Tire install
Banned
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 2,863
From: NorCal
Rep Power: 136
For some reason the Costco in Foster City refuses to install on tires greater than 17".
I went to Firestone on El Camino in San Mateo. They had decent prices for the tire I wanted and cheap installation.
I went to Firestone on El Camino in San Mateo. They had decent prices for the tire I wanted and cheap installation.
Banned
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 178
From: pleasanton ca
Rep Power: 35
Tire Installation
Rich,
What you forget is that Kevin and Dave left Custom Alignment to come work for me when i was the General Manager of Performance Art,and even though i left(long story) they ARE the best guys for the job,had them put tires on my wife's car yesterday in addition to having a hunter 9700 roadforce balancer they also have a Corghi Artiglio wheel mounter which is a twelve thousand dollar piece of equipment.
What you forget is that Kevin and Dave left Custom Alignment to come work for me when i was the General Manager of Performance Art,and even though i left(long story) they ARE the best guys for the job,had them put tires on my wife's car yesterday in addition to having a hunter 9700 roadforce balancer they also have a Corghi Artiglio wheel mounter which is a twelve thousand dollar piece of equipment.
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,034
From: Silver Creek Valley, CA
Rep Power: 63
Go through Tirerack.com and have them delivered directed to Custom Alignment(http://www.customalignment.com/) one of there top installers in the Bay Area.
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 2,558
From: SF, CA
Rep Power: 127
i must just have bad luck w/ these Bay Area shops.
Custom Alignment - will *never* go back. they put the suspension on my Supra 4 years ago. the front tires kept rubbing after the install - that's bad enough. i called, asking if they could take a look at their work - "sorry, we're booked for the next 2 weeks." i then decided to check everything out myself. i get in there and *BOTH* of the A-arms have loose bolts!!! (that wasn't the problem, but that's just unacceptable.)
Exact Motorsport - they actually did my BPU on the Supra 8 years ago (when they were still in Sunnyvale.) i was a neophyte back then but he installed the BPU parts and neglected to tell me that i had a bad turbo. of course, i then took it to a variety of shops because it just didn't feel right, and none of them correctly diagnosed the problem either. (if nothing else, that entire experience was the reason i began working on my own car.)
for tires, i go to Robert's Tires & Wheels here in the city - Folsom St between 5th & 6th. i've been dealing w/ them for 10 years.
- chuck
Custom Alignment - will *never* go back. they put the suspension on my Supra 4 years ago. the front tires kept rubbing after the install - that's bad enough. i called, asking if they could take a look at their work - "sorry, we're booked for the next 2 weeks." i then decided to check everything out myself. i get in there and *BOTH* of the A-arms have loose bolts!!! (that wasn't the problem, but that's just unacceptable.)
Exact Motorsport - they actually did my BPU on the Supra 8 years ago (when they were still in Sunnyvale.) i was a neophyte back then but he installed the BPU parts and neglected to tell me that i had a bad turbo. of course, i then took it to a variety of shops because it just didn't feel right, and none of them correctly diagnosed the problem either. (if nothing else, that entire experience was the reason i began working on my own car.)
for tires, i go to Robert's Tires & Wheels here in the city - Folsom St between 5th & 6th. i've been dealing w/ them for 10 years.
- chuck
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 18
From: San Jose
Rep Power: 0
California Wheels is well known in San Jose. They have a shop off Alum Rock. They do more of the big rim/SUV thing at there Alum Rock Store.
Well they just bought out the shop(T-W Motorsports) I used to work for years ago. It is in Campbell on Winchester,between Campbell ave and Budd. So now there is a California Wheels in Campbell and they service hi-end luxury cars. They are the only ones who will touch my wheels. They just mounted my new 19" and 20" Viper wheels. Not a scratch. They also have a in-ground alignment machine, so they can easliy get lowered cars on the rack. So for anyone local , who doesnt want to drive far, give them a shot. Talk to Tommy, tell him Mike with the Viper sent you.
