Tires And Wheels Unlimited

On January 9, 2015 we sold Mr. [redacted]' son a 235/75/15 used
tire for his [redacted] Upon removing his old tire we noticed that the lug
nuts on the van were very "worn" and "ruff" coming off, at
which point we informed the son and recommended allowing us to repair them just
as we advise all of...

our customers when we encounter this situation due to the
fact that wheel stud and lug nuts are a "wear and tear" item because
they are made of steel and alloy and over time water and other corrosives seep
between the cracks and crevasses and create rust and and oxidation which
weakens the metal, also the friction from repeatedly going on and coming off
over the years wears the metal down therefore damaging the threads which bind
the lugnut and wheel stud together. after explaining to him the reason for this
he denied us permission to repair it because he said "it was his dads van,
and he needed to discuss it with him" so we only replaced the tire. When
we sell our used tires we do our best to make sure there is no current air
leaks in the tire by carefully inspecting them and using a tire tub which is a
method used by placing the tire in a large tub of water and checking it for air
bubbles. Though this method proves to be very affective it is however not
always 100% accurate because there are several different reasons that could
cause a tire to go flat for example (valve stem, over/under inflation, wheel
corrosion ect ... ) which is why we offer a 30-day guarantee on our used tires.
After Mr. [redacted] called to inform us the tire was flat he stated that the
lugnuts were too tight and he could not get them off. I then explained to him
that our air impact guns are only set to 100 ftlbs. of torque which is much
less than the average adults arm can generate. I explained to him that when you
ride a tire flat the weight of the vehicle leans more towards that lowest point
of gravity which puts a lot of pressure on the area that is most supporting it,
(the lugnuts and studs.) And after driving on it with a flat tire for several
miles is going to put a lot of pressure on the lugs and studs basically ceasing
or locking them on the wheel and making it very very difficult to then remove.
I told him if he could get the vehicle back to me I could get them off for him
and would not charge him or if he could give me some time I could get in
contact with my boss and see about coming out to where the vehicle was and resolving
the matter that way. A short while later Mr.[redacted] called again saying he was
at a repair shop and they said they could not get the lugnuts off without
cutting them off with a cutting torch at which point he insisted on letting
them do the work after I again asked him for the opportunity to allow me to fix
it because I did not think that was at all necessary as I have encountered this
situation many times in the 10 years I have been a technician and that the price
they were quoting him was outrageous. Mr. [redacted] asked if our company would
reimburse him for the bill if he allowed that service station to conduct the
repairs and I informed him that I would most certainly replace the tire and
would happily fix the problem with the lugnuts and studs free of charge if he
would allow us the opportunity to fix it although we informed him prior to
changing the tire but I would not be able to give him a cash reimbursement for
the labor the other shop performed. Later that evening Mr.[redacted]s son arrived
to have the tire replaced and asking that we reimburse him and his father for
the repairs that the other service station performed. Again I explained the
offer I presented to his father and since the repairs had already been done by
the other shop I offered a store credit and a free wheel alignment for his
inconvenience although we were not at fault, he continued to refuse and did not
want to accept anything other than a cash reimbursement. At this point we told
him if he did not wish to accept the offer we presented to him there was
nothing further we could do to accommodate the situation. Thank you,

