Very Strange Costco Tire Center experience (flat tire)

It is not normal for new tires to go flat, but a poor seal between the tire bead and the wheel rim due to corrosion is not that uncommon, especially in the rust belt. I always ask the place to coat the entire inside of the wheel with bead sealer, a black tarry goo, to prevent the problem. Only about half the places comply with the request, they usually do so if I have to go back for the same problem you had.

If the vibration was not there before the tires were installed, then one or more of the wheels have to be out of balance. I probably get poorly balanced wheels about 25% of the time.

Computerized wheel balancing machines have taken much of the guesswork out of balancing wheels, but there are plenty of opportunities for error. New tires usually have stickers that denote the heaviest and lightest part of the tire, and a conscientous installer should put the lightest part next to the tire valve. Also, most wheel balancing machines will not detect an out of round tire, although I believe the Hunter Road Force machine will.

If you don't mind going to an Acura dealer a little west of you, I believe that one of my former co-workers is the service VP there. He is very sharp technically - he used to train dealer technicians, then he was a district service manager and district service manager before he went retail. Send me an e-mail if you want his name and the name of the dealership.

sorry to hear about your bad experience. that def doesn't sound right, tires going flat in a matter of days. I never have to add air, except routine checks maybe twice a year.

Sounds like you dealt with a crappy manager. (why posting in toyota forum, btw?) I had my 2001 Civic tires replaced at Costco with Michelin tires, and it was nothing but an great experience. I mistakenly wrote down 2000 model, which had a different tire size. I went back the next day and they put on the correct tires for free without any hassle whatsoever.

Another vote for Ray O's diagnosis. I've got serious leakage problems with the aluminum alloy wheels on my Tacoma, due to corrosion. They'll go from 35 psi down to 20 in two or three days just sitting in the driveway. But, my mechanic never lied and said this was a situation I should accept. The wheels will be dealt with next week when I get new tires. And, the vibration you're noticing is most likely a balance issue.

About that Costco employee who said your situation was normal: There are customers who will believe him, and it could get them killed. Matter of fact, the AAA estimates that 60% of cars are driving around with underinflated tires. You'll be doing others a favor if you walk into the store, ask to speak to the manager, and tell him/her that the guy in the tire department is either a habitual liar, or totally incompetent. Get that person fired. Write to the company's CEO, if necessary.

This sounds like a balance problem for sure.

The tire-wheel combination is never perfect. There is almost always a little balance problem. What the techs do is put little alluminum wheel weights on the tires, to balance out the balance problems. Either this wasn't done properly or a wheel weight came off. A weight could have fallen off after the tires were installed.

Why do you need an alignment? This does not sound like an alignment problem.

So get the tire problem fixed. If the car it tracking straight, why do you need an alignment?

Perhaps it would be better to ask the garage if you need an alignment first. Also, have them fix the tire problem. Then send the bill to Costco.

Hey, Johnny...

When I was young and wet behind the ears, I had a Volvo that had a nasty shinny. I bet I spent $120 on alignments before somebody suggested balancing! Duh!!! Anyway, alignment has to be severely out of whack to cause the problems your describing.

You go right back there and TELL them to check the balancing! But, before you do, take a good look at your rims. Usually, balancing only requires a couple of small weights on the inside or outside of the tire. I've had cars with bad rims that required a half pound of weights to balance. Considering the car, it was OK by me, but this is WRONG!!! There really should be a few ounces at most. If one or more wheels has a large amount of weights on it, something is not right, and I would ask that tire be replaced.

As far as going flat, yeah, a bad bead can cause that. They probably ground the rust off and applied a bead seal. Hopefully they rebalanced that wheels, since moving the tires and adding goop can cause the problem you're describing.

Also, were ALL the tires low? If so, the amount of air can cause balance problems. Have them inflate the tires to at least MFG's spec as listed on the door jamb or glove box, however, I always pump them up to the sidewall pressure, 'cause I'm a cheapskate and 'harder' tire get better mileage. I also manage to average at least 60,000 miles with good tires without rotating...maybe this has something to do with it...???

Don't let this guy tell you what's what...YOU are the customer, and the customer is always right! And if this guy doesn't believe this, ask for his boss. One thing I don't like messing with is tires; this is where the car contacts the road and is the source of all control. Also, shimmying can cause other parts to wear faster, so have them get it right!

Good luck! Oh, and, is there another Costco nearby? if these clowns don't want to do it right, maybe another tire manager will...

