Costco Tire Center SUCKS! DO NOT BUY TIRES THERE - One Customers Experience - GT Canada
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
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I don't usually get worked up, but this has me furious! ..... and not in a Fast way
BRAND NEW tires look flat even though the PSI is correct
They installed Defective tires and REFUSED to admit it!
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I use this video to train my tire techs on how uninformed and opinionated clients can be in the internet age.
That's great to hear. Glad I could help
Hopefully your techs are smarter than the guys I was talking to
Do you also train them to inform customers the right way or are you just here to complain that people can call you out now?
I was gonna judge u for ur original comment but after speeding through the video at 2x you're absolutely right about misinformed and opinionated
I don't even know a lot about cars and I can tell this guy has no idea what he's complaining about.
"I'm not a tire expert by I know more than the tire experts"
It sounds like Costco did exactly what they are supposed to. The PSI the tires are supposed to be inflated to are based on the weight of your vehicle. What is on the tire is the maximum psi the tire can handle but will almost always be way too high for the weight of your car.
I totally agree!
The reason why I was inflating them more was to get the sidewall to stop looking flat. Which took till 45 psi to happen
Since Costco was no help I had to come up with my own solution.
They did not provide any suitable solution. Which is why I made this video
I hope people don't go there thinking they went to a legit tire shop. They went to a grocery warehouse that wants to also make money on tires.
The point is, go to a place that only does tires and you have a better chance getting someone with knowledge looking after your needs.
@@GearsAndTech the only thing I can think of that you didn't say they checked was that the tire may not have seated completely on the wheel.
After airing it up some and driving on it causing centrifugal force it may have eventually popped out the rest of the way. Sometimes sport or lower profile tires will heavily resist seating all the way. I've seen some tires go all the way up to 95 psi before seated properly and the pressure could be brought back down. It can be harder to spot on these tires as well so a quick look may not have been obvious.
Totally valid point again.
It's nice to be able to get real ideas and solutions instead of name calling.
I have had to put tons of pressure in tires before to get them to seat on the rim. So I know what you mean.
I'm less worried about it now because the winter tires are set aside for now and the summer tires and rims are on the Merc.
But I do appreciate you stopping by and offering ideas.
Those car require you to put them in jack mode, or max height when lifting as you will mess up the air suspension and put it out of place. Most shops don't realize that and treat them like a normal car.
Tire PSI rating is on inner door. Rear and front are different PSI rating. Don't go by the maximum rating on the sidewall of the tires. Ride quality will be bad otherwise and new tires do need to break in.
so you basically only listened to the first two minutes of the video. It's not about the tires. It's about Costco's terrible customer service. Just because he bought bad tires doesn't justify Costco lacking professionalism.
tire4coin have best prices
This guy: "I know more than tire experts"
Also this guy: "I run my tires at their max inflation"
Lol, this guy didn't listen to the video
@@GearsAndTech I’ve never heard of anyone running their tires on 50 psi usually the normal range is 28 - 36 . I’m pretty sure you’re running your tires on literally the maximum psi that your tires can actually withstand. I guarantee if you add 5 more psi your tires they will actually explode lol. There’s a reason why everyone is clowning you In your own comment section.
32 must have been what the car manufacturer recommends. You don't run what psi the tire states that's a max psi.
Sometimes i think i dont know anything about tires, then i watch a video like this and i feel better🤔
Lol
I am actually annoyed by this as a tire tech and a mechanic this is the type of people we have to deal with . In this case Costco is completely right there is an issue with the suspension specifically with air ride it is possible that a single strut can fail putting a majority of the entire car’s weight on that tire.
I feel your pain and frustration.
Would you have tried swapping the tires right to left to see if the tire that looks flat is now fine and the one on the 'sagging' side is now flat looking?
It would have taken 15 minutes total, and I would have walked away knowing it's my problem
Costco did not want to do anything to prove the problem. Just tell me it's my problem. Even though when I took it to other 'tire experts' such as yourself, they all said the tire was faulty.
How can so many people in one industry have such varied opinions on a simple matter?
@@GearsAndTech
Costco told you it was your suspension. You refused to accept it. Don’t you see something wrong when so many people in the same industry are telling you the same thing. There is one common denominator, YOU. For not being a tire professional you act like you are. So many people are bothered by this video and you refuse to accept that you are wrong. Employees are human and also get overwhelmed when customers are self entitled know it alls who refuses to accept that it is their problem.
You missed the part where there was nothing wrong with my car when I dropped of off for the tires
Costco broke the suspension when they lifted the car improperly. But they didn't take any ownership for that either. I fixed that on my own dime
But to this day I need mismatched tire pressures to have the car drive straight. Even though my summer tires have no issue at all.
@@GearsAndTech You wish they broke your suspension😂 then you wouldn’t have to pay for it. Guys like you are annoying af to deal with at work😂
@@GearsAndTechwait wait wait, the tires you bought need different tire pressures to track straight but your highway tires do not? If that’s the case that’s got nothing to do with Costco at all that’s entirely on the tires you bought
This is hilarious 😂😂😂 thanks for the laugh. Tire installers will talk about this for life
Hopefully those tire installers will come with intelligent answers about why the tires look flat next time.
You can't say the psi is right so it must be fine.
@@GearsAndTech your over inflating your tires just because they “look low” .. try going +4 of what the door dam tells you
I realized I also didn't add that the one that looked low also started pulling the car to that side of the road, when before it drove straight with no issues
This was when all tires were at 32 psi
The flat looking one was truly flat even at the correct pressure.
