Walmart tires

I just read that wal mart uses factory reject tires? Is this true? I read it on line so i dont really know how true it is? Has anyone had a problem with walmarts tire and lube oil change?

The guys at the Walmart here couldn't balance a tire if their life depended on it. After 4 trys, I took my car to an independent who got it right on the first try.

Regards:
Oldengineer

I work for Walmart and as far as I know, we don't use reject tires. Our tires are ordered directly just like any major tire retailer. I got Eagle F1 tires put on my '00 Grand Am and they've held up perfectly considering how I drive :grinno: . I got my oil changed there once cuz I was in a hurry and they had the oil change done and my car outside before they had the order drawn up (system problem that day). I don't trust my car to just anyone. Ask the manager on duty in TLE for the best tech out in the garage that day and have them do it. We have had our fair share of idiots out there who couldn't take a lug nut off if their life depended on it but the majority of our guys are very good and get few complaints. Just my 2 cents :smile: .

I am probably the hardest guy on the planet to please when it comes to tires. Worked in a tire shop years ago, I know the ropes. Usually go to Sears locally, guys are really sharp and tires are first rate, and really high priced, but service is top notch. Well, decided to put some cheaper rubber on my old Camaro, looked around and decided to try a set of the Walmart Douglas tires. Noted Walmart had a Hunter wheel balancer, good machine. Sales guy was pretty sharp, said he came from an independant garage where he worked for years. Said these tires were made by Goodyear under a Walmart contract. Very good price and the full service contract at under 10 bucks was darn good too. Now have about 6000 miles on the tires, run perfect, smooth, quiet, no tread wear evident at all. I'm completely satisfied, and that's something. BTW, worse tire service I've ever gotten was at a Goodyear service store. Hard to believe I know, but that's what I've seen.

What are some good tire brands? I only really know about goodyear and firestone

i'm not really a goodyear fan, they burn up too fast and don't offer much in the way of grip in exchange for their short treadlife. Firestone are alright. Their prices have been better in the last few years after their legal problems and they're making some good tires for reasonable prices finally. My favorite brand for regular normal car driving is Cooper, they have a good balance of performance and treadlife and really good prices. If you want affordable performance tires I suggest Kumho or Falken.

Walmart tires are the same as everywhere else, its the people who work there you have to watch out for thats mentioned above.

I got 4 Kumho tires 185/60/14 for $140 including tax from the tirerack (live 10 minutes away, didn't have to pay shipping), and I went to walmart to get them installed, first they were like ok, we can install them for $3.50/tire. So I'm like does that include everything, mounting and balancing? The guy says no, just mounting, if I were to get them balanced also, it would cost $18/tire (a little pricey). Then I went to Samsclub, they said $9/tire and I also noticed a sign that if the car isn't ready in 59 minutes, they'll refund the money. I paid, and they said that car will be ready in 45 minutes. So I waited, and they took 1 hour 15 minutes, and I got it done for free. I'm not really happy with Walmart, even though Samsclub did a good job.
I also have a friend who took his Acura to get the oil changed at Walmart. He usually does it himself, but he was feeling lazy. Well, they put the bolt on at an angle, so it messed up the thread, and it was leaking. They overfilled it, 5 quarts instead of 4, and they left the cap at the top off. It cost him $100 to get it rethreaded, but if he would have had to get a new oil pan, it would have cost him $1000, because his engine is weird the oil pan goes up around the sides.

I don't think they use factory rejects but the major mfg do make them cheaper, lower quality tires as compared to the Michelin or Goodyear you get at an independent shop. There is a quality different!

I agrre with the quality issue walmart tells people what they will pay and they are built that way.the old saying is true you get get what u buy!!!! I work at a tire shop and walmart told one of our cust to bring us their tires we could tell them if they had a seperation problem. All they have to do is look at them while balancing and they could tell. What a tire crew!!

