NTB Blows it...

[76BBSub]

About a month or so back I dropped ? at NTB for new Michelin SUV tires and an alignment.  These are top of the line tires, mind you.  At first, I noticed a rattling sound when driving at slow speeds, which sounded like a rock was in one of my hub caps.  Then I lost the front passenger hub cap, within about 2 weeks.  Bear in mind that these caps bolt on from behind and have to be removed to install/balance the tires.  Also, they were on the truck for several years and who knows how many miles with no problems before going to NTB.

Anyway, so I go to NTB, they argue a little and finally order a replacement cap...went to pick it up, it's the wrong one.  So now they are looking for a used one, which is no big deal since it's an older truck.

BUT, here's the kicker...the rattling in the hub continued so I removed the suspect wheel, and found that the hub cap was loose.  No surprise...BUT, they had failed to properly tighten one of the upper control arm mounts after installing the shims!!

THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS!!

I could have lost control of the vehicle if that had become much more loose, or, in a stretch, the control arm could have come off.  What if I wasn't the do-it-yourself type who goes and looks at this kind of stuff?

I am going to see them tomorrow and tell them all about this.  I'm pretty pissed off.  I tightened the nut and checked the others, but I wonder if I lost a shim or two...I hate to have them check it for me again...

Beware wrench turners with no brains....we call 'em "neck downs" offshore...you get them only from the neck down.

Jeff

[General Lee 01]

It sounds like the guys at NTB and Firestone know eachother. Mom got a tire replaced  and the lug-wrench-dude REALLY overtightened the nuts.

[Frank S]

Wow!

It's a good thing that you checked the control arm when you did Jeff.

I'm sorry to hear about that but I'm glad you caught it in time.

[76BBSub]

Oh, and it gets even better!!

So I went by there on the way home from work...they began by telling me that they couldn't find a replacement hubcap for my truck.  Whatever.

I told them about the loose nut, and asked that they check my alignment to make sure no shims had fallen out.  The counter guy blamed the "universal shims" that they now use.  What a bunch of BS!!  Once on the machine the alignment was the same as when it had left their shop, all I did was tighten the nut they left loose, so no shims had "popped out" as they had theorized.

BUT IT GETS BETTER!!

What we did find was that the toe-in on the driver's side was WAY off, more like toe-out.  They started checking it out and the freakin tie rod sleeve was loose!  They started to claim that it was faulty...but guess what...that's right, Jeff bought brand new tie-rod sleeves along with the rest of the front end less than 2K miles back.  So they pulled it off, inspected it...guess what...no damage...re-installed it and properly tightened it.  No problem, all of a sudden.

MORONS!!

The guy that was doing the work today seemed really competent...I think if he had been there when I took the truck in I might not have had to return.

So I got the loose stuff tightened and the alignment verified, and I got them to agree to pay for a replacement hubcap when I find one.

I have spent ALOT of money with NTB in the last 3 years...? on my wife's little Sentra and ? on my Suburban, not to mention the alignment on my wife's car 4 years ago and the tires for my old Cherokee around the same time.

What does it take to find a competent tire shop???thanks for letting me vent!

Jeff

[NewbieZ71]

Jeff - I admire you guys/girls that are knowledgeable enough to even figure out what happened...if it was me I would have been taken down the $$$ avenue.  It kind of comforting to know I can come here when/if I find myself in one of those situations.....geez, I really should order a decal....

[76BBSub]

That's one of my biggest gripes with this whole situation...what if I wasn't a person who gets down into the details of my suspension?  The average Joe/Josephine doesn't have the time, knowledge, or inclination to check this kind of stuff.  Their front end would wear prematurely along with their tires, and then NTB would selling them a bunch of parts again in a couple of years.  Pisses me OFF!!

Jeff