It took pumping it to 45 psi for it to look more correct and stop pulling the car
@@GearsAndTech well if your talking about a Mercedes the door will call for pressure to 44psi so that’s correct but on other vehicles going to the tires max inflation is just ignorant
Max inflation? Good luck getting any warranty on those tires once you start to get balding down the center due to max inflation.
Lmao “I’m not a tire expert, but this one looks flat.”
A tire expert would know that 1. You can’t tell if a radial tire “looks flat” without looking at the psi on an air gauge, 2. You don’t set your cold psi to max psi unless you intend to destroy the tire, 3. An uneven suspension can easily transfer enough weight to compress a tire.
A reasonably smart person has probably heard of the Dunning-Kruger effect and recognizes this as a stunning display of it in action.
Ouch!
I'm not so sure this is a display of ignorance and stupidity. Rather an exercise in humility
I recognize I don't know everything about tires, but I'm not an uneducated idiot. I'm sorry if you feel that way. Perhaps you haven't experienced someone trying to give the benefit of the doubt and looking for answers.
I still haven't gotten a satisfactory answer to the problem
I only buy my tires from tire4coin
Beware of the guy that says he’s not a dumb guy. He will open his mouth and prove otherwise.
Follow the psi recommendation on the car. Not the max psi for the tire.
Some brands will sit differently as well. If the Chinese knockoffs sit to your liking, I’d suggest your liking is wrong.
I buy only from tire4coin
I love how he picks tires out. "oh this Chinese tire looks vaguely similar to a brand I know of that is actually respected. I should put this cheap imitation on my wife's car"
Yeah, that seems like a good way to do it
If the tread pattern looks sketchy I'm not buying them.
@@GearsAndTech so what knowledge do you possess that you can accurately judge a tire's quality and performance based solely on appearance?
Also, since you discuss how poor the customer service and knowledge level of the Costco technicians was, how are you qualified to say they're wrong?
Mercedes engineers are the people who designed the vehicle and selected the optimal tire pressure to use. Are they wrong, too?
I can't believe you're seriously asking that question. You're on my youtube channel, I have tons of videos that show how to do all kinds of stuff. If you seriously want to know, check out some of my other videos.
I didn't say anything about Mercedes being wrong. Don't put words in my mouth
The issue is the tires are flat when at the correct pressure. Costco agreed but were not offering solutions.
I would suggest you actually watch the video instead of skim over it. Then you will understand what I'm saying instead of jumping to conclusions.
@@GearsAndTech I watched the whole video, though I haven't seen any others.
You didn't directly say that Mercedes was wrong, but you still imply it. The technician put the tires at the pressure Mercedes designated. That pressure wouldn't change unless you change ply rating or drastically change size. That vehicle likely came with passenger rated tires and the blizzaks you had installed are also passenger rated.
Inflating your tires to 45 psi is effectively saying that Mercedes doesn't know the correct pressure and that you know better.
No, the technician did not put it at the manufacturer pressure. They always set them to 32 no matter the vehicle make or model.
For your information. The door placard says to set them to 39 psi.
And I never implied Mercedes was wrong.
I buy a Mercedes and put Wal-Mart tires on it. Then I bitch about the cheap tires because I'm a victim of my choices.
Seriously?
Don't come here and be ignorant.
Blizzack is not a Walmart brand. And as far as I know, they are certainly not low end.
Go be a moron somewhere else if you're not even going go watch thd video first
I went to Costco with a hole in my tire and they said they couldn’t patch it because it was on the edge of the side and the bottom, and recommended I buy a $1040 set of new tires. I took it to the mechanic across the street and they patched it for $20.
Big name tire places won’t risk certain plugs etc. A local tire shop will plug it up and get you on your way in less than 20 minutes
That’s called a corporation covering their ass since they’re $1 billion company
I love waking up to a good laugh thanks buddy
What does your door plackard or inside the gas door say for what the vehicle needs for pressure. I would stick with what the manufacturer of the vehicle says it needs.
I usually go with what the tires themselves say, since the door sill doesn't know if I put a higher ply tire on. In this case there is a discrepancy between the two. I am currently running the one from the tires as its higher, and the tires look more full
@@GearsAndTech what does the pressure inside the gas cap say? I noticed it was a Mercedes and they tend to offer different air pressures. Also, you need to go by what the car manufacturers say in regards to tire pressure.
It’s been a year and hoping he is still not blindly disregarding manufacture specifications since it only took $ millions of R&D….
It's been a year and everything has been fine running on the pressures I have it set to.
In fact, I'm riding in the car right now on those tires.
Still need to adjust pressure individually for steering to not pull to the side.
With my summer tires on I have balanced psi and it drives straight.
Clearly a tire issue. But none of the experts it Costco care.
@@GearsAndTech It is my understanding that the lower pressure allows the tire to flex more. This will lead to heat being generated and also objects can penetrate the tire easier than the higher PSI. I run mine near max in the Arizona desert and have had fewer problems than when I ran 32-36. Check the big truckers tires, they are all running max pressure.
I don't know what happened there,but if people are looking for new tires,Costco is one of the best places to get tires,decent discounts,great warranty and service.They fixed my flat for free,even though i didn't buy those tires from them,and filled all four with nitrogen for free.Great prices and warranties on batteries as well.
Glad your experience was better than mine
I wish dislikes showed
Yeah. It's unfortunate youtube doesn't show them anymore.
I'll save you the guesswork. More people like this video than dislike.
Interesting that how at the end of this video he said, "If you get new tires just wait a few weeks and they will break in and be normal". If you would have left the tire shop that day and treated your car like normal you would have found out that nothing was wrong. The suspension played a part in the issue and you got it fixed. Then the tire started looking normal 🤔
This is the worst rap song I’ve ever heard.
