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rossy



Member Since: 29 Nov 2010
Location: Co. Roscommon
Posts: 1296

Ireland 2011 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 CSW Stornoway Grey
I so hate tyre fitters !
Why does a simple job always have to be an ordeal with these guys ?

Checking the weights on my newly fitted KO2s (cos if they're going to fall off its usually within the first few days) I noticed that one strip was stuck over a groove on the wheel i.e. not on a flat surface and a bit rattly so back in I went this morning. The guy removed all the weights, put it on the balancer and then realised he had no balancing weights left in the building !

So off I go to another branch of the same firm 10 miles away. The wheel is on the back so I get the usual nonsense along the lines of 'we don't usually do the back ones' - like as if theres no bushes, bearings to wear out ! Fair enough he balanced it OK but then I noticed he'd jacked my 110 up on the ARB links which were all kind of squashed upwards and the roll bar itself squashed right into the bushing. I checked when I got home and all seems OK but surely thats not a jacking point !

I always bring a torque wrench with me set to 135nm because fitters always seem to tighten nuts to stud snapping strength.

Why can't these useless muppets just do the flipping' job properly Evil or Very Mad
Post #487790 2nd Jan 2016 1:33pm
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dave18



Member Since: 11 Jul 2015
Location: Gorleston, Great Yarmouth
Posts: 497

United Kingdom 1984 Defender 110 300 Tdi CSW Portofino Red
Was it a National chain?? I use one of two places to fit tyres. One of them I have used for years with no issues the other my mate works at so I only use them If I know he is fitting them and then I give him a hand.

Cant say I have ever heard about not balancing rears!! New one on me and I went to college and did Auto mechanincs lol. Not knowing you had no weights in the shop is shocking as well. Ref the torque wrench I have been with mates and seen some monkeys just grab the torque wrench and do the nuts up with out checking the setting and thus since its left set all the time then it goes out of calibration quicker ALWAYS wind off the torque wrench Ive seen several be upto 20lbft out after being left wound in for a time.
Post #487830 2nd Jan 2016 4:10pm
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ARC99



Member Since: 19 Feb 2013
Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 1831

United Kingdom 2008 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 USW Cairns Blue
I used to use a large local firm to do mine until I spotted a tyre fitter doing a wheel up on my old Disco.............Puts one nut on and uses rattle gun to tighten it up hard, then cannot get the other four on as the first was not seated correctly so he starts to use a pry bar through the wheel in an attempt to shuffle the wheel round instead of undoing the first nut.
Just as I went to stop him the manager swung a 14 lb. hammer at the wheel ,missed and hit the tyre, the hammer rebounded and struck him on the shin. Knowing the owner of the firm I contacted him while still at the premises , not knowing he was in the building, and asked him what he thought about the situation.. He was on the shop floor within seconds sacking the manager and fitter and the gave a Cock and Bull story about how the wheel was jammed on and they were trying to get it off. I drove away with two new tyres , a new wheel due to the damaged caused and after a trip to the LR dealers five new wheel studs.
I now use a two man outfit in the next town who can have new tyres in less the 24 hours and will spend time moving the tyre round to get a better balance rather than putting great lumps of lead on the wheel. Don't make old people mad.
We don't like being old in the first place,
so it doesn't take much to Censored us off.

Richard
Post #487840 2nd Jan 2016 4:34pm
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discomog



Member Since: 09 May 2015
Location: Notts/Lincs Border
Posts: 2526

United Kingdom 2015 Defender 90 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Santorini Black
I absolutely hate dealers and tyre fitters working on my motors 'cos they never fail to cause some damage. When they go to the dealers I always insist that they do not valet them and finish up putting a notice on the drivers seat to tell them to use their gritty sponges and course polishing cloths on some other poor sod's motor. Chocolate on seats, grease on carpets and door handles, marks on headlining, chips on paint - I've had it all. "No it wasn't me gov honest", seems to be the standard response.
Post #487841 2nd Jan 2016 4:39pm
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ken



Member Since: 18 Aug 2009
Location: Banging Birds with my bitches !!
Posts: 4328

United Kingdom 
I fit and balance tyres myself that way I know Im happy with the result Thumbs Up
Post #487846 2nd Jan 2016 4:51pm
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ericvv



Member Since: 02 Jun 2011
Location: Near the Jet d'Eau
Posts: 5816

Switzerland 2009 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 SVX Station Wagon Santorini Black
^^ yeah, right. A bit expensive equipment for using once every 6 months.


Click image to enlarge


Click image to enlarge

Luckily we have good ones here who automatically will balance all 4, and who kindly will use the correct grease and ask for the desired torque number at each change.
Eric You never actually own a Defender. You merely look after it for the next generation.
http://youtu.be/yVRlSsJwD0o
https://youtu.be/vmPr3oTHndg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GtzTT9Pdl0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABqKPz28e6A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLZ49Jce_n0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvAsz_ilQYU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8tMHiX9lSw
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dxwjPuHIV7I
https://vimeo.com/201482507
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSixqL0iyHw


Last edited by ericvv on 2nd Jan 2016 5:40pm. Edited 1 time in total
Post #487855 2nd Jan 2016 5:33pm
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Cupboard



Member Since: 21 Mar 2014
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 2971

United Kingdom 2011 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 HT Corris Grey
We use a chain tyre fitter at work for all our tyres (from a car to big tractors) who I wouldn't touch with a barge pole for my own use.

