NFR Les Schwab is 💩 Now

Non-fishing related
Divad

Divad

Whitefish
I’ve been a Les Schwab customer since I was 16, so I’d say I know the business. I turn my own wrench but at times it’s outside my wheelhouse or not cost effective. The employees used to stick around for years and you’d get to know them, heck I’m good friends with one of the past employees to this day.

Through the years the shops changed for the worst and likely most of it falls on the new VC ownership. Today was the nail in the coffin. I need a couple CVs and outer axle on my Ram 1500 so I got a quote not wanting to do it.

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In red is the price I can buy the exact same parts from the exact same suppliers…🤬 $1,000 markup really?! How is that even a legal practice.

A couple years back when I got new tires for it, I did a double take at the lug nut price. Called the supplier and had them for $140 less. The Toyo Tires were priced $50 more per tire than I could get from multiple online sources shipped. Ended up buying it all myself then. Looks like I’ll be doing cv’s next weekend.

🖕 Les Schwab 🖕
 
I’m not unrealistic here, I’d assume shops make a little cream on parts, with the bread winner in labor. But they’re trying to milk me as if I’m the last cow on the farm.
 
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A lot of stuff on the web indicating 60% to 100% markup is becoming the auto parts industry standard.
 
Les died, soon after his wife Dot died, without time enough to set up the transition. Their children did a piss poor job of continuing what Les had established... which was always high priced, but the service was so good you could talk yourself into thinking it was worth it. The kids have sold the business, and I'm sure you will never again see free beef. You can get Toyo tires from tire factory now, and better service too.
 
Les Schwab has always been a racket. They once told my father in law that his cargo van needed a new ABS module to the tune of over $1k to fix a pulling issue under braking. I convinced him to let me look at it, and it was a collapsed brake hose that was super common on that year Chevy van. $10 fix and took 5 minutes to diagnose.

Don't forget when you do brakes they get you for all new calipers all around too. And store brand tires that cost more than the name brand tire.

I had them repair a tire for me once and that was no charge. Not bad but it was an 8 hour wait so I drove home and removed the wheel and dropped it off with them and picked up the next day. Never got the hype.
 
My take is that all specialty service shops will rip you off to perform any service outside those services advertised on the sign. Les Schwab signs say "Tires."

I always appreciate the heads up when tire or oil change techs tell me I have a different problem, but I almost always go to a different specialist to get those extras done, because, well, you all know....
 
I understand the negative feelings towards Les Schwab - but (big but?) when you live in a place like 98823, population 8,342, your tire service shops are limited (LA and Walmart). Yes, I can (and have) bought better tires for less in Wenatchee (58 miles one way) but sitting in Discount Tires waiting room for an hour or more ain’t fun. . It’s worth a bit more $ to me to drop my rig off locally and walk home until the rotation or exchange is done.

@ffb / I do hear you about quotes from LS being BS. Wrenching on my cars are done elsewhere.
 
I have seen a vehicle come back from Schwab after a tire rotation with lug nuts that were only finger tightened, they replaced struts on the same neighbor’s vehicle and they too were not torqued.
Not to be trusted.
 
I took my Ram 1500 Ecodiesel in to the dealer for an oil change today. I knew it was going to be pricey as they hold a bunch of oil and everything is expensive with a diesel it seems. But it was worth it to me to not have to deal with the oil, etc.

When they called to let me know it was ready they also quoted me $250 to change the engine air filter. I declined as it's a 5-10min job tops and I ordered a filter direct form Mopar for $38.

There was an article in my news feed lately about the average time of car repairs across the country stretching to almost 2 weeks due to a staffing and parts shortage. It's an industry that seems to be struggling and consumers bear the brunt.
 
Disruptions due to COVID and the Supply Chain problems have meant that there are several million used cars/trucks that were never manufactured (and a big drop in fleet/rental purchases). This has led to a shortage of low-mileage used vehicles and that has allowed dealers to inflate the prices of used cars. Further, many manufacturers have dramatically inflated their MSRP and their dealers are adding on additional market adjustments. Add in the higher interest rates (average 7% or more for new cars and 10% or more for used cars), and the costs of acquiring a new-to-you vehicle (brand new or used) is nuts. So, I can see why folks are holding onto their vehicles longer (and therefore putting more pressure on repairing vehicles that they might otherwise have abandoned). Shoot, I'm driving a 97 4-Runner with 215,000 miles and want to purchase a new truck. But I can't see paying the extravagant prices when the 4-Runner is still running O.K. Shoot, even if I have to kick in $1000/year for repairs on the 4-Runner, it is still hugely cheaper than the amortized costs of a new car/truck.
Steve
 
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I have always thought that the Les Schwab shtick was pure bullshit, their tires inferior to name brands and hated how they preyed on single women selling them unneeded services.

Tire Rack gets my business as they have a vastly greater selection of tires than the average tire shop and their prices are more realistic. But most people don't know a good tire from a stale bagel and go to Schwab out of habit. For years at least they got service I guess. It sounds like now they are just getting screwed-without getting kissed!
 
We've used schwab for 25 years here. After doing our last set of tires, and the wife 2 oil services, our experience has been they are not the outfit they used to be, and will look at other options.
 
Rob Allen said:
I've had great luck with discount tire, that said I never had them do any service other than tires.
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Discount has been great to me. Order online and set up the appointment. Just got a new set on my truck and took them 30 minutes to swap my wheels and I was on the road. Few hundred bucks cheaper than shwabs too. I did have to drive past 2 les Schwab locations to get to discount tire, but obviously worth it.
 
My wife took her mom's mid size SUV into the Twisp Les Schwab for a spring tire swap. Schwab that her summer tires were so worn down they wouldn't swap them on for her winters, but they had some good affordable all seasons for $1200. She pointed out that they had at least 3-4 mm above the wear bars and the POS tech told her he "had a special tool for measuring tire wear" and it said they needed to be replaced. She told them to pound sand and took it somewhere else.

I'd rather drive to Omak than spend a dime at the Twisp Les Schwab.
 
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