New tires, wonderful mechanic story

[banjomike]

Last wednesday, I called a local tire store and had them order some Yokohama AVS Intermediates and made an appointment for saturday morning for installation. I complained about the high price they wanted for the tires $97per w/ install. She offered $76per for a total of $367.78 w/ tax and install. I wrote the number down in my palmtop.
On the way in I passed a carwash and water was running across the street where my back tires were sitting while I was at the light. Soapy water + old tires to be replaced soon + me at the wheel = smokey burnout!
I got there saturday morning about 5 minutes after they opened only to find that my appointment wasn't, and I could wait 1.5 hours like everyone else, AND that it was going to cost me about $460. I reminded her about the quoted price which she denied ever making. Oh well, the $76 (at tirerack.com) plus install at ~$18 ea would end up about $460, so I told them to do it and resolved to find a better place next time. (I've been REALLY looking forward to this).
I took a walk and came back in an hour or so. They were working on my car, right by the office window, so I watched. I could tell something wasn't right so I went in, and sure enough, one of the lug nuts was broken. It sheared off right were the head meets the flange. They told me it was common and that the Porsche dealer would have a tool to get the remaining part of the nut out.
Naturally being saturday, they were closed. So I took my car with 3 yoks and 1 old bridgestone, and went driving around town. Now I live in San Rafael, a small town that just happens to have 3 or 4 really good Porsche specialty mechanics: Proshop, S-Car-Go, Hi-Tech, that are all closed on saturdays. S-Car-Go do a lot of race cars and I see them in there a lot on saturdays.
I stopped by there and they said they could do it on monday or tuesday. Just like the dealer. They told me to go to this other tire shop that knows how to fix my problem. I went there.
He said, yeh I can do that, but I'm understaffed today, come in on monday.
Pro-shop was closed up (they're no fun there). My last hope, was Hi-Tech, and sure enough Devin was in there. I drove up grabbed the sheared nut head and walked in as sheepishly as I could.
I know you're not open, but...
He saw the nut and started to groan, oh no! I begged and pleaded and he took my keys and drove it in the shop. Yes! He got a hole saw just bigger than the lug stud, told me that this was going to chew up the lug nut seat in my wheel a little, but it was unavoidable. He went at it very carefully and eventually got through. He did a beautiful job. Due to the curved seat for the nut, you can't get all the way through the nut without getting a bit of the wheel. I could tell by looking that he did it with the least impact possible. I have original equipment fuchs alloys, and I love them. I honestly don't think a cooler looking wheel has ever been made, so this killed me, but still was sooooooo much better than what might have happened.
So $45 poorer, and much happier, I went back to Caines tires, and armed with the knowledge that the nuts should be torqued to 95lbft I personally supervised the install of the last tire and the hand torquing of every wheel nut.
Armed with all 4 new tires, I went to lunch, and then for a drive. These tires are so much better than the mess I had on there before. Where those tires would screech and begin to slip, these just make a fearsome sound like the ripping of fabric. Which is close to whats happening. The surface of the rubber is staying on the pavement and ripping from the tire.
Now I don't have to worry about that one with the damaged sidewall, or the one that always leaked, or the fact that I had no tread left, or the questionable speed-rating. And that blocky tread looks so cOol!

Now I just need a new speedo/odo, tune-up, and to get those drilled rotors installed, oh and that back glass, and that new mysterious rattle under the dash...

If you live in Marin County, any of the shops I mentioned are great, but Devin and Dana at Hi-Tech... well he got me going on his own time on a saturday, and he did it well. 'Course over at S-Car-Go, they had a 935 in there, a new 996 turbo with rollcage souped up suspension, chip, exhaust they guessed about $90,000 into it above the purchase price. and they had a 993 based twin-turbo racer they built, up on the lift with the motor out. Full cage/frame, ferrari f-40 brakes, all out race car, too cool.
So all in all a great saturday despite the rough start.

MsB

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Mike 86 944

[Sportsman]

sure is nice to run new rubber!

[Joeblow944]

Sounds like you had a full day hehe

[Mike B]

Neat...I love a happy ending...I hope you gave to the morons at the tire shop...