Buying tires at a grocerie store makes no sense. The tires there are cheap for a reason. Buy tires from a professional tire shop and you can’t go wrong.
True
This video proves that Costco provides good services. Your accusation that Costco sucks reflects badly on you.
Bro you are literally on the spectrum.
You're not the first person to wonder about that.
The front tires always look more flat than the rear tires. If you had rotated the tires to the front the rears would have looked the same. You should have not inflated them to 51 as that will make your tires wear pre maturely. You can't throw shade when you don't know anything about tires.
I would agree with that if the front is heavier. On an awd car with close to 50/50 weight split I wouldn't think that is true.
is it my job to do that test though? If that's the way to test them why didn't the shop do that? Or even suggest it
It's not my job to be a tire expert when I go to a shop that claims to be.
My disspointment is that they never suggested any of these things to prove they were fine. And the manager agreed they didn't look right.
The shade is justified
@@GearsAndTech ..and where is the engine in this AWD Mercedes? 🤔 Haven't thought of that?
The tire PSI is suppose to be based on the weight of the car, not by PSI rating on sidewall of tire. Like the rear and front PSI are different. It tell you on the inner door what the PSI on the rear and front suppose to be to get correct distributionand ride quality. New tires do need to wear and break in that normal.
As far as air suspension on Mercedes you can't just lift the car you have to put it in jack mode, so they likely damaged it. Most typical tire shops don't usually deal with them and had to replace them due to their mistakes. I am a master Technician and dealt with them.
You sir, sound like a guy who knows something, and have a great way of explaining it!
You have missed your calling sticking to tech on your yt channel.
I wish you all the best!
I just bought from Costco,Michelin MXM ac for my 2019 Avalon and Kevin at Costco was much more knowledgeable than Big O and discount. I spent 3 days researching and becoming somewhat of an expert to know what to look for and realized I had many questions, Costco answered them more factual. I believe Costco would give him his money back . To answer his questions you need to know what tire and his vehicle, I didn’t catch any of that .
when you had your car re-torqued by Costco, simply asked them to check all four tires' pressure, compared with the suggested tire pressure. So simple.
Well GT Karen If you run the tires more than the placards you’re never going to see that mileage warranty 😂 more of your complaints should be directed towards the tire center manufacturer than Costco. Also would love to see the original notes they put about your vehicle when it was first serviced. 👍🏾
Lol, I see what you did there (GT Karen)
I would also love to see the original notes they put as well. And what they put on the second visit
I won't be back for a third visit. I have plenty of other ways I can waste my own time.
Maybe that’s this particular Costco where you go that’s questionable.
I am extremely satisfied with my usual Costco tire centre.
I hope it was just an isolated incident.
😂 this hurt my brain
It baffled me too why a tire shop doesn't seem to know anything about the tires they sold me.
@@GearsAndTech i think ur lacking some self awareness bc this is not what he meant 😅😅😅
It's nice to have a mind reader on the channel!
But, if I'm being honest I did know what he meant. He just said it in a way that can be taken either way, so I made the conscious choice to take it in a positive way.
No self awareness lessons needed in this case
32 PSI is what manufacturer recommends. You can find this either on your door jam, or if it's a Mercedes, it can be located in you gas casket cover. Don't inflate your tires to max, as the name implies it's MAXIMUM. If your pressure increases from temperature outside or driving you are not over the maximum which is dangerous. Also, you will prematurely wear the center of the tires if you over-inflate them. lmao.
Tire inflation goes based off of the door placard you do not inflate up to maximum of the tire.
.... but, since the tire is rated up to that PSI its totally safe to do so! Especially since they build in a 'safety factor' that allows for over pressure and still not blow.
It all depends how close to the edge you really want to go
Many have commented, max tire psi ratings are based on higher LOAD, over inflating for a “normal load” makes the outer sides of the towers bow up leaving the middle section to overcompensate, smaller contact area, faster wear, suboptimal lateral and longitudinal traction, only takes for conditions to be just right wear safety is at the forefront
I'll do another video showing you guys tire wear after 1 year.
We can all see the results together since I haven't checked either
You should only really pump your tires to max pressure if it matches the load, meaning hauling more weight in the vehicle. Otherwise, you're probably just losing traction when you inflate them that high. Also, if your suspension is busted, it will definitely offset the weight of the vehicle. Clearly the suspension needs to be fixed. That's like having a knee problem and blaming it on your shoes...
If you have a luxury vehicle, expect to pay luxury prices when the luxury features start to break down/wear out.
It's extremely annoying when high nose people come to us with their expensive problems that have been an underlying issue and they expect us to pay for it. Ridiculous.
Thanks for stopping by
My car didn't have a problem until I took it for tires at Costco.
I think they did not follow the jacking procedure for the Mercedes which allowed the rear air bag to come out of place, when they lower it the bag rubbed on the axle and broke.
So, I had more problems caused by Costco than originally stated in the video.
I fixed the bag at my own cost
But the tires never were perfect. I had to run that tire over inflated to have the car track straight and not pull off the road
When I put my summer rims on all my problems went away
@@GearsAndTech another guys that's not listening, huh. The problem was only apparent after the new tires..
Yes. Im glad at least someone understands.
I have had a few issues with Costco Tires in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. However, I wrote a senior VP on one major issue and everything was completely resolved to my satisfaction. Other minor issues were resolved at the local Costco Tire location.
