Having Tires mounted on expensive wheels
 

I am finding it hard to locate a tire shop to install my new rims on my car. They all want me to sign something that states they are not responsible if anything happens to the rim during the install. I live in the Fort Lauderdale, FL area. Is this normal? If not is there anyone who knows of a place I should go to in this area?

I'd ask the guys at a custom shop who they use, like Mad Mods over on Dixie http://madmods.com/

First you let the air out of the tires ...... then you run over the edge of the tires with a tractor (to break the bead) ...... then you get two crow bars ........:popcorn:


humfrz

I try no to go to Firestone, Midas, Pepboys, etc. Instead I try to find a local shop that has an "owner" in store and employs real technicians that know what they do instead of a couple of drifters that change every couple of months. But be ready to pay two times more. Otherwise, for half the price, sign the paper and pray.

exclusive motoring is down in maimi if you're willing to drive a bit. Also search for wheel repair shops in your area. My local wheel repair shop has a touchless tire mounting machine

Most Discount Tires should have a Hunter or equivalent touch-less machine. Make sure you bring it up with them that the wheels are in perfect condition prior to install, and that you are accepting a liability by having them mount them. I had them buy me a new wheel when I found a dismounting indention on the lip.

Most DT's are pretty friendly and understanding imo. They usually use the touch-less on the really expensive wheels to minimize human error -- the machine just takes way too long compared to a normal tire tech.

If you're really worried, take them to a wheel repair shop. If anyone can mount/dismount tires without damaging the wheels, it'll be them.

Ask about install them from the back/behind

wouldn't it be hard for them to do that as they would have to somehow clamp the rim down on the face?

I'm a former tire technician. I was pretty good at my job. Accidents happen though. Luckily the owner of the shop I worked at provides the best service you could possibly get.

We damaged your wheel? Not only are we fixing it, but now we're not charging you for mount and balance. We had a "touchless" machine. But you wouldn't believe the tension some wheel and tire combos give you.

Anyways, I'd be running away if they wanted me to sign a waiver form.

And for the record, a reverse mount is likely to cause more damage to the wheel if the tech already doesn't know what they're doing. And you can't (well I'm sure some people manage...) reverse mount a tire onto a wheel unless the wheel is designed that way.

very few and far between. I wish i could still find those shops.

I have been. I though of wheel repair shops but the place needs to sell me tires also. I can not transport tires and rims in the car.

Why not? There's so much room in these cars!I've have 6 mounted wheels in the car before.

This, my local Discount Tire shop has been nothing but great to me. If you have one in your area I'd give them a call and tell them about your wheels, they're usually always excited to see some nice wheels compared to the normal OEM wheels that they always work with everyday

Nice but what's the point of posting photos of wheels and then missing out the critical information, what we all really want to know is: size, offset, tyres and suspension you are running?

Rays Gram Lights 57xtreme 17x9 +40mm Gloss Black
Stock suspension

My advice is to Google some tire shop up, read reviews, and go from there. What'll help is chit chat with the installer and hopefully click. I was lucky enough to have a guy who loved his wheels (enkei rs05rr) and treated my 57CRs as if it were his. Heck he was more excited to mount them on my car than I was haha.

I had one mishap in the past where I went to another installer without research. The guy purposely didn't line the dot up on the tire with valve stem. And the weights to balance the tire was excessive ( 2 strips of weight almost a foot long each side by side).
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Got my tires mounted at a private tire shop with a non-touch machine. Everything went perfect except he wouldn't negotiate the price of install since he was taking the risk of fixing the rim if something happened. BS. I rather pay 40 a tire than 30 without any assurance. They look awesome! Will try to get some pics later today.

I always try to find a Tire Pros affiliate whenever I need any tire work done. Those guys tend to be old independent tire shops that have been around for a few generations before joining the Tire Pros network. When I had my Pilot Super Sports mounted on my RPF1s, the owner of the shop I used did them himself to make sure there weren't any issues.

Discount Tire is great, I used them in the past, but if you are not using TPMS sensors they will not do anything for you. Even if you tell them its fine and you dont care, they will not do it. Its in there policy which is on there web site.

You could also search other forums that have a or are specific to Florida car scene. It doesn't matter if its a Corvette, BMW, or VW forum those guys gotta mount tires too. There is definitely going to be some info on places to get your tire mounted in there. Heck it wouldn't hurt to post up in the region specific section on here.

Any shop who wanted to not be responsible for damaging any part of my car while in their care wouldn't be getting my business in the first place. Would you use a doctor who said he's not responsible for cutting off your arm while you're in for an appendectomy?

Not exactly the same.
Would you not use a doctor that said he wasn't responsible if you started to bleed out while they were doing your appendectomy?
If you replied that you would not then you will never get an appendectomy done since they are indeed not responsible for such unforeseen circumstances.
I can fully understand places not wanting to be responsible for anything unusual that goes wrong and anybody that has actually used tire changing equipment knows that things can indeed happen that did not involve any error on the operator's part. There is risk inherent to the operation of changing tires that just can not be avoided. I bet if you read the fine print in any service contract at any tire place they have that disclaimer.
Now, that does not mean I wouldn't be pissed if it was the operator that screwed something up but any decent place at all should not have operators that will. They changes thousands of tires a week at a good shop and know what they are doing. If the equipment fucks up a wheel when they did everything right then why should they be paying for it?

Every big chain tire shop has it hidden in the fine print. Discount is the best I heard though and will sometimes help the customer out. Also I heard most discount tire shops have the no touch tire machine.

So i didn't have my tire pressure sensor gauges swapped to my new wheels since my stock rims are going onto my wife's car. For some reason the tire pressure light is not on even though there are no sensors. The place told me I would see the light. I am confused.

Even the no touch can screw up. They reduce the risk but it is still there.
Funny how people are so worried that a professional tire shop will screw up their wheels but drive for tens of thousands of miles over potholes and beside curbs without even thing about it.
Just go to any reputable shop with decent equipment and don't fret they will screw up your wheels. The odds are in your favour but there is a gamble done every single time somebody touches your car. That includes the guys that seem to think they can do all their own work without a single error but every tech in the world is a bumbling oaf that is going to ruin their perfect car just by looking at it wrong.

How far have you driven? Can take 50 miles or so before it realizes the sensors are not there.

Sure, ANYTHING can happen. A meteor could fall on the building at the same time the tech started to break down the tire.


That said, in 30+ years of operating tire changing equipment, I've damaged no customer property (at least none that I know of or was brought to my attention). I've seen plenty damaged, but always due to carelessness, which goes back to my original statement.

That is my point! Now if the machine screwed up on the next one you do and ruined a rim would you be responsible?


Sure there are bad operators like anything else I am simply saying that the assumption should not be that every operator everywhere is incompetent and that the dealer should be responsible if something unforeseen happens. If the tech did indeed screw it up that is a whole different story.

As operator of that equipment, yes, I would.

So should your employer be held libel for the damage?

Of course they're liable. It's up to them whether they eat the cost, or recover it from my salary.

Probably about 30 miles only. When I drive home from work it should come on then.

Any company should be held liable for damage caused to an item in their possession. That is the law unless you sign a contract stating otherwise.

Please show me such law.

In the United States if someone is providing and in possession of an object and the object is damaged. A lawsuit would happen and who wins and pays for the damages?

A lawsuit is not a law that says companies are responsible for damage from their equipment. Not everybody wins lawsuits either.
Show me a law that says somebody in possession of an object is LEGALY liable for damage it may receive.

I specifically used that as my example because I am not a lawyer and do not know the laws exactly. I can assure you though the company would be responsible for fixing the damage.

They are unless you sign something saying they are not. Why do you think those forms exist.

Of course nothing is set in stone and its a case by case basis. Most of the time though the company is responsible.

They would only be responsible if they are negligent and damage results. They are not libel for any and all damage. If negligence can be proven then you would have a court case and even your signing the form would not help them.
Still not a "law" that says they are responsible for items in their care though.


You take your car to the garage there is a big storm and the roof falls in and crushes it. The garage is in no way libel for the damage and your insurance pays for it.


You take your car in and they put it up on the hoist in the proper manner but your car is so rotted it breaks in half and falls off. You could try to sue but good luck since it wasn't any fault of theirs that the car was rusted that bad.


You take your car in and the tech doesn't put it on the hoist properly and it falls off. You can now prove negligence and sue with a reasonable probability of winning. This does not mean though that there is a law saying they are "responsible" for your property just that the damage was due to their direct negligence.