Just ordered the Michelin Cross Terrains and am wondering what your thoughts are. Looks like Walmart is the cheapest compared to anyplace else, nearly by 50%. I've purchased tires over the net before and had them installed at Walmart without any perceivable problems.
Would You Get Your New Tires Installed At Walmart?
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My kids have bought all there tires for ther cars at Wal mart and had them installed there to. The tire mechs make sure that my kids fully understand that they need to come back at 600 Kms so that they can check the tightness of the wheel lugnuts so that hey are properly torqued. Wally's world does the same practice as any other tire shop that I have visited.doublemo said:
I use Walmart for my race tires very frequently. They (at least here) have the best equipment (better than Goodyear dealer) and charge way less than half. They can change my 335/17s on 12"wide rims and when others give up trying. So yes, if they have the modern machines, that is the key. Try to find the dept mgr and chat him up a bit.
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My three biggest concerns for any tire installer (Walmart or any other well know tire installer) are:
1. Protect my rims from getting scratched/chipped when they remove install the wheels.
I had my tires rotated at the dealer and I expressed to the service manager that I was concern of the impact wrench causing swirl scratches in the lug opening (has happen to me in the past with other cars. After a while the clear coat peals from those locations). Sure enough, I found one swirl in a lug after they rotated my tires. Overall, It appeared that they took extra precautions - so I didn't complain. In the future (tire rotations) I will tape them up to prevent scratches.
2. Protect my rims from getting scratched/chipped when they remove install the tires.
Again, in the past I have been burnt on this. Even recently with my wife's minivan. The tech takes off the wheels and places them (along with the center caps) on the garage floor facing down (I mean, WTF!). This was at NTB, a well known tire retailer.
Taking off the tire with the wrong equipment can lead to scratched rims on outer edged, as well. Down the road, again, this will result in peeling clear coat. I believe they need to remove old tire from inner side of rim.
3. Proper high speed balance of tire.
The MO rims require weight that are glued into the inner portions of the rim (not the back side). You don't want some rookie to use counter weights on the backside of your rims. I'm not sure if this is even possible on the MO rims. The last thing you want is for them to give you a poor balance job and have vibration on the highway. I purchased new tires at Sears for a previous vehicle and had to go to Sears three times to get my tires properly balanced. Each time the tech. would say that the previous person who balanced did a not do a good job. Note: Sears and NTB are both owned by Sears. Yes, I finally figured out the connection too.
Anyway, I would suggest that you bring up all three of these concerns with the service manager. Have him look over the rims with you so you can both agree on the condition of the rims prior to them doing work (even take pictures and show him that you have documented their condition). Explain to him that you will not be happy if your rims are damaged and will seek replacements if necessary.
Good Luck.
1. Protect my rims from getting scratched/chipped when they remove install the wheels.
I had my tires rotated at the dealer and I expressed to the service manager that I was concern of the impact wrench causing swirl scratches in the lug opening (has happen to me in the past with other cars. After a while the clear coat peals from those locations). Sure enough, I found one swirl in a lug after they rotated my tires. Overall, It appeared that they took extra precautions - so I didn't complain. In the future (tire rotations) I will tape them up to prevent scratches.
2. Protect my rims from getting scratched/chipped when they remove install the tires.
Again, in the past I have been burnt on this. Even recently with my wife's minivan. The tech takes off the wheels and places them (along with the center caps) on the garage floor facing down (I mean, WTF!). This was at NTB, a well known tire retailer.
Taking off the tire with the wrong equipment can lead to scratched rims on outer edged, as well. Down the road, again, this will result in peeling clear coat. I believe they need to remove old tire from inner side of rim.
3. Proper high speed balance of tire.
The MO rims require weight that are glued into the inner portions of the rim (not the back side). You don't want some rookie to use counter weights on the backside of your rims. I'm not sure if this is even possible on the MO rims. The last thing you want is for them to give you a poor balance job and have vibration on the highway. I purchased new tires at Sears for a previous vehicle and had to go to Sears three times to get my tires properly balanced. Each time the tech. would say that the previous person who balanced did a not do a good job. Note: Sears and NTB are both owned by Sears. Yes, I finally figured out the connection too.
Anyway, I would suggest that you bring up all three of these concerns with the service manager. Have him look over the rims with you so you can both agree on the condition of the rims prior to them doing work (even take pictures and show him that you have documented their condition). Explain to him that you will not be happy if your rims are damaged and will seek replacements if necessary.
Good Luck.
All good advice.
Now one more.
You can do more damage than you think with an Impact Wrench.
Quite easy to twist lugs off.
And on the Murano quite easy to warp brake rotors by tightening the lugs too much.
THE MURANO USES LESS TORQUE THAN MOST CARS/TRUCKS/SUVs.
It uses 80 foot pounds of torque.
IF the shop you use, will not use anything other than an impact wrench, make them tell you how much torque is to be applied on the lugs (If they don't know how much torque, or if they tell you the wrong answer, go on down the road.) and then have them show you the "torque Stick" that they intend to use.
