My driver’s side back tire kept losing pressure. The tire pressure light would come on, I’d find a gas station, put in my $2.00 worth of quarters and get air for all my tires. Up, down, up, down, up down up down. Then back around to put the little caps back on the tires. The machine shuts off after five minutes, so hurry, hurry, quick, quick. The PSI was supposed to be 35, but the back tire was usually down to 24 pounds per square inch.
This went on for weeks, usually after I’d made my trek to Monterey. I can tell you which gas stations in two towns have the best places to get air where you’re not on full display, an old woman crouched next to each tire. It’s not as easy getting up from the ground as it was just two years ago.
But I digress.
I went in for my 100,000 mile check-up at Toyota. The regular sales guy, Eric, sold me a $500 package of doing this and that for my car. I mentioned the tires and how one had a slow leak.
“We’ll check it out,” he said.
When I went back to get my car, he mentioned that the tire pressure sensor light probably was going out and that next time would be a good time to change out the sensors, when I got new tires, next time.
You jerk, was all I could say under my breath. If he thought I was going to wait until 5000 more miles to get my tires fixed, he was oh, so very wrong.
I came home and made an appointment with Big O. The next day the guy told me my tires were from 2017 and too old to patch, that it was against the law in California. He also said my tires were low on tread, cracked, and dangerous.
So how much for 4 new tires? He quoted me $1000. He said they’d price match Costco when I asked him if his prices were as good as theirs. He didn’t have the tires in stock but gave me a written quote.
As I drove to Costco I realized two things. 1. I didn’t have my Costco card, 2. I average about 10,000 miles per year with my Prius, which means I’d driven 70,000 miles on those tires since 2017.
Costco was super busy. I went in to get a day pass since I didn’t have my card. A female employee yelled at me, and I explained why I was coming in the wrong door.
I got my day pass and headed over to automotive. I’d already passed by once before and there was a line. Now there was just an Asian man scolding one of the counter guys because his car wasn’t ready. I got the other guy, Reuben, who was happy to quote me on the same tires that Big O recommended. Long story short, the difference was less than $50. Big O had a better price per tire, but then they added $100 for installation. It wasn’t worth going back to Big O to save fifty bucks when Reuben was being so helpful and he said the tires would be here next week.
Reuben and I struggled to hear each other. I was in a mask (COVID is back) and the Asian guy was still arguing about how he was going to complain to the manager, and the counter guy was saying he was the tire manager. It was lunch time, the manager was telling Reuben to take his lunch, and all Reuben was trying to do was sell me four tires.
My appointment is for next week. Reuben knocked off ninety bucks, so the Costco tries were cheaper by forty dollars.
Toyota guy, you are a class one jerk for blowing off my concern about my tires.
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 