blonde moment #4958302
Aug. 24th, 2004 03:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
verbicideSo I needed two new tires as I'd sucked every penny's worth of use out of my old ones. I can't praise Les Schwab Tires enough. They made this whole thing so not an ordeal.
I'd heard of their reputation before. And when my tire went flat last winter, the AAA guy suggested Les Schwab over the place I'd found in the phonebook. Why? Because they repair your flat tire for free. I'm all about the not spending of money. I kept waiting for the catch. You know. As consumers, I think we're always bracing ourselves for the screwing we know is coming, no matter how cleverly the marketing people have hidden it. But no. No screw.
They fixed my flat, told me two of my tires were thinning and I should watch out for them, but agreed that if I wasn't a heavy commuter, that I'd be fine for awhile. No hard sell. They just um fixed my car and didn't ask for money. Huh.
But see, that worked better than any pushy marketer. When I needed a tire, I went straight back to them.
They have a first come first serve policy, and I took my car in this morning before work. The guy walked out to my car. Peered at the wiring poking out of my tire. Scratched his head. Looked at the other tires, then ambled back inside. I waited to be treated like the girl that I am. To be blustered into paying for something I couldn't afford. Etc. But no. He printed out a sheet and said there were three options, based on mileage. 40, 70, or 100K.
Okay. So um. This is a very long winded (yes, even more than already) account of my tires. And there will be tangents. Oh yes, there will be. When I got my new car, the tires were very yay. See Cat. See Cat Drive. Drive Cat, Drive. I sped around like the Californian maniac that I am. See Pedestrians Flee. Flee Pedestrians, Flee!
Then I wore out two tires and got them replaced in Oakland. Yay. Continued Speedy Goodness.
Then a few years later, the other two wore out. I was living in Port Orchard at the time, and didn't really know the local automotive merchants. And honestly, I didn't know much about car tires. My big brother J had found a great deal on tires in Oakland (because he lives there, too), so I just went to the place he recommended. But this time I read up on tire ratings. S, Z, H. All that stuff. And I wanted to make sure I got something that matched the caliber of my other tires. So I asked my big brother OB. He didn't know of a local place, but called around. Unfortunately he misunderstood. I wanted to learn about tires and how to pick them. He thought I just wanted to know where to go. And he was a little cranky at the time, so I just went to the place he told me to go to. Because he can get a wee bit apoplectic.
Man. Fucking bunch of losers. Not OB's fault. He had talked to them and they seemed reasonable, but seriously, the guy was the stereotypic, bullshitting hard seller. OB also told me to get a tune-up. But he hadn't had a chance to do much research and their tune-up basically meant "Look at everything, and say the car needs a lot of new parts. But don't even give the car a fucking oil change." I was unhappy with their service. Told them so. Told them I didn't want them to do the repairs they suggested and went to Judy's mechanic with their printout. (They don't do tires, or I'd have gone there to begin with). He pulled out one of the items they said I should replace (an air filter, I think) and laughed. It was pristine. The guys at Dere Auto, while I'm plugging car services, are freaking awesome, too. Anyhow, he told me that a lot of places simply tell you what you need to replace based strictly on mileage, not on, you know, honest evaluation. So I'd just paid $60 for that other company (whose name I sadly don't recall and thus can't drag through the mud) to do nothing. Brh. I hate being taken for a ride like that.
So I had these new tires. And suddenly, my car's performance went to shit. My turns were less steady. I felt like my wings had been clipped, because I couldn't drive as fast anymore. The maneuvering was shit. I thought it might be because they were cheaper tires (they weren't generic, they were Goodyear, but still). Or maybe the balance. But regardless, the last two years have sucked a bit. I had them checked out, rebalanced, everything. To no avail. See Cat Drive Slow. See Cat's Neighbors Rejoice. See Cat Cry. And they wore out!! They're worn out, while the tires I replaced 500 years ago in Oakland are still fucking fine!!
So back to Les Schwab. No hard sell. The guy clearly didn't give a rat's ass which tire I went for. I asked him detailed questions about tire ratings, etc, because I wanted to know if I paid for the higher tire, would the car perform better, etc. He knew his shit, answered everything in short, choppy sentences. He said the cheapest tires would be fine. Huh. I thought the $144 was a little steep for the 40K, but they have a really good reputation. So I took that version, wincing at the $288, but realizing that cars are bastard money pits. He did recommend this scoring thing they do on the tire to enhance traction. All of $11. So yeah, knock yourself out.
Went home (thanks for the ride, Devin!) and they had the car ready by 1pm, just like they said. Devin kindly drove me down there this afternoon and I picked up my car. While paying for it, the blonde Valkyrie behind the counter gave me my total as $144. I was bemused. See. I thought it was $144 PER TIRE. Not SO! I swear, I've never been to a mechanic that doesn't give the most stripped down, tax-free price they can get away with legally. I figured the price was per tire. Didn't even think to ask. I felt very stupid. There was much joy. And much amusement on her part. She kindly offered to charge me double if it'd make me feel better. I told her I appreciated her willingness to accommodate, but would decline at this time. I promised to stop by later on in the week to hand them fistfuls of money if I still felt the need.
Man. I feel so much better. Whooop.