(A torque Stick is an extension to the wrench that limits the torque available. )
It's not as good as a hand torque wrench, but it is better than nothing.
Personally I will only have tires serviced if the shop agrees to tighten the lugs by hand and only if they know the magic number (80).
If they won't do it, I find someone who will.
Homer
Now one more.
You can do more damage than you think with an Impact Wrench.
Quite easy to twist lugs off.
And on the Murano quite easy to warp brake rotors by tightening the lugs too much.
THE MURANO USES LESS TORQUE THAN MOST CARS/TRUCKS/SUVs.
It uses 80 foot pounds of torque.
IF the shop you use, will not use anything other than an impact wrench, make them tell you how much torque is to be applied on the lugs (If they don't know how much torque, or if they tell you the wrong answer, go on down the road.) and then have them show you the "torque Stick" that they intend to use.
(A torque Stick is an extension to the wrench that limits the torque available. )
It's not as good as a hand torque wrench, but it is better than nothing.
Personally I will only have tires serviced if the shop agrees to tighten the lugs by hand and only if they know the magic number (80).
If they won't do it, I find someone who will.
Homer
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Yes
G.
G.
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Stoker said:
Now is this common practice?
Forgive me if this quuestion sounds stupid/funny ....
HOw does this different than regular tire rotation? The tire place never told me to come back to check for wheel lugnuts?...<confuse>
Absolutely should be common practice to warn people, IMHO.
Lug nuts should be hand-torqued (using a calibrated torque wrench) to 89 lb-ft. (Or whatever Nissan recommends. I'm used to Ford's torque spec.) Some places may not advise coming back, but they may use the impact wrench and over-torque those lug nuts. That can lead to rotor warpage or, more commonly, getting stuck on the side of the road trying to figure out how to break-loose the lug nuts. (Hint if this happens to you: Use the jack on the lug wrench to break loose the stubborn lug.) Every place I use will hand-torque the lug nuts. I own my own torque wrench and I check torque on the lug nuts myself.
Bob
Lug nuts should be hand-torqued (using a calibrated torque wrench) to 89 lb-ft. (Or whatever Nissan recommends. I'm used to Ford's torque spec.) Some places may not advise coming back, but they may use the impact wrench and over-torque those lug nuts. That can lead to rotor warpage or, more commonly, getting stuck on the side of the road trying to figure out how to break-loose the lug nuts. (Hint if this happens to you: Use the jack on the lug wrench to break loose the stubborn lug.) Every place I use will hand-torque the lug nuts. I own my own torque wrench and I check torque on the lug nuts myself.
Bob
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I know there are people out there who may think the lug nuts should be as tight as possible so the wheels don't fall off.
It is very critical that the lug nuts are NOT overtightened. According to the Nissan engineers, 80 ft-lbs is all that is necessary to safely secure the wheel to the hub. Any more than that and you risk warping the rotor or shearing the bolt. Plus, if overtightened, you may not be able to remove the lug nut(s) using the supplied tools during a roadside emergency.
hfelknor is right, if the shop can not tell you the correct torque spec then they should not be working on your car.
-njjoe
It is very critical that the lug nuts are NOT overtightened. According to the Nissan engineers, 80 ft-lbs is all that is necessary to safely secure the wheel to the hub. Any more than that and you risk warping the rotor or shearing the bolt. Plus, if overtightened, you may not be able to remove the lug nut(s) using the supplied tools during a roadside emergency.
hfelknor is right, if the shop can not tell you the correct torque spec then they should not be working on your car.
-njjoe
Shopping at Wal-Mart
Hi, Samson. So...you don't like Wal-Mart. Do you realize that they hire local people and adhere to higher standards than small businesses?
Even tho they buy much of their product from China, they allow many people in our society to live a higher life-style than otherwise.
Ask any employee at your next visit to Wal-Mart how they feel about about that store.
PS... Where did your Murano come from? Not China but Japan! And not America.
PSS. Don't be a dupe of the Left, Samson!
Hi, Samson. So...you don't like Wal-Mart. Do you realize that they hire local people and adhere to higher standards than small businesses?
Even tho they buy much of their product from China, they allow many people in our society to live a higher life-style than otherwise.
Ask any employee at your next visit to Wal-Mart how they feel about about that store.
PS... Where did your Murano come from? Not China but Japan! And not America.
PSS. Don't be a dupe of the Left, Samson!
"a dupe of the Left"
I thought people fought Wal Mart because they put all the small businesses in an area out of business, then close the store, move on and open a superstore 25 miles away, and the small town is economically decimated.
Another scenario, equally real, is the traffic problems created by the opening of a store, and all of the infrastructure which must be paid for by the taxpayers.
Most of the proposed WalMarts in the Portland area have been disallowed by the voters...
I will still shop in a WalMart if it is convenient and they have what I want, but I am not thrilled about it.
