I just bought 4 new Michelin Xaltos for my 03 Passat. I looked around and Sxxx had the best price, better than TireRack! I realize Sxxx doen’t have the best reputation, but how can they screw up tires? did I make a mistake? Worse they can do is screw up the balance.
Sxxx is a large department store chain that you all know.
Why would it be a mistake? Just make sure they hand-torqued the lug nuts. You’d know by now if they were out of balance.
I went to a “good” place, and they warped the you-know-what out of my rotors. Made me so mad. It was not Sears. I got it home, and some nuts were so loose I could have used my 1/4" drive set to get them off, while others were so tight that I had to use my 1/2" breaker. I complained to them, and all they’d say was that they hand-torqued them.
It was clearly BS, but what could I do at that point? I’d already fixed it myself.
Bill, I like the “mystery” store name in the post with Sears in the title! 
If you would have bought those tires from a different store, you didn’t make a mistake. Michelin tends to make good tires in my experience.
Clearly discretion was an afterthought…
Michelins from Sears are no different from any other Michelins. If everything is fine, then your particular Sears store must be okay. Sleep tight.
As long as you didn’t agree to the strut replacement, brake pad replacement and “lifetime” wheel alignment that they also tried to sell you, then you did not make a mistake.
Sears is notorious for recommending unnecessary repairs in order to keep their unqualified mechanics busy. For tires and batteries, however, Sears is a good place to go, IMHO.
thanks
yeah, decided to edit the name out of the post and forgot the one in the title!
I was concerned, on reflection, because the price was so low, $100 each.
the tires at sears seem to be the same as the tires at ntb or tire rack. as long as you are getting michelins, then whats the difference? (but this is assuming that sears did the labor correctly)
I don’t understand what the deal is here.
What has the S named place done wrong?
Agree; Michelin tires are made with the best quality control in the business, and whoever sells them offers the same warranty. I use Sears for batteries (Diehard) and tires occasionally (when they have a sale) and they sell good floor mats.
Don’t use them for anything else.
Don't use them for anything else.
Another exception: I love my Craftsman tools.
I meant their automotive division; I like their tools as well and my wife and daughter regularly use their Sears cards. We even have a Kenmore fridge in the kitchen.
They have been convicted a number of times of selling unnecessary repairs, and have tried this on me as early as 1967, and as late as 2 years ago. But we still shop there as they carry good merchandise.
If I remember correctly the conviction, a class action suit, was actually for charging for repairs that they weren’t doing. A theft by fraud case.
My own admittedly limited experience with them has been spotty. I think the products are good, but the service organization is questionable.
When I used to work at a Firestone retailer, there was an actual difference between some of the tires that were sold at the retail stores and the ones that were wholesaled out to other distributors. They would have the same names, but usually had a little number or leter tacked on at the end-- I couldn’t tell you what the actual difference between the tires were, but my manager claimed that they were significantly different.
I would hope that Michelin has that under control…
“I don’t understand what the deal is here.
What has the S named place done wrong?”
My sentiments exactly. My last pair of tires (Kumho) came from Sears. Service was excellent. There was no attempt made to sell me anything else. Bill – you know your stuff. What are you afraid of?
I remember the lawsuit that was filed against Sears but what I wanted to know was exactly what the problem was in this particular case.
It has been my understanding based on someone that worked for a tire manufacturer that the big distributors got tires that were priced based on a somewhat different tire from the norm. This came about when my friend noticed that the tires he had just bought (at a very low price) were only 2 ply, and didn’t think that manufacturer even made such tires. The company person admitted that they did business differently with the big stores. I have no idea if this applies to these tires/stores.
I find it hard to believe that a manufacturer would besmirch their good name by selling ersatz tires at Sears, BJs, Costco, Sam’s Club, Pep Boys, or any other great big company that buys a train load of tires each year.
Sears was likely just trying to get you in so that you’d buy something else while you waited for your tires to be fitted. It’s a loss leader, and all the retailers use this gimmick. The local grocery stores used to sell milk at or below cost to get you in to buy the rest of your groceries.
So, how’s the new range? Make sure you anchor the rear feet to the floor so it doesn’t tip on you or your family! The range is a joke, the tip on range tipping is not.
wow, isn’t that illegal!