Am I too concerned?

[Ed62]

I take my car to our local Buick dealer for service because I've always had confidence in the quality of the work they perform. They are a great dealer, and bend over backwards to satisfy their customers. I know I pay more for their service, but I've always felt it was worth it.

The last time I took my car in for service, when it was ready, I drove it just a few feet when I realized my tires were over-inflated (tire pressure shows on the dashboard). When I told the service rep about it, they quickly remedied the situation.

Last week, I had my car in again for service. This time I drove the car a few blocks before I realized the tires were over-inflated again. Recommended pressure for my car is 30 lbs. all around. The readings for the tires were 35, 36, 37, and 38 lbs. I don't know how much pressure they can have before it becomes a problem, but I know that 38 lbs. cold would probably go to around 41 or 42 lbs. when driving on the highway.

I don't want to get anyone in trouble for not doing a proper job, if I report it, but it makes me wonder about the quality of the work performed that isn't so easy to see. This might include, but not specific to, the torque applied to various connections.

Would you complain, or am I over reacting? I've been dealing with them for several years, and any problems I had were quickly remedied, and I've been very satisfied.

Ed

[cabinetman]

I would tell them to quit over inflating the tires. Attention to details, or lack of, could be in other procedures.

I don't do my oil changes anymore. I'm just not into crawling under a car and getting oil dripping to my armpit. I have used the same oil change place for a few years, and even though I trust them, I will watch what they do, and always ask them to not play with the air pressure. I'll let 'em vacuum.
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[Pappy]

I would talk to the service mgr. It is possible there is a new mechanic on board, but in any case, the mgr needs to know if there is a problem.

[cgallery]

If they are using a gauge built-into the hose, perhaps they need to have it checked.

[SARGE..g-47]

I fill my own tires Ed. The pressure reccomended is cold.. therefore I check them in the morning cold before running and add-decrease in the morning as needed. I normally check them every 3-4 days. Tires that were inflated in the warmer afternoons will come up low in the morning cold.

The psi goes up about 1 psi per 10* F of temperature. Air is gas which expands and contracts and temperature will affect it. Even before the car is run the tires on one side sitting in direct sunlight and the other side shaded from it will vary slightly. When you drive the front tires that take more load in corners can vary slightly even after a short 5 minute ride. It takes about 20 minutes of normal driving for them to balance out as they all become heated more evenly.

So... I cannot say how accurate a dash-board computer reading is... but after having worked around race cars I do understand that individual tire pressures can vary from one another depending on the circumstances during the day. Simply put... the reason I check mine early in the morning after daylight when they are cold and not affected by sunlight or lack of.

I would probably get awful annoyed trying to monitor individual pressures during the day if indeed the computer is truly accurate watching them flucuate back and forth due to the individual circumstances involved. Quite annoyed!

[LinuxRandal]

They are probably getting it close to what is listed as the Max pressure on the TIRE (not the doorjamb). This is more or less a result of the whole Firestone Ford rollover thing. (Ford engineers said use x pressure, Tire manufacturers said that was below the minimum safe spec for that tire at x weight)

[Ed62]

So... I cannot say how accurate a dash-board computer reading is

I have 2 gauges, and they both read exactly what the dashboard reading is. My tire pressure is one thing that I keep an eye on, realizing that a rise in outdoor temperature and/or driving (another rise in (tire) temperature), will have an effect on psi.

The over inflation is not my biggest concern because it's an easy fix. It's my loss of confidence in their work.

Ed

[LCHIEN]

I have 2 gauges, and they both read exactly what the dashboard reading is. My tire pressure is one thing that I keep an eye on, realizing that a rise in outdoor temperature and/or driving (another rise in (tire) temperature), will have an effect on psi.

The over inflation is not my biggest concern because it's an easy fix. It's my loss of confidence in their work.

Ed

quality of workmanship starts at the top. Sometimes things break down.
I would have a heart to heart/face to face talk with no one less than the service manager. And tell him your concerns not only vis a vis the tire pressure but the whole service chain. If they can't follow the simplest directions for inflating tires the you wonder how they perform the complex adjustments.

If he expresses concern and reacts properly then give him another chance. If he blows you off and says the tire pressure is not important then don't go back again. You have to be the judge here. clearly the source documentation is wrong, or the tool is bad, or the procedure is wrong or the worker not following procedure. They have to fix that or the same problems will exist for a tranmission repair.

If he does apologize and promise to fix things then give him another chance on a minor repair a couple of weeks later, and if it still comes out wrong don't go back again.

If he's really serious and you've been a good customer (you might want to bring the stack of service receipts to make this point) then he should really give you a vocuher for a complete oil change and service check for free.

[Uncle Cracker]

Next time you take it in, tell them to either leave the tires alone, or offer to loan them a tire gauge...

Fact is, in many dealerships the guy who airs up the tires is usually the lot boy, and many just "eyeball" it, I think. I can see why a dealership might not want their high-priced mechanics wasting an hour a day airing up tires, but the flip side is that you gotta make sure the lot boy can do it properly.

[cabinetman]

There can be a difference in gauges. Pencil type gauges can be misread easily. Tire pressure monitors (TPI's) are supposed to be very accurate. I like using a dial type tire pressure gauge.
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[herb fellows]

+ 1 on Lorings take on this.

I was just speaking to a friend last night and he told me he had an oil change done, he saw oil spots on the ground, checked the pan, sure enough they had the nut hand tight.
Called the service mgr who said 'bring it in, we'll tighten it'.
Guess where he doesn't bring his car anymore?!

[Rand]

I bought a new Acura in 95. The dealer was great. They dealt with the few issues I had right away, detailed the car any time I brought it in.

A couple years later I went back to the dealership for routine service and they gave me back my car with a leaking power steering unit. Apparently they had a lot of new employees working in the garage that weren't there the last previous time I needed service.

The point being that even though the company name stays the same, the people change. Often, for the worse.

So yeah. I would be very concerned.

[Ed62]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. My wife wants me to let things slide. But it looks like I'll have a talk with the service manager.

Ed

[vaking]

I used to have Chevy Malibu (not anymore). Tires on that Malibu were rated for 44 PSI maximum, but Chevy manual was recommending to inflate tires only to 30 PSI. Somehow Chevy figured that Malibu handles better on under-inflated tires. Chevy dealership I used knew the details about popular models and they would normally inflate tires to 30. However, I can easily see the tire guy not knowing that this particular car needs to be under-inflated and setting the pressure based on tire recommendation rather than Chevy recommendation. Since I know GM likes to use same design on cars with various brands I would not be surprised if your Buick is a close relative of my ex Malibu.

[cabinetman]

I used to have Chevy Malibu (not anymore). Tires on that Malibu were rated for 44 PSI maximum, but Chevy manual was recommending to inflate tires only to 30 PSI. Somehow Chevy figured that Malibu handles better on under-inflated tires. Chevy dealership I used knew the details about popular models and they would normally inflate tires to 30. However, I can easily see the tire guy not knowing that this particular car needs to be under-inflated and setting the pressure based on tire recommendation rather than Chevy recommendation. Since I know GM likes to use same design on cars with various brands I would not be surprised if your Buick is a close relative of my ex Malibu.

That's likely what happens. Tire pressures on the tire are "maximum" pressures, not related to any particular vehicle. Manufacturers set the pressures (door jamb) as per vehicle, which is based on weight, front/rear wheel drive, and front/rear weight bias, and rim widths/diameter.
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