Just say NO to Big-O tires

[Vipergrün]

In similar theme to the Jiffy Lube thread...

Took my (sold) Toyota truck to a local Big-O tire shop to have a quickly alignment done for the new owner. Had a coupon and decided "what the heck" and went for it.

They get the truck on the lift and start dorking with the settings. They go to do the toe and find that the "adjusters" are frozen and are not turning. So, with out so much as a squirt of PB Blaster or a little heat, the young schmuck grabs a pipe wrench and goes to town. Whoops, still not turning, still no PB Blaster, still no heat!!

Schmuk goes away for a bit and comes back with a 3 foot section of pipe to use as "leverage". I watch as he starts to apply pressure. He is in a full squat with the "persuasive" bar resting on his shoulder. "Heavvvvvve" No go! "Heavvvvvvvveeeeeeeeee" No go! One more try...HEAVVVVVEEEEEEE..........snap! He had broken the adjuster. He panics, see me watching and takes the clipboard with the workorder into the "big guys" office. Big guy comes over and tells me that I need new adjusters. No ****! I just watched your guy break it! "Why didn't you stick a torch on it?" "Why no PB Blaster?" The dood just kind of looked at me. An hour later the new adjusters show up....oh, and I tell big guy that I am not paying for those. 1/2 hour goes by. They are grinding, sawing, etc, in an attempt to get the old adjusters off. The worker schmuk looks worried again. Sure nuff, he and the big guy come over and tell me that I need a new tie rod, they broke the old one trying to get the adjuster off. An hour later, the new tie rod shows up and they have just removed the other adjuster. I have 15 minutes til I have to pick my son up at school. I start getting hot at the big guy.

FINALLY, after 3.5 hours and with 5 minutes to spare, the 15 minute alignment job is done.

I go to pay the bill and they attempt to charge me $400 bucks for a 39.99 alignment!!! They claimed it was all my fault and improper maintenance, plus Toyotas are notorious for this! I finally got the bill down to 170.00, but will be charging everything back on my credit card, except for the 39.99.

Why didn't they use PB Blaster? Did not want to wait for it to work!!

Why didn't they use heat? Their Oxyacetaline setup was out of oxygen!!

What a bunch of idiots!!! What is even more sad is that I heard them feed line after line to unsuspecting women, college students, and penis-less men on parts they needed, tires that were shot, and brakes that needed replacing. I would estimate a 50% upsell on most tickets above their original quote.

BUYER BEWARE!!! These chain places all suck!!!

[YTNUKLR]

Just thank the lord you were born with a brain...in the whole Darwinian scheme, you win. Right after I got my E28 from my uncle, I wanted to go have it checked out, got it on the lift and poked around myself for $20, now I know everything I need to fix and I'll go do it myself and not destroy the car in the process. At least, instead of idiots to get angry at for tearing the suspension off, I can swear at bloody knuckles or 110-degree days or something else like that...more fun to do that IMHO!

[Tim Hancock]

Brad, I had very similar experience w/ daughter's 924S alignment. I had to physically get into guy's tool box to find proper wrenches instead of vicegrips to loosen adjusters ( I had just exp[lained to him that I had just had it apart 1 week prior while I was rebuilding my steering rack, so it was not siezed in any way). I then caught him tightening the adjusters again later using vicegrips again w/out counterholding tierod. He was just vice grip wrenching using the ball joint itself to tighten against. This was at a Sears (formerly NTB) auto center that I had bought tires from in the past. I now do all alignments, exhaust, A/C work, ETC myself as these morons CANNOT be trusted to work on any of my german cars. I am seriously considering picking up a used tire mounting machine and a spin balancer, then I will never have to set foot in one of these shoody shops again!

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

this is why I do all my own work

[masraum]

Sounds just like the experience at any tire/alignment chain to me. Nothing new or special about them.

[yellowline]

I love the hometown tire shop, they get all my business from now on. They don't ruin rims, they aligned to my specifications, and they get things done before they say they will.

[Joeaksa]

Hate to rain on everyone's parade but my experience at our local Big O has been nothing short of excellent. Have taken all of my cars there from time to time and every friend I have referred there has been very happy. Its kinda our local tire shop and everyone knows them.

