Another dealer rip off story

stamp11127 said:

Guess this is one of the differences between generations. We ol'timers have tire plugging tools and plugs......

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Non ol’timer chiming in here. I carry those in my tool bag and use if needed but prefer to have it the plugs replaced with a patch as soon as I can. I see the plug as a temp fix vs the patch being a more permanent solution.

I never leave my truck anywhere without asking for a quote up front, with a call if they’re going to exceed the quote.

joethefordguy said:

I never leave my truck anywhere without asking for a quote up front, with a call if they’re going to exceed the quote.

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This is SOP for any repair shop with a shred of decency IMHO.

Artie said:

This is SOP for any repair shop with a shred of decency IMHO.

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joethefordguy said:

I never leave my truck anywhere without asking for a quote up front, with a call if they’re going to exceed the quote.

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My thoughts exactly. No surprises if you know the cost up front.

Thanks guys. I appreciate the insightful thoughts. I’ve been to enough shops to ask for a quote beforehand. It just didn’t occur to me to do it for a 10 minute flat fix. It’s like picking up a gallon of milk at the store. You expect it to be within a certain reasonable price range, not $15/gallon.

Did you get a written estimate? If not I would dispute the charge with credit card company. Let them run interference for you.

AAOO said:

Discount tire would have been free or $25 if you didn’t buy the tires there. There is this new place called tire link that does it free but they have a small footprint. Not sure what options you have in your area.

Only time I go to the dealer is for covered warranty items.

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Yep. Discount tire is my first and only choice for tires. Good service, friendly and don’t charge anything for a tire repair if the tire was bought through them. I’ve had a few tires repaired free of charge.


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The plug is just a temporary repair until the tire can be replaced. Reputable tire shops do not use plugs at all. The correct way to fix a flat is to dismount the tire, remove the nail, patch the tire from the inside, remount and balance. Discount tire does that for free.

In my High School days, my friends father, took the family car in for wiper blades. They charged him $30 to install(in 1986). He didn't realize the local auto part store, puts them on for free(or you can just do it yourself). The dealer probably just plugged it and re-filled with air. I had one mechanic tell me, he marks the rim/tire with chalk and mounts the tire in the same spot(to avoid balancing). My local Mavis Tire plugged my slow leak for free. I was amazed, the guy spent almost 15min working on it. I tipped him a $10-spot.

rjdelp7 said:

In my High School days, my friends father, took the family car in for wiper blades. They charged him $30 to install(in 1986). He didn't realize the local auto part store, puts them on for free(or you can just do it yourself). The dealer probably just plugged it and re-filled with air. I had one mechanic tell me, he marks the rim/tire with chalk and mounts the tire in the same spot(to avoid balancing). My local Mavis Tire plugged my slow leak for free. I was amazed, the guy spent almost 15min working on it. I tipped him a $10-spot.

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PA requires state inspection, and I had my vehicle at a new shop. There was nothing that needed work to pass inspection, but the shop said it needed new wiper blades or they wouldn't pass it (wiper blades were fine). When the guy told me, I decided to call his bluff and I told him I refused to buy new wipers from him, but I'd have a buddy run me to the auto parts store and I'd buy new wiper blades and I'd install them so he could pass the vehicle for inspection. Wouldn't ya know it, the guy decided to pass it without new wiper blades! I hate dishonest shops and have never been back since.