Let me start by saying that I have always had good work performed at Butler Tire in Alpharetta…read more
I have taken my high-performance or restored vehicles here twice, and each time, I left feeling glad I did.
However, I will not be going back again because the "added value" of going here is no longer present.
This is due to three things:
1) The on-the-car wheel balancing is now no longer done and apparently hasn't been available for quite some time.
The technical reason was that newer cars do not react well to having the wheels rotated with the car turned off or off the ground. The traction control systems freak out.
I still am not 100% convinced about the wheels being turned (balanced) with the car turned off, but they aren't doing this service anymore.
This was the main reason I went here.
2) Nitrogen instead of air - let me be clear here...
--- This is 100% BS! A sham and is snake oil.
--- Not my opinion - it's physics.
--- DON'T waste time listening to how "nitrogen is better than air" in tires.
Here is why...
The air in Earth's atmosphere is made up of approximately 78 percent nitrogen and 21 percent oxygen.
Boyle's and Charles' Law proves that nitrogen and regular air are going to behave nearly identically.
When compared, the pressure changes of nitrogen, air, and CO2 through a wide temperature range were found to expand (increase in pressure) at virtually the same rate.
Good shop air compressors have water/oil separators in-line to prevent moisture.
Also, the tire is filled with air before being inflated with pressure.
So unless you're mounting a tire in a chamber with 100% nitrogen, the best you'll get is around 85% nitrogen after inflation.
Since there is "technically" the tiniest sliver of truth to nitrogen behaving differently than oxygen, this myth persists.
You are being played.
3) My invoice was (in the words of the service writer) "confusing."
(image attached, with sensitive info removed)
When I was quoted $10 per tire for using nitrogen in tires, I (of course) immediately declined and requested that it be removed.
The service writer stated, "We only use nitrogen, so I'll just discount it off."
I agreed, and we proceeded with the quote, and I had the tires installed.
The work was done, and I am very happy with the tires and the balance, even though it was not an on-the-car balance.
Later, when I reviewed my invoice, I noticed that the nitrogen was still a line item charge showing $10/per tire.
I also saw that I declined the road service warranty.
Note that the declined road hazard contract was followed by an INDENTED line item underneath that read "service package savings -$116.00."
This reads as if the declined road hazard contract resulted in a savings of $116.0.
So, I called about removing the charge for the nitrogen.
I was told that the discount was on the invoice, in the lower right and side, although it wasn't.
The service writer had to go into the computer and physically print the invoice to see it as I did. He then explained that the -$116.00 savings was a total of $56 off the tires, $20 off labor, and $10 off for each tire to refund the cost of the nitrogen, as we discussed.
Of course, there was no way to know this, and for an invoice that is so good at listing each line item that I was charged so clearly, it certainly abandons all logic and this accuracy when showing discounts or refunded items.
SO...
- No more special/unique balancing services
- Inaccurate/confusing invoices
- Willingness to charge customers for a sketchy, BS "upgrade" (Nitrogen)
Is now why I won't bother going through the trouble of driving across town to go here again.
The organization is still fully willing to charge customers for sketchy things, which speaks to its character as a company, and yes, that means that any person who works there who is willing to sell this is also 100% okay with compromising their character when selling it.
That's a huge problem when you go to a service organization hoping to get a reputable, trusted advisor to help you make decisions about what to buy and why.
Going to Butler Tire is no better than going to any reputable tire service center.
In fact, it's probably WORSE if you consider their willingness to charge you for "special air" (nitrogen) and then hand you an invoice that won't clearly tell you what's happening with the sale.
** For PROOF of the nitrogen BS, here are just a few of the MANY places you can get the truth.
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https://powertank.com/pages/nitrogen-truths-and-myths
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https://www.aaa.com/autorepair/articles/Top-4-Myths-Vs-Facts-About-Using-Nitrogen-To-Inflate-Car-Tires
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Nitrogen vs Normal air in Tires: A myth busting experiment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua4FOiSW3VM
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Top 10 reasons not to put nitrogen in your tyres
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCnWvMleVD0