For those who have read my blog any time at all, you know that every other time Chad fills his car up with gas, we have to replace the tires . . or so it seems.
We had really bad luck with a local tire dealer and my friend, Cindy, recommended her tire guy in Pittsburg, KS so Vince and I have both bought tires from him. Chad called me from there yesterday. Here’s the conversation:
Chad: Mom, I’m at Wiseman’s and I need tires . . really bad!
Me: Chad, I’m driving. Can this wait til I get home?
Chad: NO! I need tires now. (Probably means at least 2 were completely flat!)
Me: Didn’t we just put tires on that car less than six months ago?
Chad: MOM! I have SIX THOUSAND MILES on these tires!
Me: Chad! Most people get 45,000 or more miles out of a set of tires.
Chad: Are you kidding me?
This was the first time Chad’s car has been to Wiseman’s so I talked to the guy and I said: There is either something terribly wrong with that car or with the driver. Can you PLEASE figure it out?
Apparently it’s in terrible need of an alignment, which they will do Monday but for now, I’ve just bought four more tires! There’s probably a bit of rubber being left on the road too . . but I’m pretty picky about having good tires on our vehicles so . . what’s four more tires in the grand scheme of things? In the three years we’ve been in Missouri, that’s FIVE sets of tires on Chad’s car but heck . . I’ve put two sets on my own car and I doubt I’ve put much more than 12,000 miles on it during those three years.
Even the Highlander came with Michelins and with 5,000 miles on it, one of the tires has a defect but we have to get to a Michelin dealer to get it replaced under the warranty and first . . we have to start the darned car and back it out of the garage. Not sure we can do that! 🙂
Pat says
I do recall there is a “history” of tire problems with Chad’s car. Does he drive fast over potholes and keep knocking the car out of alignment???? It seems a bit crazy that the tires would be worn out in 6,000 miles……..
Leta says
My sister is having the same problem with her car. She is scheduled for a 4 point wheel alignment in the morning. It costs more than a regular alignment but sounds like what Chad needs too,LOL!
Susan Fields says
Having Chad safe and driving with good tires is the most important thing……
Vivian says
I think the Highlander is Vince’s garage decoration. lol
CJ says
Well I’m going to sound mean, but perhaps if Chad bought his tires instead of Mom, they’d last a bit longer? We tend to take care of things a whole lot better if we know we can’t afford to replace them.
Just sayin… 🙂
Lori in SD says
I usually get 30,000 miles on my tires, and that’s thru South Dakota winters and everything. I got almost 40,000 with some really CHEAP tires (about $20 a tire) on one of my cars. And that was when I regularly drove gravel roads.
Karen Langseth says
I think there is a phrase that comes to mind on a brand of tires……”where the rubber meets the road”….I think Chad takes it seriously.
D Seals says
I may be out of line here but since I am married to a mechanic I might have a couple of ideas. The vehicle should be checked out to make sure alignment, wheel bearings, etc are okay. Second, buy a quality tire and make sure it is properly balanced. Third, the vehicle should be treated as a vehicle and not an all terrain vehicle. I also agree with CJ. We’re not being mean but we both probably have some great stories for you. Look at it this way, if he spends his money on tires there will be less duck calls driving you nuts.
I have been married for 36 years. I have owned 4 new trucks, 1 used suburban and 2 used trucks. I have never had a front end alignment, nor blowouts, or flats. I have worked outside the home my entire adult life. I have always driven the new vehicle which was used for all family trips, fishing, hunting, etc. My point being that something is wrong with this picture. I don’t know what but you guys need to find someone you can trust. I can’t remember if this is one of your old vehicles or an outside purchase. But if it’s an outside purchase, it could have been wrecked previously bending the frame and affecting the alignment. Depending on the mechanic he may or may not realize the frame is bent. That’s a whole new expensive problem.
My 23 yr old son drives a 1993 F150 pickup I bought new and drove 7 yrs, hubby drove for 5, parked for 2, and let son have. Hubby is still in trouble for letting son have. That 17 year old vehicle has only had 4 sets of tires, all Michelins (sp). And yes, we have checked the tread depth and he is legal.
Good luck.
quiltbea says
There had to be a specific problem for those tires to wear so quickly. That’s just not normal.
Glad he found SOMETHING was afoot.