More New Sneakers

Ever since we purchased 6 new tires at Eagle Tire in Milton Fla. (an independent Goodyear shop), I've been wishing we just kept the old Continentals.

The tires they sold me were the correct size and load rating for the RV. They were "negotiators" made in China. The shop called them "off brand" but said they were as good as any other tire. They looked fine to me. Some things that are made in China are fine but evidently, these RV tires were not.

After getting Eagle tire to balance them twice (once when they installed them and then again 3 days later when I drove 100 miles back to their shop) I was still noticing annoying shimmying and shaking at almost all speeds.

I stopped at a Goodyear in Panama City and spoke with the manager there. I was hoping the problem was that the tires still weren't balanced properly. He said that he personally would NOT put THOSE tires on a TRAILER, nevermind a big, heavy RV. He couldn't check the tires balance until the next day. So, I continued east.

Having spent $852 on new tires and ending up with a WORSE riding RV was really pissing me off. The more I drove it, the madder I got.  Next, I stopped at a Goodyear in Jacksonville and asked them to check the balance on the front tires. They checked and found out they were in fact perfectly balanced. The shop manager said these tires were just junk and they would never feel "right" on the RV. They didn't charge me. I thanked them, tipped the mechanic $10 and left.

A few days later while on Jekyll Island (300 miles from where I bought the Negotiator tires) I got the idea to call Goodyears corporate customer service line and see if they could do anything. After going around and around with Barbara... she stuck to her guns, saying that since the tires were NOT MADE BY Goodyear & even though they were installed at a shop with a Goodyear sign,  there was nothing she could do.  She recommended driving back to Eagle tire ($240 in gas and 10 hours of driving) to have them deal with the issue.

A word to the wise, don't think that the big blue & yellow Goodyear sign on a tire shops facade means you're covered nationally by ANY Goodyear location in the event that the shops recommended products and/or labor fails. If you bought anything other than a Goodyear product at a Corporate store or an independent shop, the Goodyear customer service folks in Akron Ohio will basically tell you to pound sand.

To make a long story even longer... I call Barbara back about a week later and asked if she could call my nearest corporate Goodyear store and ask them to give me the very best price on 6 new tires. I just couldn't handle driving around on these Chinese tires anymore. She did just that. She told me the manager said he'd give me as close to "his cost" as possible but he wouldn't lose money.

The View is now wearing 6 spiffy, new Wrangler HT's and it drives wonderfully.

These guys were super professional. They put plastic covers on the steering wheel and seat as well as a paper mat on the floor. The mechanic (Mike) was great.

It was warm out so Tigger and I hung outside. I read my book and he laid in the shade.

After the job is done, the service manager comes out and checks the torque on all the lug nuts. It's probably not necessary since the mechanics are so thorough. It made me feel like they cared about their customers and the job they did. 

I called Fedex from the Goodyear store and set up the shipping of the 6 Negotiator tires back to Milton Florida. I'll have to eat the shipping cost but in the end, if Eagle Tire refunds the $852 in full (like they said they would) it'll be worth it.

6 near new Negotiator tires awaiting the FedEx truck

Total cost was $1134... About $300 more than the cheap tires cost. Checking the internet... I found these same Wrangler HT tires for $168 each. (168 x 6 = 1008) So, the price I got isn't anywhere near the Goodyear shops "actual cost" (like the manager told Barbara & I he would strive for) but it's still an OK deal.

And, Barbara is sending 6 $20 rebate coupons (1 for each tire). We'll get $120 rebate at some point in the future. That will help offset the shipping cost of the Negotiators back to Eagle Tire.