RowdyRebel Posted April 17, 2023 Share Posted April 17, 2023 So we got new tires for the Suburban. Went to 10 ply LT305/70R16 on the truck and an LT235/85R16 spare. It had LT285/75R16's on it, but the rims were a little too wide & I didn't care much for the way they looked...and the spare *may* have been the original that came with the truck back in 1990. I didn't trust it because of that fact, so I also carried one of the tires from my F250 (which is OOS waiting for me to replace the timing cover gasket...I just need to acquire one of those rare round tuits) in the back just in case. When we arrived at the WalMart, I dug the actual spare tire out of the hole it's in, and placed it in the rear passenger side seat (which was folded down) to make it easy for them to get to. I told them 4 times where it was, and that it would be easy to get at. Drop off the keys, take the kids to lunch, come back & do a little shopping...then I get the text saying they're done. Awesome. Go to pay the bill & they charged me again for the spare tire which had already been paid for. Easy enough to fix...just frustrating. Walk outside & those new tires look good...fit the rim MUCH better than the old ones. Open up the rear passenger side door to have a look at the spare...and it's the same old-ass tire that was on there when I got there.😡 I open the very back up and see the new spare had been forced onto a rim that was way too wide for a 235...and my 285/75R16 BFG TA/KO missing & everything I had in the back tossed to the other side & down into the hole the spare tire is supposed to go into.💥 Apparently it was so bad, they went inside & found my wife...and told her "Your husband is REALLY pissed off!" She already knew...I had called her what had happened...so her reply? "What did you expect?"🤷♂️ I love my wife.😎 1 Quote When approaching a 4-way stop, the vehicle with the biggest tires has the right of way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobody454 Posted April 18, 2023 Share Posted April 18, 2023 nobody gives a crap about anything anymore 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mowerman Posted April 19, 2023 Share Posted April 19, 2023 That’s messed up but yes that’s the way it is now days you’re not alone bud. Sorry for your inconvenience…. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyRebel Posted April 20, 2023 Author Share Posted April 20, 2023 ...and yet there's more. It's a damn good thing I was putting new shocks on the old 'burban last night because when I jacked up the front end to pull off the wheels to have easier access to everything, there was about 2" of play in the front left wheel. Lower ball joint is junk. Now, either the guy at Walmart who was changing the tires is entirely incompetent and shouldn't be turning a wrench on ANY vehicle in which case he didn't notice, or else he saw the problem and failed to make any notes about it or tell the customer about the severe safety issue in which case he's negligent and has no business turning a wrench on ANY vehicle. So, I picked up the new ball joints for this side & paid WAY too much for them (Summit has the exact same ones for less than half the price...but I can't wait for them to get here). I'll order the other side to get them done in the next week or two (they're still tight...but probably just as old). Got it all ready to come off the truck...except I can't find my dadgum Dana 44 spanner socket to get the stupid hub nut off. Guess I'm done for the night. I was hoping to have the ball joints done tonight, replace the motor mounts tomorrow night, and still have 1 night left to spare. Pick the new camper trailer up on Saturday & need the Suburban to pull it home. At this point, I'm thinking it might just be easier to put the timing cover gasket in the F250 and use it on Saturday, but then who knows what that job will throw at me. Getting ready to go on a road trip this summer with the family...gotta have it ready to go. Picked up a dual pod pillar gauge mount so I can finally mount the transmission temperature gauge, as well as the new air/fuel ratio gauge I picked up with the wide band O2 sensor. Want to get that carb tuned, but can't do that until I know where it needs adjusting. Then there's the new muffler & tailpipe to weld on...and still need to order up a rear sway bar. Also considering replacing the steering stabilizer...probably doesn't NEED that, but who knows how old the one that's on there is. Probably throw some new brake pads on there, too...all while working 55-60 hour weeks with 3 hours/day spent driving to & from work and taking care of the horses. Needless to say, I'm fuggin' tired. Don't have the tool I need, so I'll have to pick that up tomorrow on my way home from work. Gonna call it a night...throw a frozen pizza in the oven & try to get a minute or two of sleep before my alarm goes off again. Quote When approaching a 4-way stop, the vehicle with the biggest tires has the right of way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mowerman Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 