Taking bets...tire rotation saga.

[southernfriedcj]

So, I have a Ram 3500 dual rear wheel truck with factory Alcoa Wheels. I love Alcoa wheels.

The downside to driving a dually is tire rotations. The local tire shop charges $100 to do a dually rotation. Four tires have to be dismounted and remounted.

On the last set of new tires for my truck I went to Sam's Club. They stated they would dismount and rotate for no charge on a dually. I had them put it in writing.

I washed the wheels before I went to Sam's. When I got to Sam's I told the tire shop to be careful not to damage the wheels. You guessed it. The gouged the two rear Alcoa wheels. Sam's cut me a check for $1,368.85 for two new wheels.

At the first rotation I asked the guy to put the inside rear tires to the front and put the fronts to the inside rears. I get to Sam's a couple hours later and my tires haven't been rotated. The guy says they only have a 10,000 lift and the door sticker says my truck weighs 15k(or whatever it says). I tell the guy that the truck weighs 8,800 lbs and pull a Cat scale receipt out of the glove box to show him. I explain GCVWR works and the guy get smart so I go off on him. I go back a couple hours later and they are done and the wheels are good.

Today I drop the truck off at Sam's at 0800 to get a rotation that I had to schedule 9 days ago to get an 0800 time slot.
I explain to the guy to dismount the outside rears and the fronts and to put the outside rear tires on the front wheels and the front tires on the outside rear wheels. I asked him to check the balance on the inside rears. I asked him not to damage the wheels. I marked the four tires to be rotated with white paint dots (RF 1 dot, LF 2 dots, RR 3 dots and LR with 4 dots). I showed the guys and asked him to "connect the dots".

I go back to at 1130 hours to get my truck. I told my business partner I will be shocked if they didn't screw something up.
We pull up to the truck and the back wheels look almost black. The front wheels look dull. The center caps look fine. I'm confused.
I checked the paint dots and the tires have been rotated.

Then it hits me. They pulled the front wheels/tires, spun them backwards and installed them on the back. They pulled the back wheels/tires, spun the backwards and put them on the front.

Front and rear dually wheels are not interchangeable.

I was in disbelief.

I waited a minute to get my temper under control and went inside. The guy looked at me like I had two heads. I went to another guy and asked him to step outside. I explained the situation and asked if they could have the truck corrected by end of business today. He said they could.

I'm taking bets. Will the tries be rotated correctly? Will the polished Alcoas be shiny side out? Will the wheels be damaged?

My business partner went to the local tire shop to get tires for his dually after Sam's messed mine up the first time and the ruined one of his wheels. They replaced it.

You have one job. Tires. Is it really that difficult?

When my new shop is done I'm buying tire machines and doing my own tire work.

[southernfriedcj]

I wish I would have thought to take a pic of this mornings rotation. I guess I was in shock and it didn't occur to me.

[muscle_collector]

been driving duallys since 1983. I never rotate the tires. (except for a 1995 chevy that Chevrolet was trying to prove a point to me but failed)

[southernfriedcj]

been driving duallys since 1983. I never rotate the tires. (except for a 1995 chevy that Chevrolet was trying to prove a point to me but failed)

I tried that with the original set. I didn't even manage to get 25,000 miles before I was driving on slicks. A Ram 3500 eats front tires.

[southernfriedcj]

Sam's did not disappoint. Both rear wheels were gouged. I told the guy that had already bought those wheel once(I have not changed them out yet) so it wouldn't be fair to charge them again.
The dude offered no apology or excuse for their screw ups.

As far as rotation goes, I checked my receipt, I got 23k out of the first set of tires. This set is the same tire so I'll up date with the mileage I get out of these. I've got 13k on them so far and have rotated them twice.

[X66 714]

I worked for the transportation dept. of a school district for 32 years. About the only thing we did was always put new tires on the fronts & rotated the other front tires to one side or the other in the rear. Never did a full rotate....Joe

[SS427]

If I understand you correctly, your first shop charged you $100 to do the rotation while Sam's offered to do it at no charge assuming you buy the tires from them? One thing I learned MANY years ago, cheap is not always better and I think you are finding that out first hand.

[dustinm]

Do all tonner Dodges have this issue? We have had 3 Chevys and never rotated front to rear.


