I mean, like, is it justified? I know it’s bad for my vitals. Anyway, I have a nearly-new car and took it in to the dealer for its “free” maintainence. I like to keep my tires a tad harder than spec. When I went back to get it, I discovered that they had let air OUT of all my tires. Yeah, they were putting it to spec, but you would think they could have called me or something. I mean, do they think that air leaked into them? The service writer could see that I was surprised, and said something like I should tell them if I wanted it that way. I didn’t make an issue of it…but…
I’m no expert but I think over inflation can be just as bad as under inflation for handling, traction, tire wear, and comfort. They probably have an obligation to meet the spec unless they charged extra for it.
melott wrote:
I mean, do they think that air leaked into them?
What’s the difference between April temperatures and June temperatures where you live? I know that I’ve had to let air out of my tires several times over the past two months or so.
If you want your tires at a pressure other than the recommended value, I think it’s reasonable that you need to tell them that.
Liability, liability, liability. Most dealers will only inflate tires to the manufacturers reccomend pressures due to liability concerns. If you were to have a tire fail and be involved in a accident the dealer could be held liable. Unfortunately lawsuits have defined how things are handled in service departments.
I wouldn’t be irritated. They didn’t do anything wrong.
In fact, I would expect them to make that adjustment. There may even be a remote possibility of a liability issue if there were to be an accident that was proven to be caused by an overinflated tire in a vehicle they had just serviced.
OK. I reluctantly see your point. Fortunately it isn’t fall.
I expect the tech’s there have a written procedure to follow, and part of that must be to check the tire pressure and do whatever’s necessary (fill or let out air) so that all the tires fall within the spec’d range. It’s a little annoying, but I’d cut them some slack on this one. Next time you take the car for maintenance check, you know what to do.
Tires loose a little air over time, some say about 1 psi per month. Since I only check mine about once a quarter (3 months), I like to start at 3 psi over, but I also check the tire temperature first and adjust the pressure to STP which means that I add .1 psi for every degree above 68F or subtract .1 for every degree below 68F.
Keith, if I interpret your procedure correctly, you would be setting the pressure 7 psi low for an outside temp of 0ºF. Isn’t that dangerously low?
Personally, I set it to 2 PSI over the spec irregardless of temperature.
yes, your procedure means that you will have the correct amount of air so that at 68ºF you will have the correct pressure, but only at that temperature. It’s pressure that is important, not amount of air.
You cannot fault a shop for setting tire pressure to factory standard. dot.end!
You should tell them if you wanted it that way.
It finally happened! I agreed with a service writer!!
Excuse me while I run down and get a lottery ticket. It’s am amazing day. Anything is possible.
I’d be irritated if the shop changed ANYTHING on my car without my knowledge and express consent.
As the tires, for example: despite the MFR recommended pressure setting, tire loads are linear by psi: if your tire says “Max Load 2200 lbs at 44 PSI,” that means 50# per PSI (over a range). NOW, if I get in my “reset to recommendations” truck…and had no reason to believe the tires weren’t at max load PSI…and proceed to overload the tires (for the PSI they’re actually at), THEN you’ve created a potentially deadly situation!
And, seeing as how one of the most likely times for a failure of a system to occur is JUST AFTER servicing said system, I want to know if they so much as tighten a bolt or take an oil cap off. I want to be able to double-check their work, and be alert for oil leaks, etc. over the next few trips. Hard to do all that if I’m not informed of what work has been done!
If I bring the truck in to “reverse the hood ornament” (so that it now reads “DROF”)…I expect just that, and nothing else.
I would make them restore the air pressure to how you had it and see if it happens next time.
Whether you should be irritated or not isn’t really the question, you are irritated and that’s that.
I will say that the best way to avoid the irritation is to tell the service provider anything specific you would like when you drop the car off. Some people prefer plain water instead of washer fluid. Some people prefer a specific tire pressure or a specific weight of motor oil. We are happy to accommodate you, but we need to know your wishes beforehand. Other wise your tires will be adjusted to the pressure on the door decal, you will get 20/10 washer fluid, and you’ll get the motor oil weight recommended by the manufacturer.
As the tires, for example: despite the MFR recommended pressure setting, tire loads are linear by psi: if your tire says “Max Load 2200 lbs at 44 PSI,” that means 50# per PSI (over a range). NOW, if I get in my “reset to recommendations” truck…and had no reason to believe the tires weren’t at max load PSI…and proceed to overload the tires (for the PSI they’re actually at), THEN you’ve created a potentially deadly situation!
Nahh, aside from the tire warning light probably being on from the tires being 10psi overinflated, I have followed manufacturer recommendations and possibly state regulations by adjusting your tire pressure to the proper level. What you chose to do with your vehicle after it is properly serviced by me is entirely your responsibility. At least that’s the way the courts would see it, and unfortunately since common sense and personal responsibility seem to be on the decline, I need to consider legal ramifications as a course of doing business.
