I had a flat fixed 3 weeks ago while traveling in Alabama. Bayou La Batre to be exact. $15.00 +5 dollar tip (it was right before closing) the tire guy.

BUT........I did lock my keys in the car once in Manassas Va. I found a locksmith in the ywllow pages."Any car, $60.00. I didn't realize my Corvette wasn't "any" car...........$120.00

 

Been buying tires from Discount for close to twenty years (not sure exactly how many .........but that's pretty close to it). Because of the amount of mileage I put on 'em (was running 100,000 a year, for 5 years on one of my vans), I ALWAYS get the road hazard for 'em. That's the best insurance I've found for tires. Makes getting them fixed or replaced cheap and easy!

Any vehicle I buy gets a new set of rubber on it the first time something goes wrong with one of the tires. That way I don't have to keep track of what tire is covered for repair and which I'm about to get a replacement/repair bill for.

And yes, Vette tax, Harley tax, boat tax.........exists in most places.
Last boat I owned had a 350 sb in it........made repairs REAL easy to deal with. Carb needed replacement when I bought it........IIRC, boat shop wanted right at $500 for me to walk out the door with a new marine carb for it (ie, I pull it out of the box and put it in the boat). A little studying on the net.........found out that a "smallish" Holley double pumper would fit the bill perfectly at roughly $300 less than the "proper" carb. Couple of years later I had to replace the manifolds.......was going to run about $800 for the new ones out of Dallas or Ft. Worth (we have a HUGE boat tax in this area). Had a couple freighted out of Florida for a third of that (including shipping).

Don't know if you have a discount in your area.........might be time to consider a swing of loyalty to another shop.

 

$56 is *&^%$ing nuts .

I had a tire plugged down the street a few months ago. The guy charged me $5, I gave hin a 10. For $56 you could have bought a lifetime supply of tire plugs and vulcanizer at any auto parts store.

 

I had a nail in the rear tire of my 94, it was on a set that I had bought used so I took it to Town Fair Tire which is in the northeast and they dismounted and repaired the hole and mounted and balanced it and when I went to pay for it they said it was no charge. I was impressed. I did buy four tires for my truck last fall so I was in their customer base. They will get more of my business with treatment like that.

Mike

 

I think alot of tire shops and lube joints will try to con you out of whatever they can, vette or not.

A number of years ago when NTB was called Tire America around here, I took in a Cavalier. Told them I had a nail in my rear driver-side tire. Came back a few hours later, they tell me the bill was going to be some rediculously high # for a new POS tire. When I ask WTF they claim the old one was seriously dry-rotted inside and unrepairable.

Ok, I want to SEE my old tire. No can do, they threw it away, and their scrap pile was "just picked up". My options were to buy their expensive tire or put my spare on.

Ok, let me see my car first... and there sat my car with a brand spankin new tire on the pass side. Along with a FLAT TIRE ON THE DRIVER SIDE with the nail that I took it in for!

Twas MY turn to tell them THEIR options: I demanded that if they couldn't put my old perfectly good tire back on they would be buying me a matching pair of new tires. Funny how my old tire magically reappeared instantaneously! And a free patch too.

 

btw plugs aren't as good as a hot patch

 

Sports car owners are the biggest pains in the ***. Most of them can't turn a wrench, but insist on watching you do the work or telling you how they read on the forum it should be done. "Corvette tax" is what a shop charges to deal with the owners rotten attitude. Not everyone is like that, but the majority is and in a lot of cases not worth dealing with. It's just not politically correct to call it "******* tax".

-- Joe

 

You think this is price gouging?There are a handfull of people that have cornered the market on ZR-1 parts,if ya need it ya pay the price.How about $50 for a paper gasket for the water pump

 

Maybe its a smog legal gasket.





Oh, and anesthes hit the nail on the head Im afriad.

 

I got that way a long time ago after someone stuck my MG wire wheel on a tire machine and popped a couple spokes. Before the spokes popped I asked if these wheels were supposed to be done by hand and was told that I was wrong. I learned that being a pita saves both the shop and me time and money.

 

I'd have to see the wheels in question. Never heard of that though. Some tire machines do ruin some wheels.

-- Joe

 

Yep, sounds familiar. The man at the shop told me their tire machine was kind to wire wheels.

 

That's kind of like the sign in my local repair guys waiting room...
Labor Rate... $90 per hour
$100 if you watch
$110 if you help

 

Don't they give you a price befor doing the work with a print out. Use your knoggen and always get a price up front, just like when you get a lady of the evening(friend of the road).

 

Local machine shop I've been using for 10 years has that sign too. The guy is actually really nice. If you're willing to listen he will teach you things all day. If you start telling him how to do the work he's not interested in your business.

Guys got about 50 trophys in his office, raced pro-mod and rail cars hes been building since the 60s. I figure he has a right to be the way he is.

-- Joe

 

National Corvette Tax!

 

I was in the tire business for a number of years, and I'd like to offer the following advice: NEVER use a plug in an passenger car tire!!! I know, your dad did it for years, etc. But, it's a bad idea. Also, hot patches are almost as bad. Heating the patch can compromise the tire structure. Plugs should only be used as a temporary fix until a proper patch can be installed.

Remember this - the only thing between your a$$ and the pavement is your tires, treat them well.

 

That sounds like the kind of guy you WANT to keep your mouth shut around and just LISTEN and absorb all the info you can!

 

It would be my luck that none of his trophies were for wire wheels.

 

What advantage does the patch have over the plug? I keep a set (plug kit) from Pep Boys in each car, has come in handy. Does the patch make anything stronger? Would like your thoughts being as youre in the tire biz