I thought people fought Wal Mart because they put all the small businesses in an area out of business, then close the store, move on and open a superstore 25 miles away, and the small town is economically decimated.
Another scenario, equally real, is the traffic problems created by the opening of a store, and all of the infrastructure which must be paid for by the taxpayers.
Most of the proposed WalMarts in the Portland area have been disallowed by the voters...
I will still shop in a WalMart if it is convenient and they have what I want, but I am not thrilled about it.
No .....I don't like Wal-Mart......I know that 's opinionated, but I'm not duped.....Have you been to Wal-Mart? little different than a Nissan dealership...also last I checked Nissan doesn't support child labor.......I'm not "buy America or die " here, just some things shouldn't be done on the premise they're wrong.....also when you talk about the employees of Wal-MArt , you don't mean the illegal immigrants they were hiring to clean the stores at night do you?? ......I could also go on about how bad cheap disposable goods are in multiple ways.....Look I also don't drink Fourbucks (starbucks)on the premise that I can walk out of one cross the street and walk into another....come on NYC...you know it's true.....Doesn't that concern anyone else? or has corporate america truly taken over......wait, people support things like American Idol......we've lost it already.......wal-mart and starbucks are a part of the reason we are "dumb Americans" in the eyes of the world.....by the way my best friend manages a Starbucks, so I know about the people working there......
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My TPMS came on this morning on the way to work. Upon inspection I found a nail in one of the tires....:3:
Did not feel like getting the spare out so I just got off the freeway and stopped at the walmart......
Well, it took about an hour to get to my MO. As I was watching, the technician looked under the car and then selected the appropriate attachment to use in lifting the MO. Using rubber covered tools, he carefully took the wheel off the car and then used this huge machine to dismount the tire without even touching the wheel! Once he patched the tire from inside and put the tire back on the wheel (again without anything touching the edge of the rim) he removed all old balance weights and rebalanced the wheel using weights only on the inside of the wheel. Then he applied grease to the wheel studs and VERY carefully put the wheel back on the MO. Then looked at his chart to determine how tight the nuts had to be. He then used a torque meter to properly tighten the wheel nuts. Then he lowered the car down, torqued the wheel again, and just as I though he was done, he called for his Quality Assurance person! He came over, inspected the work, checked the torque on the nuts, and then released the paperwork so I could pay and get out of there.
Total cost: $6.50 And the Technician would not accept any tips from me.
Would I let them put tires on my MO again? No question about it. That was the best tire service I ever got!
Did not feel like getting the spare out so I just got off the freeway and stopped at the walmart......
Well, it took about an hour to get to my MO. As I was watching, the technician looked under the car and then selected the appropriate attachment to use in lifting the MO. Using rubber covered tools, he carefully took the wheel off the car and then used this huge machine to dismount the tire without even touching the wheel! Once he patched the tire from inside and put the tire back on the wheel (again without anything touching the edge of the rim) he removed all old balance weights and rebalanced the wheel using weights only on the inside of the wheel. Then he applied grease to the wheel studs and VERY carefully put the wheel back on the MO. Then looked at his chart to determine how tight the nuts had to be. He then used a torque meter to properly tighten the wheel nuts. Then he lowered the car down, torqued the wheel again, and just as I though he was done, he called for his Quality Assurance person! He came over, inspected the work, checked the torque on the nuts, and then released the paperwork so I could pay and get out of there.
Total cost: $6.50 And the Technician would not accept any tips from me.
Would I let them put tires on my MO again? No question about it. That was the best tire service I ever got!
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Z-man,zebelkhan said:
Wake-up, you were dreaming. Either that, or the drugs you took as a teen are coming back to haunt you. There is no place left in America that will treat your car that well, charge you only $6.50, and not accept tips. Rubber-covered tools? Re-balance? Greasing the wheel studs? Looked up torque specs? Torque wrench? Re-torqued nuts? Quality Assurance? No gratuities? You were obviously hallucinating. Seek professional help before it gets any worse.
-njjoe
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Well I was amazed too. The technician could not see me watching him because I was in the waiting room behind the glass but I was close enough to see everything he did. So he did everything without trying to impress me, and all for $6.50!
They also sell lifetime tire road hazard, balance, and rotation every 6k miles for $9 and change per tire, and you don't even have to buy the tire from them.....! BTW, the are now selling OEM goodyear tires for MO ($126 each) so unless I find a set premounted on e-bay in about three months I will be back there again......
Hey, I just realized the service I received has turned me into a repeat Walmart shopper.....I guess that is how they do it?
They also sell lifetime tire road hazard, balance, and rotation every 6k miles for $9 and change per tire, and you don't even have to buy the tire from them.....! BTW, the are now selling OEM goodyear tires for MO ($126 each) so unless I find a set premounted on e-bay in about three months I will be back there again......
Hey, I just realized the service I received has turned me into a repeat Walmart shopper.....I guess that is how they do it?
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