Oooooooooooo my god,,, bud I’m exhausted just listening to you ..: I put around 55 hours a week in myself but that’s it I can’t handle anything else .. but then again, a lot of home repairs sometime Saturday and Sunday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyRebel Posted April 21, 2023 Author Share Posted April 21, 2023 Welp, got it all apart, old ball joints out, new ball joints in, and the steering knuckle loosely installed. Tomorrow I'll pick up a couple seals on my way home so I can repack the wheel bearings as I put it all back together. As long as the rain quits, it should go together pretty quick. Otherwise, it's going to be miserable...but it's got to get done. Need it Saturday morning. Quote When approaching a 4-way stop, the vehicle with the biggest tires has the right of way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onyx610 Posted April 21, 2023 Share Posted April 21, 2023 (edited) Nobody “looks” for work anymore. Only do what’s on the work order. Walmart only wants to do tires, oil changes, and batteries…They more then likely don’t have the skill or tooling to do ball joints….Customer service is a thing of that past so better get used to it. Edited April 21, 2023 by Onyx610 Spelling 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mowerman Posted April 22, 2023 Share Posted April 22, 2023 I haven’t done ball joints in a long time, but the last time I did, I had to burn out rivets with a torch and sometimes they have to be pressed in and out .. like he said I wouldn’t expect Walmart or Costco to do anything else I don’t even think Costco does oil change I am not certain what are usually have them do are the tires but we have a repair shop that does all our repairs. They are not cheap, but they don’t sell you anything you don’t need any more with my schedule I just have them do all my work on our every day drivers I have enough to do around here between the Mack and the mowers in the honeydews ha ha oh sure you fellows have the same issue with the long ass work schedule . Possibly if I was 9 to 5 I would take care of a little bit of the auto repairs. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mowerman Posted April 22, 2023 Share Posted April 22, 2023 But yes, that spare tire deal was ridiculous. Reminds me a few years back I decided to take my Taurus to Jiffy Lube while I’m paying the bill. The girl tells me yeah man we topped off all your fluids. Next time I picked up the hood the right fluid was down in about an inch, I thought OK I see you topped off everything ha ha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mowerman Posted April 22, 2023 Share Posted April 22, 2023 Of course, right away, I had to pull out the dipstick to see where that was, and make sure the oil was fresh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mowerman Posted April 22, 2023 Share Posted April 22, 2023 I have heard through the years some of these rip off shops charge you for stuff they never dead, such as oil changes and new transmission so on so forth… Bob 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyRebel Posted April 22, 2023 Author Share Posted April 22, 2023 9 minutes ago, mowerman said: I haven’t done ball joints in a long time, but the last time I did, I had to burn out rivets with a torch and sometimes they have to be pressed in and out .. like he said I wouldn’t expect Walmart or Costco to do anything else I don’t even think Costco does oil change I am not certain what are usually have them do are the tires but we have a repair shop that does all our repairs. They are not cheap, but they don’t sell you anything you don’t need any more with my schedule I just have them do all my work on our every day drivers I have enough to do around here between the Mack and the mowers in the honeydews ha ha oh sure you fellows have the same issue with the long ass work schedule . Possibly if I was 9 to 5 I would take care of a little bit of the auto repairs. Bob I wouldn't expect a shop to perform work they don't typically do. However, a safety issue ought to be brought to the customers attention so they can take it to a shop that does that sort of work. A simple "While we were changing your tires, we noticed your lower ball joint is sloppy loose, and really needs to be changed. We don't do that here, but you need to have that taken care of as soon as possible to avoid it coming apart while you're driving down the road" would've gone a long way in building trust in the work you are having them do. 1 Quote When approaching a 4-way stop, the vehicle with the biggest tires has the right of way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