I also had a bad experience with Wal-Mart tires. Bought Goodyear brand tires, but they weren't the same tread pattern as any I saw at the Goodyear store. Bought them anyway because of price, and was happy at first. Soon, they were making a lot of noise and nothing I could do about it. Put up with it for a year before changing them out to Michelins. Never happier after that.

What ever you do, DO NOT USE YOUR CREDIT CARD HERE (walmart).
Twice now my wife has gotten tires there and used her credit card only to find out later that the card number got used by someone else.(Discover card)
Both times it was just shortly after a purchase there. Interesting enough, just tonight on the local news they had a special report on the top ten places where not to use your credit card....you guessed it WALMART! was on the list.
RAT BASTARDS!!!!

Other than that, would it kill these guys to use some soap and water to clean the blue protective coating off. Very unprofessional.

It is my understanding that the Wal Mart staff contracts Viva II & others with the various manufacturers to build a tire to the bare goverment safety standards. They back the tires well but, it does take a long time for install & repair as you will get bored & shop. You will be better off with a local tire boutique shop where ASE Certified mechanics will inspect and advise you of whatever needs you may have.

What ever you do, DO NOT USE YOUR CREDIT CARD HERE (walmart).
Twice now my wife has gotten tires there and used her credit card only to find out later that the card number got used by someone else.(Discover card)
Both times it was just shortly after a purchase there. Interesting enough, just tonight on the local news they had a special report on the top ten places where not to use your credit card....you guessed it WALMART! was on the list.
RAT BASTARDS!!!!

I know your frustration, but Wal Mart isn't entirely to blame. They are blamed for a lot because they are the biggest retailer and process the most transactions.The problem isn't only at Wal Mart, but industry wide. Think about it, if you use your credit card at a place that processess a larger number of transactions then your chances of your numbers being compromised are greater. Over the past 5 to 7 years the number of c.c. numbers being comprised has risen sharply due in part to hackers who can obtain the info. a large number of other businesses have been hit over the years such as B Js Wholesale club, A J Wright, J C Penney, Sears, numerous popular chain restaurants,online sites, etc. I have many credit cards that I use, including Discover, and over the past few years, I have been sent new cards with new numbers. This is in response to a potential breach of info and is an automatic response by the credit card issuer. I only use my Wal Mart credit card at Wal Mart, but the others that were compromised were used elsewheres. Just because WM is the largest retailer they are usually the first to be mentioned in most media reports.

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I am probably the hardest guy on the planet to please when it comes to tires. Worked in a tire shop years ago, I know the ropes. Usually go to Sears locally, guys are really sharp and tires are first rate, and really high priced, but service is top notch. Well, decided to put some cheaper rubber on my old Camaro, looked around and decided to try a set of the Walmart Douglas tires. Noted Walmart had a Hunter wheel balancer, good machine. Sales guy was pretty sharp, said he came from an independant garage where he worked for years. Said these tires were made by Goodyear under a Walmart contract. Very good price and the full service contract at under 10 bucks was darn good too. Now have about 6000 miles on the tires, run perfect, smooth, quiet, no tread wear evident at all. I'm completely satisfied, and that's something. BTW, worse tire service I've ever gotten was at a Goodyear service store. Hard to believe I know, but that's what I've seen.

Since this post came back, an update.

The Douglas tires went to crap at about 25k miles. Started vibrating a bit, and got really noisy. The vibration wasn't all that bad, and the tire wear was excellent, tires still have 75% tread left maybe, but the noise got so bad I had to get them off the car. Bought a set of Michelins, better ride quality right off, and these tires are silent. We'll see how they age I guess. Sure not a cheap set of tires at any rate. Bought these tires at Walmart, another excellent install and best price I could find. But beware their "house brand" tires.

What are some good tire brands? I only really know about goodyear and firestone

Anything not made in China should be good.

The Michelins are still doing fine for me. Well satisfied with them. But, again, I'm real particular when it comes to tires.