I have found that Costco -- like Walmart and others -- doesn't like unhappy customers and will address all reasonable concerns. Also, most of the associates I have dealt with at Costco Tire are courteous, respectful and helpful. I don't know how they get through the tire changeover seasons in spring and fall and still smile.
max psi driving on snow .... you even listen to yourself
0:25 “I’m not a tire expert”
Literally everything you need to know. The guy who made this video is clearly incompetent and has zero knowledge about tires.
Funny thing is that statement was made tongue in cheek.
Is anyone really a tire export at Costco?
Until a few years ago the tire manufacturers advised to run max pressure and that is what Costco and other dealers used to inflate them to.
Thanks for verification.
My original comment disappeared, but here goes my take - an E load (updated rating for 10 P.R.) may be able to support 2000 lbs of weight at 80 psi. If you were to put the same tire on a small car, one tire could have the capacity to carry the entire car - you only need the 80 PSI if conditions may occur where max rating is encountered. There are charts showing load indices vs pressures. If you were to put the E tires on a small car, you would lose the benefit of suspension through the tires - you may as well install steel wagon wheels if you plan on running max PSI - add up the max load on tires and see how it related to what your car weighs and typical cargo/passengers. The tire manufacturer takes into account rolling resistance at max weight and pressure - if you over inflate, you hurt the ride and can cause premature wear within the center of the tire - the inverse of too low a pressure, the tires wear on the edges - more weight will flatten out the foot print, less weight will put the tire up on a slight center bulge.
So the analogy of baking everything at 500 degrees in your oven just because you can does follow similar lines - capacity vs need
Thanks. I saw your original comment but it got flagged for some reason by UA-cam's spam system. I tried to find it to manually approve it, but it was gone
Glad you came back and tried again.
I guess I do the perverbial cooking everything at 50p degrees then. Because I tend to run my tires at the max cold pressure.
The tires can handle it just fine
And the trade off for fuel economy gains is worth it in my opinion
Can we at least agree that there is no risk to the tire by running at max pressure?
50 PSI in your tires will feel like the tires are made out of stone ! 36 to 38 PSI maybe if you have a large vehicle maybe but even that is relatively high. Max pressure is not making them flat on the pavement but crowning them instead so the middle of the tire will wear faster than the inside / outside.
True story
I bought tires at Costco three times, no issues with the tires themselves or the buying process . My issue is with how crowded they are for ongoing service, The service is fine but its just so crowded all the time, getting in and out is a pain and just going for nitrogen fill or a rotation is a hassle. No place to park, can't get near the garage, an accident looking for a place to happen. The prices are good, the installation and warranty is good its just too crowded where I live for ongoing service.
Agreed
So having watched the whole video, listened to your comments and theories; you have a 12 year old vehicle with a mechanical issue with air suspension that should be replaced every 10 years because they are wearable parts.
You are upset because a Tire center that solely does tires, and sometimes oil changes depending on your place in the world (not a mechanic, not a suspension specialist), could not properly diagnose a mechanical issue.
I understand you had to wait a while, that sucks, probably went in on a busy Saturday, maybe had an issue lifting the vehicle or debating if they could cause more harm if they lift it.
Overall I’m sorry you had a bad experience, but you also have to realize there are things you don’t know, that they vaguely know, and that a mechanic knows.
I assume you go to a doctor, you get sent to a specialist if it is beyond the normal.
If you don’t like what either says. You get a second opinion.
Thanks for the comment. I did actually go get a second opinion afterwards from a real tire shop and will not be buying tires from Costco again
They are not educated and don't know anything about tires past mounting and balancing
No trouble shooting skills, and no knowledge of how tires work. At least, not in a way they are able to explain
Someone needs to get this guy a snickers bar..😂😂😂
Probably right
The anti-roll bar will transfer weight to the suspension on the lower side of the vehicle in order to force the body upwards; you could have up-to 100% on one side and 0% on the other side
Excellent explanation.
You clearly don’t understand the basics of tires if you can’t inflate your tires to the proper psi. DON’T go based on the tires max psi. Your recommended tires psi is there for a reason… all you are going to do is wear out your tires quicker by over inflation which voids most warranties ! Only up your psi when towing or carry heavy load. The front tires on most vehicles are going to look under-inflated when compare to the back due to the front weight of the engine… common mistake by most(hear it all the time). What makes this video funny is hearing a guy who thinks he has a slight idea of knowing what he’s talking about and then getting what he wants (tire replaced) and someone to agree with him..only to be proven wrong. All while admitting his suspension has a history of problems. You’re air suspension is the problem plain and simple stop giving US tire technicians a hard time thanks.
I think you missed the part where my suspension was fine until I had the tires put on.
Costco didn't jack the car properly and ruined the airbag, I fixed that at my expense and the problem never went away.
The tires to this day still look flat compared to any other tire I've seen.
It's funny how the tire experts that jump in here totally overlook the facts presented in the video and just focus on my attempts to try and fix it, or to at least understand it.
So far I haven't heard a good reason why one side looks waaaaay flatter than the other. Even after the suspension was fixed I had to pressure the one side higher than the other in order to have the car drive straight without pulling to the flatter tire side.
God I don’t know how I came here. This guy is insufferable.
Lol. Glad you came. You'll warm up to my sense of humor in time
“I’m not a dumb guy.” 🤣🤣
Don't we all think that?
Don't waste your time, this guy buys Chinese tires.
Lol
Thanks for the laugh!
No problem!
If you had any questions or doubts on your vehicle you had the option to ask your dealership for insights on this issue. Every tire shop should be referring to the specified tire pressure for that vehicle, usually located on the drivers side door pillar. Feel free not to return to Costco and use any other vendor.
