As to quibbling on cost of mount and balance I dont even ask price, I just get it done. He has done tires for me before without issue so I have no clue what is going on with him. i told him right up front that time wasnt an issue, i would drop it off and he could do it when he got the time, even if it took a few days. I drove by yesterday and didnt see much going on there, so he blew off the tire swap, and two state inspections. It doesnt take much to keep me happy people, but when someone pisses me off i remember it for a long time,,,,,,

[scubasteveRR]

Beacon Hill Skate Shop getting my hockey skates sharpened. The guy charges $12, or $18 if the blades are rusty.

holy shit! $12 for a sharpen!! thats exactly double what I pay at Pure hockey and IMOP they do the best job of any shop I have been to. even the one at the super rink in Marlboro. usually the rink sharpen last 2 to 4 game/skates (1 hour a peice) at the most. the pure hockey sharpen has lasted me @ 8 games/skates.

[rsw81]

Dude...I'm not an employee of Seacoast. Best bet is to call them! Talk to Jason and tell him I gave you his name!

I know you aren't Dave, just thought you might know...

Back to topic: If I had a garage, I'd be with the other guys here in owning your own equipment to do it yourself. So much more satisfying that paying someone else to work on your bike. Plus when you screw up, the only person you can blame is yourself!

[TheIglu]

For less than a set of tires, you can buy your own tire changer and do it yourself for the rest of your life.

"Well I don't know how!"

Bet you didn't know how to ride a bike before you learned how to ride a bike.

Are people getting cheaper? Possibly.

Are people getting more educated about how easy it is to change a tire? Yes.

I don't mind paying $30 per tire to have it done, but I'm not willing to pay that and nearly double the price for the tires. That makes me an asshole? Go fuck yourself.

[scottieducati]

Everything changed after the Ford Explorer lawsuit. Most shops are a lot more picky now.

Yeah, like you can't have u-haul put a hitch on an Explorer anymore but you can have them put a hitch on a Mountaineer? What's that bit about 10,000 lawyers at the bottom of an ocean....

Standard lawsuit policy these days seems to be: Sue everyone even remotely involved. The guy that mounted the tire, the guy that unmounted and remounted the wheel on the bike, the bike mfg, the tire mfg, the gear mfg if squid bothered to wear gear... etc

See above.

holy shit! $12 for a sharpen!! thats exactly double what I pay at Pure hockey and IMOP they do the best job of any shop I have been to. even the one at the super rink in Marlboro. usually the rink sharpen last 2 to 4 game/skates (1 hour a peice) at the most. the pure hockey sharpen has lasted me @ 8 games/skates.

I've gone to TSR (salem, NH), pure hockey and the new hockey monkey store in Norwood. They all have varying hours and take at least an hour out of my non-work day to get there and back, frequently I walk in the shop and nobody is around for 10-15 mins... or, I can pop over to Beacon Hill on my lunch break. Not the same!

And I've had more than a few issues with Pure Hockey in the past, crappy service and some HS kid doing sharpenings... either way, I'll take what's easy. It's <$10 difference and I have a guy who's been sharpening skates for 25+ years.

[SRTie4k]

k, I just got back to this thread,,, I have used Eddies vintage in keene for carb work on my kz1000 and was in there about a month ago for a battery for the Shadow, I am sure i am not his best customer but a regular. I tried to get tires through him (Pilot Roads) but got no reponse from him so I bought them online. As to quibbling on cost of mount and balance I dont even ask price, I just get it done. He has done tires for me before without issue so I have no clue what is going on with him. i told him right up front that time wasnt an issue, i would drop it off and he could do it when he got the time, even if it took a few days. I drove by yesterday and didnt see much going on there, so he blew off the tire swap, and two state inspections. It doesnt take much to keep me happy people, but when someone pisses me off i remember it for a long time,,,,,,

Give American Trike and Motorsports a call. They're located right in Keene next to the Chevy dealership.

They've always been extremely helpful to me. Heck, when I broke the chain breaker I bought from them, they replaced the pin for free and showed me exactly how to use it.

I'm sure they'd have no problem mounting your tires for you.

[OreoGaborio]

We mount and balance on customers tires with a smile:-)

The mental image I just got of you having sex with someone/something while balancing on a huge pile of tires with a big shit eating grin on your face just cracked me up.

[OreoGaborio]

In reality, a dealer charging $20 a walk in wheel tire change is going to make as much money as a tire sale, given very few tires are sold at MSRP. If they won't mount walk in tires then they are probably gouging on tire sales as well.....stay away.

The best deals i have seen - riders smart enought to buy through race track tire guys (good tire price), come to the race track with their rims and have mounted for $0, and watch a few races in the deal :-)

Indeed! Best way to do it, IMO

[TheIglu]

$20 each way to get to the track in gas via the cage with wheels in the trunk, missed day of riding, $25 to get into the gates.

I'd much rather have my tires mounted and be riding to/on the track on them.

Two of my friends bought me my changer for my b-day. They figured it was cheaper to do that and have me change them than pay a shop once each. Turns out they were right.

Find two other guys local to you and split the cost.

It's not the best solution for everyone, but I haven't regretted it yet. Neither have my friends/family who ride.

[Garandman]

//And I've had more than a few issues with Pure Hockey in the past, crappy service and some HS kid doing sharpenings... either way, I'll take what's easy. It's <$10 difference and I have a guy who's been sharpening skates for 25+ years.

Hockey legend Rich Lovell will do them at his shop at Boch for $8. He had 25 years experience 25 years ago.... Teddy Cuniff (another MA Schoolboy legend, and his brother played in the NHL charges $5 or $6 at Murphy Rink in South Boston.

We used to do our own in college, it's not much more difficult than, say, changing a tire. The pro would just make sure the stone was set up and them showed us what to do and what not to do.

[scottieducati]

My point was more that I'd rather pay $12 across the bridge from where I work, knowing the guy does a great job, than drive an hour+ somewhere before or after work to try and save $6 or $7. What I do know is the last time my skates were sharpened by a 17 year old at a well-known hockey shop, they fucked em up....

[WinVT]

Just as an aside... a number of years back we mounted a brand new set of tires on a customers sport bike. The customer took the bike out, rode hard on the brand new tires and crashed. He was hurt pretty good... and well, he had the bright idea to sue us. Why? Because we didn't warn him that the brand new tires would be a little slick. The case turned out to be a pretty big deal and we even had the tire manufacturers lawyers fighting for us in court (I believe it was dunlop). He won and got a nice size check out of it. Don't ask me how, but he fucking won. This is why you'll see a warning about breaking in new tires on our receipts and the receipts of many other dealers.

I know, it's a bit unrelated.... but hey maybe there is some truth to the insurance claim... I've never heard it, but I suppose it's possible.