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February 13, 2007 / Tuesday
Sorry, Tire Installation Guy
Got new tires installed on my car today. I ordered them from Tire Rack last week and had them shipped to a local shop for installation. I've sort of been dreading getting new tires because Tire Rack dented my rims when they mounted the first set, which led me to believe that (1) my rims are soft, from the looks of the dents and (2) it's not easy to get tires on those wheels. I still don't know about (1), but after spending 2 hours at the shop today I can say for sure that (2) is true.
I had an appointment for 10:30 this morning. I got there just before that, and they were ready and waiting for me. I pulled in, gave them my wheel lock and key, and they got to work. The waiting area was just inside, separated from the shop area by a wall, a window, and a door. I heard the shop guy remove the first tire and let the air out.
Later, I heard some grunting. Then, some yelling. Then, some loud dropping of tools. Cursing, followed by more cursing. The shop guy was not having a good time with my wheels. Eventually, he came in holding his elbow and asked one of the other guys for help. Someone in the waiting area asked him if he was okay, and he said yeah, but something popped when I was trying to get the tire on. Ouch.
The other guy came back. I asked him what it was about my wheel that made it so hard to work on. I knew that low profile tires were more difficult to install, but I couldn't imagine that the tire installation guy would have trouble with every set of 40 series tires that rolled in. He explained that my wheels were such that they couldn't just pop a tire on, but instead had to squish the tire to roll the lip in and then back out. Or something. I'm not doing a very good job of explaining it. It was a lot easier to understand with his hand gestures.
They finally finished at 12:30, way behind schedule, and not after sending the customers after me out for a lunch break. I felt kind of bad for the shop guy, as my wheels seem to have caused him a lot of stress and pain. I hope his elbow's okay.
But hooray, I have new tires.
February 13, 2007 01:28 PM | GTI