Complaint Review: Tire Kingdom

"new car 'tune-ups' are expensive but your's was a rip off"

There is no evidence of that. She provides next to nothing in the way of information in her posts.

"Well being that GM put the Quad 4 out of production in 1995 its not that engine."

And yet, the 2.4(Quad-4) was manufactured and installed in cavaliers through the 2002 model year.

"Coils are a go/no go part, either they work or they dont."

Wrong again. Sometimes they outright fail. Most times, they fail under load, but work fine at idle, and cruising. They also tend to break down when hot, but work fine when cold.

"They most definitely are selling you transmission flushes (if your car is an automatic), induction services and probably even a coolant service which on your car is only needed every 5yr/120,000miles."

She did not mention any of this. She said TUNE-UP, not flush.

"BTW.. you DO NOT change your belt every time you do an alternator!!"

Nobody said you do, it was mentioned that when the alternator fails, it would be a good idea to replace the belt.

"Serp. belts last anywhere from 30k to 60k miles if your alt goes out at say 20k miles (obviously this would be warrenty) and say its a crap unit and goes out again at 30k miles your not going to change the belt everytime,, the manufacture specs are no more than 2 cracks in the belt for every inch."

The serpentine belt should last longer than that, as should the alternator. The alternator is never covered by any car maker's warranty past 90 days. Read a new car warranty, since you claim to work for Chrysler. Each manufaturer specs the belts out differently, but none of them cover electrical parts after 90 days.

"I am an ASE certified tech, a level 6 Chrysler tech and I also hold some certifications from GM and Infiniti/Nissan."

And yet, you know absolutely nothing about car repairs, warranties, or what engine came in what car.

"I am also an exemployee of TireKingdom."

Perhaps you should go back.

"I am not bashing TireKingdom nor do am I saying that TireKingdom makes the business of ripping people off. That falls on the individual technician and store sales asso. I was a very fair and honest tech, which is why I got out of the business."

I for one, am glad you stopped working on cars. The quality of repairs just went up.

"As a techinician it is very difficult to survive in the industry by being honest."

No, it is not. In fact, the shop here in Md hired a scam artist. He was fired. The rest of us are honest, and we still have our jobs. In fact, we were able to repair the damaged reputation the other guy gave us in so short(2.5 weeks) of time. I even suggested he move to Florida, where he would probably be better suited. Yes, I closed my Florida shop, due to the magnatude of outright criminal behaviour that goes on there in the auto repair trades. It just was not worth my time trying to compete with make-believe prices from the other shops...$8 oil changes, $78 4-wheel brake jobs, and $99 dual exhaust. We don't offer BS pricing to get them in the door. We tell them the truth, and we stay swamped 6 days/week.

"Big companies are now being run by business people..."

That's a shocker!

"... and just as business people they are only interested in the bottom line $$$$$$. and if everyone was as honest and repaired vehicles as they should automotive would be a 1/2 billion $ industry..."

It appears your economic knowledge is a sflawed as your mechanical. I cut short the nonsense about cutting oil consumption by 2/3. It made as much sense as anything you have posted. I'll assume you also believe in the magic carburetor that was bought by Big Oil to keep it off the market...point being that unless the oil guys bought it for $Billions, the patent holder would have made as much in less than 10 years, and continued to reap the profits for decades more, nullifying the reason for selling it anyway.

Well being that GM put the Quad 4 out of production in 1995 its not that engine. Coils are a go/no go part, either they work or they dont. They dont get to a wear point as a tire or spark plug would. 1999 Cavaliers were equipped with the new Ecotech engine which is a coil on plug design (just like the Quad 4). They are also equiped with platnum plugs, but unlike popular belif or industry claims they only last about 65k to 70k miles,, not 100,000!

Tire Kingdom for any part $150 or less they double the price, so your $3 spark plugs from AdvanceDiscount auto parts are now $6 just to start. There is no timing to set so labor for doing four plugs on this engine is about 1-1.5hrs. So no more than $160 for labor. A far cry from $800!! They most definitely are selling you transmission flushes (if your car is an automatic), induction services and probably even a coolant service which on your car is only needed every 5yr/120,000miles.

BTW.. you DO NOT change your belt every time you do an alternator!! Serp. belts last anywhere from 30k to 60k miles if your alt goes out at say 20k miles (obviously this would be warrenty) and say its a crap unit and goes out again at 30k miles your not going to change the belt everytime,, the manufacture specs are no more than 2 cracks in the belt for every inch.

