NFR Les Schwab is 💩 Now

Non-fishing related
At one time I liked LS. It was local, service was good, prices were fair, liked the popcorn. Switched to Costco and Discount tires 15 years ago. Using other local shops for brakes, etc.

For service, the best move I ever made was to buy a great floor jack and have my snow tires put on winter rims. Less than 45 minutes to complete a swap out at my convenience, instead of the total cluster at a tire shop.
 
Many years ago I had LS do a brake job on my service truck.
My service tec had to stop quick the next day and rear ended another car.
I took the truck back in to check on those brakes and found that the job had been screwed up.
I knew the manager pretty well and he told me they would not stand behind the work and it would cost me more to replace the smashed and broken springs.
I have never darkened LS shops ever again and I tell anyone that will listen what a screwed up place LS is.
That was the Wenatchee, WA store
 
Anytime an investment group purchases what was formerly a privately held service company, the first priority is to retrain the staff to oversell overpriced services and products to accelerate return on investment for the new owners, usually at a loss of quality.
And post-purchase by an equity firm, LS focus is on Chinese made tires to increase profit margins.
.
"WASHINGTON New taxes or curbs on Chinese tire imports could have a catastrophic impact on Les Schwab Tire Centers, an attorney for the Bend tire chain told federal officials at the U.S. Trade Representatives Office on Friday. Les Schwab, argued that their industry could lose thousands of jobs if the U.S. limits Chinese imports. Les Schwab attorney Michael House said U.S. tire-makers arent willing to make the lower-cost, private- label tires that come from China"

color me vehemently anti-China crap
 
Last and only time at LS (preVC) I bought tires for my XJ Jeep and the tech told me I needed brakes, estimate included new calipers. Jeep had 45K miles and undercarriage was like new. I questioned the calipers and they said ALL their brake jobs included new calipers, wouldn’t do them without. F#ck off!
Local Toyota dealer wasn’t much better when I asked for an estimate to replace thermostat, it’s located under the rear cylinder bank between block and firewall, very hard access that I didn’t feel like wrestling with. I figured a 2-hour job and the service manager quoted me $310 which was about what I expected. As I was about to say OK, let’s schedule it when he said “wait, it needs to be burped, that’ll be $550.” WTF, burping entails raising the front of car a bit and opening radiator cap, run engine till warm with heater on high until bubbles stop coming out of radiator. 15 minutes at most; $240 more? Pound sand.
My grandson did it.
 
if a Costco is within reasonable distance, pretty hard to beat them for tires when their having one of their routine sales on, another plus they inflate with nitrogen instead of air.
As to mechanics, I prefer the small private shops where the owner is wrenching and knows his customers on a first name basis

"Since nitrogen molecules are bigger than normal air molecules, it is harder for them to leak out. This means a tire filled with nitrogen will maintain air pressure longer. Therefore, they say, you'll roll on tires that are always properly inflated, resulting in better fuel economy and longer tire life."
 
It's a franchise. Better off using the local mom and pop anyway. They certainly need the business more.

Good thing you know your way around the underside of a Ram.
 
Les Schwab has been trash for a while now. The value proposition has always been pretty bad, but I put up with the poor prices for the convenience, and because they usually did right by me (although I never had them do anying other than tires. I mean, making you buy new calipers when all you need are pads is ridiculous). I had a pretty terrible experience last fall, and that was the last straw. I've been going to Discount Tire since, and it has been pretty ok. Wife goes to Costco.
 
I know LS will do custom tire sizes when costco and discount are oem only. Does anyone know on the west side who does custom sizing? Im getting nee tires in thr fall and not doing oem and do not want to give LS my money.
 
"Since nitrogen molecules are bigger than normal air molecules, it is harder for them to leak out. This means a tire filled with nitrogen will maintain air pressure longer. Therefore, they say, you'll roll on tires that are always properly inflated, resulting in better fuel economy and longer tire life."

Ha! The biggest scam in recent years right down to the green valve stem covers. I told one guy trying to get me to pay extra for Nitrogen: ‘I use a blend’ . Atmosphere: 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, the rest other stuff. Big atoms: right.

I was loyal to Schwab for years. Then they burned it.
 
The bigger the gas molecule, the better it insulates thermally, which is the opposite of what you want for your tires. Heat kills tires which is why getting them siped makes them last longer. It helps dissipate heat. If the tires are properly installed, with new valve stems, they really shouldn't leak oxygen or nitrogen.
 
DanielOcean said:
I know LS will do custom tire sizes when costco and discount are oem only. Does anyone know on the west side who does custom sizing? Im getting nee tires in thr fall and not doing oem and do not want to give LS my money.
Click to expand...
I’ve not heard of the oem sizing thing. Tires I just purchased from discount tire were non oem. They had zero issues taking care of me.
 
Stoneflywelding said:
I’ve not heard of the oem sizing thing. Tires I just purchased from discount tire were non oem. They had zero issues taking care of me.
Click to expand...
Really? Ok Im grateful for the correction. Ill give them a call.
 
I have spent plenty of money at LS over the years on tires. Mostly because they were local to where I lived.

But service has gone downhill. Pricing was never good, but now it's terrible. ESPECIALLY service quotes.

I still check prices there, but Discount and Costco are the way to go.

THAT SAID, the LS that is a few blocks from me fixed a flat for free for me the other day (tires on my wife's car are still from LS). That was really handy. The Discount Tire and Costco are way across town.
 
My worst experience with Schwab was not about tires but about wheels. Back in 1985 I ordered a special model F-150 from Ford called the Explorer model-years before the actual Explorer SUV. It was two tone colored with cream colored accents and and cream pin striping, a sharp looking truck in it's day. I put a set of the white spoke wheels on it that were popular back then and drove it for a few years. After a while the West side rainy winters started to eat at the center hubs in the wheels and the lug nuts had begun to rust. The wheels weren't looking too good either and the white clashed with the cream colored body work. It was time for an update so I removed the wheels and painted them to match the paint on the truck and then went to Schwab to purchase and have installed 4 new chrome wheel centers and 20 new chrome lug nuts.

In typical Schwab fashion the guy raced out to my truck, jacked it up and installed the new parts as if he was changing a NASCAR tire at the Talladega 500. Using a too big and much worn socket on his air wrench he put 20 dents on the new wheel centers and chipped the chrome on a dozen of the lug nuts-all in record time. Explaining to the manager that I didn't want the job done fast, just done right they replaced everything at a slower place without further damage. That soured me on the Schwab hurry-up tactics and I never bought any thing else from them again.

To their credit they did fix a flat for me in Oroville a few years ago and didn't charge me. But I came home and ordered new tires from Tire Rack anyway.
 
When I moved to Washington from Florida I was told by several coworkers Les Schwab was the place to go for tires so when the time came for a new set, that’s where I went. Terrible experience- TWICE! Will never go back. I use Discount Tire now and they have been great so far.
 
I must be lucky, my local LS in southeast Everett has been nothing but good to me. Tires, brakes, all at reasonable prices. The last set they sold me for the F-150 is stellar in quality and performance.
 
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