I will have to say tires are one of the lowest paying entry level automotive jobs you can get. This is why I try and buy my tires at small mom and pop shops where the owner has more of a hands on. There is no recourse on someone at a faceless corporation.

[JKZ27]

The tire and wheel service business is a funny thing. All the work is usually done by entry level people, with a general lack of interest, on poorly maintained equipment, at extremely competitive (low) prices. The expectation of seemingly most customers, 90%?, is cheap and quick and not to screw anything up mechanically. The other 10% (or less) seem to adore their cars and are acutely aware of, and spending top dollar on, the appearance and performance of them but routinely seek and choose the lowest bidder on tire and wheel service. I found it interesting when we would run $50 mount and balance ads the line of Corvettes, BMW's or anything else with custom or 30 series tires would be lined up watching, almost daring you to screw something up for the same money and time frame as the steel wheel Cobalt in front of them. Silly.

[southernfriedcj]

If I understand you correctly, your first shop charged you $100 to do the rotation while Sam's offered to do it at no charge assuming you buy the tires from them? One thing I learned MANY years ago, cheap is not always better and I think you are finding that out first hand.

You are correct.

After Sam's cut me the check for two new Alcoas my business partner took his dually to the local tire shop. They ruined one of his Alcoas and bought him a new one. I'm going to but a tire machine and start handling my own tire mount and balance and rotation.

I checked the pressure in my front tires today. LF was 42 and RF was 67. Cold pressure on the tire and the door jamb decal is 80. I couldn't check the rear tires because I couldn't find my dually pressure gauge. I'll have to buy another one.
Next up, I'll check the lug torque. I'm guessing they run them on WAO with an impact.

[southernfriedcj]

Do all tonner Dodges have this issue? We have had 3 Chevys and never rotated front to rear.

Rams have a reputation for front end issues. On this truck the camber was awful straight off the lot.

I've had several Ford duallys and I used to do a 6 tire dismount and rotation on them. That was at Bob's Tire in Winder. Great shop. Bob passed away and the shop closed.
I passed 10 tire shops on my 30 minute drive to Bob's.

[Mr70]

Note to self,sell all my shares of Sams Club stock..

[Tommy]

Just a few things Mavis Tire has done to me in the last 2 years. Turned hubcaps upside down and dropped lugnuts in them (big no no). disconnected steering shaft while aligning 95 Silverado and killed clock spring. told me once to just drive ford transit for a while and low tire light would reset itself after getting 4 new tires. It won't and I knew better. usually don't get tire pressure right on ford transit between front and rear tires and its a big difference between the two. I watch them as much as I possibly can because they will damage something. I watched the tech park several cars in front of the store and each one he parked he put the front spoiler on the curb. That's just a few... It's crazy.


Tommy

[mssl72]

It makes ya wonder sometimes. Earlier this year I had new tires put on my Caprice. I have the stock 14x6 JK rims on it that I had powder coated. They chipped the paint on all 4 rims. That kinda rubbed me the wrong way.

[Lynn]

Had no idea about the dually wheel issue. Also did not know that the Dodge's ate front tires like that. Are they ALL like that? If so, must be a design flaw. Can't imagine that all of them are not aligned properly. I would be inclined to just replace the front tires as needed, and skip the rotation.

My 49 Studebaker farm truck is the only dually I have ever owned. I can take any wheel tire off and swap it to any other location. Being a 49 Studebaker farm truck, I have never worried about rotating the tires. And, even with a straight front axle, leaf spring set up, the front tires show no abnormal wear.

[randy27]

Rams have a reputation for front end issues. On this truck the camber was awful straight off the lot.

I've had several Ford duallys and I used to do a 6 tire dismount and rotation on them. That was at Bob's Tire in Winder. Great shop. Bob passed away and the shop closed.
I passed 10 tire shops on my 30 minute drive to Bob's.


Too bad to hear about a great shop closed. It really does rewarding to have a good friend mechanic who knows his stuff. My former neighbor sold his F150 which been sitting for 4 years due to trans and idling issue. We scored a new trans from the scrap yard and fixed the fuel pump issue, put sliders, magnaflow exhaust (https://4wheelonline.com/Magnaflow_Exhaust.29780) and 33" tires, now we got a good weekend toy.

[bbbentley]

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I HAVE STORIES??!
Don’t get me started!