I am an ASE certified tech, a level 6 Chrysler tech and I also hold some certifications from GM and Infiniti/Nissan. I am also an exemployee of TireKingdom. I am not bashing TireKingdom nor do am I saying that TireKingdom makes the business of ripping people off. That falls on the individual technician and store sales asso. I was a very fair and honest tech, which is why I got out of the business. As a techinician it is very difficult to survive in the industry by being honest. Big companies are now being run by business people and just as business people they are only interested in the bottom line $$$$$$. and if everyone was as honest and repaired vehicles as they should automotive would be a 1/2 billion $ industry instead of 5 and our oil consumption would drop to a 1/3!!

I agree with you Robert. I don't own a shop or anything, but when you get into performance engines (And seeing as the 99 Cavalier appears to only have been offered with 2 flavors of 4 cylinder engines.. no doubt they were high performance) parts cost a whole lot more.

I would say on the exact same car, you could replace a failed alternator for anywhere from $150 to $350. Why the price difference? Rough guess that any shop is going to charge about an hour for the repair labor. That's a pretty fair time for alternator replacement, although it may be more for this particular vehicle (Much like replacing the radiator on a Taurus takes twice as long as other cars)... So why the price difference?

Shop #1 is going to put in the cheapest alternator that they can find, which so far as I can find is about $79.00, at $45/hr labor with tax, about $150. That alternator (OE Quality brand) comes with a 36 month limited warranty. What is limited? Probably means they'll only pay for replacement of the part, and it's probably pro-rated. So if it fails in 24 months, you're paying another $20 for another alternator, plus labor costs again.

Shop #2 is going to charge $250, because they are going to put in a $159 Autolite Pro alternator that carries a Lifetime warranty with 24 month roadside assistance. In addition, they're going to replace the serpintine belt which is another $20 or so but adds no labor onto the cost, because it makes sense to replace the belt while you're in there. Not to mention that anytime the belt is removed it should be replaced.

Which shop will get more business? Shop 1. Which one will be more reliable? Shop 2. Because shop 2 will tell you this is what needs to be done, because they don't want to see you back in there a month later with a broken serpentine belt that they could have replaced for $20 more when they were replacing the alternator.

Since Lisa will not say which engine she has(pertinent info) I'll guess it's the Quad-4. A tune-up on that is usually done at 100K miles but the $800 figure is accurate, maybe a little high if fuel injection cleaning was not done.

If it was, then the $800 price is dead-on. These require 4 Double Platinum plugs, a boot set, 2 coils, a module, and a cover. Add in Air and fuel filters and labor, and you have $700. Add FI cleaning and taxes, $800.

As for the shop charging you to diagnose the problem, duh. Do any of you out there work for free? As for other shops claiming to do it cheaper, sure. I do it all of the time.

I charge $10-$15/hour less than the other shops so I can almost always beat their prices. I also pay 1/3 the rent they do, and own 100% of the equipment outright. Since my "nut" is much less than the other guys, I can hit the same profit margin with a lower rate.

My shop would have done the full and complete job on Lisa'a car for $700. See how this works? Her real complaint isn't that the work didn't need to be done, it is with how much she was charged.

Big corporate stores charge more because they have to. Try using the smaller shops next time Lisa. The owners appreciate the customer and you will always know who to go to with a problem. Good luck.

Since Lisa will not say which engine she has(pertinent info) I'll guess it's the Quad-4. A tune-up on that is usually done at 100K miles but the $800 figure is accurate, maybe a little high if fuel injection cleaning was not done.

If it was, then the $800 price is dead-on. These require 4 Double Platinum plugs, a boot set, 2 coils, a module, and a cover. Add in Air and fuel filters and labor, and you have $700. Add FI cleaning and taxes, $800.

As for the shop charging you to diagnose the problem, duh. Do any of you out there work for free? As for other shops claiming to do it cheaper, sure. I do it all of the time.

I charge $10-$15/hour less than the other shops so I can almost always beat their prices. I also pay 1/3 the rent they do, and own 100% of the equipment outright. Since my "nut" is much less than the other guys, I can hit the same profit margin with a lower rate.

My shop would have done the full and complete job on Lisa'a car for $700. See how this works? Her real complaint isn't that the work didn't need to be done, it is with how much she was charged.

Big corporate stores charge more because they have to. Try using the smaller shops next time Lisa. The owners appreciate the customer and you will always know who to go to with a problem. Good luck.

Since Lisa will not say which engine she has(pertinent info) I'll guess it's the Quad-4. A tune-up on that is usually done at 100K miles but the $800 figure is accurate, maybe a little high if fuel injection cleaning was not done.

If it was, then the $800 price is dead-on. These require 4 Double Platinum plugs, a boot set, 2 coils, a module, and a cover. Add in Air and fuel filters and labor, and you have $700. Add FI cleaning and taxes, $800.

As for the shop charging you to diagnose the problem, duh. Do any of you out there work for free? As for other shops claiming to do it cheaper, sure. I do it all of the time.

I charge $10-$15/hour less than the other shops so I can almost always beat their prices. I also pay 1/3 the rent they do, and own 100% of the equipment outright. Since my "nut" is much less than the other guys, I can hit the same profit margin with a lower rate.