Way to expensive to talk to dealer.
I can figure it out on my own, I just wanted Costco to deal with it since it's part of the service they offer
I'm watching this video while I'm having new tires installed at Costco.😂
Wow, let us know how it goes
Costco tire service has gotten horrible since C-19. I just spent 6 hours to get a tire replaced. Everyone I talk to in this store says they are terrible; crappy attitudes and slow. Maybe they are over-worked due to corporate policies.
Sees right
Lol after watching this video, I kindly ask you to please turn in your man card at a mechanic shop near you. You are also sentenced to read the magazine "popular mechanics" from cover to cover for the next 5 years. Thank you and have a wonderful day! Lol
Lol. I like your style
You really have no idea what your talking about 😂 nice video for the content tho
Glad you appreciated it for the content.
I think I did a good job explaining what the problem was
Understanding that the tire shop agreed there was a problem
The tire shop did not fix the problem.
So I had to start my own trouble shooting. Which is where everyone is jumping all over me
It's called trouble shooting people. If you don't try stuff to see what works and what doesn't, then how on earth is it going to be fixed!?
The new suspension did not fix the problem.
So I had to try other stuff.
I wish the Costco tire center had more answers or were willing to trouble shoot for me and tell me the solution. But they didn't help at all
Load ratings on tires make a huge difference. What is the load rating mandated by the car manufacturer and what was the load rating on that tire that "looked" flat. It didn't look flat to me. It looked like the sidewall was simply not strong enough to appear vertical. I bet the load rating on that truck is like 114 and the tire is probably 112 or something.
Should have asked him to remove the tire and inspect it for any visual damage. An air pressure gage would help your cause.
Agreed. But I didn't think it was my job to tell the tire guys how to test a tire
LOL this is hilarious i really dont know if you are dead ass serious! oh my im so happy i came to this tire expert
Load leveling switch on this problem side tire. Went crazy ok so it recalibrated somehow ,worked properly again view leveling switches location
Leaving switches were fine
As a previous Costco Tire center manager I can assure you we do not make money on the tires just like anything else inside the building.
As Costco tire installers we are Michelin tire certified and we follow TIA (Tire Industry Association guidelines ). So we are training to follow the vehicle door placards and what the vehicle manufacturers recommend for their vehicles.
Some tires have a soft sidewall and some have harder sidewalls. Michelin and Bridgestone both have soft sidewalls so after being inflated to vehicle specs and then getting installed on your vehicle they may “look low” but the proper contact patch is touching the ground as it was designed. Adding too much air will only make the tires wear out faster on the inside (middle) of the tires.
Lastly Costco does not perform any additional mechanical work so we can not give any additional advice on why the vehicle is pulling to one side or the other. Vehicle should get a yearly alignment check in general or follow the vehicle owners manual. I understand where you are coming from and all I can think is that maybe they should of spend more time trying to explain and give you more information on the tire. If you have any additional questions feel free to reply!
Thanks for stopping by
What you're missing is the car did not pull to any sides when I had the old tires on.
Only after Costco put the tires on did one side look flatter than the other, and the car started to pull to the side that had the flatter tire
Now I ain't no tire expert. But when a tire looks flat, and starts pulling you off the road usually you put air in the tire, and all your problems go away
You can say they ain't mechanics, but, they sure as heck better fix problems that they created.
@@GearsAndTech I’m going to try and make this short and sweet for you… Costco didn’t break the airbag on your suspension. You live in Canada, winter weather makes suspensions on cars wear faster, rubber seals, plastics, gaskets etc. Chances are, the airbag was starting to fail on its own. When you lift a car on a rack the suspension falls down to a degree. It was probably the straw that broke the airbags back per say. Just like any other major change, it takes time for everything to re adjust and break in. Replacing the broken suspension is no different, which is why it took a week (probably shorter doubt you were checking it every day) for the wheel to look normal. With auto ride air suspension there’s computers involved as well. Bottom line, anywhere you would have taken the car for the tires to get replaced would have resulted in the suspension giving up the ghost once the pressure was released as it was being lifted. Costco did not have to replace the tire, but they did. Didn’t even end up being the issue in the end.
One more example, if you have a partially cracked bolt that hasn’t snapped yet because it’s being forced together by the gravity of the car, and you release that pressure, it’s going to break all the way. Guarantee that’s what happened to your suspension bag.
Hope this helps.
Sorry bud, you don't understand how air suspension works on these cars
The airbag was out of place and bent sideways rubbing on the drive shaft which the wore a hole in it.
I'm not an idiot. I noticed the problem right away
I guess those cheap Chinese tires are giving out toxic fumes!
Good luck man, you are going to need it!
BTW go with your Mercedes to a dealership for a new tires, factory-trained mechanics give you the full $$$ervice; they know your vehicle best, you will quickly and snap out of it🤣
Good sir. Please do not tell people it’s a good idea to run your tires at the max pressure. The vehicle is designed to run at a certain pressure for a reason. Running too much air in your tires causes irregular tread wear, prematurely wearing out tires. The car is not squishier. That’s how it’s meant to ride, unless you are hauling weight, then bump up your pressure, temporarily. Over 10 years tire experience btw.