And then. The drive home!! I have WINGS again! I have speed and agility and ...traction! And, I'm sure soon, a speeding ticket if I don't chill out.
Woo! I love my new tires! *cuddles*
I'd heard of their reputation before. And when my tire went flat last winter, the AAA guy suggested Les Schwab over the place I'd found in the phonebook. Why? Because they repair your flat tire for free. I'm all about the not spending of money. I kept waiting for the catch. You know. As consumers, I think we're always bracing ourselves for the screwing we know is coming, no matter how cleverly the marketing people have hidden it. But no. No screw.
They fixed my flat, told me two of my tires were thinning and I should watch out for them, but agreed that if I wasn't a heavy commuter, that I'd be fine for awhile. No hard sell. They just um fixed my car and didn't ask for money. Huh.
But see, that worked better than any pushy marketer. When I needed a tire, I went straight back to them.
They have a first come first serve policy, and I took my car in this morning before work. The guy walked out to my car. Peered at the wiring poking out of my tire. Scratched his head. Looked at the other tires, then ambled back inside. I waited to be treated like the girl that I am. To be blustered into paying for something I couldn't afford. Etc. But no. He printed out a sheet and said there were three options, based on mileage. 40, 70, or 100K.
Okay. So um. This is a very long winded (yes, even more than already) account of my tires. And there will be tangents. Oh yes, there will be. When I got my new car, the tires were very yay. See Cat. See Cat Drive. Drive Cat, Drive. I sped around like the Californian maniac that I am. See Pedestrians Flee. Flee Pedestrians, Flee!
Then I wore out two tires and got them replaced in Oakland. Yay. Continued Speedy Goodness.
Then a few years later, the other two wore out. I was living in Port Orchard at the time, and didn't really know the local automotive merchants. And honestly, I didn't know much about car tires. My big brother J had found a great deal on tires in Oakland (because he lives there, too), so I just went to the place he recommended. But this time I read up on tire ratings. S, Z, H. All that stuff. And I wanted to make sure I got something that matched the caliber of my other tires. So I asked my big brother OB. He didn't know of a local place, but called around. Unfortunately he misunderstood. I wanted to learn about tires and how to pick them. He thought I just wanted to know where to go. And he was a little cranky at the time, so I just went to the place he told me to go to. Because he can get a wee bit apoplectic.
Man. Fucking bunch of losers. Not OB's fault. He had talked to them and they seemed reasonable, but seriously, the guy was the stereotypic, bullshitting hard seller. OB also told me to get a tune-up. But he hadn't had a chance to do much research and their tune-up basically meant "Look at everything, and say the car needs a lot of new parts. But don't even give the car a fucking oil change." I was unhappy with their service. Told them so. Told them I didn't want them to do the repairs they suggested and went to Judy's mechanic with their printout. (They don't do tires, or I'd have gone there to begin with). He pulled out one of the items they said I should replace (an air filter, I think) and laughed. It was pristine. The guys at Dere Auto, while I'm plugging car services, are freaking awesome, too. Anyhow, he told me that a lot of places simply tell you what you need to replace based strictly on mileage, not on, you know, honest evaluation. So I'd just paid $60 for that other company (whose name I sadly don't recall and thus can't drag through the mud) to do nothing. Brh. I hate being taken for a ride like that.
So I had these new tires. And suddenly, my car's performance went to shit. My turns were less steady. I felt like my wings had been clipped, because I couldn't drive as fast anymore. The maneuvering was shit. I thought it might be because they were cheaper tires (they weren't generic, they were Goodyear, but still). Or maybe the balance. But regardless, the last two years have sucked a bit. I had them checked out, rebalanced, everything. To no avail. See Cat Drive Slow. See Cat's Neighbors Rejoice. See Cat Cry. And they wore out!! They're worn out, while the tires I replaced 500 years ago in Oakland are still fucking fine!!
So back to Les Schwab. No hard sell. The guy clearly didn't give a rat's ass which tire I went for. I asked him detailed questions about tire ratings, etc, because I wanted to know if I paid for the higher tire, would the car perform better, etc. He knew his shit, answered everything in short, choppy sentences. He said the cheapest tires would be fine. Huh. I thought the $144 was a little steep for the 40K, but they have a really good reputation. So I took that version, wincing at the $288, but realizing that cars are bastard money pits. He did recommend this scoring thing they do on the tire to enhance traction. All of $11. So yeah, knock yourself out.
Went home (thanks for the ride, Devin!) and they had the car ready by 1pm, just like they said. Devin kindly drove me down there this afternoon and I picked up my car. While paying for it, the blonde Valkyrie behind the counter gave me my total as $144. I was bemused. See. I thought it was $144 PER TIRE. Not SO! I swear, I've never been to a mechanic that doesn't give the most stripped down, tax-free price they can get away with legally. I figured the price was per tire. Didn't even think to ask. I felt very stupid. There was much joy. And much amusement on her part. She kindly offered to charge me double if it'd make me feel better. I told her I appreciated her willingness to accommodate, but would decline at this time. I promised to stop by later on in the week to hand them fistfuls of money if I still felt the need.
Man. I feel so much better. Whooop.
And then. The drive home!! I have WINGS again! I have speed and agility and ...traction! And, I'm sure soon, a speeding ticket if I don't chill out.
Woo! I love my new tires! *cuddles*
