I don't know if this a coincidence or what. I had 2 bad experiences with Toyo tires. We got 4 new tires from Les Schwab and we noticed a bump on the side wall after ~5k. I don't know how long it has been there but sounds like a defect. Les Shwab says you must have hit something and said $55 to replace it. Another tire place looked at it and said it is a bad tire and take it back but Les Schwab don't listen. We had another problem on a different car with Toyo crap. When you pay $120+ per tire you expect more. This has never ever happened with Michelin, Firestone and Goodyear on our other cars all these years. Made a mistake of going to Les Schawb and Toyo. I think Les Schwab is going down hill as far as customer service. They don't even stand behind their product. Should have gone back to Costco with excellent customer service.

Make sure what you are getting and what kind of warranty they have. factories are perfect and there are no defect anymore

OK I am done

Don't know much about Toyo tires but I can tell you this is the 3rd negative comment I've heard about LS in the past 3 months. I agree, their customer service does seem to be taking a dive.

Wow, that's the only bad new's i've heard about Les. Will be going their today for brakes.

What particular store are you talking about???

I have Too Open Country tires on the Suburban and they have 60,000 miles on them with no problem. My service experiences have been more than acceptable for tires. For brakes I would not recommend LS.

Wow!

While I don't deal exclusively with Les, I have always gotten excellant service there, even with tires purchased elsewhere.

Hope this is an isolated case!



herm

They should have fixed it for free. They offer Road hazard for situations just like yours. Less than 25% tread wear and they replace for free.

I've also heard complaints about LS in the past few months.Luckily the one I go to offers exceptional customer service. I put a set of Wild Countrys on my truck last summer. I put about 1K on them and they handled horribly,I was all over the road. I tried different pressures,re-balance,swapped front to back and the problem remained. I went back to LS and they offered to put any tire they had on my truck for only the difference in cost. 10K miles later and I'm still happy with the new tires.

Toyo tires are some of the best on the market. You either got a bad one or you hit something. Either way they should have replaced in under their RH protection. I'd go higher than the store. I'll bet they will take care of you. Your experience doesn't sound like their normal service to me.

Wow, thats the first time I have ever heard anything bad about L.S- We have always had outstanding service. In fact, they have done things for us over the years that amazed me. A while back my wife got a flat on her new Tahoe. Took it to Shwabbies and they found it had a major hole in it. So instead of trying to fix it, they just gave her a brand new Wrangler tire that someone had traded in. No charge, never even asked her for her name or anything, not even shwabbie tires on it- outstanding.

I suspect that if Les knew about your problem, he would stop eating free beef and drive up there in his jeep, smoking his pipe and fire somebody.

I once had a gal that worked for me whos husband worked at L.S- Its kind of a cult almost. He was interviewing for store manager jobs, and the whole family has to go to the interviews, wife , kids the whole deal. Apparently, Les is big on familys and stuff like that. They wound up in Seattle somewhere.

I have had the same trouble with a toyo tire last summer. The bludge on my toyo was on the inside and was the size of a baseball. I would not have noticed it if someone had'nt followed me in to a gas station to tell me.

I'd be heading to another Les Schwab to talk to them. Don't mention the one you've been to. Just say you're in the area and it needs attention. Who knows, one manager might not want to step on another one's toes.

Sounds like Toyo might suddenly have a problem here. Another Firestone in the making??

I actually had the recall tires on my Toyota 4x4, those were the best tires I've ever had. Took them back and got the exact same tires again.

Small buldges can be simply the seam where the tire was put together and often are not a problem.

Large bubbles like a baseball size are caused by the internal cords breaking down. Often times this can be caused by a flat. If something like a nail punctures the tire especially on the crown it can allow water in, causing the steel belts to rust and snap. Hence a bubble forms.

Toyo's are ok. Les Schwab sucks. If you want the best warranty go to Big O. However the tires do cost a little more as they cannot compete with the bigger companies such as Les which buy in bulk and then store the tires in a warehouse for later distribution.

Worked at Big O for 7 years after I got out of high school. Started on tires then became a mechanic. Les is a rip, especially on the front end brake jobs where they automatically replace the calibers as a "maintenance issue."

This is BS if the pads wore evenly and the caliber piston moves in and out fine the calibers are good.

I hate les Schwab. If you are having any mechanical work done and are in the Monroe area go to Able Auto. They are very honest in my opinion.

My mom had new brakes put on her car about a year ago, back around X-mas she was having a problem with a front wheel bearing (she didn't no what it was at the time) so she took the car to the Olympia LS, they told her she needed a complete brake job ($350) after she got done laughing at them she went to a shop in Shelton and they fixed the problem for $70.
A customer of mine just a couple weeks ago said he had a tire failure on a tire with under 10k miles on it and he had to fight with them to get the issue resolved, said he was done doing business with them. Didn't mention what store it was.

More an the Swabbie cult thing... ever see a Black person working at a L.S store. Ever see a fat guy working at a L.S. Ever see anybody with their shirt untucked at a L.S

I have the Toyo open country on my 2500HD Chevy, one tire keeps going out of balance, got 6 ounces on it now, 'Ole Les's store won't replace it. Second prob with them was a tire swap between a friends car and mine, I was about to junk a car with good tires, he wanted them for his. His take off tires got "lost", and the tires I got back for the junker were flat, had exposed steel etc. Problem was the car was going to the yard on a dolly, flats wouldn't do it. They gave me tires that held air only when I asked to use the phone to call the Sheriff about stolen tires.