Weird, I just got the exact same tires for my new car and they are set to 42 psi based on the door plate
Seems like they will work just fine
Also, not squishy at all this time.
the bottom line is go by the manufactures recommended tire pressure. its on the door jam. inflating it higher or lower is your own preference. on most mercedes, the pressure on the front and rear are different. in your case, there are many variables. for example, what were the original tires. in many cases, different brands or models varies. some looks flatter etc. as for the air suspension, it really needs to be correct and leveled.
remember, you went to costco. those tire guys don't make alot of money. you're not gonna pay 40 dollars an hour for someone changing tires. samething with the rest of the tire chain. those tire tech are trained to do there jobs and knowledge will come in time. if there tire career even last. you can bring your car to the dealer. they are the experts and usually will already know the problem. remember that this your car. you chose this certain type of car. try not to do the blame game. im pretty sure when costco took 2 hours to change 1 tire. its because they are panicking and trying to fine a solution. usually when things take along times. phone calls are being made to find solutions. anyways this post was awhile ago. was there a solution?
No resolution from Costco. Just a resounding reassurance that I don't like Costco
The only upside was I saw a suburban later that same winter with the exact same tires and the front tires looked just as flat as mine.
So I decided they maybe just look flat normally. I still run them at higher psi
1) because it's able to handle the higher psi based on the tire rating
2) it makes me feel better driving in tires that don't look flat
@@GearsAndTech sorry to hear, I know how you feel. from hearing all your explanation and others. to me, it sounds like its that particular tire you have. unfortunately the manufacture will never admit to it.
I still remember many years ago when radial tires first started to get popular. it was always the older customers that complain that their tires look flat. now a days all tires are radial tires. exception to some offroad and construction vehicles. i'll use another example, alot of pickup trucks and vans have load range e tires. those are 8 ply tires. i have seen many cases the customer decide to go cheap or they didnt know. they purchase tires that are not rated for that weight. they have to put alot of air so the tires don't look flat. load range e maximum pressure is 80psi. putting 80psi in a tire rated to 50psi is not safe. i believe, its bad luck you purchase that particular tire model. mercedes suv vehicles are more to the heavy side. its really unfortunate for you and others that nobody can help you. and could of known before purchasing those tires. it sucks!!!
Is this real life???
Sometimes the line between real life and 'for entertainment purposes' is so blurry that some people don't pick up on that
Unfortunately, it seems some people on FB recently have been sharing this around and have no idea how to take this.
I appreciate you asking!
I have stated in other videos that life for me is a show. Purely for my entertainment.
You guys all are characters in the show.
The problem only comes in when someone gets offended by the show, or, feels they need to educate everyone about how stupid the show is
Why not enjoy the show with me. Have a laugh, cry a little, learn something, or just be amused!??
Thats what I'm doing anyway.
It has to be the tire(s), I only say that because the problem didn't happen until he got the tires. Solution would have been to just change them and see what happens next or have the customer take his car to get checked out by the dealer or certified mechanic to make sure the suspension is fine.
I agree.
A old timer would switch front to rear tire and rear to front and see what it sits look like ago
That's what I would have done too. But I figured they should do that, not me
I had 8 yrs experiences managing the QA/QC dept for an OEM Tier 1 supplier to major Japanese companies (Yamaha, Suzuki, and Honda) mounting tires and wheel assemblies. We avg over 1-2 million tires supplied per yr. I've personally handled/mounted/touched/inspected/or any other industrial capacities in excess of millions of them over the years. Our company even once supplied tires/wheel assemblies for FORD's TH!NK project back in the early 2000's (electric golf cart for road driving) built in Dearborn, MI.
Here's something that most ppl did not realize about tire replacements with respect to aftermarket (anything that wasn't original OEM spec tires = aftermarket)...
The recommended cold psi found at the side of the car is based on the OEM tires tested. They have unique tire deflection angles based on that specific cold air pressure which was then road tested on the factory's proofing ground for extensive studies before approval. The obvious common characteristics when the driver feels the ride is 'squishy' is due to under inflation which caused the sidewall to sag and looking flat and unable to 'deflect' the torsion of the vehicle as it shifts and turns from an upright straight position.
A second intrinsic factors affecting the tire deflection angle (relative to the OEM suggested tired pressure) is the PR (ply rating) of the side wall of the tires.
Another factor is the choice of the natural or synthetic rubber compound used for that sidewall portion of the tire (A tire is consisted of 3 major components: tire tread rubber, side wall rubber, and tire bead rubber).
All things considered, one simply cannot just claimed the OEM cold tire pressure would work perfectly on an aftermarket tire of the same size/aspect ratio. It's a point of reference.
If you truly want to be precise and have the best ride experience, you'll have to constantly test it with high quality method to ensure the pressure is properly adjusted per ride experience.
If OEM tire cold psi was 32 front and rear while having 4 Ply rating on sidewall, but replacement tire sidewall has 2 PR instead of 4, then it would be very unlikely that OEM 32 PSI would have worked well on the replacement tires.
It is also common that Asian tires have a tricky way of labeling tire's total PLYS versus PLY rating. It is often that they would call their tires 4 PR while having just 2 PLY on the tire.
These greatly affects the ride responsiveness on torsion / deflection. It's literally impossible to write a simple guide to explain and elaborate w/ visual guides and all.
Now, plz do not EVER expect anyone from the retail tire business to have such Indepth knowledge of tire and wheel fitment as well as road knowledge, they simply do not have such experiences or exposures....
I haven't even get into the area of 'observed tire pressure' after mounting/inflation vs resting tire pressure (within 5m afterwards) as well as tire bead angles vs wheel's bead lock angle.
Unless you have experiences with developing tire engineering prints and rim/wheel engineering prints along with mass production experiences and QA of returns and defects for variety of root cause analysis, no one would fathom these details.
Bottom line, TLDR version, stay within the major competitor of the OEM tires that are widely adopted for your specific vehicle, so you won't have to worry about aftermarket discrepancies.
