Big O saved me about $1,400! The first shop I called, Les Schwab, was being untruthful or…read moreuninformed when it "required" me to have about $1,400 of repairs beyond what I needed. Both Les Schwab corporate and my vehicle's manufacturer indicated the local LS shop was incorrect. Thankfully, Winnemucca has a shop like Big O to provide competent and honest service without the customer needing to play detective!
That's the short version of the review--read on if you'd like more details. Or, just go to Big O and take your wife to a fancy dinner (or 10, or 20 dinners) with the money you could save from going here.
A newish front tire on my AWD got destroyed from road debris about 100 south of Winnemucca. First, I called Les Schwab and the CSR said they would only install a new tire if I agreed to replace all four. My tires are a costly and staggered set that cost about $2,000 to replace all four. Also, they had no idea what the condition was of the other three tires they were requiring me to replace as a condition of service.
A quick note for those unaware of an AWD phenomenon: it's sometimes advisable to replace all tires on an AWD vehicle when one goes bad. This is b/c if there is a significant difference in wear between the new and existing tires, the difference in tire rotation could damage the transmission. Because of this, reputable dealers will measure the difference in tire depth and, if it exceeds tolerances, replace all four versus just one tire. Back to my story.
I informed the CSR at Les Schwab that my tires were almost new and there might not be any meaningful difference in wear between the new tire and the others, so they should inspect them before deciding they need to be replaced. She insisted the company's policy was to change all four regardless of their condition.
I replied that requiring (versus recommending) unnecessary parts seems like fraud. After all, just the normal differences in PSI between tires would result in a greater difference in circumference than the treadwear between a new tire and one with, say, 5,000 miles.
Then I asked if her response would be the same if I bought four new tires, drove 20 miles home and damaged one and she said "yes." That's when I knew I was dealing with someone misinformed or unethical. She said the manager could explain it.
When the mgr came on the line, I expected him to either explain it (as she said he would) or say something like, "we often need to change all four but would need to measure the difference in wear before we can say for sure." He did neither.
He said he only came on the line to tell me that (1) their policy is to change all four regardless of their condition (and apparently I didn't need to know why) and that (2) because I used the word "fraud," with the CSR, his shop would not service me at all, even if agreed to purchase the three other tires (which I didn't need).
While stranded on the highway I asked two sources about this issue so I would be informed when I called the next shop. I called BMW of North America and spoke with a helpful gentleman, Frank, who said there is no need to change all four if the difference in the tread depth is less than 3/32". The manufacturer knows best so that's as authoritative as it gets. However, I also decided to view Les Schwab's website since I suspected the Winnemucca shop was going rogue.
Les Schwab's website had an article called, "Should You Replace All Four Tires on Your AWD Vehicle?" which says, "At Les Schwab Tire Centers, we use a tread depth gauge to accurately measure the tread depth as a complimentary service. We can then help you decide if a full set of new tires would be best."
Les Schwab's official corporate website says LS should measure to see if new tires are needed. Why didn't their store manager know this? Why was the Winnemucca location departing from LS's policy and from the guidance of my car's manufacturer?
I then called Big O which said it would replace the tire but may need to replace all four if the difference in tread depth exceeded specs. Now that was the correct response--an honest and responsible response!
Bog O FedEx'd my tire from Las Vegas, measured the difference in wear when it arrived, saw that the others didn't need replacing (the difference was well within my manufacturer's specs), and I was good to go. That saved me about $1,400!
Note that back in Vegas I can also find a performance shop to shave off the minor tread difference if I wanted to track my car (which I don't) or drive it at 140 MPH (also which I don't), where it might begin to make a difference in driving dynamics.
Before you think I was overcharged for what I got, understand these performance run-flats cost about $400 apiece and need to be balanced for high speeds. This cost would be the same at any shop. But cheaper at Big O since it won't needlessly require you to replace all four!