Chaps at the small place next door are very friendly and helpful and seem to know what a torque wrench is Smile
Post #487862 2nd Jan 2016 5:37pm
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Ryderoo



Member Since: 28 Aug 2015
Location: South Oxfordshire
Posts: 1666

England 2015 Defender 90 Puma 2.2 HT Santorini Black
I use a small independent, just down the road, they do excellent work, give good customer service and usually beat most prices from the Nationals. Cheers Simon

I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you

1990 110 TD5 county, my first Land Rover - gone
2012 Discovery 4 XS SDV6 - gone
2014 Discovery 4 XS SDV6 - gone
2015 Evoque SD4 dynamic - Wife’s - gone
2015 Urban Truck 90 XS Santorini Black Hard Top - Reluctantly gone
2020 Discovery 5 Eiger Grey 3.0 SE - gone March 24
2021 Defender S D250 Santorini Black 110 HT - gone March 24
2023 Evoque P300e SE wife’s current vehicle
Post #487898 2nd Jan 2016 6:35pm
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AJC



Member Since: 30 Nov 2015
Location: Lancashire
Posts: 1362

United Kingdom 
I use my friends garage. Only place I trust to do work on my car. Most of the work is done by myself. But the jobs I haven't time for or are out of my league he does.

He's what I'd class as one of the last proper mechanics that can problem solve and not a part swapper from what the code reader says is wrong.
Post #487989 2nd Jan 2016 10:14pm
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Mr Fox



Member Since: 10 Sep 2011
Location: green & pleasant land
Posts: 1037

United Kingdom 2015 Defender 90 Puma 2.2 HT Keswick Green
ARC99 wrote:

I now use a two man outfit in the next town who can have new tyres in less the 24 hours and will spend time moving the tyre round to get a better balance rather than putting great lumps of lead on the wheel.


I use a similar set up - three man garage and the owner does his best to use as little lead as possible. In fact, he sometimes spends so long doing it that he drives me nuts but he is a perfectionist and I'd rather he was like that than a 'slap dash harry'.
Post #488000 2nd Jan 2016 10:25pm
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K9F



Member Since: 12 Nov 2009
Location: Bournemouth
Posts: 9610

United Kingdom 2008 Defender 90 Puma 2.4 XS CSW Stornoway Grey
Dynabeads.....tell the balancers with their unsightly clip on or stick on zinc weights to 'kiss your swingers' if you have any?

Rolling with laughter If you go through life with your head in the sand....all people will see is an ar5e!!

Treat every day as if it is your last....one day you will be right!!
Post #488015 2nd Jan 2016 10:57pm
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Rosco



Member Since: 03 Dec 2010
Location: Burntwood
Posts: 1833

United Kingdom 2015 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Montalcino Red
AJC wrote:
I use my friends garage. Only place I trust to do work on my car. Most of the work is done by myself. But the jobs I haven't time for or are out of my league he does.

He's what I'd class as one of the last proper mechanics that can problem solve and not a part swapper from what the code reader says is wrong.


Same for me, although as he's a back street garage I'm using a main dealer on mine whilst I have warranty. I can't think of an issue he hasn't been able to sort, and I've never know anyone else be able to work as fast as him. Sadly though he can talk all the legs of a donkey so whilst a job might only take 20 minutes, I'll be there at least 3 hours drinking tea Laughing 2007 - Stornoway Grey 90 XS SW - Gone
2002 - Black Discovery II - Gone
2014 - Montalcino Red 110 XS SW
Post #488016 2nd Jan 2016 11:01pm
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rossy



Member Since: 29 Nov 2010
Location: Co. Roscommon
Posts: 1296

Ireland 2011 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 CSW Stornoway Grey
ericvv wrote:

Luckily we have good ones here who automatically will balance all 4, and who kindly will use the correct grease and ask for the desired torque number at each change.
Eric



Rolling with laughter Yes Ericv that's because you are in Switzerland where everything is done properly by the book. We're talking about Ireland here - 'near enough is good enough' Laughing

.
Post #488079 3rd Jan 2016 10:14am
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Pickles



Member Since: 26 May 2013
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 3784

Australia 2013 Defender 90 Puma 2.2 CSW Keswick Green
Tyre fitters???, Yep,....We have the same issues in Aus.
Fitting tyres requires a lot of care, even jacking the car up wrongly can cause damage.
I was looking for someone to change & fit new tyres to an HSV GTO Coupe We owned a few years ago (19" wheels), looked around everywhere & was eventually recommended to a guy who would "treat your rims as his own",.....and He did.
Invited me into the workshop whille He did all 4 wheels, showed me each wheel before He started, to see if there were any marks on them before He started, and did NOT use a ratchet gun,...all bolts undone & tightened by hand.
Balanced all 4 wheels (always balance the lot), did a F/E alignment,..all done professionally & as it should be.
Then the tyre company who owned his site put impossible demands upon him re "upgrading" the site, so he went out of business.
When Gracie needs any of this stuff, I'll have to do more searching, because the "wrong" fitter can do a lot of expensive damage.
Pickles.
Post #488317 3rd Jan 2016 9:49pm
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L110CDL



Member Since: 31 Oct 2015
Location: Devon
Posts: 10751

England 
Same here, don't use any large firms, the fitters that do mine i've known since he started from school and he and his team are top fitters and treat the rims as their own, and as some of you said can get the tyres cheaper and quicker and he can recomend which tyre is best for my landy Very Happy
Post #488322 3rd Jan 2016 10:08pm
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