Don't trust single readings of the tire pressure unless you got functional TPMS.
I appreciate you're detailed and informative reply
This seems like a long way to confirm that I'm not crazy. And something was wrong with the tires, and adjusting the pressure was the correct fix.
Costco tire department is a long waiting process. About your flatter tire experiment, first I would swap out the front driver tire & wheel to the passenger tire & wheel to see if the issue resolve.
That's what I would have done too. But why is it the customers job to do that
Not the tire rating for psi look in your door well of the drivers side door for psi for the car. It will tell you the size of tire and psi the the car needs.
What if I put a load range e tire on the car. Do I still go with the door at 40 psi or do I go with the sidewall at 80 psi?
hahahaha i had a great laugh at this.
Glad you're enjoying the content.
The rubber is soft and flexible when brand new and expand while rolling down the road. Old tires get hard and firm and don't change much as they age.
Costco was ignorant as they should have only rotated the tires to show you how your broken air bag caused the tire to absorb the extra weight/energy
I 100% agree.
I was thinking about doing it myself, but then I realized Its not my job to figure out the problem. I was surprised Costco didn't do that first. That's one of the reasons I felt they were worse off than me in knowing what they are doing.
It's also why I put this video up. They probbaly pull that same crap on other people, except those people have no idea they are being fed lies and their car is unsafe.
If you read the comments here though a lot of Costco fans think I was the dumb one in this scenario. Costco is preying in idiots and it makes me sick.
I had a great experience with Costco tire center
That's great!
Why not try to change the back tire with the front to see if the problem still exists... fyi you shouldn't fill tires to the max, you should look at your owners manual.
Agree on all accounts. Surprised Costco didn't do that in trouble shooting the issue
"oh I'm sorry, I thought this was America"
This guy is a true pneumatic engineer!
I will never buy tires from Costo again. Customer service when there is an issue is horrible, at least Hover Alabama!
I feel bad for any tire shop that has to deal with this Karen. Anybody with common sense would know to go by the tire pressure recommended by the manufacturer.
The engineers and designers of the vehicle model spent tons of time and energy determining what tire PSI would give your vehicle the best possible combination of handling, stability, control, ride comfort, and fuel economy. You should trust their findings. And not listen to this yokel
And just drive around with a flat looking tire with a car that suddenly pulls to teh right?
Thats so unsafe
Being a general maintenance mechanic I go with what's on the inside of the door but on light trucks I will do 5 PSI or a couple PSI over just because they are trucks... like the Tacomas for instance call for 30 PSI I put 35 just because they're once again trucks and also air will fluctuate
Finally someone that understands the door is not the boss.
Thanks for stopping by.
Same energy as doing research on webmd for a few hours makes you a certified Doctor lol. Gj job bro keep doing you
Appreciate it!
You didn't state your Mercedes Model? - most likely? your air suspension is computer wired & somehow it went up/down or each side, that's why after you change the tire is look okay a few days later. air bag/air ride suspension has all kinds of problem in all makes. Mercedes / BMW / Audi do have complicated mechanicals. but the tire & Costco is not to blame, my opinion. I do agree w/ you on your air pressure.
Ml550
I had no problems prior to the tire swap
Costco blew out the rear air bag
Ok so according to you 32 PSI all over the tires caused the unleveled issue, and when running the tires at 45 PSI everything leveled out(of course added pressure/firmness will visually overcome the weight differences visually). IF weight distribution is the issue then inflating the tires closer to max PSI will not eliminate the weight distribution issue, it only fixes a visual issue, and the uneven weight will still cause uneven wear in the tires in the long run. Even if the suspension was changed to new, either previous damage or frame changes over time can cause everything to go out of balance. These luxury brands usually tend to have powerful powertrains that put a strain on the frame and suspension over time. More so if you like to drive using most of its power when taking off from a red light, fast cornering, going fast on curves, and/or entering a freeway.
Also, the sticker in the door is for OEM size specs, if it says 245/50/20R and you replace it with the same spec tires; then the PSI recommendation in the sticker applies. When following sticker PSI recommendations most car tires will sag and look as if they need air. In your situation using PSI recommended levels was highlighting weight distribution issues that visually disappear when applying closer to max-rated PSI 45PSI.
Remember that when a tire gets hot it can gain 3-5 psi more than what it initially put in when the tire was cold, so inflating a tire to 45PSI can bring it closer to its max 50 psi. so if the tire is 51-53 max psi. It has a bit more buffer. The closer you drive a tire to max PSI it increases the risk for a tire blowout; the same as if your PSI drops under 29PSI.
Max psi is based on cold readings. It even says so on the tire
No need to guess the difference in pressure change when warm and subtract from the max cold pressure
The true tire engineers already added that safety factor into the rating when they stamped it on the sidewall
Fun fact, they also applied a safety factor to that number. So you can exceed the max psi on the side by 10 to 15% and still be within a safe margin
Once you get over 20% you are taking some serious chances.
Why Costco sells 2-3 years old tires for new one price?
Crazy
When lifting a car with air suspension you have to shut it off so it doesn't over air the bags. Some cars actually will shut the system off automatically when all four corners are raised. But I agree Costco sucks.
1st thing should have rotate tire with another 🤔
Totally agree. Not sure why the tire place didn't do that
Hard to complain when you know apparently nothing about tires. You never inflate to the max just because it'll hold that psi. Read the damn placard and set them at what the vehicle's engineers stated for them. They definitely know better than you. And no, they wont wear better when overinflated. Quite the opposite.