Well they just bought out the shop(T-W Motorsports) I used to work for years ago. It is in Campbell on Winchester,between Campbell ave and Budd. So now there is a California Wheels in Campbell and they service hi-end luxury cars. They are the only ones who will touch my wheels. They just mounted my new 19" and 20" Viper wheels. Not a scratch. They also have a in-ground alignment machine, so they can easliy get lowered cars on the rack. So for anyone local , who doesnt want to drive far, give them a shot. Talk to Tommy, tell him Mike with the Viper sent you.
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 79
From: Peninsula
Rep Power: 22
I remember T-W motorsports back in the day. I've brought mine in the past to Auto Innovations, which is where I learned the trade of M&B. But when I get the chance, I do them myself at a friend's place on his machines. I still believe that the specialty shops are still better than Wheel Works, etc. which do good for regular or oem wheels but not for my wheels 
Banned
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 2,863
From: NorCal
Rep Power: 136
California Wheels is well known in San Jose. They have a shop off Alum Rock. They do more of the big rim/SUV thing at there Alum Rock Store.
Well they just bought out the shop(T-W Motorsports) I used to work for years ago. It is in Campbell on Winchester,between Campbell ave and Budd. So now there is a California Wheels in Campbell and they service hi-end luxury cars. They are the only ones who will touch my wheels. They just mounted my new 19" and 20" Viper wheels. Not a scratch. They also have a in-ground alignment machine, so they can easliy get lowered cars on the rack. So for anyone local , who doesnt want to drive far, give them a shot. Talk to Tommy, tell him Mike with the Viper sent you.
Well they just bought out the shop(T-W Motorsports) I used to work for years ago. It is in Campbell on Winchester,between Campbell ave and Budd. So now there is a California Wheels in Campbell and they service hi-end luxury cars. They are the only ones who will touch my wheels. They just mounted my new 19" and 20" Viper wheels. Not a scratch. They also have a in-ground alignment machine, so they can easliy get lowered cars on the rack. So for anyone local , who doesnt want to drive far, give them a shot. Talk to Tommy, tell him Mike with the Viper sent you.
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 6,788
From: SFBA
Rep Power: 344
i'd not recommend america's tires. they make u wait 2 hrs for tire install and they are just not trust worthy. i once brought a tire to install. they destroyed it during mounting somehow and claimed it was damaged to begin with. not only that, they sold me a new tire at a high price that the first one i bought bc they know i am stuck. talk about rip off.
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 179
From: SF Bay Area
Rep Power: 29
I had a very bad experience with Custom Alignment back when I had the Cayenne Turbo and 22" Techarts (Dec '05). I had them do a simple job of replacing two rear tires--
It was evening time when I went to pick up my car, so I didn't have a chance to inspect them until the morning. My discovery was that both wheels that they had worked on had mounting damage.
After speaking with the service writer his first response was "well, they are 22's and those are more difficult to mount... let me ask the tech that worked on it"... then he got back to me saying that that tech was claiming the damage was already there. Even after explaining how that couldn't have been possible since the tires were the orig tire on new wheels, they still wouldn't acknowledge their mistake.
I'm the type of consumer who readily accepts the fact that there are risks involved and things can get inadvertantly damaged... but to not even take the time to say "come on back and we can take a look at it", and to basically say "too bad" is just bad business practices.
I'd say, stay away from Custom Alignment...
It was evening time when I went to pick up my car, so I didn't have a chance to inspect them until the morning. My discovery was that both wheels that they had worked on had mounting damage.
After speaking with the service writer his first response was "well, they are 22's and those are more difficult to mount... let me ask the tech that worked on it"... then he got back to me saying that that tech was claiming the damage was already there. Even after explaining how that couldn't have been possible since the tires were the orig tire on new wheels, they still wouldn't acknowledge their mistake.
I'm the type of consumer who readily accepts the fact that there are risks involved and things can get inadvertantly damaged... but to not even take the time to say "come on back and we can take a look at it", and to basically say "too bad" is just bad business practices.
I'd say, stay away from Custom Alignment...
Last edited by sfbimmer; Jan 29, 2008 at 03:59 PM.
