Actually, I would be very angry if the don´t put it to standard… it´s their job…
I would be grateful that the dealer is paying attention to the details. I had tires installed at a big box store a few years back. The installed tire pressures ranged from under 25 to ~50 psi when I checked them. I never went back, not even for the free tire rotations.
I have an 03 Taurus, the recommended pressure is 30 psi, I prefer to keep it at 32-32 psi. The first time I picked it up after an oil change, my mechanic mentioned the tires were over-inflated and he set the pressure to 30 psi in his 70 degree shop. Unfortunately the outside temp was in the 20’s so the cold tire pressure ended up around 25 psi. He was probably seeing 37 - 38 psi in his warm shop and was just being conscientious.
Ed B.
One of my favorite Abraham Lincoln quotations seems to be relevant here.
Old Abe once said, Most folks are about as happy as they have decided to be.
In other words, if somebody is bound and determined to be pizzed-off about everyday situations in life, probably nothing will deter him/her from doing so on a regular basis. Knowing that this is essentially unhealthy behavior, I prefer to…roll with the punches…and not sweat the small stuff…so I will repeat that this “issue” is TRULY small stuff.
edb1961 brings up an important issue. If the shop sets the pressure to spec inside a warm garage, it could be way low in the outside cold. So what is the shop to do?
Another point, what is the temperature of the air inside their compressor, and how much does it decrease when expanding into the tire. But that is a small effect unless they are inflating the tire from empty.
Surely every mechanic knows that lower temps lower the pressure?
So they should set the pressure after the car has been sitting outside for an hour or so… but that may be too complicated …
Bottom line, you always have to check the pressure yourself.
Actually, I would be very angry if the don´t put it to standard... it´s their job..."Their job" is to do the job they were hired to do...and that's that. Unless explicitly requested, they are NOT paid to go on "fishing expeditions" looking for stuff to fix (and at least theoretically maybe not put everything back together just the way they found it).
It’s not just “good practice”…it’s about things like the customer–>agent relationship, personal property rights, and such. I pay only when the task is performed to my satisfaction. Sabotage my tires=not done to my satisfaction=no soup for you, mechanic!
P.S. an “overinflated” tire is one that exceeds the “max pressure” on the SIDEWALL OF THE TIRE.
It’s a good thing Tom Wells isn’t judging this situation…
Removed
LOL, yeah Mike, I see these kind of stupid statements often. Usually from auto industry executives, who you’d think would know better.
I would have to know the specifics of your case a little better…If you like to keep your tires 2 or 3 PSI over because you frequently have a carload of heavy passengers or other heavy cargo and you like to retain some of your car’s crisp handling, then yeah…I can see your point. If you put 42 PSI in the tires of your '95 Civic because you think “it handles better”…No. That’s just stupid.
Joe
Don’t take this the wrong way, please
But you seem like an extremely difficult to please customer
In fact, you seem like the kind of customer, that the mechanics and shop owner might cringe, when you show up
I don’t know if this applies to you . . . I’ve known plenty of people and customers in my life who take GREAT pride in being EXTREMELY, if not impossible, to do right by
In fact, some of these same people like to brag to their friends, colleagues, etc. about how they had somebody running around in circles, backtracking, bending over backwards, etc.
To some degree, I’m relating some experiences
And to some degree, I’m extrapolating
But I’m not apologizing, either, because I feel I’ve done nothing wrong. And speaking of wrong, while I may not have hit the nail on the head, I also don’t feel that I’m dead wrong about you, either
I’m not a difficult customer. I’m just very protective of my property. I also despise the concept of “paternalism,” where the “expert” does, for me, whatever is in my best interest…and then may (or may not) tell my why he did what he did, what my options were, or that he even did anything.
I despise paternalistic medicine to the point that I refuse to pay medical bills (other than G.P.) unless ordered to do so. I’ve looked into “concientious objector” options to the A.C.A. I believe that the patient customer should be sovereign, as in any other transaction…if I say I want a third eye in the middle of my forehead, I DON’T want “I don’t think that’s in your best interests” as an answer.
That view is probably a big reason I’m so into DIY. Obviously, you can’t “DIY” surgery…but if I could, I would. I almost never have any professionals touch my car or truck (aside from state inspections, and tires)…and it’s only partly about the money.
Do the job you were paid to do; don’t do anything else. Not a tough concept!
We apparently have a difference of opinion, and that’s okay
Everything you just told me, actually reinforces my belief that you are in fact “a difficult customer”
You used the term first, so I figure it’s okay if I also use it
Good luck on that third eye
That was a joke, because I don’t think anybody would actually pay good money for that elective medical procedure, if it were a possibility
But I might be mistaken
I know there are regulars on this forum who do not agree with me, and vice versa. And that is to be expected
I tip well… 
…but then the barmaid always brings me the drink I ordered, and doesn’t do stuff like say, “As a mixologist expert, I think the drink you really ought to have…”
P.S. I think, in the right profession, a fully-articulating third eye would be HELLA intimidating!
It would most certainly be intimidating, especially if you could move that third eye in a different direction from the other two
Now how would the brain theoretially process that data from the third eye?
By the way, what does HELLA have to do with any of this?
I prefer Bosch, actually . . .
Of course I know what you really meant, but Carolyn might object to colorful language
In fact, some of these same people like to brag to their friends, colleagues, etc. about how they had somebody running around in circles, backtracking, bending over backwards, etc.
It makes them feel IMPORTANT…Probably because they’re IMPOTENT.
:naughty:
Going back to the topic of the shop lowering the tire pressure to specs, it is very likely part of a checklist of things they do when they do the “free maintenance” as the OP called it. Most shops that I know include checking hoses, topping off fluids and correcting tire pressure as part of the service.
Unless you order your service a la carte you shouldn’t be irritated when a shop serves the entire meal.
My objection is more that they apparently didn’t tell OP what they did. Regardless of whether it’s for the better or not, tire pressure affects performance, handling and safety, and I think the shop has an obligation to let the customer know that his car will corner, brake, haul, etc. differently from how it did when it came in.
P.S. What with that “Kalifornia greenhouse gas tire pressure check” law, what do they do if the tires are obviously non-OEM…like if I put flotation tires on, obviously that drastically changes PSI required. Do they still put 30 in there?
Direct quote from melott
Anyway, I have a nearly-new car and took it in to the dealer for its “free” maintainence.
Most if not all dealers that have the free maintenance check have all the things they do listed on a sign in the service dept. You’ve seen them, so they can basically tell you how well they are treating/checking your car. So if that is the case they did tell you that was going to be done. If not, it is still your responsibility to check the tire pressure, and adjust it to what ever you like.