Woman Gets Goodyears. Then The Shop Tries To Take Them Back—And Replace Them With Cheaper Douglas Tires: ‘Go To Costco’

A Kentucky driver booked an appointment for four new Goodyear tires. When she called to confirm, the shop had no record of her appointment. Luckily, she got the work done anyway after staff admitted the mistake was theirs.

The real trouble arose after she drove home and found a front tire flat. She says that when she went back to report a leaking valve stem, the woman at the counter told her they would be pulling off all four of her new tires and fitting Douglas ones instead.

Christina (@christinadv333), whose channel largely documents things going wrong around her, previously went viral for sharing about having a Walmart appointment to get Goodyear tires installed, only to find out they were out of stock. She laid out her latest tire issue in a two-minute, 45-second video. It has drawn more than 32,800 views. She opens it bluntly: "So the [expletive] continues."

The Tire Appointment That Wasn’t

She says she had confirmation the tires were in stock and an 8am slot booked. However, when calling to check on the morning, she got a different story. "I mean, we have those tires, but you don't have an appointment," she recalls being told. "You have an appointment on September 1st."

The price had changed too. "Those tires aren't that price either," she says she was told. "Those tires are almost $20 each more." The shop honored the original booking regardless. "We can get you in at 8 a.m., and we'll put you first in line because we made a mistake."

She says that an hour or so later, she left with four new tires, but when she got home, one tire was flat. She topped it up and drove back to report the valve stem. What she got instead was an offer she had not asked for.

"Oh yeah, we're going to replace all four tires," Christina reports the worker saying. "We've got these Douglas tires we're going to put on." When she asked why, given she had only come in about a valve stem, she said the explanation shifted to sizing. "The tires were wrong. ... It was 16-inch, and they were supposed to be 15."

She says she had the paperwork and checked the car. "No, no, no, no. I have the receipt. ... They were 15-inch tires," she says. "So, I go out and I look, and I'm like, no, those tires are 15s. They're correct."

The counter staff held the line, she says, and offered the Douglas tires at $65 each. Her answer was blunt: "No, ma'am. I don't want Douglas tires. I want the Goodyears."

Why Was The Valve Stem On A Freshly-Installed Tire Messed Up?

The flat tire has a straightforward explanation that points back at the shop. Industry guidance is that valve stems are replaced whenever a tire comes off the wheel, precisely because pulling the old one through the rim hole damages it.

A technical article in Tire Review, written by a Schrader executive, spells it out. A used rubber stem "is almost always damaged during repair," it says, and "the stem usually cracks or rips as it is forced to fit through the valve hole. Although the tears and damage are not always obvious on the stem, there is enough damage to the stem to cause slow air leaks." The recommendation is to "always change out the service kits every single time the tire is removed from the rim."

Gallery: Goodyear announces self-inflating tires

'Stop Dealing With Walmart'

Though Christina never named where she got the tires put on, many commenters told her to avoid going to Walmart, presumably based on her previous bad experience.

Additionally, commenters who said they are in the trade pointed out the valve stem mistake. "They should have replaced the valve stems when they replaced the tires," wrote angrymechanic37. "Shoddy work."

Jeff Rahr said he had "never had new tires mounted that they didn't install all new valve stems."

Junkman noted the stems "should have been replaced at the same time as the tires. They messed up."

Two commenters who said they own tire shops pointed out that the explanation she was given is not physically possible. "Could you tell me where the shop is, because I would love to see them put 16 inch tires on a 15 inch rim and you drive home," wrote Nitramjoe. Roxanne Butler, who also said she runs a shop, agreed.

A commenter posting as Erik_inthedirt explained why. A 16-inch tire on a 15-inch wheel would be so loose that "you can throw them over the wheel without a machine" and would never hold air. Christina's own view of the exchange was simpler: "She had no idea what she was talking about."

What Douglas Actually Is

Douglas sits at the value end of the market. The brand's own site redirects to Walmart, where it is described as "affordable and dependable tires for everyday driving." Goodyear, on the other hand, is a premium brand. A commenter told Christina that Douglas tires are made by Goodyear, which Douglas confirms on its website.

One viewer offered a motive for the whole episode. "They sold you the tires they had saved for a 9am appointment," wrote Curt, "and now they need them back."

Motor1 reached out to Christina via TikTok direct message and Goodyear via email for comment. We'll be sure to update this if she responds.

 

 

 

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motor1.com?

Take our 3 minute survey.

- The Motor1.com Team