PSI is on the door, smart he says
Yeah, turned out the tire center under inflated my tires. Door placard says 45 psi
Old by now, but... Why didn't you at home or Costco simply swap the left and right front wheels and see if there was any change? (Costco would say the tire swapped to the bad suspension side should now be a problem - you would say that the bad tire would stay bad when it was swapped to the other side.) Clearly your equal 50 psi inflation and then pavement to rim measurement was a reasonable approach to checking and comparing for that excessive 'flex'. (I often do my own tire rotations 'cause I'm not close to a tire store and it's not a big deal to do what I suggested above - I'm 78yo).
100% agree
It was cold outside and I figured the test was a reasonable expectation for a reputable shop to perform
They didn't want to take the time to check it. In hindsight it would have been way faster for me to have done that test myself
Instead my takeaway was that Costco tire center sucks
Now that I have a new car, I got the exact same tires but went to a different shop. Got a better price, and they seem to be fine.
Dude you're way way off. First of all snow tires, especially new always feel squishy compared to others because of the chemistry of their make up. Secondly, you never ever inflate to the sidewall pressure because each vehicle has different weights and proportions. Thirdly: My experience at Costco has been far superior than any other chain tire place, even better than most local places. " Oddly enough" "I'm not a tire expert but" You're are so WRONG, people taking your advice my actually get hurt. The tire guys were right and you're not anyone for advice.
I disagree
Inflating your tires over 10% recommended is in fact dangerous but you should know as "I'm no tire expert". You Karen'd the Costco staff for doing the correct thing, giving you another tire, that wasn't needed and you blame them?? For what? For not giving you a pin or a cookie? LOL
if its the factory size tire, ALWAYS inflate to The Door Jam sticker....101 man...
Turns out door sticker says 45 psi Costco under inflated them
@@GearsAndTech that’s our answer:) maybe I missed that part if you stated in video.
Why wouldn't you simply move the tire to the other side and see what happens
I totally agree
But, is it my job to do that? Shouldn't the shop do that to prove they are right?
Not every customer is that smart. And I paid enough for the tires that I should be treated like a regular ignorant idiot, and not expected to know how to trouble shoot a problem that didn't exist until the tires went on
Blizzaks don’t feel like all seasons. They do feel different. I run Blizzak WS90 on our van and DMV2 on our SUV. I run PSI about 3-5psi higher then door sticker but never max. Only tires I run max is my tent trailer tires at 50psi.
Wow, I dont dare run trailer tires at max. Its too hard to feel if something is up
Lmao dude...
This video just shows the creators lack of reasoning skills. This is a customer that cant be reasoned with.
I don't agree
@@GearsAndTech I urge you to read even half of your comment thread in a different light. It's pretty obvious you aren't understanding peoples sarcasm and think you know what you are talking about when you don't. Tons of mechanics and car guys here are in disbelief about your opinions and you seem to be in your own world.
There’s no way this dude is serious lmaooo
You never know
Bridgestones are made in Mexico, that might explain it.
It could make a lot of sense
Or just get a full refund for your tires. And order the original tires you had on before.
also agreed. They didnt seem to want to do refund, so I was just looking for my issue to be solved
Wouldn’t it have been smarter to swap left and right front wheels as a test to see if the tire issue followed the wheel or location on the vehicle?
100% agree. But Why should I as the buyer know to do that, or be expected to try it? I thought the shop would suggest it, but offered to replace the tire instead. Not before wasting 3 hours of my life first though.
@@GearsAndTech I don't think this was primarily a technical or mechanical problem . Appears to have been an attitude and communication issue.
I believe that if @GearsAndTech had respectively asked the Costco tire manager to switch the flat looking tire with the opposite side to help solve the problem, this suggestion would have been jumped on as a quick and easy method of determining if the problem was with the tire or the car. This seems like it would have been the quickest & easiest way to avoid further conflict, which in my experience is what Costco employees want to do.
Instead both sides became defensive, with Costco blaming the car and you blaming Costco employees and the tire. It appears this quickly devolved into a dispute with both sides digging in. Maybe Costco employees should have been more knowledgeable and creative & maybe @GearsAndTech could have helped find a solution by recommending this simple diagnostic procedure.
When you put a car with air suspension on a lift, You have to first make sure the car is in lift mode. Or you risk damaging the suspension.
yes, this is true.
Rotate the tires, if that side still looks flat it’s because there more weight on that side. Could mean a bent frame/chassis or the suspension is shot. If you run a tire at max cold psi and it’s bulging like that you can still kill the tire.
Thank you for stopping by.
I 100% agree.
I expected Costco to do that since they sold me the tires. But they never even suggested it.
Best of luck for you. Maybe think about contacting Bridgestone directly and see if another shop in your area will honor future warranty issues. And make friends with a local tire shop, they’re more likely to bend the rules in your favor over what a huge corporate company would. Those are the people that really want you’re business. I give my guys beer.
@@yjwarren8209 he has to rotate the tires @ 32psi to check if the issue is with the vehicle before he can take further action. It's very highly unlikely that he would get 2 bad tires from a reputable company.
Finally someone that gets what I'm saying
I don't understand why it's my job to trouble shoot the problem. I paid enough money that they should be trying to figure it out, not me
@@GearsAndTech they only handle tires, and if changing the tire doesn't fix the solution there's nothing they can do for you.
This guy does not have a clue. I’ve been a mechanic for 20+ years. He just doesn’t get it
Omygosh it looks underinflated due to more weight being on that particular tire due to a suspension problem
Thanks for weighing in
You fixed the suspension and that was the problem...