We just had a horrible experience with Advanced Tire Service on Main Street in Gainesville, Florida. In May of last year, a little more than 12 months ago, we purchased Goodyear Assurance All Season tires for our car. We paid for the tires, an alignment, and a "lifetime balance and rotation" package.
Yesterday we went back to Advanced for an oil change and a tire rotation. After performing this work, Advanced also did several system checks and inspected the tires. "Mark", one of the employees in the office, told me my tire treads for wearing thin on three of the tires and one was in the "just okay" range. He mentioned that I should probably get new tires on my next oil change in 5000 miles.
I was appalled. You see, the car has only been driven 12,000 miles in 12 months. The Goodyear warranty on tires is 65,000 miles, given normal wear and tear. When "Mark" looked at the invoice from 12 months ago, he thought that the mechanic, a newer hire, probably made a mistake on the tire tread depth gauge. Another mechanic went out to the car to double check the reading, and confirmed that the tire treads had indeed been worn beyond what one would expect after only 12,000 miles of driving.
"Mark" mentioned he would speak with his supervisor/manager (Mike Mullins), and get back to me. He didn't. So my wife and I visited the shop this morning. The mechanics put the car up on the lift, and determined that the alignment from 12 months ago was done improperly. This was their mistake. They mentioned that the excessive tire wear was due to an improper alignment.
They performed another alignment while we waited. They assured us that the tire wear henceforth would be closer to normal, although the tires already have significant wear. Not a good feeling when you are driving on the interstate or in town.
But here's the best part. While we were getting ready to get in our car and leave, they informed us we owe them for today's tire alignment. Now that's incredibly nervy. Worse, the cost of an alignment this year is 20% higher than last year's cost. $120 versus $100. That's a whopping 20% increase.
Of course, we will never go back to Advanced Tire Service. My opinion is that they were trying to "take us for a ride", even though they admitted that the issue was due to their less than stellar workmanship.
There are many auto repair places in Gainesville take your vehicles for maintenance, including car dealers. That's where we will take our car in the future. They may charge a little more for their services but at least I think they are more honest and trustworthy. read more
