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Thread: Kal Tire - Nokians - extra charges?

  1. #1
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    Default Kal Tire - Nokians - extra charges?

    Went to ask about some Nokians for my car. Just want the tires, mount and balance. They proceed to write up an order for Tires, mount / balance, valve stems and an alignment. Without even asking me. Now I’m not a tire expert but I don have $150 to blow on valve stems (which I don’t see why they can’t use the ones I already have) and an alignment which I don’t want/ need.

    Maybe I just don’t know wtf I’m doing and this is standard procedure but can anyone comment if it’s normal when buying new tires? I just wanted to make sure because this is money I don’t have to waste. Thanks

  2. #2
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    the valve stems are normal, usually only an extra $10 for all 4 but it ensures that the tires will seal better.

    the alignment is BS total waste of money. Unless the car chewed off the last set of tires, its not needed.

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    your old valve stems are rendered useless when they let the air out of your tires before unmounting them.. new valve stems are a common thing when getting new tires mounted..

    As for the alignment,that is not commond practice. did you question them on that? perhaps they noticed that your old tires were wearing unevenly enough to warrant an alignment so you don't end up screwing up your brand new tires..

    The new valve stems are a valid charge.. as for the alignment, the only guy who can answer that for you would be the guy who wrote up your estimate.. why not ask him?

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    cool thanks for the info on the new valve stems.

    They claim that they need to do an alignment or charge me $70 just to check the alignment so they can warranty the tires. I'll ask them if they can just drop that and i'll skip the warranty.

    Thanks

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    Originally posted by BigMass
    cool thanks for the info on the new valve stems.

    They claim that they need to do an alignment or charge me $70 just to check the alignment so they can warranty the tires. I'll ask them if they can just drop that and i'll skip the warranty.

    Thanks
    When's the last time you got an alignment? Are you sure it's correct?

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    Does it pull to one side? 70 bucks to check the alignment is bogus. Tell them 70 bucks to check and complete the alignment and you want to see the spec sheet afterwards to ensure they actually did something. Personally for new tires and older vehicles (if you have one), I would.

    Originally posted by BigMass
    cool thanks for the info on the new valve stems.

    They claim that they need to do an alignment or charge me $70 just to check the alignment so they can warranty the tires. I'll ask them if they can just drop that and i'll skip the warranty.

    Thanks
    Ultracrepidarian

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    Kal Tire is a terrible shop, lots of bad reviews on ALL locations in Calgary. Check google.
    Originally posted by InRich
    tell her I'll pick her up in the vette
    Originally posted by InRich
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    The valve stems are necessary. And they replace them with high pressure ones, either brass plated or nickle plated depending on the rim. (They should only be 15$ all together)
    They wouldnt rec. the alignment unless its needed. usually is if youve been driving on tires that had uneven wear. That is unless you want your new tires to be bald right away. Theyre just trying to give you the longest lasting life for your tires, if youve got the money you may as well get it all done and save yourself future investments into fixing the problems.

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    Actually, valve stems are NOT rendered useless by letting the air out of your tires whatsoever. The reason we change valve stems when changing tires is simply in case they are old and the rubber has started to dry out. It is just easier to do it now than potentially in 2 months when a leak developed...

    That being said, if you have regular rubber valve stems and a shop is charging you for them, they are definitely douchey! lol! They cost like 25 cents each and should just be part of the job. I don't care if I am selling you tires or just changing over one tire... My guys are instructed to always replace rubber stems and we do it for free...

    Now if you have metal stems/pressure sensor valve stems, that is a whole different can of worms. They are rather expensive (many companies charge upwards of $15.00 per stem OUR COST so we only replace those at the request of the customer. Those valves usually have more of a plastic like seal that are durable, but once tightened they are kind of like a toilet tank seal, where as if they get undone you should not use them again as they will often leak as they have formed a shape which will never go back together again the exact same as they came out...

    Forcing a wheel alignment at time of purchase for a tire warranty is such a douchey move also. If you choose not to do it and you rip the edge off the tire prematurely, then deny the warranty for sure, but to say you can't have a warranty if you don't pay for an alignment as a preventitive measure, well that is a scam for more work that can be billed. That is why I had to open my own shop because I just couldn't stand the tactics of the big boys in this biz. Tire warranties may seem free, but they are not. I would rather see a tire store be honest and not build a warranty into the cost of everything else to make it look free, and instead just sell the goods at a fair price, and offer a warranty (other than manufacturers defects of course which is always included) for an extra charge if desired...

    Makes me crazy...

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    Just go to Urban, once you find a place you can trust, it is one less worry in your life. Been a customer for two years now, their motto ought to be "douche-free since the beginning".

    I do not think Urban carrys Nokians, could be wrong though. There are other tires out there which Urban carries which are the equal or better than the highly rated Nokians. I spoke to the top tire forensics guy in Canada a while back, his personal advice on tires, buy the latest technology as tire technology changes greatly over a short period of time. Drive on a three year old "new" winter tire, then try a recent model, equal dollar tire and the choice is clear.

    Just ask Bob and get on with life.

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    Haha i do go to Urban. I got wheels and tires from them. Bob is great. But he doesn't sell Nokians and i wanted the WRG2s specifically.

    Work got done, told them to scrap the alignment. No hassle. I guess everything else was legit. $600 for tires, $100 for mount/balance + tax.

    The only annoying part was the salesman at the front counter. When I picked up my car it was someone different and he was a lot nicer. The original salesman was giving me attitude because I didn’t want to get an alignment on a brand new car that drives straight as an arrow. Oh well it’s over with.

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    +1 for going to urban.
    Bob is a great guy.

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    Anyone know if urban carries klasse wheels?
    Autosignature

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    I had the same experience with Kal tire last week. They said that I needed to balance a new set of tires. I said if they need balanced I will get my guy to do it. She promptly said that if another shop does it that the alignment wouldn't be valid. I also asked her to show me the uneven treadwear on my current set of tires. She said she would need it on a lift to show me. But earlier had told me that there was uneven wear. I called her bs on that. Kal tire will never have my business.

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    I've never had a problem with Kal Tire (Deer Run) and the Nokians are the way to go for winter. Free rotations, free repair and free balancing if needed. They even rebalanced at the last rotation with some new equipment they got that does a much better job (said it's so they can do high end cars ).

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    I usually refer my friends to Urban X when they ask. 1 of my friends went to KalTire, didn't ask me before hand. they took him for a ride for $1200 for Nokians, just the tires, alignment. However, they told him free lifetime alignments on the car which I think is a lie. I will have to look at his invoice and see what they billed him

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    Step 1: Buy Nokians from Kal Tire.
    Step 2: Have them installed elsewhere.

    Alignments are done at the manufacturer's interval or when you want to, whichever comes first. (IMO).

    If you just had an alignment last week would they still make you get one because you're buying new tires? Alignments have little to do with the tires on your car unless your tires are wearing funny.

    (If you get an alignment done on tires wearing strangely, then I'd probably get it redone with new tires though).

    In any case. Anytime I hear about Kal-Tire's "policies" it always confuses me.

    Jeff

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    I had gotten an alignment somewhere else a month ago and told them I didn't need an alignment and they didn't have a problem installing my Nokians on. This was the store on 32nd Ave.

    I like the fact that you can get Free Rotations, flat repairs, and balancing. I was even surprised when she told me that they would change over to my summer wheels and tires for free. Normally, I would just do that on my own as I have a jack and torque wrench, but its good to know that they would do it if I wanted.

    They also offer a Free mechanical inspection inspecting steering, suspension and brakes, and I was surprised they even clean the windshield and put tire shine on the tires before they roll out.

    Those Nokians are sure expensive even though I got them on sale, but I heard they're the best, and they've been really good for me so far.

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    Originally posted by wintonyk
    I had the same experience with Kal tire last week. They said that I needed to balance a new set of tires. I said if they need balanced I will get my guy to do it. She promptly said that if another shop does it that the alignment wouldn't be valid. I also asked her to show me the uneven treadwear on my current set of tires. She said she would need it on a lift to show me. But earlier had told me that there was uneven wear. I called her bs on that. Kal tire will never have my business.
    Wait... you refused a balance on a new set of tires? How does that make sense? All tires are different weights, and if you get a new set of tires you need to balance those tires.

    It doesn't matter if your current wheels are balanced, as soon as you put new tires on there, the balance is thrown out of whack.
    Bought not built!

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    go to kal tire on 68ave and 52st se , i use to work there but now im going to school, mechanics are great and they take time do their job for no xtra cost. i did alignments,and when theres no adjustments made we print out the spec sheets and and dont charge the customer, and when theres adjustment to be made we notify them first if theyre willing to pay for the adjustment. as for the tires, they hav free rotations free balance free repairs and if you have a diff set for winters and summers, changeovers are free afterwards if they are still the same tires. if you need to go there just pm and ill get you the right person to talk to
    Last edited by civic_EK; 12-26-2010 at 09:47 PM.

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