Nahh, aside from the tire warning light probably being on from the tires being 10psi overinflated1. 1994 F150. No nanny lights here. 2. MFR psi ratings are a recommendation designed to accommodate typical loadings. Filling the bed up with mulch is atypical (for most owners) and calls for "captain's discretion" as to appropriate psi. 3. Not busting the tire load rating IS a limitation, not a recommendation (as opposed to 2) and takes precedence. 4. If I did suffer a blowout (post having my tires deflated without my knowledge and consent) I WOULD sue you, 100%, if I found out about it.
Please, show me where MFR PSIs are referred to as a “hard limit,” “mandatory for highway use” or similar. I’m running around 40, right now, as defense against hydroplaning (plus weekly forays to GAWR). As you no doubt know, minimum hydroplaning speed is proportional to the square root of PSI (i.e. another way in which you’ve compromised my safety without my consent…I would not know that the performance envelope of my truck has been narrowed by you, and might operate according to my presumed performance envelope).
Getting my old ,bad steering F 100 aligned one time in the 80s,I noticed the Kid assistant letting air out of the tires,which I didnt care for because I wanted the vehicle aligned to the way I used it,I figured 35 psi was probaly what I should have ran in the older radials on a pickup,that actually saw use,a Guy that was" really on the Ball" would have asked me why I ran a little extra air in my tires,rather then assume the know it all attitude,I guess what He did didnt make much difference on that horrible steering F 100.By the way,why are new vehicles not properly lined up from the factory,to keep the alignment shops in business?
(got one better then that,if someone wants to hear it)
Should I be irritated?
No. Look at the price you’re paying with your angst churning inside you. Not worth it at all.
If this was something truly worthy of getting worked-up about, then I would now be in my 50th year of being annoyed over this issue.
I like to run my tires ~3 lbs over the recommended pressure, and–IIRC–every time that any of my cars have been serviced over that 50 year span of time, the pressure has been re-set to mfr’s specs. I just accept this as a bit of reality, rather than get riled by it.
I tend to check (& correct, if necessary) my tire pressure every 3 weeks or so. When my car is due for servicing, I simply forgo the pressure check that I would normally do right before servicing time, because I anticipate having to readjust it to my liking right after servicing. I also allow the windshield washer tank to run low just before servicing, because I know that it will be refilled–gratis–at the time of service. I know what to expect–more or less–and I adjust my own actions accordingly, so as to not duplicate my efforts.
One of the things that I have learned in my 67 years on this earth is…
Don’t sweat the small stuff…and in the total scheme of things, this…issue…regarding tire pressure is truly small stuff.
“You cannot fault a shop for setting tire pressure to factory standard. dot.end!”
Agree. I run my tires at 35psi and that’s 3psi over the recommended pressure. I keep them that way. It works for me and has for over 30 years.
“readjust it to my liking right after servicing”
I like the way you worded it . . .
Because a mechanic inflating to manufacturer’s recommended specs, listed on the door jamb, is doing the right thing
If you want special treatment, talk to the service writer when you drop off your car
And bring a box of crispy creme donuts, because special treatment costs extra
4. If I did suffer a blowout (post having my tires deflated without my knowledge and consent) I WOULD sue you, 100%, if I found out about it.
Riiight…that would go far. Your car is serviced by me, I inflate your tires properly, and then you want to sue me. When we service your car, we make sure the transmission fluid is between the full and add marks, we make sure the coolant is between the full and add marks, we make sure the tires are inflated to the spec on the door tag, allowing 2-3 lbs for temp variation.
It’s your car and your money, and this is one of the times when the customer may be right. If you want your transmission overfilled and your tires overinflated, that’s fine, just tell us when you bring the car in and we’ll make a note of it.
Please, show me where MFR PSIs are referred to as a “hard limit,” “mandatory for highway use” or similar. I’m running around 40, right now, as defense against hydroplaning (plus weekly forays to GAWR). As you no doubt know, minimum hydroplaning speed is proportional to the square root of PSI (i.e. another way in which you’ve compromised my safety without my consent…I would not know that the performance envelope of my truck has been narrowed by you, and might operate according to my presumed performance envelope).
In the state of CA, anytime a car is in a repair facility for any kind of service the shop is required to adjust the tire pressure to the door tag specs and document it on the repair order.
As far as your preferences for psi, the technical aspects are irrelevant. I can just about guarantee that if you blew a tire after it left my shop overinflated, the court would find me negligent. If you blew a tire after it left my shop properly inflated, the court would probably find me in the clear. It’s too bad that I find the need to protect myself from the vagaries of customer beliefs, but in this litigious world it’s the way it is.