That said, I do not take any of my cars there for alignment so it could be the same but doubt it. Believe that the key is in the manager/owner. The guy who owns/manages this one is hands on and very sharp. If the mechanics do not know what they are doing they do not last long and he replaces them.

Guess I just got lucky...

Joe A

[RANDY P]

our local Big O is run by hack rednecks, and they hire kids with absolutely NO experience. They sent my brother's cadillac out mis-shimmed on the upper a-arms, and undertorqued, so the shims fell out. They tried to charge him to fix it.

I made a sceene about it when the owner became insistent on charging him for redoing it - it was only a week and the car was clunking from the upper a-arm being loose. We had a lobby full of people waiting to pay and I was all "so you're gonna do this less than a week ago, and it falls apart and you won't fix it!! On top of that you ripped me off on parts!!! SCUMBAG !!!!'

Only place around here that's worse is the Eastside BMW dealer...

It may have been a good idea, once - they do need to crank down on their franchisees!

rjp

[Vipergrün]

Originally posted by Jared Fenton
this is why I do all my own work

I normally do too. But, I was lazy and was doing it as a courtesy. I do believe adjusting the toe on a Toyota truck 'may' be easier than on a 911, but not by much.....sigh.

Now, let's see if Chase has the balls to actually do the dispute I filed.

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

Originally posted by bb80sc
I normally do too. But, I was lazy and was doing it as a courtesy. I do believe adjusting the toe on a Toyota truck 'may' be easier than on a 911, but not by much.....sigh.

Now, let's see if Chase has the balls to actually do the dispute I filed.

I hear you. Adjusting toe isnt hard, it just takes time to set it all up.

If it were me, I would not have paid for anything except the price of the adjustment itself. I would mention that it would not be of any concern to me to call the local media and have them speak to the manager.

I'm also a pretty intimidating fellow when I need to be.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

What's the legal basis of all this kind of stuff? I seem to recall a post recently (think it was in the Jiffy Lube thread) where someone got into it with the manager, cops showed up and basically took the guy's side. Seems to me a shop can't hold YOU liable for their damage to your vehicle.

I know there's a "mechanic's lien" created on a vehicle whereby they have legal possession of it until they get paid, but I'd tend to think there's some kind of provision to that whereby the charges have to be legitimate. I can't have so-and-so bring in their rusting 1982 Toyota pickup in, bash the windows in with a ball-peen hammer and then say "you need to pay me $15,000 for repairs or you lose the title to the vehicle". That'd be ridiculous.

For one I'd think agreeing to service on your vehicle with such-and-such a shop (alignment in this case) creates a contract that they do the alignment for the agreed price and anything not part of the exact alignment is outside the scope of work authorized. If they screw it up, it's up to them to return it to the condition it was brought to them or better. I'd be curious to hear if this is correct and if so, what the legal basis of it is.



I agree though - do your own work. Last time I needed tires, I bought JUST the tires (online) and brought them and the rims down (off the car) and had them mounted & balanced. There's very little work I don't do myself. Alignments would be a little bit much I think though, although there are one or two people out there that do 'em themselves. If/when I next need one, I'm going to the dealership - I don't care if it does cost more.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally posted by Jared Fenton
this is why I do all my own work

Ditto. I'm yet to get in over my head, but if/when it happens, I'll be going to an independent, local shop that specializes in German cars. Tires get done at a local chain that has excellent service. I did have to get an alignment done at Midas on a Saturday, but it came recomended by a fellow BMW owner. Adjusting toe with a laser alignment rack and brand new tie rods is a job that few can screw up.

[LeeH]

Big O is a franchise. What you get depends on the owner and the local labor market.

[Tim Hancock]

Originally posted by onewhippedpuppy
I did have to get an alignment done at Midas on a Saturday, but it came recomended by a fellow BMW owner. Adjusting toe with a laser alignment rack and brand new tie rods is a job that few can screw up.

That is what I USED to think!

[sammyg2]

My one and only experience with Big-O:
I took a set of fuchs to them and asked them to dismount the old tires and install my new ones and balance.

Their quote? $65 each! $230 to mount and balance 4 tires, ya right.
They said they had a special balancing machine that justified the extra cost. I said no it isn't and no it doesn't and I walked.
The closest I get to going back there is when I flip them off as I drive by.