Review: On January 9, 2015 my son took my [redacted] to Tires & Wheels Unlimited to purchase tires. When he returned home form the shop he told me that the right front tire was flat. He and I attempted to change the tire. The lug nuts on the wheel were so tight we could not get them off. My son drove the van to the closes auto shop from our home which was about a mile or so. He took the van to Dels Service Station located at [redacted] The service mechanic's there attempted to remove the lug nuts with a air pressure gun normally used for changing tires. After talking to my son they talked to me as well and explained that the lug nuts were over tighten when they were put on and will not come off without using a cutting torch. It was going to cost a total of $125.48 to remove the lugs and replace the lug nuts. I contacted the manager of the store. His name was [redacted] or [redacted]. I explained the problem to him. He stated I needed to bring the van back to the shop so they could take care of the problem. I asked him if his shop going to pay for a tow truck, because that was the only was we could get the van back to them. He told me no. I asked him why? He told me that's what you get when you buy used tires. I told him my problem is not with the tires because we have a 30 day warrenty on them. My problem was with how tight the lug nuts were on the wheel and we could not get them off. I explained that we took the van to a certified auto shop ( [redacted] phone umber [redacted] ) and what they attempted to do and recommend. He told me that he would have to talk to the owner of the store and call me back in 5 to 10 minutes. Several hours went past and I never received a call back. [redacted] made the repairs and we paid cash for the service. My son went back to Tires & Wheels Unlimited to talk to the manager. They honord there warrenty with a replacement tire. However, I instructed my son to ask for a refund for the work that was done on the van due to Tires & Wheels Unlimited over tightening the lugs on the wheel. The manger told my son he refused to pay becaue the cost was rediculous. My son called me from Tires & Wheels Unlimited and I talked to the manage. The manager [redacted] or [redacted] told me that [redacted] did not no what they were doing. I explained again that we had no other way of getting the van to there shop without a tow truck. I asked if they would refund the money for the repairs because I felt that was a fair thing to do due to the fact that the lug nuts were over tighten by them which created the problem with the lug nuts. [redacted] or [redacted] told me no they were not going to pay because it was not his problem. We asked [redacted] to complete the work because the van is how my son travels back and forth to work and school. We could not allow the van to just sit.Desired Settlement: I am requesting that Tires & Wheels Unlimited refund the entire amount of $125.48 for the repairs that were done on the van. If the lug nuts had not been over tighten we would not have had this problem.

Business

Response:

On January 9, 2015 we sold Mr. [redacted]' son a 235/75/15 used

tire for his [redacted] Upon removing his old tire we noticed that the lug

nuts on the van were very "worn" and "ruff" coming off, at

which point we informed the son and recommended allowing us to repair them just

as we advise all of our customers when we encounter this situation due to the

fact that wheel stud and lug nuts are a "wear and tear" item because

they are made of steel and alloy and over time water and other corrosives seep

between the cracks and crevasses and create rust and and oxidation which

weakens the metal, also the friction from repeatedly going on and coming off

over the years wears the metal down therefore damaging the threads which bind

the lugnut and wheel stud together. after explaining to him the reason for this

he denied us permission to repair it because he said "it was his dads van,

and he needed to discuss it with him" so we only replaced the tire. When

we sell our used tires we do our best to make sure there is no current air

leaks in the tire by carefully inspecting them and using a tire tub which is a

method used by placing the tire in a large tub of water and checking it for air

bubbles. Though this method proves to be very affective it is however not

always 100% accurate because there are several different reasons that could

cause a tire to go flat for example (valve stem, over/under inflation, wheel

corrosion ect ... ) which is why we offer a 30-day guarantee on our used tires.

After Mr. [redacted] called to inform us the tire was flat he stated that the

lugnuts were too tight and he could not get them off. I then explained to him

that our air impact guns are only set to 100 ftlbs. of torque which is much

less than the average adults arm can generate. I explained to him that when you

ride a tire flat the weight of the vehicle leans more towards that lowest point

of gravity which puts a lot of pressure on the area that is most supporting it,

(the lugnuts and studs.) And after driving on it with a flat tire for several

miles is going to put a lot of pressure on the lugs and studs basically ceasing

or locking them on the wheel and making it very very difficult to then remove.

I told him if he could get the vehicle back to me I could get them off for him

and would not charge him or if he could give me some time I could get in

contact with my boss and see about coming out to where the vehicle was and resolving

the matter that way. A short while later Mr.[redacted] called again saying he was

at a repair shop and they said they could not get the lugnuts off without

cutting them off with a cutting torch at which point he insisted on letting

them do the work after I again asked him for the opportunity to allow me to fix

it because I did not think that was at all necessary as I have encountered this

situation many times in the 10 years I have been a technician and that the price

they were quoting him was outrageous. Mr. [redacted] asked if our company would

reimburse him for the bill if he allowed that service station to conduct the

repairs and I informed him that I would most certainly replace the tire and

would happily fix the problem with the lugnuts and studs free of charge if he

would allow us the opportunity to fix it although we informed him prior to

changing the tire but I would not be able to give him a cash reimbursement for

the labor the other shop performed. Later that evening Mr.[redacted]s son arrived

to have the tire replaced and asking that we reimburse him and his father for

the repairs that the other service station performed. Again I explained the

offer I presented to his father and since the repairs had already been done by

the other shop I offered a store credit and a free wheel alignment for his

inconvenience although we were not at fault, he continued to refuse and did not

want to accept anything other than a cash reimbursement. At this point we told

him if he did not wish to accept the offer we presented to him there was

nothing further we could do to accommodate the situation. Thank you,