Price Gouged

So today I got price gouged. Big time. I feel like I bought a 1984 Yugo at a used car lot for $10,000. Yes, I got screwed that bad. And they did not even bother to use any lube! I know they had lube, because of all the ads everywhere for a "Jiffy Lube".

Anyway, here is the skinny. I need new tires. I have needed new tires for a few thousand miles now. My old tires were not totally bald, but the tread was getting shallow. The wear indicators were clearly visible, and flush with the tire. What little tread there was could be measured in millimeters. So I had to drive extra careful on wet roads. And it rains EVERY FRIGGIN DAY. Remember that cool telescope I posted about buying? Well I used it ONCE. When I have time to set the thing up it is either raining or too cloudy to see anything.

So I go to the Pep Boys place (which SUCKS ASS - NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER GO THERE). They had tires for $91, plus another $10 to mount and balance each tire, and they also wanted to sell me an allignment. But they could not put the tires on today because they SUCK ASS and hire employees from the "special" school that uses the short bus to transport students.

I do not need an alignment. First off, my alignment is good now. The truck has an ever-so-slight pull to the right, but not so bad I can not drive with my knees. Also Toyota has recalled the ball joints for my truck, and I am going to have the dealer replace those tomorrow. They will have to do an alignment after that - so why pay some grease monkey to do something that another grease monkey is going to do for free?

Anyway, I went to Sears. They had tires. For $115 each. Plus the mounting and balancing, the disposal fee, the road hazard warranty, and the discount on the tires for getting all that other crap - so for $611 I got 4 new tires. That is like $150 per tire! What the crap is up with that?

Granted, my truck has some fairly hefty tires on it. Dunlop 265/70/R16 tires. And I got tires with a treadwear of 500 (60,000 mile tread warranty), a tempature rating of A (whatever the hell this means) an a traction rating of B (whatever the crap that means).

But still, my asshole is a little sore after this .

And here is the BEST PART. While my truck was on the lift I decided to take a look at a few things. like my shocks. Then I noticed something.

The monkies had put the WRONG tires on my truck. They had put 235/70/R16 tires on. I noticed that the tires looked a bit small. So I had to wait for them to take ALL four tires off, then re mount and balance them.

All in all, I was at Sears for several hours. I was able to walk through the International Mall, grab lunch at the food court, and watch the World Cup game.

Tomorrow I take the truck in for the ball joint recall, and to have a transmission cooler installed. I will have to rent a Yaris while all this crap is done. I am going to ask for the hatchback Yaris.

And I have to go to the eye doctor. The paycheck I just got is all gone! None left for beer or pizza or anything!

But at least I have new tires in time for Sanibel. And by the way - it is raining now. It just started.