I have a history of being automotively sodomized by various tire mounting bafoons throughout the Houston area. The worst of which was when my M3 got lifted with arms under the floorpan and gastank which punched thru both areas, never minding the dozen gouges on the previously pristine wheel faces.

That being said, when I find a talented mounter, I stick with the guy. Lately, I have with great fear endeavored to find someone trustworthy enough to mount the nightmare of all tires - 19" with 30 aspect sidewalls, TPMS sensors, and reverse mount specifications. Even with 17's, most mounters I have seen work with the finesse of a Meth tweaker trying to pinch out an 18# bowling ball covered with glass shards.

The past month I have found a guy that can slip the tires on and off with the ease of a veteran **** queen working a half-sized *****. So far, the guy has de-mounted and mounted no less than 2 sets of 19's for me, with nary 1 scratch. Better yet, he is the manager of a new store with brand new equipment that isn't jacked up yet. The store also has almost no business yet since it has been open only 1 week. Look for John at Discount Tire at West Rd and I-45N. The guy just rocks.

 

Have you tried American Wheel and Tire on Hempstead? Jason Stevenson is the manager. I haven't purchased anything yet But am about to and I have heard good things and he appears to be very knowlegable

 

They scratched a new set of Carerra III 18 rims.

 

Wow! Thanks for the info. Did they make good for the damage they caused?

 

When I first started working on cars I had to mount tires, and to hear that they scratch your new wheels and cannot rack your car properly is something I cannot comprehend. I don’t live in your area but the one key piece of advice I can offer is look or ask what type of machine they use.

Good machines will look like the first three down on the link I provided. Ones like the 4<SUP>th</SUP> and 5<SUP>th</SUP> down are the types that will scratch the lip of the wheel or the inside.
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http://www.hunter.com/pub/product/tirechanger/index.htm

Mounting low profile tires sucks, but I could mount corvette tires all day with, tpms, low aspect, and the worst of all runflat sidewalls. All of this without scratching the wheels or tearing the beads. I guess there are either a bunch of stupid people working in shops around there, or some minimum wage punk kids.
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Good machines make it very hard to break or scratch anything, and usually the people operating higher dollar equipment are a little smarter to match.

 

Your analogies have me rollin'!!!!!

 

good post lou

 

Not many people with common sense today in society, let alone in a tire shop. I still mount and balance all the tires I buy. I guess that’s just the perks of knowing people in not so high places.

 

This shop has what looks like a brand new Hunter TCX500. I think the difference is the guy just knows how to use it properly. He covers the wheel clamps with the plastic cover protectors first, and also slips a plastic sleeve on the pry-bar looking tool before touching anything. The first time I asked him if anyone was able to flip a 19" tire without messing anything up, he brought me back to machine and let me watch the whole process.

 

What kind of work do you think you'll get at a dealer?

 

I feel your pain...I have a guy at Discount Tire on Bellaire (14300 Bellaire) that has done probably 50 + mounts/dismounts for me on wheels ranging from 17 inch to 19 inch. Tires as wide as 355 (on my Viper). In any event, he is the asst. store manager and I've been with him for over 5 years, never an issue. If that location is close to you, look him up, his name is Josh (tell him Peter referred you, he'll take care of you).
Peter

 

A good tire shop with the right equipment and the "right" person will always be better than the dealer - the dealer doesn't do that many while the tire shop, that's all they do.

 

This post is perfect timing for me.
The rears on the car were new when I picked it up in November and are close to being out of use. Fear of the NTB/Discount crowd I have been asking around in my local area about where to go and what to do about this. The last thing I want to do is take the car in but it sounds like there are possible options here.
With all the talk about the rims/tires, is there any issue with these guys knowing how to actually lift the car and use the tool to get the rim off correctly?
My car obviously has the low profile but my wife's CTS-V uses run flats which also need special care.

I'll have to go and find these people that you all have listed and interview them.
My C-III rims aren't picture perfect but I sure as heck don't need more rash marks on them.

 

how about Rolos on Richmond and Chimeney Rock... I used to be their neighbors at Motorsport Designs Houston and we stole one of their mounting guys for our shop... never a problem... I guess there should be one qualified guy there to mount exotic sizes... Discount Tire shops are a flip of a coin IMO sometimes good and sometimes bad...

best bet call one of the BMW Club guys, those guys know who is the guy for mounting correctly...

if I find anything I'll let you know...

 

Thanks for the tips.