other dog Posted April 25, 2023 Share Posted April 25, 2023 On 4/22/2023 at 10:14 AM, RowdyRebel said: I wouldn't expect a shop to perform work they don't typically do. However, a safety issue ought to be brought to the customers attention so they can take it to a shop that does that sort of work. A simple "While we were changing your tires, we noticed your lower ball joint is sloppy loose, and really needs to be changed. We don't do that here, but you need to have that taken care of as soon as possible to avoid it coming apart while you're driving down the road" would've gone a long way in building trust in the work you are having them do. Right- My ex gf took the Ford Ranger pickup- the one I should have kept- over to a little garage/shop about 2 miles from here to have it inspected one time. They "inspected" it and put a new sticker on it, and when I got in at the end of the week we drove it to Winchester to the truck show. After we got back it was in the driveway with the wheels turned a little bit and I just happened to notice something shiny in a front tire when I walked by. I got on the ground and looked and it was the cords showing on the inside edge of the tire. It scared me to think that I had just driven it up I-81 to Winchester and back at a high rate of speed when there was a good chance of suffering catastrophic tire failure at any time. I mean letting a small exhaust leak or something slide is one thing, but not an obvious safety issue like that. I took it straight to the tire shop and had new tires put on and a a front end alignment done. 1 Quote Producer of poorly photo-chopped pictures since 1999. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High Binder Posted April 25, 2023 Share Posted April 25, 2023 Sounds like a shop here back in the day. Hand them $10 and you got a sticker. They never looked at anything. One time I never got out of the car. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MACKS Posted April 25, 2023 Share Posted April 25, 2023 Getting ready to do ball joints on my 2000 f-250 super duty,have all the parts sitting on the bench in the garage,I have to get a little psyched up first before I start…😂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey Mack Posted April 25, 2023 Share Posted April 25, 2023 Is it a 4WD? I did this and more to an '06 F-250 SD 6.0L.. It wasnt that bad, I did axle assemblies and brakes with calipers.. I torched out the old ball joints, and my Harbor Freight 20 ton press, easily pressed the new ones in.. I hope I psyched you up, 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MACKS Posted April 25, 2023 Share Posted April 25, 2023 1 hour ago, Joey Mack said: Is it a 4WD? I did this and more to an '06 F-250 SD 6.0L.. It wasnt that bad, I did axle assemblies and brakes with calipers.. I torched out the old ball joints, and my Harbor Freight 20 ton press, easily pressed the new ones in.. I hope I psyched you up, Lol,yes it’s four wheel drive,I have a ball joint press that I used before on a different truck,worked great but still a fair amount of work for a shady tree mechanic..🤔😏 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mechohaulic Posted April 26, 2023 Share Posted April 26, 2023 I know I'm old when it takes 12 hrs to replace 4 torque arm bushing in a KW . apparently it's expected to take spring saddles off to replace bushings. the 7/8bolts go from brake assembly towards rears . can't remove the 5 1/2 in bolts they hit axle spiders. u-bolts so close to saddles , can't remove even with a thin wall socket. never got to the three remaining air bags for changing. 5 in die grinder with cut off wheels cut the 7/8 bolts . putting new rubbers in arms biggest cluster. cleaned/ honed ; still couldn't press new ones in !! this has become a young mans(person) job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mowerman Posted April 26, 2023 Share Posted April 26, 2023 I’m getting tired just thinking about it just figure it out my DM power steering box is leaking and the pump needs rebuild. Looks like I’ll probably have to wait till last to take care of both of them….. $$$$ lol bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mowerman Posted April 26, 2023 Share Posted April 26, 2023 Oh, by the way, this is New like caper is working out nice click click click lol../ bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mowerman Posted April 26, 2023 Share Posted April 26, 2023 And by the way, Tom, I’m glad you did not die. Were you talking about shoulda I kept ,,,, the Ranger or the chick????? Bob 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mowerman Posted April 26, 2023 Share Posted April 26, 2023 My present wife had a ranger when I met her …. OK Joey let’s have it we’re starting to drift onto side track area … Bob 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doubleclutchinweasel Posted April 26, 2023 Share Posted April 26, 2023 Rats...sharp tails... Quote "Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey Mack Posted April 26, 2023 Share Posted April 26, 2023 I'm just watchin' 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
other dog Posted April 26, 2023 Share Posted April 26, 2023 3 hours ago, mowerman said: And by the way, Tom, I’m glad you did not die. Were you talking about shoulda I kept ,,,, the Ranger or the chick????? Bob 🤣 The Ranger! 2 Quote Producer of poorly photo-chopped pictures since 1999. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.