Because he's come to realize where the 'experience' is... ;)

We also have our 'ringer', Ray, who has seen it all!

so there! ;)

"Believing" is not the issue. Actually having it happen is dangerous. Put these facts together, and there's your answer:

1) According to my mechanic, it's not normal for corrosion-based leaks to cause a totally flat tire in a few days. It would be good if it did, because at least that would be immediately noticeable. But, the pressure usually ends up in the middle somewhere, low enough that the tire doesn't work correctly on wet or snowy roads, but not visually noticeable, hence the advice to never say "They look fine - no need to check them". 2) Many drivers are oblivious to changes in their vehicle's performance. They'll drive for months with 20-ish pounds in their tires. Maybe they'll find out about the problem when they hydroplane and end up in a ditch. Or, twice a year, when they go for an oil change, assuming their mechanic takes a minute to check tire pressure. 60% of cars have underinflated tires.

It's checked every 48 hours, no matter what. There are reasons for waiting to deal with it, which I will not go into here.

Sounds to me you need to tell Costco its unsatisfactory (balance). I agree with Ray, I usually have to go back for a re-balance about every 3 or 4 times. Seems to show up (bad balance) in a couple of days so might be thrown weight on mine.

I've used several Costco's in several states and locations and never had any argument about anything.

Ron in Ca

OK - I didn't explain that clearly. If the service writer makes the situation sound normal, it may lead certain types of drivers to NOT get the problem attended to quickly. So, they're driving around on soft tires. THAT could get them killed.

As far as my tires, I've already explained how often they're checked, so you stop pretending not to have seen that information. Ideal pressure for these tires (Nokian WR) is 34 on my truck. The worst case situation is that I drive a mile to the grocery store with 29psi, if I don't have a few minutes to pump them up at home. They've never been driven lower than that. I'm keeping the tires on for another week because they're excellent in snow. When the warm weather tires go on, that's when the corrosion will be dealt with.

Perhaps the Op should either talk to the manager of the store or go to another Costco (and then write HQ and the manager of the store).

Jeff

Hmmm...where have I heard that before?!

The scary thing is, that as close as I can tell, Costco is one of the better ones!

Ron in Ca

The better WHATS? What category are you comparing within?

Hi everyone, Thanks for your advice! Re. why I posted on the Toyota newsgroup, 'cause I like everyone here and 'cause my daily driver's an '89 Corolla SR5 coupe (in gorgeous condition) for which I always get great advice here. The wife had bought a Civic several years before I met her...

Anyways, at everyone's advice I took the car back into a different Costco to get the wheels rebalanced. The tire center employee there seemed helpful and competent. He put all the wheels on the balancing machine and told me that all the wheels were perfectly balanced ("read zero on the machine," he said). He asked me about the car's symptoms and said "maybe something had gotten caught in a rim." BTW

Anyhow, so the car feels slightly better now but I still feel an uneven feeling through the tires when driving, kind of like a scrubbing and/or rough ride sensation. The car does not feel smooth, though I don't see or feel the steering wheel vibrate at all either, for what it's worth. It continues to track straight.

? could a bad alignment possibly the culprit? I don't mind paying for an alignment but don't know how likely that would fix the problem. ? could bad quality tires give you a poor /uneven ride? These are BF Goodrich Grand Touring tires, which are cheaper BF Goodrich tires made for Costco. The car was smooth with its original set of cheap OEM tires though, and I doubt that Costco's BF Goodrich tires are worse in quality.

Just got a message from Ray O suggesting that improperly torqued lug nuts can do this as can trapped debris (unlikely trapped debris). I'm going to go remove the wheels myself now to check.

BTW someone had mentioned how the valve stem should ideally be on the opposide (or same) side as where the orange mark on the sidewalls is-- Costco did not pay attention to this, b/c the orange marks are randomly oriented relative to the valve stems.

Time to go jack up the car, John

Everything erased.

Now: Ask everyone at work who has a mouth, and all neighbors who they use for car repairs. If anyone says "Costco", erase their answers. Use your brain and find an independent mechanic who gives a damn about his work. Not doing so could kill you one day.

If the vibration decreased, then I would suspect dirt or debris between the wheels and rotors/drums.

The info about stickers on the tires was me ;-)

zzzzzzzzzzz.........

You must be very young, even if not in years.

They may have mounted what was the front tires on the rear, so that's why there's not shaking through the wheel. This can cause the other problems you're describing, though.

BTW, are these the same brand and model you had replaced? Sometimes a different tire can make all the difference.

My Supra had halfway decent tires on it when I got it, but they were wearing and began leaking, so I replaced them. I did search after search, reading ratings, etc, etc. I finally settled on price, and went with Hankooks from Town Fair...$75 each, "All-Season".

WOW! Now, I knew handling and ride were going to be better (maybe...) but my Supra id a Sport Roof (Targa) and I was afraid the noise would be horrendous. QUIET!!!! REAL QUIET!!! I'm glad for once I didn't replace the OEMs!!!

The applied wheel weights are lead not aluminium.