My shop would have done the full and complete job on Lisa'a car for $700. See how this works? Her real complaint isn't that the work didn't need to be done, it is with how much she was charged.

Big corporate stores charge more because they have to. Try using the smaller shops next time Lisa. The owners appreciate the customer and you will always know who to go to with a problem. Good luck.

Since Lisa will not say which engine she has(pertinent info) I'll guess it's the Quad-4. A tune-up on that is usually done at 100K miles but the $800 figure is accurate, maybe a little high if fuel injection cleaning was not done.

If it was, then the $800 price is dead-on. These require 4 Double Platinum plugs, a boot set, 2 coils, a module, and a cover. Add in Air and fuel filters and labor, and you have $700. Add FI cleaning and taxes, $800.

As for the shop charging you to diagnose the problem, duh. Do any of you out there work for free? As for other shops claiming to do it cheaper, sure. I do it all of the time.

I charge $10-$15/hour less than the other shops so I can almost always beat their prices. I also pay 1/3 the rent they do, and own 100% of the equipment outright. Since my "nut" is much less than the other guys, I can hit the same profit margin with a lower rate.

My shop would have done the full and complete job on Lisa'a car for $700. See how this works? Her real complaint isn't that the work didn't need to be done, it is with how much she was charged.

Big corporate stores charge more because they have to. Try using the smaller shops next time Lisa. The owners appreciate the customer and you will always know who to go to with a problem. Good luck.

Of course the other shops gave you a lower price. 1. They knew what the competition was. 2. They did not have to honor it. No matter what they told you, you already had the work done, so they did not not have to work for what they quoted you.

You pay for what you get. Im sure Uncle Bucks BBQ and Auto Repair can do it cheaper. but will they get it right and will they warrantee it? and of what caliber parts did they use? you get what you pay for. good luck

The car I brought to Tire Kingdom was a 99 chevy cavalier and it has about 49,000 miles on it. After I left Tire Kingdom I took it to a few other repair shops and they all gave me a much lower price for the exact same items that tire kingdom did.For everyone who thinks $800 is reasonable and not a big deal to spend good for them, but for me that is excessive.

You don't mention the vehicle type. There's the problem. $800 for a tune up COULD be appropriate, depending on vehicle.

Did you know that many of the Chevy V-6 engines require that you remove the engine from the mounts and pull the engine forward to remove the back three plugs? That takes some time.

Did you know that plug wire sets, which would be a standard part of a tune up can run $100-$150 on certain vehicles?

Ignition Coil can run $100.

Yes, $800 does sound excessive, but without the information on vehicle type.. I'm sure $800 is a bargain for a tune up on a Porsche.

It seems you have two complaints in your reports. The first one is about having to pay for diagnoses. I don't see this as a ripoff. The technician had to spend time determining what was needed for your vehicle. The tools, training and experience needed to diagnose your car are not free. Just like you want to be paid to do your job, so does that technician.

The second complaint seems to be regarding the price of the quote. It sounds like you did not have it done. That facility quoted you a price to do the work needed on your car. You indicated that you were going to price shop, so they discounted it to keep the sale.

Sounds like business Lisa, not a scam.

It seems you have two complaints in your reports. The first one is about having to pay for diagnoses. I don't see this as a ripoff. The technician had to spend time determining what was needed for your vehicle. The tools, training and experience needed to diagnose your car are not free. Just like you want to be paid to do your job, so does that technician.

The second complaint seems to be regarding the price of the quote. It sounds like you did not have it done. That facility quoted you a price to do the work needed on your car. You indicated that you were going to price shop, so they discounted it to keep the sale.

Sounds like business Lisa, not a scam.

It seems you have two complaints in your reports. The first one is about having to pay for diagnoses. I don't see this as a ripoff. The technician had to spend time determining what was needed for your vehicle. The tools, training and experience needed to diagnose your car are not free. Just like you want to be paid to do your job, so does that technician.

The second complaint seems to be regarding the price of the quote. It sounds like you did not have it done. That facility quoted you a price to do the work needed on your car. You indicated that you were going to price shop, so they discounted it to keep the sale.

Sounds like business Lisa, not a scam.

Why is giving up the pertinent information so difficult to everyone? If it's a Lincoln LS or any Ford product with 8 coils, $800 is a good price.

Why is giving up the pertinent information so difficult to everyone? If it's a Lincoln LS or any Ford product with 8 coils, $800 is a good price.

Why is giving up the pertinent information so difficult to everyone? If it's a Lincoln LS or any Ford product with 8 coils, $800 is a good price.

Why is giving up the pertinent information so difficult to everyone? If it's a Lincoln LS or any Ford product with 8 coils, $800 is a good price.