Putting the Crap in Crappy Tire

[jamesq]

Today being a day off that's not my birthday (that would be tomorrow), I figured I'd get some chores out of the way. Car maintenance basically.

So I drive down to the local Canadian Tire to get:

1. new winter tires put onto my rims (the original tires both got shredded last year).
   
2. The two old and two new winter tires swapped out with the four that are on the car now.
   
3. A new battery, since my current battery has been deep discharged twice, shows nothing in the little indicator bubble, and was giving me shit whenever the temperature dipped to about -10C.

Problems occur when I discover they don't have any winter tires in my size.

"Ok, fine. Just swap the two winter tires I do have onto whichever axle it makes most sense for them to be on", I say. I might as well have two decent tires instead of none.
"We can't do that", they say, "Quebec passed a law mandating that winter tires must be swapped out in complete sets."
"I promise I won't drive to Quebec this winter."
"Doesn't matter, Canadian Tire made it their corporate policy."
"So you're telling me that you can't sell me two tires so that I can make a full set, and you won't put the two tires I do have onto the car. So I'm basically fucked."
"You could always swap out the tires yourself."

This leads to a discussion of how one does that, in case I decide I have greater mechanical aptitude then experience indicates. At a minimum, I'm going to want a better car jack then the one in my trunk. It also requires a level of confidence that I simply don't have for these sorts of things. That's why the kitchen faucet still leaks despite my having a new kitchen faucet (not installed, still in the box) and why I never installed the ten-or-so new electrical sockets in the basement that have needed doing for several years now (the old sockets are "loose", so plugs tend to fall out of them - not particularly dangerous, but annoying nonetheless)

I did see a book at Chapters I might pick up - basically an encyclopedia of home repairs, so I can at least try some of this stuff myself without diving in blind. Next pay cheque maybe.

On the bright side, I do have a new battery and they did it on the spot, so I have my car back and it should be OK provided I don't do anything bone-headed like leave my lights on. Now I have to start hunting around for winter tires. I'm tempted to simply buy a whole new set with two new rims and keep the two older winter tires as spares. Kind of expensive though. If I was smart, I'd check to see if one of the tires will fit in the spare tire well where the donut lives. Donut spares always bothered me because of the dire warning for their use: Don't go farther then 50K, don't drive faster then 50KpH, Don't even think about rough conditions. Tire is made out of soap bubbles and Christmas tree ornaments, so don't even blow on it when installing. This is of course, the thing they give you for emergencies. Is it any wonder I'd like a normal tire.

Fuck it, I'm going to wander downtown and grab some lunch in the east end and wander over to points west to do some Christmas browsing.

Comments

[ya-inga.livejournal.com]

I'd recommend KalTire or Tir Warehouse if you are wanting to have your tire issue fixed with minimal grief. They have been awesome over the years and actually listen. Well at least the Edmonton ones do.

Prices are good generally too.

[wendy-licious.livejournal.com]

I'm with Inga on this one.
I have never gotten good service at a Canadian Tire. Ever.
I'll never take my car into a CT again.
On the other hand, I have never gotten BAD service at KalTire.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_thwap_/]

I'll carry the motion... There's a damned good reason why they've earned the name Crappy Trash...
The Kal Tire at North Hill Mall is awesome. That's where I got all my wheels for my car the last couple of years. Fast, professional, and they don't screw around...

[mallt.livejournal.com]

I don't like "get you home" spare's much either but they aren't as fragile as they threaten... we got from Cranbrook to Vancouver on ours & we didn't stick to under 50kmph either!

two good places for low priced tires

[wild-wanderer.livejournal.com]

Costco and online at Tirerack.com

the big problem with Costco is that you can not book an appointment and have to show up at OMG its early in order to get you car in that day.

Tire rack was cheaper for rims and tires than anywhere localy for tires (and I have heard real good things about them on a local car enthusiast newsgroup in the past). The problem for me was the tire sensor would have cost me more than the tires and rims back then.

I have to say when I researched buying tires a couple of years ago Kaltires "sale price" was more expensive than almost all the competitors even the ones who normaly did not carry Micheline.

If you are looking for someone to install the new times (when you get them) I have a good inexpensive mechanic I can send you to. I used to use Jamal for all work done on my Saturn that friends could not do for me.

Call me an I'll give you his number.

Re: two good places for low priced tires

[sagaciouslu.livejournal.com]

The recommendation of a good mechanic is worth it's weight in dried Badger penises....

(BTW, those are really valuable, and really hard to get....)

Re: two good places for low priced tires

[oblivions.livejournal.com]

It's the tone of experience with this comments that worries me.

Re: two good places for low priced tires

[jamesq]

I hope you mean badger penises and not Badger penises. The former are hard to come by, because Taxidea taxus is difficult to convince in giving up their genetalia. The latter, Taxidea sapiens, is far worse, because one would earn the well-deserved wrath of Sylvilagus diablus, which commonly nests alongside that species.

(I am forever grateful to that famed scholar, Charles M. Jones, for his instructions in Latin and how it applies to taxonomy)

Re: two good places for low priced tires

[sagaciouslu.livejournal.com]

You are of course, correct. I appreciate the edification on the subject. In the background, I hear a soundtrack provided by Carl Stalling. Appropriate, n'est-ce pas?

Re: two good places for low priced tires

[http://users.livejournal.com/_thwap_/]

If that's the same Jamal by Barlow Tr. U-Haul NE whom I put you onto so many years ago, then I'll second the recommendation for him. He does *ALL* the work on my vehicles, including my 05 Honda Civic. His work is top-notch - 120%!!!