Not only that B-run your hair cannot touch the collar or your shirt.

Haifisch

Lots of the tire changers are just kids. Have them mark a spot on the tire by the valve stem with a piece of chalk. Then have them spin the tire on the rim so the mark is exactly 180 degrees on the opposite side. Many times that will cure a bad vibration. Sometimes the wheel and the tire heavy spots get lined up this will get them on opposite side of the circumference.

Lead Thrower, The rim has weight tape marks in three places now from moving the tire around. The store says as long as it balances they will leave it on. The last time it was in, this, as you said, kid, put all 4 on the machine, said they were all fine, I said lets go for a ride then, and a different, older guy came out and did the tires, found it, more lead is the cure. As soon as these tires are shot, Discount Tire gets my business.

Discount from my experience stands behind what they sell.

Wow LT - I never knew you were a tire meister!

I had a Schwab tire develop a sidewall bulge on my Honda Accord. Took it to the Lynnwood store on 196th last week and because it still had a lot of tread left and they replaced it for free.

They did ask if I had hit a curb (which I hadn't) recently, but they didn't come out and try to blame me for causing the problem.

Maybe I've just been lucky? I've done a lot of tire business with Les Schwab and have been extremely satisfied so far.

I don't have my brakes done there however, the Midas just around the corner from my house does a fine job on those.

4-Salt

I try to forget those days

Every once and a while I wake up in a cold sweat from a dream that I still work in the tire industry.

Had almost the same experiance from LS, same bulge same bulgeshyt. They wouldn't take it back and wanted 75% of the cost to replace. Discount is the only way. Just compare the price and warranty.

Discount Tire all the way for me for several years now. Free rotations and great prices. I even had a step child (mis-matched) tire one time and I did not notice till I put about 20K on the tire. I told them and they swapped it out for free.

Hey--but ya got Free Beef eh

BFGoodrich All Terain Tires all the way! The best, and costco carries them at a very fair price w/o the BS.

I had my last set 4-5 years and one developed severe side-wall damage last week. Took it back to costco and they gave me 4 new tires @ 45% cost. Simply because the 4 were from the same batch and one of the other 3 was showing early evidence of the same problem.

I was very satisfied.

In the N. end, the Edmonds (205th) Costco is much easier to deal with on warrenty work compared to the Everett Costco.

They were sending my tire back to BF Goodrich becuase they never see problems with them.

Baja Champs and Umtamum Kings! Worth the money

LOL Coho!!

We have used Les Schawb many times in the past but no more. They used to provide good service in small towns but either they have changed or the big city Les Shawbs like Redmond are not customer friendly. Between road hazard and defect they should have fixed the bulge which was 1/3-1/2 tennis ball size.

We didn't want to argue the case too much but you guys talked me into this and I will contact the regional manager and let them know that we won't be going there no more and we have a big family and every one listens to me :rolleyes: I am the chief
I will be buying tires else where like Costco and save money to buy my own beef

I worked for them for 10 years back in the 80's. Actually it was for a member dealer. Privately owned franchise dealer. I also believe that things have changed. They've gotten to big and think they are the only place left. What you want to do is write the main office in Prineville, Ore. and address your letter to Phil Wick. Tell him the problem, the store and name of the person that you are dealing with and that you won't be going back. You will be taken care of. The store manager and all the employees get a % of the net profit out of their store and every way they can save a penny they will. I have had excellent success with Toyo tires on my own rigs but I agree that next time I will try BFG's.

I had problems with Toyo z800 ultras last years.Maybe they had a bad batch.Same thing.Bulges where the tread was seperating.We put on new tires of the same type and have had no problem since.
I only ron LS tires on all 4 of my rigs.Because weve had good luck and good service with tghem
We deal with the O.B. store in Lonbview.
Sounds like a lot of L.S. places are having problems.Hope it doesnt soread down there.

The deal with replacing calipers when doing brake jobs is that if you get a scar on a piston or cylinder.or even some dirt in them, when you compress the pistons they could stick with the brakes pressed against the rotor.
It doesnt happen very often.But I have seen it a few times.Its all about the gaurantee.If the replace the calipers.turn the rotors(to eliminate vibration)The will have less cahnce of problems down the road.ie,peop[le screemin mad because they are stuck on the road with the brakes stuck on or worse yet 1 brake stuck on.Have you ever had 1 front disc brake grab,and not the other.I've seen serious wrecks caused by it.Once again its the warranty and liability issue.
That given I always do my own brakes.But hardly ever redo the calipers.I do turn or replace the rotors though.

That's funny (not really) but, a friend of mine is visiting and yesterday he went to have his winter tires switched out for his allseasons. He had them on rime already, they just needed to swap 'em out. 3.5 hours later and a bunch of BS, he was done. Personally, I've never bought tires there, I like smaller joints.

hntnfish I understand what you are saying but if it was just a warranty and liability issue I would think it would be the same issue for all shops.

If that were the case then I would also think all calibers would come loaded (meaning with the pads in the caliber).

You can buy brake pads separate without calibers because the manufactures of these parts realize that calibers don't have to be replaced on every brake job.

Just my .02 cents.

Ive had good service and problem resolution at discount, LS once put the calipers on backwards on the wifes van,,can you beleive that>> made a bad noise that resulted in entire replacement of brakes,, kids work there, not that skilled..