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Name:	MAJ USA RET -	Reply
Subject:	Any Red Blooded American Boy Can
Date:	8/13/2013 5:41:19 PM

Today my wife had to leave her car and take mine. She had a flat tire and I caught it before she drove away. NOW… any red blooded American boy can change a flat… right? OH NO! Express Oil Change #11 (in Auburn) had rotated my wife’s tires. They had tightened the lugs with an impact wrench. I stood on the lug wrench. I pounded it with a 5 lb hammer. No luck with that. Finally a friend came over with an 8 foot iron pipe.

Imagine this scenario: it’s 11:30 PM on US-280. The tire blows or goes flat. So in the dark I pull out the tools and spare…

That’s what happens when you turn the job over to teenagers and don’t supervise them. We won’t be going back to Express Oil Change.

Name:	HP HQ -	Reply
Subject:	Any Red Blooded American Boy Can
Date:	8/13/2013 5:48:09 PM

You don't even wanna hear my story about jiffy lube, but stayed in Houston 3 days with no compensation because they couldn't change a fuel filter properly!

Name:	MAJ USA RET -	Reply
Subject:	Any Red Blooded American Boy Can
Date:	8/13/2013 5:56:39 PM (updated 8/13/2013 5:57:50 PM)

Oh... but I hadn't told you about failure to screw the air-dam back into place. I suppose that they used all of the screws they could find of the batch and... well, that's good enough. Do you know how you find out about a dangling air-dam at 65 mph?

I think we have given Express Oil Change enough chances.

Name:	Jester -	Reply
Subject:	Any Red Blooded American Boy Can
Date:	8/13/2013 6:41:52 PM

Flats are a B&^%H. That's why I have AAA. They have helped many times.

Name:	Summer Lover -	Reply
Subject:	The word is "incompetence"
Date:	8/14/2013 9:38:42 AM

Although I handle rotating tires myself, I have to rely on others to put new tires on the cars. I have learned to tell the "professionals" if the tires are directional or asymmetrical after having to make a trip back to the store because one tire was mounted inside out. When I get back to the house, I will break the lug nuts or studs free (I have a couple of impact wrenches if needed), and re-torque them with a proper torque wrench and force. You are correct that being on the side of the road and not able to change a flat would be a royal pain....

Name:	Old Diver -	Reply
Subject:	The Solution
Date:	8/14/2013 11:32:17 AM

After getting my tires rotated I give my lug wrench to the worker and ask him to loosen the lug nuts. If he can't, I call the manager and ask how he calibrates his impact wrench? After that I read him the riot act and ask him how the hell one can change a flat? It sometimes helps.

Name:	roswellric -	Reply
Subject:	A Red Blooded American Boy did
Date:	8/15/2013 9:37:02 AM

Had a more dangerous thing happen to me. Went in for a brake job and the bolts that hold one of the pads were stripped out by some wrench jockey. One another occasion my (aluminum) oil pan bolt was stripped at an oil change. Thank God it didn't fall out while I was cruising down the freeway.

The quality of labor is slipping in places like these. In one unnamed place they use the supervisor to run the front end while occasionally dashing off to approve work in the bays. Not a good idea. Stay away from these.

Research and stick with a good shop if you can find one. The internet comments can be misleading too if the shop owner has a big family :-) But you can usually spot that with experience.

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