Due for tires again. I've always taken my loose wheels to the local Discount Tires whom I have a good relationship with, to get new tires mounted. Feeling lazy this time and might just bring the whole car in.

Do you guys have any hesitations to bringing your 911 to the tire shop? Particularly the lift procedure such that they don't damage the underbody with their blunt lift devices? My Porsche is pretty low and I'm sure wouldn't clear getting on their platform lifts.

Are my concerns unfounded? Any suggestions on recommendations to the shop to lift the car?

 

I did it the same way as you. Then had the same feeling of letting someone else do the work for me. The one time I did this I got 1 block before my right from wheel and tire came off. No I don't trust the shops to do what I know I'm going to do correctly. YMMV.

 

Don't get lazy. The only person I will trust with my entire car is the indy porsche shop where I know them. Even then...I still don't trust them completely. I won't even let tire places touch my wife's car...I take her wheels off and take them there.

 

Based on my experiences your concerns are not unfounded. And my recommendation is you take your car to a dealer for tires.

Before my local Porsche dealer showed up I took my Boxster to a chain tire store. I asked the manager and he assured me his guys knew how to lift my Boxster. I then proceeded to watch as a tech then moved a floor jack under the front of the car to lift the car by its sheet metal under the front trunk area. Geesh. I stopped that and he then used an bare metal jack to lift at the lift points.

I have other incidents at indy/chain tire shops and except for the one that I called upon occasionally with just the wheel off the car never use them.
For tires, I found my local Porsche dealer -- which moved into town from Oakland -- often matched the discount tire mail order tire prices for tires. The techs always use the bay lift and this has the rubber protected lift pads.


While I would wish it otherwise, indy/chain tire stores suck. While one might find a good one it is only good as long as the knowledgeable tech is there. And often the best tech will leave to work at a dealer as this pays much better and has better benefits.

 

My discount tire is the only place i go to get my tires done. These guys do all the exotics in my area and get trained and have the equipment to do ferraris and lambos in my area plus you can watch them and correct them. Anyone can mess your car up wether its some random kid or some disgruntled super master platinum tech at a dealer.
Go to a place you can build a relationship with.
People can always mess up.

Go to a local car meet and ask all the owners of your brand or equally expensive cars where they go and move forward from there.

Now where you dont want to go is where a mechanic is googling how to do something basic like an oil change or brake flush for your car.

 

My discount tire has a can of cambells soup if they cant fit it under the jack points of your car they use the "specialized lift"

 

I had tires changed on Turbo S with center locks. I decided to have the dealer do it and importantly have a 4 wheel alignment done. Unless was a trusted Porsche independent, I just don't trust a non-Porsche tech learning on my car. I also felt if changing 4 tires, it was time to an alignment.

 

Yup! I believe a Discount tire shop bent and distorted a jacking point on my '99 C2. Never again. I have removed wheels at home and also carried a jack in the car and removed 2 at a time in the parking lot. I don't ever let them rattle on the bolts with their air guns either.

 

Wow ive never seen my dtire use air guns put bolts on beaters, they always hand thread and torque them down to manufacturer specs. The majority of their performance cars are corvettes since i live in retirement haven so they have rubber between anything touching metal.

I spose ymmv when it comes to discount tire.

 

the ONLY time i have ever had an issue with a tire shop was the time i took a set of brand new wheels to them to mount and install tires. of COURSE they scuffed one wheel.

generally though, i don't have my car "lifted" to r&r tires. one wheel at a time w/ a floor jack.

 

If you don't have a lift in your garage and still wish to have your local tire shop put you car on a lift, then I would advise buying a set of "lift pucks" and taking them with you whenever you plan to have a shop put your car on a lift. Insist the shop use them. That's the only way the car can be lifted properly on a lift (unless it's a drive-on, which is worthless for doing tires).

 

you are the man!!

 

Lift pucks work! I've used hockey pucks with my floor jacks for decades.

Most tire gorillas earn less than a living wage. Do you really trust them with a $150K (new) car and up to $6K wheels and tires? I don't, I even change my own oil, even on my Subaru.

 

My advise to you is...Be Careful who choose to left your car !
I have owned my '03 since new and it has only seen one Indy lift. Even then I brought them my own lift pads and watched every move. Even when I am forced to the dealer I want to talk to the mechanic to make sure I'm not getting Newbe on my car.
It's tuff to find a passionate tire guy. One who will appreciate your 10k wheel package and actually balance them correctly. Of course they have to have the correct balance machines and most importantly be trained how to use them. You would be very surprised at how many guys are using the latest Hunter machines and don't know how to use them. I Road Force balance most of my tire changes, especially the Porsche. A road Force balance will find any problem in both the tire and rim.
I replaced all four tires last year and 2 out of 4 were found out of spec.
Of course I jacked my car up on all 4 and brought my wheels in.

 

Great comments guys. It's been a ridiculously busy week, but thanks for the kick in the butt to do it myself and do it right.

I do have a 2-post lift in my garage after all. Just used a floor jack, but at least I know it was done right without damaging anything.

Off to the tire store tomorrow.